Studio Lighting for Dummies - DPChallenge Forums

03/05/2008 07:58:26 PM · #1

I have a new studio and it is well-equipped with a desk and a chair... NOW what?! Oh yeah, I've got a few backdrops too - but I have GOT to get some lights and have NO CLUE what I'm looking for, where to begin, or an approx. price range. Would like to do both color and b/w portraits (if that matters). HeLp!!

03/05/2008 08:00:15 PM · #2

//www.strobist.com may help.

03/05/2008 08:12:48 PM · #3

Thanks cp - but that website has WAY too much information for me to handle. (I've got blonde hair).
Can you tell me like i'm 5 what I should be looking for? I've tried all settings on my camera... what's next? I'm trying to avoid grain and harsh shadows.

03/05/2008 08:16:57 PM · #4

Flash is harsh lighting so using a diffuser is a good idea. What this does is soften the light.

A way to eliminate or soften shadows is to use two lights in opposing directions (at least that's how I've done it). I don't own studio lights, just an external flash. My second light, window with light filtering blind on it.

That's as far as I've gotten.

I'm sure others will pipe in with light suggestions. Also, a good book on lighting may be a good idea.

03/05/2008 08:21:30 PM · #5

so you use an external flash (not in-camera?) and 2 lights facing each other? right? Is a diffuser like an umbrella in front of the flash or something like that?

(b.t.w. I really am clueless and greatly appreciate your help)
=)

03/05/2008 08:25:42 PM · #6

External flash is the one in the hot shoe (attached to the camera). For me any way. I don't have light stands. External flash is the flash other than the popup flash on the camera.

A diffuser is something that sits in front of a light, like the blind on my window. Light still gets through but not at full strength.

This article on the site I linked earlier is actually a good starting point.

//strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Message edited by author 2008-03-05 20:26:55.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

03/05/2008 08:28:10 PM · #7

Grain is easily avoided by lowering your ISO. Of course, to do this, you must supply the light...

Harsh shadows occur when you have a "Point Source of Light". The smaller the source of light, the harsher the shadow. Distance, of course, also comes into play ... because a large source of light, that is far away, also produces strong shadows (think of the Sun here).

So, the bigger your source of light, and the closer it is to the subject, the softer the shadows will be.

Some solutions:

1) With an external off camera flash, you can shoot throw a white translucent umbrella to spread the light out (or if the umbrella has a silver lining then turn it around and bounce the flash off the umbrella towards the subject).

2) Assuming you can tilt/swivel your flash, point your flash towards a nearby wall or ceiling. Doing so greatly expands the size of your flash.

There are other solutions ... these will get you started.

Nullix

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

03/05/2008 08:31:22 PM · #8

Studio Lighting is pretty complicated...time to changes wigs.

Let me see if I can help:
Things your flash needs
Light Stands
Umbrella stand adapters
PC cords and Pocket-Wizards

Start with those. I got all those links off the Strobist site. Just page down onces on any of those links and choose the second drop-down-box. It has these and other links. Get yourself read on those and you'll be on your way.

03/05/2008 08:33:43 PM · #9

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

A diffuser is something that sits in front of a light, like the blind on my window. Light still gets through but not at full strength.

You probably realize this, but seizing upon your wording I want to point out to others a common misconception about soft light.

It's not the act of "dimming the lit" (making it less strong) that minimizes the harshness of the light. It is, as I discussed above, the "size" of the light source.

You can try it ... turning down your flash has no affect. Or simply putting a piece of fabric in front of your flash (diffusing it) takes away "some" of the harshness, but not all of it. The reason it softens the light at all, is because it is causing some of the light to scatter to the ceiling, the walls, the floor. If you're outside and don't have ceilings or walls ... you'll find that diffusing the flash in this manner has almost *no* effect on the quality of light (other than to make it darker, and churn through batteries faster as the flash has to pump out more light to properly light the subject). Another experiment ... with a strobe inside of a softbox ... turn the power all the way up. Again, no change in shadows. The softbox spreads the light out regardless of the strength of the light output.

So again... it's the size of the light source (and/or it's proximity to the subject) that makes the light soft.

03/05/2008 08:34:51 PM · #10

How does an external flash know when my camera is taking the picture?? (I'm SO sorry for the stupid questions.. just know you're really helping and I really appreciate it)

03/05/2008 08:35:57 PM · #11

You either have a cord running from the camera to the flash. Or you use a triggering device (could be your camera's built-in flash, or you could put a transmitter on the hotshoe of your camera).

