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Lighting on the cheap

Rachel Foster

New member
I was talking with a friend about lighting. He pointed out that lighting is expensive (as everything related to photography is). I suggested you can do lighting on the cheap. So....tips? Secrets? how can he do it?
 

Rick Greely

New member
Rachel,
Thanks for the thread .....I have some lighting equipment but one can never have too many options when it comes to lighting. Please any suggestions on inexpensive lighting.
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Rachel,

I was talking with a friend about lighting. He pointed out that lighting is expensive (as everything related to photography is). I suggested you can do lighting on the cheap. So....tips? Secrets? how can he do it?
In our studio, we use several Vivitar 285HV shoe-mounted flash units (from eBay - they are no longer made). I have fitted them to be powered by small 6V storage batteries ("motorcycle" type), which I charge every so often.

We mostly run them into reflector umbrellas on regular light stands (none of that being terribly expensive). We put one on the camera to fire the others with optical trigger receivers.

Will Thompson often has nice Norman studio flash systems for sale (he rehabilitates them and does "mix and match" with the parts).

Best regards,

Doug
 
I use Alien Bee studio strobes at my place. They aren't terribly expensive (a 160ws monolight is <$250) and their house brand modifiers aren't terribly expensive.

I think my original 3-light setup cost less than $1000 with stands, softboxes, etc.

A thousand bucks may not be some people's idea of "cheap" but when you start pricing Profoto or Elinchrome you'll find that it can be.
 

Clayton Lofgren

New member
I've got some Vivitars and some very inexpensive radio slaves. I also have stabilized cameras and a fast normal zoom, so most of the time I can use free natural light.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
One can get used 550 EX2 flashes for Canon cameras and they can work as master or slaves and in 3 zones, each at different power. However the cost is going to be ~ $600 for the set of three. Another option is Lumedyne which comes as a control power unit, for the watts/sec setting. A classic pack can be had for $100-200 and a battery for about $30-150. Dasaga repairs them. One lumedyne has 2 flash outputs. A lamp head with an 800 watt/sec lamp (one can go to 2400) is about $75 to $120 used. One can get a 200 W/S booster and use the side port for an extra head.

I have 5 complete setups. For studio work, 12 Watt seconds split between to light modifiers may be enough. So you don't need anything powerful. Start with a friend who has lights before you spend money.

For Norman,

Will Thompson is the expert and personally rebuilds them and suppklies a mopre modern battery system. He even has added Pocket Wizard cards top them, so that's an option.

Asher
 
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Mike Shimwell

New member
Rachel, start by reading The Strobist - loved by pro and am alike:)

You can buy second hand flash units from ebay - and if you pick up old canon ez series flashes, that won't work in aoto mode on the digital bodies, you can sync them with cheap ebay radio slaves. Works OK.

If you want some ttl control you need a 550/580ex and either more 5x0 or 430ex's to be slaves.

All these can be fitted to umbrella's or you can diy all sorts of modifiers if you have time and motivation.

Stepping up, you will start to spend a bit more money on studio units with more output and flexibility, pocket wizards or radio poppers and then the sky becomes the lmiit.

Start at the link above.

Mike
 

Will Thompson

Well-known member
Hi Rachel and the group,

If you are looking for a good studio setup I can get you a refurbished 2 light Norman setup that I sell dealers to resell with a warranty. I have several available but do not advertise them here since I have photo dealers that mark them up and do not want to undercut them. If any OPF members want them I can sell them at the same wholesale price I give dealers. A kit consists of 2 Norman LH500 - 600 Watt/Second Lampheads and 1 P808M - 800 Watt/Second Power Supply. Additional flash heads are available. These are the same units that I shoot in the studio with. To give you an idea of how good a deal this is I sell the 2 light kit wholesale for less than a third of what B&H gets for the pack alone. I stand behind everything I sell just ask asher. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
 

Ken Tanaka

pro member
Before you start shopping, have a perspective on when you think you'll most frequently need to use lights. Simple portraits need little (contrary to what the gearhounds would assert). You most often see examples that are ridiculously over-lit and over-produced, often by weekend "pro" portrait snappers.

Start with one light, a couple of stands for reflectors and blocks (both cheap foam boards form an art supply store), some clamps (hardware store) and just explore what you can do with this simple gear. Add a light later after you gain first-hand realization of the limits for what you shoot.

Large studio rigs, or even more modest monolight sets, get very expensive. I'd bet that 80% of the amateur buyers (a) rarely use them for long, and (b) more rarely learn to light anything well.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Before you start shopping, have a perspective on when you think you'll most frequently need to use lights. Simple portraits need little (contrary to what the gearhounds would assert). You most often see examples that are ridiculously over-lit and over-produced, often by weekend "pro" portrait snappers.

Excellent advice.

I started with one 550 EX II and simple reflectors. I then moved up to using an STE-2 controlling 2 550 EX each in an umbrella surrounded by white foam core folded along its length to 45 degrees.

Start with one light, a couple of stands for reflectors and blocks (both cheap foam boards form an art supply store), some clamps (hardware store) and just explore what you can do with this simple gear. Add a light later after you gain first-hand realization of the limits for what you shoot.

So ture!

Everyone should get foam core boards. They come in 2 weights, I use the lightweight and use a blade to cut each 4x8 foot sheet lengthways i/2 way through the thickness to make a v shaped relfector into which I shine my lights. The back of the fold is reinforced withblack gaffers tape. I have at least 6 of these to reflect back the light where needed and it is perfect with a $20 white umbrella as the light is bounced from the white V foam core reflector back through the white umbrella giving wonderfully diffuse light. In addition I have a small piece of white core foam at 45 degrees, low down, at every place I can to get rid of shadow under the chin etc.

