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Any (studio) photobugs out there? (Read 557 times)


Finished!

    I need to know if anyone here knows how to set up a small studio. I'm looking at purchasing some studio flashes for photography, but have never shot with these types of lamps before - I typically use ambient lighting. I'd appreciate hearing about tips, resources and favored hardware.
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    rectumdamnnearkilledem

      I shoot semi-pro, but I don't use studio lighting. I either do all ambient lighting or dedicated ETTL flash units with Lightsphere attachments. Weddings are my favorite jobs, even though they freak me the hell out, LOL! Here are some of my favorite wedding shots

      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

           ~ Sarah Kay

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      rectumdamnnearkilledem

        I should add, as far as lighting goes, I always hear great things about Alien Bees set-ups. I will look at those if/when I ever decide to do a more formal studio. k

        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

             ~ Sarah Kay


        Finished!

          I'm actually looking at their digibee kit. The lighting setup I'm using right now is all mickey moused and considering I've upgraded the camera, I think I should get lights to make the most of my setup - right now I have to do all kinds of digital brightening and color correction.
          Walk + Jog = wog.
          I'm trying to Lose 5% at a time
          I support Heifer International - join me by donating via my registry
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          rectumdamnnearkilledem

            The lighting setup I'm using right now is all mickey moused and considering I've upgraded the camera, I think I should get lights to make the most of my setup - right now I have to do all kinds of digital brightening and color correction.
            Yeah, in the long run it would save you a ton of time and you'd get better results from the start--that's worth it, IMO. BTW, what kind of camera did you upgrade to? k

            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                 ~ Sarah Kay


            Finished!

              I upgraded to a Canon 20D. It takes fantastic photos when I can get the lighting right... The problem, of course, is I'm trying to learn about the photography stuff now as I can, though I *need* the ability to do product photos. Everything I've done in the past has been purely casual and usually I didn't have to worry about all the proper photo setup because more often than not, I was shooting in full sunlight Smile I know enough to get by, but not enough to easily figure out what I'm supposed to be doing for semi-pro studio setup.
              Walk + Jog = wog.
              I'm trying to Lose 5% at a time
              I support Heifer International - join me by donating via my registry
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              rectumdamnnearkilledem

                20D is a great camera--I have that and my backup is a 10D. I will never go back to film. I think even a very basic lighting set-up can get you moving, then as you take in some $$ you can always upgrade. There are some great support boards on Yahoo. I am on a 10D group, but it has been eons since I read or posted. I know that when the 20D came out that a 20D group was started with many of the same folks. Some seriously knowledgeable people. They could definitely help steer you towards a great lighting set-up. I know some good deals can be had on eBay, too. k

                Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                     ~ Sarah Kay


                Finished!

                  thanks for the tip. I've found that google searches are overwhelming with info, though now that I'm figuring out just what to google about, it seems I might be able to improve my lighting setup with more flouorescents rather than getting flashes and metering equipment...
                  Walk + Jog = wog.
                  I'm trying to Lose 5% at a time
                  I support Heifer International - join me by donating via my registry
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                  rectumdamnnearkilledem

                    Hmmm...fluorescents will add a funky color cast to your shots, though. I avoid mixing lighting types. Flash/strobes and daylight are the same color temp, whereas incandescent/tungsten are yellow-orange and fluorescent is quite green by comparison. If you shoot under fluorescent you would need to shot under entirely fluorescent to avoid "crossed curves." k

                    Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                    remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                         ~ Sarah Kay


                    Finished!

                      ah. You don't think this would be taken care of via custom white balancing? I started by shooting with a light box and a pair of table top lamps with fluorescents but it seemed very dark - so I turned on the room light which, I think, is also a fluorescent...but still wasn't satisfied. I recently moved to shooting in the kitchen when I get appropriate ambient natural light (though still shooting in a light box) and the images were still darkish, but I think I need to up the exposure compensation....but I hate having to rely on a sunny day to shoot product photos. Flashes just mean more $ upfront and time learning how to model and meter shots since I am accustomed to shooting with continuous lighting.
                      Walk + Jog = wog.
                      I'm trying to Lose 5% at a time
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                      derek


                        Hmmm...fluorescents will add a funky color cast to your shots, though. I avoid mixing lighting types. Flash/strobes and daylight are the same color temp, whereas incandescent/tungsten are yellow-orange and fluorescent is quite green by comparison. If you shoot under fluorescent you would need to shot under entirely fluorescent to avoid "crossed curves."
                        You could always remove the color-cast by setting the white balance. A simple solution would be to include a white-card (or grey-card) in the first shot and use that as the basis to white-balance all the other shots.

                        Derek

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                        rectumdamnnearkilledem

                          You could always remove the color-cast by setting the white balance. A simple solution would be to include a white-card (or grey-card) in the first shot and use that as the basis to white-balance all the other shots.
                          Yup--you could. You just don't want to mix fluorescents with any other type of light, ie no fluorescent and window light or fluorescent and tungsten. That's another idea...tungsten or "hot lights" would be more stable than fluorescent, which flickers and may still be tricky to meter. I've actually not heard of studio photogs who use fluorescent, but many will use tungsten (I did in college, because of not wanting to mess around with metering--especially since we were using large format film, which is $$). It's even easier with digital, since it's not like in the "olden days" when you would have to use tungsten corrected film. k

                          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                               ~ Sarah Kay


                          Finished!

                            hmm. I always shoot a color correction shot at the beginning of all my photo sessions - on a grey cloth. I then set the camera for custom white balancing off that cloth, though I usually have to do a little tweaking afterwards. My concern with tungsten is it seems I need to use a fairlyh high wattage bulb (which is generally not recommended in the little gooseneck lamps that I have been using for lighting) and they get hot - considering that I am shooting through a light tent, I'm a little worried about cooking the tent as it were... *Sigh* the joys of learning on the fly... Back to the flashes - I have heard good things about the Alien Bees, though I've heard that they can be tricky for a newbie to figure out (but I suspect that is the case for any newb who hasn't shot with flashes or any other studio setup). I'm still furiously googling away :P
                            Walk + Jog = wog.
                            I'm trying to Lose 5% at a time
                            I support Heifer International - join me by donating via my registry
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                            rectumdamnnearkilledem

                              Ahhh...heat. Hmmm.... You know, from those who have done the strobes route, it's not supposed to be as tricky to learn as it seems. Especially with a camera like the 20D. And since you can look at your tests as soon as you shoot them, it gives you the opportunity to really figure-out what works and what doesn't. I think a woman I know took a course from BetterPhoto.com, too. Or it was something similar. I think she learned everything through online courses and a book, perhaps. k

                              Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                              remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                   ~ Sarah Kay


                              Finished!

                                I'll go check it out - I'm sure there are books on it too, esp with the explosion of ebay and other little merchants like myself. a lot of the stuff for tabletop studios I'm finding are using things like the fluorescent lighting or tungsten directional lamps - while thinking about it tho, I think the flashes might be the more reliable route once I figure them out - course, the house is totally overrun with stuff for the biz now - and flashes are just going to add to the "clutter" :P Then again, since I have a light tent, I probably don't neeed umbrellas....so there might be a little "less" clutter than if I had a complete studio setup Wink ps. why on earth does the market lean towards photoshop? Paint shop Pro does all the same stuff as far as I can tell....
                                Walk + Jog = wog.
                                I'm trying to Lose 5% at a time
                                I support Heifer International - join me by donating via my registry
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