Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: Kaypee on June 24, 2013, 07:13:08 pm

Title: Whats a trace screen?
Post by: Kaypee on June 24, 2013, 07:13:08 pm

I read about a studio photographer gelling a softbox and firing it through a trace screen to create a graduated background. Does anyone know what a trace screen is?

Title: Re: Whats a trace screen?
Post by: PhotoEcosse on June 25, 2013, 05:10:18 am

Waxed paper (Google is your friend - and mine!)

Title: Re: Whats a trace screen?
Post by: Kaypee on June 25, 2013, 07:30:01 am

Thanks for that. Is it like parchment paper or tracing paper? I tried googling 'Trace screen , photography' with no luck.
Thanks

Title: Re: Whats a trace screen?
Post by: MrSmith on June 25, 2013, 03:24:48 pm

It's not parchment paper.
It's rolls of 'Atlantic frost' 'heavy frost' or any other kind of diffusion material made by companies like LEE and Rosco that are 4ft wide and usually stuck to an 8x4 frame (polyboard size) some are flame retardent.

Parchment paper creases and is not colour neutral and would ignite if used with modelling bulbs or hot lights.

There is also avery heavy diffusion material affectionately known as 'nappy plastic'.

Title: Re: Whats a trace screen?
Post by: Simon J.A. Simpson on June 25, 2013, 03:30:18 pm

In the UK your used to get rolls of special tracing paper for lighting – used a lot on movie and TV location sets.

Title: Re: Whats a trace screen?
Post by: MrSmith on June 25, 2013, 03:55:51 pm

I spent an hour this morning finding a frost heavy enough for a shoot as the LEE 120 was not quite up to the job.
If you google 'Hampshire frost 4ft' or 'opal frost 4ft' you will find the same products used in the film, TV and photography industry.
All frames and flats are based on 8x4 which is why the rolls are 4ft for filling a frame.

Title: Re: Whats a trace screen?
Post by: Hulyss on June 25, 2013, 07:03:50 pm

I use it a lot to diffuse Led spots but it is kinda expensive, around 20 € per meter if I recall right. It is probably more. The correct name is "frost" as some mentioned. I never found the correct frost for my leds but I use a very light frost and place an another one to the front as I want.

Title: Re: Whats a trace screen?
Post by: Kaypee on June 26, 2013, 02:04:47 am

Thanks everyone. I didn't realise it was frost. The effect they created was a dark brown gradient on the a background, with a similar look to a grid being fired from the front. They gelled a softbox and fired it through the trace screen and a perspex screen from behind. The brown was quite deep so I'm suprised that a gelled softbox would achieve a rich colour and gradient firing through Perspex and frost. Does that sound likely?