Lighting with China Balls

Here is a great economical way to soften your light. They’re China Balls:

These were used on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. You can buy these light diffusers from World Market or     Pier 1 Imports. Here’s a link to Filmtools. Filmtools is a great resource; however, on some items they are a bit pricey. They cater to the movie and television industry. They range in cost from around $3.75 for a 12″ China Ball up to about $17.00 for a 30″ China Ball. Most are made of paper; however, some are made of silk. You do not need the silk ones unless you’re seeing them in the shot as a prop. Now a very important note: China Balls can catch on fire with a household bulb or a photo tungsten lamp. I’m suggesting that they be used with a speed light:

Here you can see that I mounted the speedlight onto a standard bracket. I’m using two 2″ A-clamps mounted side by side:

This will allow the China Ball to rest onto the clamps at your desired height. I usually try to get them into the center, but as you play you will see they’re very forgiving and there is really no science to them:

I just slip the China Ball over the speedlight and balance it onto the A-Clamps:

Here is a picture of Trish with just the speedlight, a hard directional light:

Now with the China Ball:Much softer and a bit warmer due to the color of the China Ball’s paper.

China Balls are a great way to soften light. They don’t cost much and they’re easy to transport as they collapse nice and flat. I hope you enjoyed the article. Thanks for giving me your time.

That’s a wrap, fade to black.

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Mike Kubeisy has been shooting celebrities in Hollywood for over 30 years as a Motion Picture and Television Stills Photographer. No photographer’s work is seen by more people than Mike’s work worldwide.

Mike is best known for his work on countless popular shows that are household names: CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, JAG, Boston Legal, Pretty Little Liars to name a few. His current projects are NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Mike is a Trainer for KelbyOne, and Los Angeles Center of Photography. Mike is also a member of the International Cinematographers Guild.

You can view Mike’s work at 4stills.com, and follow him on Facebook at 4Stills.

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