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 11/22/2007 12:40:10 AM · #1
Note: I have been reading up on lighting, lens, and setup. But I can't find anything that would relate to my situation. With equipment prices varying so much in $ it's hard to know if your over purchasing or under purchasing when buying the equipment you need. Thats why I'm asking this community of Armature and Professional photographers to help me pick the right equipment.

I̢۪m going to purchase a Canon 40D and I need your advice on accessories.

Being disabled a home studio is very important in keeping me motivated but the room I have is only 9’x 12’ with a low ceiling (approx 8 – 8 ½ ft), I know its to small for model photography unless its just headshots. I don’t get out as much as I use too, reason for the decline in my challenge entries. When I do go out my photography is limited by my disabilities. For this reasons I need a studio and the proper equipment so I can continue to learn and hopefully improve my photography skillsâ€Â¦ at the same time enjoy photography as a hobby to keep my mind occupied. It’s not fun being at home all day without a hobby to keep your mind crisp and creative.

I know the size of the room and the camera I plan on purchasing will dictate what kind of lens(es) I need along with lighting. I̢۪m asking for your recommendations on what kind of lighting, lens(es), and other accessories I may need. Price is an issue but quality is just as important.

I currently have the following hardware.

Canon 350XT
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II (Kit lens)
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM
Bogen 3021N Tripod w/ 3030 head
1 GB Lexar Pro CF Card
Lowpro 3 camera bag

I know I need a flash, but what kind? I would like to have a three light system with light boxes to soften the light, but do I go with strobes or a master and two extra flashes. I know I need a wide lens in that small of a room but how small before distortion compromises the photograph of people. I do not have a macro lens (1:1) and the studio room would be mostly used for setup shots.

Your recommendations would be appreciated – thanks in advance.
Swhiddon

ETA: Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Message edited by author 2007-11-22 03:15:43.
 11/22/2007 01:54:49 AM · #2
bump
11/22/2007 03:38:43 AM · #3
For lighting, you could always go with some Alien Bees and Pocket Wizards.
 11/22/2007 08:34:03 AM · #4
Originally posted by geoffb:
For lighting, you could always go with some Alien Bees and Pocket Wizards.

Thanks for the suggestion. I went to alienbees.com and they have some packages with a remote sender and receiver. If I went with something lite that I would not have to have a pocket wizard, would I?

I was looking at this package.

Message edited by author 2007-11-22 08:35:27.
 11/22/2007 08:36:19 AM · #5
That's correct.
 11/22/2007 11:14:34 AM · #6
How much do you have to spend? If you want to save a lot of money you can go the strobist route which i just embarked on. I spent $400 and got 2 flashes, 2 stands, 2 43" umbrellas and adapters (all Bogens), and a wireless firing system. For indoor use it's fantastic.
 11/22/2007 03:04:58 PM · #7
alien bee 800 or paterson stellar 300ws units - the stellar units are less costly as are the accessories, features are similar. With the stellar you're best bet is to buy 4 of them. 2 kits of 2 lights will run about $1000. (stands, cords, etc included. you can choose umbrella or softbox - get one of each)
YOu'll likely want big sofboxes - 2x4 feet at least. aurora makes them amongst others, stu at midwest photo exchange has them for about $175 each. YOu need 'adapter rings' - they attach a softbox to the light and run about $40 each. The nice thing about the stellar lights is they use the same mount as Bowens lights (and lot of the english lights as well). Easy to get, more places to find them. Stu has them. TO get AB stuff you have to go to AB and only AB. (they are a good outfit)

being disable wirelss triggering is gonna be important to you. 2 Pocket wizards (about $350-400 for both) and you'll need a light meter - Sekonc L358 with the pocket wizard model - that way you can trip the lights from teh meter without wires - well worth the extra cost. YOu only spend the money once, but you use the tools everyday.

lens...for most studio work i was using a tamron 24-135 and now use a canon 28-135 - i like the reach - i can get in close without crowding the subject (an issue with people). Lately iv'e been running the lights low and shooting at F5.6 to 7 range to keep my BG, a wrinkly mislin, looking less wrinkeled. 135mm at 5.6 will throw hte BG out of focus nicely. And my studio is probably smaller than teh space you have.

If you don't want to spend the money on softboxes, at least right away, get a couple of 60" photogenic umbrellas - they can be reflective or shootthru and stu has them for $30 or so. A LOT nicer than most cheapie or kit umbrellas, and they don't yellow.
 11/22/2007 07:56:28 PM · #8
Originally posted by Tez:
How much do you have to spend? If you want to save a lot of money you can go the strobist route which i just embarked on. I spent $400 and got 2 flashes, 2 stands, 2 43" umbrellas and adapters (all Bogens), and a wireless firing system. For indoor use it's fantastic.


Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
alien bee 800 or paterson stellar 300ws units - the stellar units are less costly as are the accessories, features are similar. With the stellar you're best bet is to buy 4 of them. 2 kits of 2 lights will run about $1000. (stands, cords, etc included. you can choose umbrella or softbox - get one of each)
YOu'll likely want big sofboxes - 2x4 feet at least. aurora makes them amongst others, stu at midwest photo exchange has them for about $175 each. YOu need 'adapter rings' - they attach a softbox to the light and run about $40 each. The nice thing about the stellar lights is they use the same mount as Bowens lights (and lot of the english lights as well). Easy to get, more places to find them. Stu has them. TO get AB stuff you have to go to AB and only AB. (they are a good outfit)

being disable wirelss triggering is gonna be important to you. 2 Pocket wizards (about $350-400 for both) and you'll need a light meter - Sekonc L358 with the pocket wizard model - that way you can trip the lights from teh meter without wires - well worth the extra cost. YOu only spend the money once, but you use the tools everyday.

lens...for most studio work i was using a tamron 24-135 and now use a canon 28-135 - i like the reach - i can get in close without crowding the subject (an issue with people). Lately iv'e been running the lights low and shooting at F5.6 to 7 range to keep my BG, a wrinkly mislin, looking less wrinkeled. 135mm at 5.6 will throw hte BG out of focus nicely. And my studio is probably smaller than teh space you have.

