Answers to your questions in no particular order.
For doing still product photograhy cheap continous lights would be fine. As the food isn't going to get up and run around you don't need lots of light.
If you're just doing product shots, you don't really need a light meter IMHO, as you can use continuous lighting and the in camera metering.
Mixing artificial continous and flash lights is not a flash (sic) idea as you get some weird colour-cast effects without a lot of messing about.
My suggestion for product and food shots would be one or two large softboxes, or a light tent, with high efficiency flouros in them. Use manual white balance, taken off a white or gray card before every shoot. Use a tripod, and self timer to avoid camera shake and go with long exposures.
As always, be careful if you're making up your own 'hot' lights, as they get, well, hot.. Photos of campfires are nice outside, but not so in your 'studio'.
Cheers, Chris H.
|
