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04/30/2006 10:29:28 AM · #1 |
What do I really absolutely need? Right now I have nothing as most of my shoots are outdoors or little set-ups done with available lighting. But this summer I want to expand.
I've seen links to tabletop diy lighting systems, but I haven't seen any that are adapted to portrait sized areas; what would I need to alter to make that change?
Where's a good place to buy the stuff? I've been looking on eBay, but no one ships to Canada.
I would appreciate some advice, links to how-to's etc
Thanks in advance
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04/30/2006 10:35:22 AM · #2 |
Originally posted by Twyla:
What do I really absolutely need? Right now I have nothing as most of my shoots are outdoors or little set-ups done with available lighting. But this summer I want to expand.
I've seen links to tabletop diy lighting systems, but I haven't seen any that are adapted to portrait sized areas; what would I need to alter to make that change?
Where's a good place to buy the stuff? I've been looking on eBay, but no one ships to Canada.
I would appreciate some advice, links to how-to's etc
Thanks in advance |
See this thread. |
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04/30/2006 10:36:23 AM · #3 |
What exactly are your needs? If you need to do portraits, people have been doing very good photography using Halogen lights. If you need strobes, I think Alien Bees are very good. And not too expensive either.
I would suggest going over to Fred Miranda and checking out the forum for studio lighting. You will find a lot of answers there, including studio setups etc. I'll post the link in a while. |
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04/30/2006 10:40:20 AM · #4 |
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05/02/2006 10:21:05 AM · #5 |
Thanks Ignite for the link. Through it I found a couple other links that have led me to something that will most likely work for me.
//www.shuttertalk.com/articles/diylighting/index.php
I'd like some opinions on this type of lighting though. My budget is ovbiously very very small. If anyone knows a better system in a similar price range, point it out to me.
ALso found a diy muslin holder made out of pvc pipes. Hopefully it would work well enough.
What to use for a "floor" though that isn't just the bare cement or lino? Any opinions? Coloured plexiglass?
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05/02/2006 10:59:41 AM · #6 |
Twyla,
I've been working with nearly that exact lighting system, and so far the only problems I've run into are that it gets VERY VERY HOT if you leave them on in between shots. Sorry I don't have any pics to show you at the moment - they're all in the editing stage.
As far as the floor goes, you've a couple of options. The first, and probably easiest, is to just make your backdrop long enough to extend over the floor. Alternately, you could edit the 'floor' to blend in with the bg as I did in this pic (keep in mind it was my first go at it!): .
Actually, come to think of it, I do have a couple of pics that I can add to my portfolio for you to see the lighting... Hold on a few and I'll put up some linky's.
*edit to add thumbs:
Portraits with diy halogen lighting system
  
Other pics with diy halogen lights
  
(that last pic is my highest scoring challenge entry to date, so I'm pretty happy with the lights. still working out the tweaks with portraits, but it's getting there.)
Message edited by author 2006-05-02 11:08:22.
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05/02/2006 11:22:42 AM · #7 |
Get the lighting book by Christopher Grey only $18
Then get a 42" 5 in 1 reflector (you should have one for outdoor portraits anyway) and a stand and boom arm to hold it (see ebay, amvona seller for these items - $80 maybe)
Get a lightmeter - a Sekonic L358 is a good choice. Without one you can't do much of anything with studio strobes. Check fredmiranda.com buy and sell forums - about $200. Check sekonic's website - they were giving away free DVDs that showed how and why to use a lightmeter. It's free so why not?
Then you need lights...skip hot lights if you're working with people. Strobes are the way to go. How many? You can use anything from 1 to 40 of them - and light modifiers (from a simple refector up to huge softboxes). All depends on what you are doing, what effect you want, etc. This kit by Paterson is a good start - $500 and more power than an AB800. they have a 150ws kit coparable to the AB400, but you'll want/use/need the extra light output. They have a 600WS kit - if you got the money get a set of these as well for 4 lights total. they you'll want to get some softboxes - 60" octaboxes by norman to fit the stellar 600ws strobes - killer combo. Sure, $1400...but what price beauty?
Backdrops...paper (white) and muslins (10x20 - the extra length is very hand for many uses). Try Cole & Company for your backgrounds - painted muslin 10x20 for $139 - best deal on the net IMO. I have dealt with them in person - nice people that know their stuff. quality muslins too.
backdrop stand..savage makes a popular one, and one of their kits includes a roll of white BG paper.
