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Photography Question 

Sam Britt 		 

Inexpensive Lighting


Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for inexpensive lighting I can use indoors in a small space? I'm looking for something that I can use at different angles and heights, and possibly something to light subjects from underneath.

Sam


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May 30, 2006

 

Melanie Murray 		  I've always found that when having a smaller space it helps to have it painted all white. I've evn gone as far as ripping up the flooring to prime the underboards white. Natural lighting along with reflectors is a nice start as well. When I was in highschool I used to hang tinfoil from the corners of the room and then shine lamps into them for added soft lighting. Experiment for heights depending on the space you're using.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.


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May 31, 2006

 

Sam Britt 		  Thanks for your suggestions, Melanie.


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June 01, 2006

 

BetterPhoto Member 		  www.porters.com has a JTL three strobe slave system for 399.99. This kit includes three lights with stands, two umbrellas, all hardware, and a cardboard carry case. Shipping is $25.00.

Have fun and keep shooting,
Mark H.


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June 01, 2006

 

Sam Britt 		  Thanks, Mark. That's a little too expensive for me, right now, but I'll definitely keep it in mind.

Sam


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June 05, 2006

 

Pete H 		  Hello S.B,

You can actually do quite a bit with one strobe and one umbrella. It's a great way to begin your understanding of lighting and shadow.

You can always use a white wall to bounce the light from the umbrealla to the subject (Fill light)

While one umbrella is somewhat limiting, it is by no means a waste of your time..AND, some really good results can be had.

Unsure of your budget, I'd suggest a 400 w/s strobe and a 42 inch umbrella that you can also "shoot thru" as well as bounce into. Maybe 300 dollars total including a stand.

If you don't want to spend that much, you can always get "hot lights." These are those clamp on lights you see in hardware stores. You will have to shoot B&W though due to color balance problems unless you have the ability to set color balance with your camera. You can get 3 or 4 of these really cheap..maybe 10 bucks each.
This light is pretty harsh, so you may want to soften it a little by simply hanging some translucent material (white) in front of the lights..not so close that they might catch fire! LOL

Lighting subjects from underneath? As in tabletop photography for small objects?
You can make (build) your own.
Just a box (wood or whatever) with a glass top..The light goes inside the box..again, place some translucent material (white) over the glass to soften the light. I say (white) as this will not disturb your color balance..eventually you may want to use colored filters for a myriad of effecs. Do a search on "Light Boxes"..you'll see what they are and get ideas how to construct one.

Other than Film Vs Digital debates (LOL)..Lighting is probably the single most important aspect and most talked about area of photography..at least in my humble opinion. It is NOT easy to master, but it sure is fun trying.

All the Best,

Pete


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June 05, 2006

 

Nadil khan 		 
 
 
get a tripod and use a didicated flash with a slave trigger and boune the light in a umbrella reflector


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June 05, 2006

 

Sam Britt 		  Thanks Pete & Nadil. I'll definitely try some of your suggestions. The clamp on lights are very affordable. I'll look into building a budget light box. I still have a lot of learning to do before I upgrade to the expensive stuff.


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June 06, 2006

 

John H. Siskin 		  Try used Norman gear on Ebay for inexpensive lighting. Particullarly the big 900 series stuff. Real professional gear and going cheap. Go figure. The basic problen is that lighting gear is never quite cheap enough. And then there are stands to buy. One thing you can do for a small stand is to put a bolt or other piece of metal rod into a coffee can and fill it with concrete. Also you can get studs for lights that fit onto 1/4X20 inch thread, you can bolt these to all kinds of things. I should have an article in Photo Techniques in a few months about building a home studio. John Siskin


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August 02, 2006

 

Sam Britt 		  Thank you for your suggestions, John.


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August 02, 2006

 

sarah pfeiffer 		  Try Alienbees. I started with them and they are great for small spaces, new studio, basement shops, and traveling. www.alienbees.com


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August 16, 2006

 

Sam Britt 		  Thanks, Sarah. I'll visit the website and check them out.


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August 16, 2006

 

Glenn E. Urquhart 		  I use no professional lighting equipment. I bought inexpensive halogen desk lamps, one architecs lamp and a utility light mounted on a broken tripod. By back drop consits of a glass shelf, old wood crates, white poster board, and a piece of black velvet cloth. I do not use any flash, just bracketed time exposurs, with my camera mounted on a tripod. I seem to get ok results with this... take a look at my gallery still lifes and you can judge for yourself. Inexpensive and it works! Hope this helps! Good luck, Glenn. (ps excuse spelling... in a rush!)


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August 17, 2006

 

Sam Britt 		  Thanks, Glenn. The lighting is great on your photos. I've been using a tall pharmacy lamp, and a clip-on utility light,with foam board, but found that I get hot spots in the background. I always use a tripod indoors, and never use the flash. Any suggestions how to avoid the hot spots? Does the velvet background help prevent this problem?


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August 17, 2006

 
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