I was hoping I could get some suggestions on what lighting related equipment I should purchase for a shoot I'm doing for my company. In the past I've relied heavily on Photoshop to make up for my lack of studio, but I'd like to do it right this time.
Our budget would probably be in the <$600 range. Shooting with a Nikon DSLR and tripod. Mainly interested in lighting equipment and stage setup.
We're going to be shooting 8.5" x 11" paper label sheets in about 30 different materials with very different lighting properties (reflective, clear, glossy, flat white, etc) and also those labels on a variety products that range from boxes and containers to jewelry.
How many lights should I use and what kind? Should I use an external flash? What about diffuse lighting setup? Do I need some kind of light dome?
I was thinking of using something like this Micro-shooting table, one of those small cloud dome kits, or making my own.
I would build a big light tent. Make the supports from PVC and use some white material to diffuse the light. For lighting the cheap way would be to use some desk lamps. You could also get hold of some 2nd Nikon flashes (like the SB-24) and connect them with a PC cord.
I don't think you need a special table. Just get a normal table. Check out lighting tents or you can build one from PVC and some fabric. I would spend the money on the lighting instead of the table.
What kind of lamps do you guys suggest if I go with a light tent style setup? Most pre-assembled kits use two lamps placed 180 degrees apart it seems.
If you want to save money get some standard desklamps. They are fairly cheap, so get 3 or four of them and play around a bit with the lighting. You put CFL energy-saver bulbs in to reduce heat.