Then you shoudl get a remote trigger for the strobes. I recomend Pocket Wizard for a couple of reasons - they are THE standard, very reliable, and you can get a module for the sekonic meter to fire teh strobes wirelessly too - you'll know why you want this about the third time you set up your strobes.
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05/02/2006 11:40:30 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
Check sekonic's website - they were giving away free DVDs that showed how and why to use a lightmeter. It's free so why not?
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Great tip, Chris, thanks. I've ordered one. |
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05/02/2006 11:48:08 AM · #9 |
Strobes are the way to go in most situations, but if your budget is really tight you might want to look at the new First Studio series from photoflex. This is probably the nicest low budget series of hotlights that I have ever seen. I have located the portrait kit for well under $300 and it blows away the standard photoflood setups from other companies.
Message edited by author 2006-05-02 11:48:30.
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05/02/2006 12:20:26 PM · #10 |
Not to hijack the thread BUT...
While I apreciate the links to these lighting systems (as I am sure Twyla does also), I think perhaps that the reference to 'very very small' budgets was overlooked (or perhaps misunderstood). (Note: I know nothing of Twyla's financial situation and am not trying to put words in her mouth.)
I, for one, would love to be able to spend $200 or $300 on a lighting system (much less $1400), but there is simply no possible way - not when I'm foregoing photo trips to save money on gas so I can buy cheap halogen work lights from Lowe's. Heck - I just gathered up two month's worth of change to pay my membership.
I'm not complaining, mind you. I'm just saying that while it's good to know that there are (relatively) inexpensive professional lighting kits out there, some of us are simply unable to afford them, so we have to work with what we can get or make. It's not a big deal, it's just that right now salivating over lighting systems that I can't afford isn't really productive.
Now, I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad, or to put words into anyone's mouth. It's simply a fact that there are some of us out here that don't have and can't get the money or the credit to go out and buy all these wonderful and ideal pieces of equipment. I think perhaps it's a matter of perspective - for someone with money and a decent job, a 'tight budget' may mean you can only spend $xxx amount; for someone without those resources, a 'tight budget' may mean choosing between buying a lighting system and buying groceries or paying some other bill, and that's NOT an exaggeration. (Hell - my family does good to be able to put $10 or $20 into a savings account each month. I can't even begin to imagine where I'd come up with enough cash to get a $200 lighting system...But again, not complaining, not begging. I am where I am and that's that. I'll deal with it.)
So, again, I do appreciate the info. It will come in very handy...someday. But please remember that there are photogs out here who are struggling just to make ends meet and have to 'settle' for making our own equipment and using what we can get.
And please keep in mind that this is in no way a plea for financial aid or equipment donations or anything else. I'm not trying to play the sympathy vote or anything else. I'm just trying to inject a little down-to-earth reality regarding the fact that not all of us can just go out and buy what we want or need for our photography.
Sara
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05/02/2006 12:43:53 PM · #11 |
Some things, you just aren't going to be able to do well on a really limited budget.
It's sort of like saying, "I want a safe, reliable car for $50".
That said, the best way, on the minimum budget is to go shopping at the home improvement store and get some worklights. But, you have to understand that your results may not be all you are dreaming.
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05/02/2006 12:45:56 PM · #12 |
can i ask a question in this thread please,
yesterday, i got a background stand a paper (white), last night i was practicing, with flood lights and my 580 off the roof on full power,
you can view an example in my 30 day photo in my sig,
but my question is, i dont have a light meter, so do i take test shots until i get a good histogram then use that setting, or do i take that photo with a good histogram and set it as custom white balance
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05/02/2006 01:07:57 PM · #13 |
Sara,
Not to probe into you financial situation, but is $250 - $300 I mentioned the first studio setup too much? If so there are a couple DIY options. The halogen shop lights from a chain such as home depot are a good starting point, but they are very hot. You also need to bounce them off of something or through some type of diffusion material to improve the quality of the light. I've also tried a similar approach with full spectrum fluorescents from home depot, they are cooler but not at all portable. You can learn a lot and get great results from either of the setups mentioned above, but what you will loose is some of the speed of setup and flexibility you get with products targeted to a photographers needs.