One can light anything with 2 Canon, Nikon or similar flashes. For Canon, the older 550 EX is simple and reliable. I happen to have 3 550 Ex, 1 580 EX II and I also use one 550 EZ with a light sensing trigger hot shoe.

This simple system served well for all the portraits I did for my first year.

Nothing in the system held back by creativity, only my use of the light!

Asher
 

Will Thompson

Well-known member
Hi Ken!

How true. I find that using two lights works best for me on location since I shoot at night and the spill gives a little background detail so I do not need to worry about damaging reflectors moving them every shoot (the foam core type).

For indoor portrait work foam reflectors are most cost effective for complex shots.


On another note:

A friend of mine told me of a cheap reflector that they had him make when he went to Brooks Institute of Photography, over 20 years ago, that he still uses today.

It was a pice of warm white canvas from a yardage store with two half round wooden dowels that were nailed or screwed together at both ends (forming a round stick at both ends with the canvas sandwiched inside) making a scroll type of thing resembling an Oriental hanging calendar or artwork with a cotton cord from end to end at the top to hang it from. They had them paint it bright flat white with latex house paint on one side (flexible latex so you could roll it up). This gave you a bright white reflector on one side and a warm white on the other.

They used it by putting one light to the side of the subject for the main light and put the reflector on the other for the fill light and used the spacing and power settings to adjust the left right lighting ratio.

My description may not be the best but hopefully you get the idea.

Talk about a cheap DIY one light portrait reflector project!
 

Nichole Lampron

New member
Wow some really good ideas here. I have been looking for some new lights and needing to go inexpensive to. Thanks everyone for the advice offered here even if I'm not the one to ask.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Nichole,

I think lighting can be considered in two stages.

1. Get light evenly spread over enough of your subject that's important.

2. Add another light or reflectors to shape the shading and bring in 3 dimensionality and texture.

One light/ window and one piece of white card, a white wall, reflector or another light is all that's needed. Color temp, shortness of flash duration, shot to shot recharging time and the ablity to deliver enough light to cover a stage from 200 feet is not of practical relevence to most serious studio work.

Given that one can do perfect portraitswith just 6 watt seconds, or less, most of commercial systems afre really over kill for the beginner or even intermediate portrait photographer.

Asher
 

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Cheap and Solid

In my studio, I bought a hollow core door - talk about solid. Not heavy because I can lift it.
Painted it white.

I also bought two sets of bi-fold doors. Painted one side white and one black. I use them for flags/spill on the black side and reflectors on the white side

Will knows his electronics. He's trustworthy too - he's a good person to buy from. He loves the Norman's but he's also taught me a lot over the years and is great for thinking things through with.
 

Nichole Lampron

New member
Thanks Asher, I have known about most of that for portraits. I have shot some for clients in the past and if I can ever get my daughter to get her butt over to my storage room back in Mass and send me some of my old slides and negatives then I can put up some of my older work.

I am looking to get back into doing portraits for work again. Not that it was a big thing for me before, but it helped fill out some of the void.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I am looking to get back into doing portraits for work again.

Nichole,

Do it it will be interesting to see if your ideas have changed. Itt's a good pastime too! Great with still life too.

I'm pretty sure most here know the principles of lighting. Still just like Ken, I think that it's good to emphasize simplicity and the lack of need for the most expensive toys in many situations.

Asher
 

Ken Tanaka

pro member
One additional note I'll offer, since many newcomers to the subject may be onlooking.

Light is light. By that I mean that light's primary value properties of intensity and color can be achieved many ways.

The large strobe setups you often see in photo studios are most often constructed to light big scenes and big stuff (although there is a real trend in over-producing studio work these days). But the light doesn't care if it's coming from a $50 used flash mashed through wax paper or a $15,000 beauty dish.

There are several good books on photo lighting, such as "Light Science and Magic" and Ross Lowell's "Matters of Light & Depth". But one of the most instructive exercises you could perform is to buy a couple of inexpensive table-top Luxo lamps with 20w-30w bulbs, and some stiff white and black paper for reflectors and subtractors. Then just set-up a simple still life scene on a table and explore lighting it in various ways. This is particularly powerful today with free digital imaging. Photograph the setup, then photograph the scene. Repeat with various setups.

If you take this exercise seriously I guarantee that you'll learn lessons that you'll be able to apply to nearly any scale of scene. Yes, you can go to a "workshop" but, frankly, this personal exploration is far more instructive for the dedicated inquisitive mind.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
There are several good books on photo lighting, such as "Light Science and Magic"

This is a favorite of mine, one of Bart's suggestions way back and such a great guide. It assumes nothing except a patient mind and a love of the form of things. I have a strong physics background and none of that is needed as they gently guide one through basic principles of the properties of different surfaces and how light is reflected and how different sources of light might effect the build of things and the appearance of shading and shadows. All is basic but so much needed in photography.

.... and Ross Lowell's "Matters of Light & Depth".
Thanks for this added resource. I'll order it. I'm grateful for such recommendations.

But one of the most instructive exercises you could perform is to buy a couple of inexpensive table-top Luxo lamps with 20w-30w bulbs, and some stiff white and black paper for reflectors and subtractors. Then just set-up a simple still life scene on a table and explore lighting it in various ways. This is particularly powerful today with free digital imaging. Photograph the setup, then photograph the scene. Repeat with various setups.

Another inexpensive source of perfect continuous light at low cost is the system described in Imatest.com for lighting charts for lens test. This system is capable of doing any thing you want on a small scale. That and window light!

Asher
 
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