Screen Materials
All of California Sunbounce's screens are only made from the finest reflective and translucent materials available worldwide. Most of them are exclusively made for California Sunbounce.
Which and why?
Learn about the different screen types and the effects they produce
Silver/White
Silver gives you a neutral start point. For Film and Video this is very important because you can swing your color around in post production. For the still photographer the same is true. Silver is the brightest, most specular fabric. We have heard the word "harsh" when describing the light - but with Sunbounce Tuning Clips you can simply clip fabrics like tulle and Bobninet to tone down the surface.
A single layer of tulle can be draped over the surface and locked onto the frame using Tuning Clips. This is in effect “tuning down” the surface much like you’d turn the power down on your strobe pack. And with a small bit of feathering the light, you can hit the right intensity for your image.
Silver is also great for accentuating detail. Highlights are crisp and sharp. If you want to bring out the curve of a line, dimple or sixpack stomach, Silver is the way to go.
Finally, of all the screens, Silver will give you distance. You can hit a subject further away with a Silver than any of our other fabrics. And this comes in handy when you want that Sun-Bounce Mini to cover five people when it’s really built for a couple. The Silver comes with a nice luminescent white on the backside which can be used for subtle reflections.
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Zebra/White
Besides being of the most popular screen this fabric starts off at 400 degrees Kelvin down. So if you start at 5000 Kelvin, you will reflect light that is 4600 degrees. So it is a very pleasant warming, not unlike an 81A filter on your camera. The surface is a herringbone pattern of silver and gold, and because of the way it’s made this pattern does not show up on the skin, no matter how close it is held.
The effect is more visible in cold light than in warm light. Skin tone always appears healthy, bright and fresh, and never gold or red.
Although Zebra is less reflective than Silver, you can tune it down further using lace, tule or Bonninet held in place by tuning clips. The more adventurous can place the Zebra in a gentle wash cycle to make it even softer - no detergent, please.
The Zebra outsells the other screens two to one and we hear that this is mainly because everyone is trying to make that afternoon sunlight whereever they go. Zebra is the fabric that does just that. Again it comes with a nice luminescent white on the backside which can be used for subtle reflections.
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Sparkling Sun
Finally - after such a long time and such a great demand - the SPARKLING-SUN is back.
This favorite of so many photographers was not available for several years and several reasons. Now again we have the color enhancement of the Zebra (- 400 Kelvin), but with the characteristic of the pretty powerful hard light of the Silver screen. Also the back-side is pretty. You will love the soft, warm off white.
This screen is currently only available for the Mini and the Pro.
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Gold/White & Gold/Silver
Gold facing has the reflective surface for very warm light. This Gold gives you a wonderful warm skin tone in the morning or if the sky is overcast.
In sunny conditions, you will achieve the "buttercup effect". Gold reduces the colour temperature by about 1800 Kelvin. Silver and White react neutral without altering the colour temperature. The White backing is much softer than Gold or Silver.
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Black/White (Ultrabounce)
Why Black? Well for subtractive lighting. Taking the light away from a situation and then making it your own. Here we show Art Brewer making a box of two Sun-Bounce Pro and one Sun-Bounce Big across the top. He has effectively cut all the natural light out of the picture and then using two Sun-Bounce Mini panels and two battery driven strobe packs created the lighting for the image his own way. This is something that not as intuitive as just lighting the scene because one must have a vision of what the image will look like before you start. But taking the light away is crucial as the starting point.
Sunbounce panels are the perfect traveling walls for getting this done. Normally photographers would be using foamcore, which as anyone can tell you does not travel well. Sunbounce panels with a Black Screen transport easily, are more rigid and can be used over and over again. Better for the environment.
Black can also be used in any situation where you are trying to cut the light off from falling where you do not want it. Be it on talent or the top of your head. Here Greg Gorman uses the Black fabric to suck the light away from the unlit side of his talent, thus creating a much more dramatic image.
The key light is a window with a 2/3 diffusion panel in front of it. On the other side of the Black / White SCREEN is a white fabric which is unique and extremely functional. This White is Ultrabounce which is something which has come from the movie industry. It is a white surface which when a light is bounced off, be it a bit of sunlight or a 5K movie light, the reflective quality is such that there is no hot spot. The fall off is subtle and gradual, which is very pleasing.
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Diffusion 1/5
Available in Sun-Scrim screens. With this screen very little light taken away ... basically to take the sharp edge off light. Originally requested by Video and Film customers.
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Diffusion 1/3
Available for all Sunbounce products except Micro Mini. Diffusion that will still leave a highlight and direction to the light source. In other words you will be able to tell where the light is coming from. Nice when the talent is backlit and you don’t necessarily want this natural rim light to be taken away. Then just a subtle bounce in front balances the two out and gives a very pleasing portrait as with this image from David Mecey. Sun-Bounce Pro with a Zebra screen is the panel used to bounce light from the front.
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Diffusion 2/3
The best selling diffusion screen. Takes the highlight and wipes it. The direction of the light can not be determined, and a Sun-Bounce or strobe should be used to give some direction to the light. The images show are of Michael Greeco shooting a fashion shoot where he cuts the harsh overhead light using a Sun-Swatter Pro with a 2/3rd screen with a Sun-Bounce Pro giving an edge light and a strobe with a softbox giving the light direction. Available for all Sun-Scrim, Sun-Swatter and Sun-Bounce except the Micro Mini.
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Diffusion 3/3
One Full Stop. The diffusion is such that you will need to bring extra lighting in to give your talent shape and volume. Really cuts the overhead light. Mostly used in the Movie industry so as to completely take away the overhead light and it’s direction. Available for Sun-Scrim, Sun-Swatter, and Sun-Bounce Pro.
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Le Louche
Available for Sun-Scrim and Sun-Swatter. A very unique screen. Think of two layers of poly pro fabric which is “no moire.” The two transparent layers help to keep in place whatever you create, even in windy conditions. Then in between these two layers you can stuff anything you want to make light patterns. As you can see from the image of David Mecey shooting he has a Le Louche which has multiple items stuffed in between. The printed mylar of leaves (which is standard with all Le Louche screens to get you started with dappled light), silk leaves (which are price tag gunned into position), and the odd ball stuff which happens to be plastic bags and a plastic drop cloth.
Every item gives a completely different light pattern. For creative light the Le Louche is really the Screen that lets you go crazy.
Le Louche is the best development in light modulation for photo and film to come along in ages. Through the use of two screens it gives the photographer a way of making patterns that break up boring light and give it interest. It is made to fit all Sun-Swatter and Sun-Scrim frames (as well Matthews and Manfrotto and other movie industry frames).
Cheap clear packing tape creates light shadow where as brown tape creates darker shade.
Silk leaves or flowers creates a dappled pattern - just like having a tree anywhere. Mylar leaves are now included with every Le Louche.
No Moire White
No pattern is set up when two layers are put together. Available for Sun-Scrims only. Great for use in a backdrop situation when trying to bring the value up without changing the foreground. Single Screen= - 1/2 stop, Two Screens= -1 stop.
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No Moire Black
No pattern is set up when two layers are put together. Great for use in a backdrop situation when trying to bring the value down without changing the foreground. Single Screen= - 1/2 stop, Two Screens = - 1 stop.
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