I should have read better the first time around, you are already looking at halogen shop lights. The one thing I would recommend is to go with one light rather than the three head setup. Use simple relectors for fill rather than adding lights.
Message edited by author 2006-05-02 13:23:54.
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05/02/2006 01:08:29 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
can i ask a question in this thread please,
yesterday, i got a background stand a paper (white), last night i was practicing, with flood lights and my 580 off the roof on full power,
you can view an example in my 30 day photo in my sig,
but my question is, i dont have a light meter, so do i take test shots until i get a good histogram then use that setting, or do i take that photo with a good histogram and set it as custom white balance |
I'm assuming that your floodlights are tungsten and that you are not color balancing your flash to them.
You should get a piece of Rosco Full Sun gel (it's pretty cheap, if you can't find it, let me know and I'll mail you a piece.) to put over your flash, that way, you won't have to worry about the fact that your flash output is one color and your floods another. You cannot fix that in PS easily and it's not just a question of setting a custom WB.
Once that's done, you can indeed just mess around with your histogram to get the exposure. Keep in mind that the shutter speed (as long as it's under the sync speed) does not affect the flash exposure, and that the aperture affect both ambient and flash.
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05/02/2006 01:24:51 PM · #15 |
I am using floodlight and ultrawhite bulbs, i dont know my fast my flash is firing i have it turned up to full power going off the celing.
my shutter speeds were around 60-80 with aperature around 3.2-5.6
what is an ideal shutter aperature combination or is there one ?
im really new to this, im just going to practice until i can get the real lights.
here is an example i got to show
here is the original or bigger file if you want to view bigger
//tmosleyphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/1411131/1/67380599/Large
Message edited by author 2006-05-02 13:26:01.
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05/02/2006 01:30:27 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
Sara,
Not to probe into you financial situation, but is $250 - $300 I mentioned the first studio setup too much? If so there are a couple DIY options. The halogen shop lights from a chain such as home depot are a good starting point, but they are very hot. You also need to bounce them off of something or through some type of diffusion material to improve the quality of the light. I've also tried a similar approach with full spectrum fluorescents from home depot, they are cooler but not at all portable. You can learn a lot and get great results from either of the setups mentioned above, but what you will loose is some of the speed of setup and flexibility you get with products targeted to a photographers needs. |
Waayyyy too much. Unfortunately.
I've got a dual-head work light with stand (500 W each head) courtesy of my father-in-law. I went out and bought a single work light ($10 plus about $2 for a lower wattage bulb) that runs a 300 W bulb. I made diffusers from pvc pipe (about $24 worth of pipe and fittings) and used some plastic that the hubby picked up at one of his deliveries (there was a tear in it, so the company threw out a roll of this very thin, clear, translucent plastic that's 50" wide - and there is still a crap-load of the stuff on the roll). I made a reflector with frame out of pvc and a car sunshade (silver) (cost about $4) and another reflector from aluminum foil on carboard that I painted gold (about $3 worth of stuff). All told, my lighting equipment has run me about $45, and I've had to spread the purchases out over about three months.
I've also used this approach with my backdrops - I've been lucky and found a lot of lengths of material at thrift stores and such, once even found 8 yards of white for $2!
I know the work lights aren't as ideal as photographic lights will be (once I eventually get them - I'm optimistic!), but you do what ya can with what ya got. And it's still a learning curve for me, so I'm not upset about it at all. It's just the way it is.
:)
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05/02/2006 01:34:42 PM · #17 |
If you look at your neck and see how orange it is, you can tell it's mixed lighting. I think the flash is overpowering the floods just about everywhere it hits. Since you're using the ceiling, it doesn't light under your chin, which picks up fill from the tungsten lights and since you are color balancing to the flash, it looks orange.
If you dial back on the flash it will be more evident.
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
I am using floodlight and ultrawhite bulbs, i dont know my fast my flash is firing i have it turned up to full power going off the celing.
my shutter speeds were around 60-80 with aperature around 3.2-5.6
what is an ideal shutter aperature combination or is there one ?
im really new to this, im just going to practice until i can get the real lights.
here is an example i got to show
here is the original or bigger file if you want to view bigger
//tmosleyphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/1411131/1/67380599/Large |
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05/02/2006 01:36:50 PM · #18 |
so if i get those color things your talking about that will help, can you give me a link or picture to see what they look like,
Message edited by author 2006-05-02 13:38:10.
