Light Kit
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- clearThoughts
I want to learn studio photography/lighting by doing it.
I bought the book that everybody suggested on previous treads - Light - Science and Magic - but what would be the first things I should buy to get started??
Would a starting kit from Ebay help?
They seem to be pretty cheap and I'm sure I can learn a lot by just having a go at it.
- Mal0
Assisting on shoots is probably the best way to learn before you buy and also you can sometimes score a couple of hours in the studio if the shoot ends early.
- clearThoughts0
Yeah - good point.
- most good photographers started as assistantsMal
- that's more to do with dropping a big name in your bio, more than learning the lighting techniqueclearThoughts
- ok_not_ok0
Start with one light then built on that.
- version30
i'd sooner buy bounces and a light meter before i bought lights first, if i had it to do over again that is. i bought ebay upgraded to an impact 3 light kit, did great for what i needed it for.
Now i've learned more about my camera, understand balance is key in lighting (hence the bounce) and if i had a light meter i'd at least feel like my decisions were justified on my digi cam and i could use that meter with my other cams as well if you want to talk about learning.
besides the bounce and meter are more portable than the lights, hence why my lights are still in storage
- Mal0
or rent lights to try em out.
- version30
what do you want to light?
- Mainly objects and people in a studio environment.clearThoughts
- clearThoughts0
Thanks, for the suggestions.
I know that you can learn a lot from watching other people do it.
But I also wanted to have a starter kit to start experimenting and fucking around without having to pay for a studio.From my point of view, that's always the best way to learn - by doing it.
I guess that in the future I might want to upgrade the whole kit, as a £300 lighting kit can't be that great really, but the learning process can be fun as well.
- a poor craftsman blames his toolsversion3
- in the contrary - I'm getting great results with a 500D and nothing else. So, just want to get a £300 kit and take over the worldclearThoughts
- I mean - I agree with you, but hope you are not suggesting I am a poor craftsmanclearThoughts
- no i wasn't, sounds you are not the type, some people think they need it all firstversion3
- version30
product photography and portrait photography are two different things.
if you want similar equipment to accomplish both, i suggest a ring flash and two medium to large soft box dual use fill & strobes. you can get alien bees for a good price
- cherub0
i assume when you say "bounce" you mean a diffuser or some type of white cardboard to modify the light from the onboard flash, version 3?
can u link to something?
- cherub0
thanks. i don't know all the lingo yet. i was calling those reflectors. never heard them called bounce.
- clearThoughts0
AMATEUR QUESTION NO 2:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""...What's the difference between the umbrellas and the squared softboxes? Which one should I go for first?
- danthon0
there are two kinds of umbrella. shoot through and reflector. Shoot through diffuses like a soft box and gives a large light source for the money. Soft boxes are better for studio since they have almost no light spill compared to a shoot through. reflectors give a harder light... I'm simplifying, but that's the jist
- danthon0
these are a nice way to start
- acescence0
google softbox vs umbrella and you can see a lot of comparison shots
- cherub0
is light spill the same as efficiency? i had heard umbrellas were more efficient than softboxes
- it means they transmit more light to the subject. You lose power with anything difusseddanthon
- boxes are more efficient than a shoot-thru umbrella because light can only escape in one direction, but are more directional as a result.acescence
- directionalacescence
- light spill is light not yet under your control. think gobo or other ways to control spilldanthon
- version30
It less one verses other as they are different tools for different jobs. Think more like a philips screwdriver and a flathead screwdriver. Similar devices different applications. A softbox gives a more defused light and umbrella is not as defused, and is a little more directional, it all depends on what you are trying to do. Give you simple example of what I mean. I was shooting Groups of award winners at CALED (California Economic Development) in Palm Springs. I used 2 umbrellas with my 2 Norman ML600Rs for this because I was shooting groups in a tight area. I needed to kick out more light and evenly light my group shots. If I had used my softboxes I would have needed more room and kicked up the power more to equal the depth of field of this shot.
For the glamour shot I used Two Norman ML600Rs with 36 inch octagonal softboxes and an AlienBees RingFlash with a 52 inch softbox. I did this for a nice soft glamour light this with some lotion to give a smooth skin appearance. Different tools for different jobs.
- cherub0
hey the lotion is a nice touch never thought of that ; )
- Tungsten0
I know you want to learn by doing it all yourself, but if you assist a busy working photographer for a week you'll learn more than you would fucking around on you own for a year. Even if you just volunteer you time you can consider it a free intensive seminar.