If you don't want to spend the money on softboxes, at least right away, get a couple of 60" photogenic umbrellas - they can be reflective or shootthru and stu has them for $30 or so. A LOT nicer than most cheapie or kit umbrellas, and they don't yellow.


Thanks to the both of you for your input. So you think the size of my room should not be a problem?

I would like a prime lens for model photography. Do you think the Canon 100mm f/2.8 would be to long of a lens? or do I need to go down to an 85mm or 60mm f/1.8

I would like to go with the light box instead of the umb's because of the space issue.

Thanks,
SDW
 11/23/2007 12:11:31 AM · #9
85mm on a crop cam is tough in a 9x12 room (one of my rooms here). Assuming you have the full 12 feet, you need a few feet to get subject away from the wall so that probably leaves 8 feet at most between lens and model with your back against the opposite wall. 50 1.8/1.4 might work out better.

You have the 50 and you have a zoom that can show you how 85 will look. Just remember you won't have a lot of wiggle room at wide apertures.

Too much wine to do the math, but you could also set up the room and shoot on the diagonal, corner to corner, that would maximise your distance.
 11/23/2007 04:51:00 AM · #10
I've used my 50mm 1.8 in my little studio contraption (my living room) and it works alright but the focus is too slow on it. I use my 17-50mm now because it's so much quicker moving the focus ring than moving the tripod, then moving it agian, then again, then adjusting the angle, then taking the picture. A wide zoom would be ideal for it. Of course, if you know what shots you'll be doing, you can set up the prime beforehand and just stick with that in a deignated spot.

OR, if you have a wipeable floor, you can mark Xs on the floor in chalk where you could position your tripod for the body shots, head shots, full body shots, profile shots and every other kind of shot, the Xs would give you a reference point that you could just put a tripod over and save you adjusting every time. That might not be a bad idea.
 11/23/2007 09:10:15 AM · #11
Here is an example of my room layout and what I was wanting to do. Do you think it would be big enough. I remeasured the room (first measurements was guess-a-ment)and the actual size is listed in the diagram below.

[thumb]615772[/thumb]


11/23/2007 09:22:10 AM · #12
Hey, Scott. Got your PM, thanks for the link. :)

Here's my 2 cents about your studio space. First, the space you have will work fine for many types of photography. You will likely have a few issues with full body or groups, but should do fine with individuals, headshots and products, etc. I would suggest orienting the space so that you use the widest direction (12') of the room for backdrop and lights on each side of that and use the shorter direction (9') for camera. I'll draw an illustration because that likely makes no sense to anyone but me. lol

As for lighting - AB800s would be a waste of money in a space that small. You would NEVER use the full power there. In my studio I rarely use 50% power on an AB400.... so... I would recommend 2 AB400s as a start. Once you learn all the variations you can produce with 2 strobes, you might add a 3rd down the road. A flash would be nice too as it would give you a little more flexibility, but which flash depends completely on your budget & desire for gadgets. Something as simple as a used 420ex or 430ex would do fine.

There is a softbox often referred to as a "strip light", its a very skinny softbox with a very large front surface that is made for smaller spaces. I think that would be your best bet. Little googling should find you several options for those. But.... remember with ABs, you would need an AB adapter ring for each. If you order the ABs with umbrellas, you could use those for a bit while you find the softboxes.

I would suggest a roll of 9' paper backdrop for the simplest & cleanest background option (its only about $45/roll and last for a long time).

To free up floor space, you might consider mounting the lights on the side walls or even the celing. That would leave your space more open & give you more shooting flexibility. Also, my shooting space is 19X21, but it gets crowded with props & things stored all around --- you might want to find another place in the house to store props so that the studio doesn't close in on you.

One addition I would make to your wish list - a good 5-in-one reflector. It can act as an extra light at a fraction of the cost.

Now - lenses. Your 50mm is a great size for your space, the 85m would also work well, but a 100 would be too long for portrait work in that space (yet amazing for macro work, which you might also want to do). My personal preference for portraits (in studio & out) is my 17-55m f2.8 - but its pricey. If were me in your studio space, I'd use a 50m 1.4 - awesome lens, great price ... but your 50m 1.8 will do almost as well with no additional investment.

This is how I envision you using your space:


Hope that helps.

Cindi

Edit: P.S. The reason I would recommend strobes over flashes is 1, more power and 2, you'd spend a FORTUNE in batteries in no time trying to keep 3 flashes going in studio.


Message edited by author 2007-11-23 09:26:24.
 11/23/2007 09:28:41 AM · #13
Thanks Cindi for you advice. Helps me a lot. I have added a diagram in my post above. Is that similar to what you are talking about?

Again thanks a bunch
Scott
 11/23/2007 09:32:30 AM · #14
Originally posted by swhiddon:
Thanks Cindi for you advice. Helps me a lot. I have added a diagram in my post above. Is that similar to what you are talking about?

Again thanks a bunch
Scott


I was actually thinking of orienting the room the other way, but your short side is a bit shorter than I was thinking, so yea, your way looks most efficient & will allow you the most space between model & backdrop for a good seperation. I think that set-up will work great for you, Scott. My first shooting space was about that dimension, its cozy, but works.

11/23/2007 09:41:00 AM · #15
Thanks for you help
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