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05/02/2006 01:39:30 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by saracat:
I know the work lights aren't as ideal as photographic lights will be (once I eventually get them - I'm optimistic!), but you do what ya can with what ya got. And it's still a learning curve for me, so I'm not upset about it at all. It's just the way it is.
:) |
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach to lighting and it will probably help you make a better decision on pro lights when the time comes. One thing I have found is that some of the most amazing work comes from the most humble equipment.
Maybe we should have the halogen shoplight challenge and see just how far dpc'ers can go with this simple lighting setup.
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05/02/2006 01:54:12 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
I'm assuming that your floodlights are tungsten and that you are not color balancing your flash to them.
You should get a piece of Rosco Full Sun gel (it's pretty cheap, |
where can i find this at, i have never heard of it
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05/02/2006 02:35:41 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
I'm assuming that your floodlights are tungsten and that you are not color balancing your flash to them.
You should get a piece of Rosco Full Sun gel (it's pretty cheap, |
where can i find this at, i have never heard of it |
go to Calumet Photo
Search for Rosco 3407 and/or 3411 one or the other should do the trick.
3408 and 3409 will partially correct it.
it's $7.50 for a 20x24 sheet.
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05/02/2006 02:46:23 PM · #22 |
I just use 500W and 1000W halogen lights for everything. It gets hot. But my pictures turn out hot too ;-)
I don't use a lightmeter. Just meter using the camera, and adjust white-balance. Easy and simple. Not professional, but it gets the work done untill I can buy strobes. |
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05/02/2006 03:26:09 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
I'm assuming that your floodlights are tungsten and that you are not color balancing your flash to them.
You should get a piece of Rosco Full Sun gel (it's pretty cheap, |
where can i find this at, i have never heard of it |
go to Calumet Photo
Search for Rosco 3407 and/or 3411 one or the other should do the trick.
3408 and 3409 will partially correct it.
it's $7.50 for a 20x24 sheet. |
thanks spaz, how do i use it, does it just go over my flash,
Message edited by author 2006-05-02 15:26:39.
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05/02/2006 04:17:23 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
Originally posted by TroyMosley:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
I'm assuming that your floodlights are tungsten and that you are not color balancing your flash to them.
You should get a piece of Rosco Full Sun gel (it's pretty cheap, |
where can i find this at, i have never heard of it |
go to Calumet Photo
Search for Rosco 3407 and/or 3411 one or the other should do the trick.
3408 and 3409 will partially correct it.
it's $7.50 for a 20x24 sheet. |
thanks spaz, how do i use it, does it just go over my flash, |
Yeah, I just cut out a piece about the same size as the window on my flash and tape it on. Make sure you take it off when you're doing fill flash outside. it will cut down the light a bit, but otherwise won't affect how the flash works.
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05/02/2006 05:05:44 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by saracat:
Waayyyy too much. Unfortunately.
I've got a dual-head work light with stand (500 W each head) courtesy of my father-in-law. I went out and bought a single work light ($10 plus about $2 for a lower wattage bulb) that runs a 300 W bulb. I made diffusers from pvc pipe (about $24 worth of pipe and fittings) and used some plastic that the hubby picked up at one of his deliveries (there was a tear in it, so the company threw out a roll of this very thin, clear, translucent plastic that's 50" wide - and there is still a crap-load of the stuff on the roll). I made a reflector with frame out of pvc and a car sunshade (silver) (cost about $4) and another reflector from aluminum foil on carboard that I painted gold (about $3 worth of stuff). All told, my lighting equipment has run me about $45, and I've had to spread the purchases out over about three months.
I've also used this approach with my backdrops - I've been lucky and found a lot of lengths of material at thrift stores and such, once even found 8 yards of white for $2!
I know the work lights aren't as ideal as photographic lights will be (once I eventually get them - I'm optimistic!), but you do what ya can with what ya got. And it's still a learning curve for me, so I'm not upset about it at all. It's just the way it is.
:) |
Thank you Sara! This is exactly the reason I am trying to make it myself.
edit to add: do you use anything to soften your lights any?
Message edited by author 2006-05-02 17:07:38.
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