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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> What's the best type of lighting for the money???
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03/24/2008 11:13:36 PM · #1
Scenerio: Indoor portrait type photoshoot. I don't have a flash yet so I've been just renting a 580EXII. What other lighting gear can I buy to help with this type of shoot? My budget is pretty sad lol. I'm honestly hoping to be under $100 for some sort of beginner setup. Yes I know I really need AlienBee strobes and HAVE to spend $2-3 thousand dollars to get quality results, blah blah blah. :) $100, if this is all you had and you need lighting what would it be? Worklights on stands (w/ daylight bulbs), umbrellas with some sort of strobe??? Ready go!!!! And thanks for any help everyone!!!!
03/24/2008 11:20:43 PM · #2
Lots of suggestions in this thread from last week

//dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=751777
03/25/2008 06:47:08 AM · #3
Lots of cheap stuff but it works if you want to build them yourself.
www.dyiphotography.net

03/25/2008 07:17:39 AM · #4
If i could have one thing for portraits it'd be a flash through a white umbrella.

Umbrella is $20 from B&H, flash and the other things you might have to find on ebay.
03/25/2008 07:23:53 AM · #5
What sort of portraits ?

For headshots I'd find a nice backdrop, use large apertures and good old window light.

bazz.
03/25/2008 08:56:33 AM · #6
I use a halogen work light I got from Home Depot for $12.99 and reflect it using various methods.

I have *NO* lighting budget! LOL!!!
03/25/2008 09:50:55 AM · #7
Originally posted by sir_bazz:

What sort of portraits ?

For headshots I'd find a nice backdrop, use large apertures and good old window light.

bazz.


Any type of portrait actually. Headshots included.
03/25/2008 09:52:11 AM · #8
Originally posted by NikonJeb:

I use a halogen work light I got from Home Depot for $12.99 and reflect it using various methods.

I have *NO* lighting budget! LOL!!!


Do you have any examples of shots using this method? Thanks!
03/25/2008 09:59:08 AM · #9
I sent you a pm about the lights I have. I might can post some examples this evening once the models arrive home from school.
03/25/2008 10:05:49 AM · #10
Originally posted by rex:

I sent you a pm about the lights I have. I might can post some examples this evening once the models arrive home from school.


Excellent! That's exactly the sort of thing I was wondering about. I'd love to see some shots. Thanks for the post!
03/25/2008 10:08:15 AM · #11
The best setup I used on the cheap end was a plywood circle with 6 clamp lamps and the 150watt reveal bulbs attached. All attached to a tripod base. I think I spent 65 bucks total.


And this collection
03/25/2008 10:23:34 AM · #12
for cheap you can't get better than natural light... do the portraits by a window or something... to even out the light you can get a reflector or even make your own.
03/25/2008 10:26:33 AM · #13
Originally posted by timfythetoo:

The best setup I used on the cheap end was a plywood circle with 6 clamp lamps and the 150watt reveal bulbs attached. All attached to a tripod base. I think I spent 65 bucks total.


Home made spiderlite! I've seen similar things done but sometimes the cost can get up there as the better bulbs are not cheap. Ed Pierce built something like this once that was some 8x10 feet or so using pipes for the structure, reflective silver for the one side and white diffuser materials for the other - wow, what a huge softbox it turned out to be! A wall of light and man, what a nice backlight (the ultimate in high key) He went first rate but spent around $1000 on it.

If you need eTTL you have few choices. You can try the strobist approach, but it's not cheap - even if you start with a $50 vivi 285, you need a trigger (wein peanut), a stand, etc - $100 easy and it could go a lot higher.

Compact flourescents are a viable option, but are not cheap - the good ones (like anything else in life, huh?) If you want to avoid nasty color casts you need need 'daylight' bulbs, like this one 150 watt 5000k - full spectrum is important if you mixing with window light. But one won't be powerful enough and at $60 per, it won't be cheap. This light needs a larger base but puts out the equivalent of 500 watts.
A more normal bulb - this fits in a regular socket and costs $6, but puts out 100 watts so you'll need 5 of them - and 5 sockets too, so it might not be any cheaper in the end.

These bulbs, especially the cheaper ones, are NOT full spectrum and some are 2700K - fine if they are the main light as you can WB to 2700, but if you mix them with window light (or flash) they'll look yellow.
03/25/2008 10:33:03 AM · #14
Originally posted by NikonJeb:

I use a halogen work light I got from Home Depot for $12.99 and reflect it using various methods.

I have *NO* lighting budget! LOL!!!


Originally posted by A4wheelin:

Do you have any examples of shots using this method? Thanks!

This church was very dark, so I used the worklight off to the right treflected off a white lower wall. The halogen light is a pretty clean white light so there's no weird cast to it.

[thumb]590421[/thumb]

Message edited by author 2008-03-25 10:33:37.
03/25/2008 10:34:43 AM · #15
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

Originally posted by timfythetoo:

The best setup I used on the cheap end was a plywood circle with 6 clamp lamps and the 150watt reveal bulbs attached. All attached to a tripod base. I think I spent 65 bucks total.


Home made spiderlite! I've seen similar things done but sometimes the cost can get up there as the better bulbs are not cheap. Ed Pierce built something like this once that was some 8x10 feet or so using pipes for the structure, reflective silver for the one side and white diffuser materials for the other - wow, what a huge softbox it turned out to be! A wall of light and man, what a nice backlight (the ultimate in high key) He went first rate but spent around $1000 on it.

It did give a funky cool catch light as we didnt have anything to diffuse it. But it was also a beast to move around and was not pretty at all. We have since gone the strobist route using a 580exII and a 420ex.
03/25/2008 10:39:18 AM · #16
The best for the money is the sun. Maybe spend $10 on a piece of white foamcore.
03/25/2008 10:51:41 AM · #17
Originally posted by Spazmo99:

The best for the money is the sun. Maybe spend $10 on a piece of white foamcore.


luddite.
03/25/2008 11:06:57 AM · #18
Originally posted by Gordon:

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

The best for the money is the sun. Maybe spend $10 on a piece of white foamcore.


luddite.


sometimes.
03/25/2008 12:10:10 PM · #19
If I only had $100 and there was no chance at using existing light through a window I would probably have to go with a halogen work light and some foam core. BUT, while less expensive, this is actually far more challenging that using traditional studio lights. If I had a bit more I would go with the most basic strobist setup I could find. If you do use a halogen work light there are a couple of key things to remember...
1. The size of your light source is critical to your success. Bounce your work light off a while wall or foam core and the lightsource is the size of the reflection from the wall, not the original source. The same thing happens when shooting through a sheet or other diffusion fabric, the light source is the size of the light as it passes through the diffusion.
2. Use your foam core or reflector for fill
3. Don't stand your subject 12" from a blank wall. Either integrate them into the environment or stand them far enough away that the background goes out of focus and doesn't get odd shadows from the main light.
03/25/2008 01:10:48 PM · #20
Good tips thanks nusbaum!
03/25/2008 08:57:36 PM · #21
Originally posted by NikonJeb:

Originally posted by NikonJeb:

I use a halogen work light I got from Home Depot for $12.99 and reflect it using various methods.

I have *NO* lighting budget! LOL!!!


Originally posted by A4wheelin:

Do you have any examples of shots using this method? Thanks!

This church was very dark, so I used the worklight off to the right treflected off a white lower wall. The halogen light is a pretty clean white light so there's no weird cast to it.

[thumb]590421[/thumb]


This is great! Thanks!!!
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