| Author | Thread |
|
|
06/20/2007 08:18:13 AM · #1 |
Background: I take pictures of the animals at the shelter every week for their website and the ID cards they attach to the cages. I usually take the dog pictures outside, and everyone else in a small visiting room which has windows along the top (maybe 10' up) on 2 walls and more windows to about 3' from the ground on the far side of one of those walls. The wall next to the most windows is cream-colored, as is the ceiling, and it's pretty glossy paint with lots of reflected light. So I've had plenty of light to work with, fun catchlights and highlights and etc. Keyword: HAD. For "security" reasons they covered all the windows with light-blocking film. :::Heavy, heavy sigh::: Not enough light for my 28-75/2.8 without a flash. I could try my 50/1.4 but really, that DOF is rather extreme for animal portraits! And using a flash slows me down, which is a major issue with 50 restless animals to photograph in half a day. I need speed! I also have to be able to maneuver the camera rather quickly around the room to follow moving faces so I don't see any way to use a tripod without slowing down the process and missing a bunch of shots.
I have voiced my concerns to the shelter, but they can't do anything about the film (orders from way above in government). I asked if maybe they could buy me some sort of lights, but their budget is, shall we say, quite limited. I don't particularly want to be lugging huge lights into the shelter every week, they have no room to store anything big, I don't want to make a big lighting investment for a volunteer job, and I don't want to freak the animals out with all kinds of strange equipment in a small room. They're freaked out enough just being in the shelter.
So, ideas? I thought of maybe a shoplight or a powerful gooseneck light with one of those silver sunshades you buy for car windows to reflect the light. Or two. I can put lights on the upper window ledges or maybe hang them from the ceiling tile grid if they're not too heavy. It's really just one corner of the room I need to get decent lighting on because it is the only spot that has that nice, solid cream background instead of the, um, interesting mural on the other walls ;-)
TIA for any help! |
|
|
|
06/20/2007 08:24:55 AM · #2 |
Well, I'll mention the usual suggestion of Home Depot clamp lights. They use regular bulbs and plug into regular outlets, and can be clamped to nearly anything. Three or four should only cost you about $10 each, and they'll light the space pretty well. You could even get tricky and bounce them off the walls/ceiling/poster board, etc.
Or you could go the flash unit path. The Vivitar 285H (I think that's the right unit) is only about $90. Two of those on some inexpensive lightstands with umbrellas would do the trick too, and then you'd have them for other photo work as well. And the whole kit would be very small; I'm able to keep my two lightstands, umbrellas, and the brackets that hold the flash to the lightstands in an old tripod bag.
I got lightstands from B&H for $20 apiece, and bought a pair of umbrellas at Wal-Mart. I spray-painted the insides silver and busted the plastic handles off so they'd fit into the mounting slots on the brackets. Very cheap, and works just as well as an expensive setup. Heck, maybe the shelter would be willing to split the cost with you, since it would be slight enough not to gouge their budget.
Hope this helps!
|
|
|
|
06/20/2007 08:33:02 AM · #3 |
Work Lights aren't going to provide enough light and are going to be hot. I think that's out.
Really, as I see it the only solution is to get faster with flash. Bounce the flash off the ceiling for nice even lighting and go with it.
|
|
|
|
06/20/2007 09:09:56 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Work Lights aren't going to provide enough light and are going to be hot. I think that's out.
Really, as I see it the only solution is to get faster with flash. Bounce the flash off the ceiling for nice even lighting and go with it. |
If you're thinking of the big halogen work lights, you're right. But the small clamp lights don't get too hot with regular bulbs, and if you use those new sprial fluorescent bulbs, they hardly get warm at all.
But I agree, a simple flash setup is the best in the long run, as it provides better lighting and great flexibility.
|
|
|
|
06/20/2007 09:44:48 AM · #5 |
| Is there some way to get rid of the delay in shutter activation when I'm using flash? Y'all are Canon people so you may not know the answer to that ;-) *Any* delay is bad, and I also can't shoot two quick frames in succession 'cuz the flash can't keep up. (OK, technically I can shoot them, but the flash won't go off for the second one so it's rather pointless.) |
|
|
|
06/20/2007 09:56:13 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by MaryO:
Is there some way to get rid of the delay in shutter activation when I'm using flash? Y'all are Canon people so you may not know the answer to that ;-) *Any* delay is bad, and I also can't shoot two quick frames in succession 'cuz the flash can't keep up. (OK, technically I can shoot them, but the flash won't go off for the second one so it's rather pointless.) |
I use a pair of old Nikon SB-26 speedlights, and with fresh(ish) batteries, I can shoot in quick succession, so long as they aren't at full power. You'd likely only need to have them set at 1/4 or less power, and at that speed you should be able to fire them off without delay. Perhaps not an actual burst of them (ie: holding the shutter down and just letting the camera blast through frames), but with very little time in between.
I don't know, do Nikons have a long delay? I've never encountered one that's a problem before. At least not until the batteries get pretty drained.
|
|
|
|
06/20/2007 10:04:59 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by MaryO:
Is there some way to get rid of the delay in shutter activation when I'm using flash? Y'all are Canon people so you may not know the answer to that ;-) *Any* delay is bad, and I also can't shoot two quick frames in succession 'cuz the flash can't keep up. (OK, technically I can shoot them, but the flash won't go off for the second one so it's rather pointless.) |
The delay for the second shot is due to the capacitor circuit in the flash charging, "some" delay is unavoidable. There are steps you can take to minimize it.
-Use the flash on lower power. Less light from the flash means less drain on the charging ciscuit means less time to charge. I've had some Metz flash units in the past that have a very low power "Motor Drive" setting that will allow several sequential shots with flash.
-Use a higher capacity power source like a quantum pack or wall plug adapter that will push charge into the capacitors faster than AA batteries ever could.
My opinion of what would work best for you is a setup with 2 (or 3) Vivitar 285HV flash units, a couple of cheap stands and umbrellas and some optical slaves to fire it all. |
|
|
|
06/20/2007 10:12:58 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
I don't know, do Nikons have a long delay? I've never encountered one that's a problem before. At least not until the batteries get pretty drained. |
It may not be long, but it seems long in this context. The split second between the animal looking at me and rotating his/her head to continue checking things out is critical. I do anticipate pretty well where they're going to look so I can start capturing as they turn towards me, but my internal timing is set to "no flash" because I've been shooting that way for so long :::grin:::
Will wander off and research some of these other setups; thanks! |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 08/30/2025 02:54:47 AM EDT.