03/05/2008 08:43:10 PM · #12

what's a hotshoe?
what's a softbox?
what kind of "strobe" is this you're speaking of?
how do i "turn up the power all the way"? on what?

wow, i feel really dumb...

03/05/2008 08:51:36 PM · #13

okay, i think it's sinking in now...
Is there any difference in lighting when taking b/w vs. color?

03/05/2008 08:52:32 PM · #14

I suppose I should have looked at the camera you have before discussing a hot shoe. Apparently your camera does not have one. I didn't research it any further, but that makes me wonder if it has any way of hooking up to an external flash using a PC Cord (a standard wire that connects an external flash to a camera). With that thought in mind ... I would suggest that if you are serious about getting into studio lighting, you may want to consider upgrading the camera to something a little more geared towards pros (or prosumers). Canon and Nikon make excellent DSLRs that would fit the bill nicely.

Lacking a hotshoe ... the only way to fire an external flash would be to use your flash to trigger it (i.e. you need a flash that you can put into "slave mode" so that your built-in flash can tell it when to fire). Basically, when the slave sees the flash from your camera, it too will fire ... nearly instantaneously.

A strobe is another type of flash. The main difference is usually that flashes are small and battery powered while strobes are large and plugged into the wall (though some of them have large batteries as options).

A soft box is a box inside which you put the strobe (or flash). This box has reflective surfaces inside (to spread the light out) and a translucent material in front (to bounce the light around inside the box to further even the light out).

03/05/2008 08:56:14 PM · #15

oooOOOhhh... wow, you're really helpful =)
Bummer that the a-hole at CordCamera told me this camera will be fine for me to be able to go pro. Just got it in October. least it was on sale!

03/05/2008 08:58:44 PM · #16

Fujifulm FinePix S6000/6500fd for sale!!! Any takers??!!

03/05/2008 08:59:28 PM · #17

Originally posted by pikaboo:

Is there any difference in lighting when taking b/w vs. color?

Yes and no.

No, the exposure is the same. No difference.

Now the complicated answer:

Yes, if you're using continuous lights versus flash. Flash tends to be balanced with the sun. Tungsten tends to be on the yellow side. Flourescent tends to be on the green side. Having light that is colored will affect your ability to get a good exposure when shooting color versus black and white.

Think of it this way: your subject doesn't emit light, it merely reflects light. So if I light a white cardboard box with a red light, the box will look red because that's the only color of light that is reflecting off of it. So, the only way to make the box white is by subtracting red, which effectively reduces your exposure.

Therefore, it is a lot easier to get a good exposure with "white light" (which is composed of all colors equally) than with a light that is made up of only some colors.

03/05/2008 09:02:17 PM · #18

Originally posted by pikaboo:

Bummer that the a-hole at CordCamera told me this camera will be fine for me to be able to go pro.

I could be wrong!

It definitely doesn't look like it has a hot shoe built into it. Maybe it has a connection for a PC Cord ... I just don't know. You'll have to check your manual or ask someone that has one.

03/05/2008 09:10:38 PM · #19

it does have a place to plug things into it: "a/v out" and "dc in 5v" and a third that has no letters/numbers but a picture of something that resembles an alien! :D

03/05/2008 09:13:37 PM · #20

I understand what you're saying about colored light... my flash being balanced with the sun seems like it would be multicolored.. how/where do i get "white light"?

Message edited by author 2008-03-05 21:17:10.

03/05/2008 09:13:54 PM · #21

Originally posted by pikaboo:

it does have a place to plug things into it: "a/v out" and "dc in 5v" and a third that has no letters/numbers but a picture of something that resembles an alien! :D

At the front of your manual should be a picture of the camera (probably on more than one page) with a description of all the buttons etc. There will most likely be another section in the manual that goes into more detail about each.

03/05/2008 09:29:05 PM · #22

okay -
a/v out is obviously audio/visual..
'DC IN 5V' says it's a power input socket..
and "the alien" is a USB socket..
Any of those work?

03/05/2008 09:35:04 PM · #23

Nope, none of the above.

The PC Sync Cord socket will look like this:

03/05/2008 09:38:39 PM · #24

(tehehe, nice hole!) j/k... no, my camera does not have one of those. so now i need to be looking for an external flash with "slave mode", right?

Message edited by author 2008-03-05 21:48:43.