I got some good use out of some shower curtains for diffusers. I think when I get home I might rig them up for strip lighting. I liked them better than the softbox and umbrella I bought.
I got some good use out of some shower curtains for diffusers. I think when I get home I might rig them up for strip lighting. I liked them better than the softbox and umbrella I bought.
When I was starting out shooting portraits I used inexpensive continuous fluoro softboxes from Britek:
http://www.briteklighting.com/cool-f...nt-lights.html
The advantage of continuous lights is that you can see exactly how you are lighting the subject. You can even use a spot meter to fine-tune the ratio. Fluoro lights are nice and cool, so you can bring them close to the subject. The disadvantage for me was that these lights were just on the edge of not-bright-enough. I always found myself wishing I had another stop or two to work with. Brighter continuous lights, however, can make your subjects squint.
As a photographer I find Tungsten warmer without proper filtering because it emits heat, that's why they're called hot lights. While Fluorescent casts more of a cool look and feel to your shots.In my shots, I'd prefer fluorescent.
Also I wouldn't want my clients to feel warm and uncomfortable surrounded by hot lights. What is important is to find the right amount of light closely balanced to a natural light.
Hope this helps.
Kobe Levi Photography
You also might want to check out color spectrum and on how tungsten light differs from fluorescent light, to guide you more.
Heres a three part video series on making florescent light setup for awesome headshots. It work great with digital, should be fine with black and white, I imagine you could find the correct filters to use it with color film.
I made a set up for about $100.00 and it worked very well. I just used a bunch of shop lights from Walmart, I think they were about $11.00 for a two tube fixture at the time. I put three fixtures on a piece of masonite, and hung it on a light stand with a cable tie. I think it would cost a little more if you use the new style bulbs. He covers that in the last video.
I have a pair of 1000w halogen Fresnel lamps that I bought on Ebay for $250 (for the pair!). I'm going to add some more and some less powerful versions, ideally with built-in rheostat. Fresnels make beautiful light and I highly recommend them as an option.
if I HAD to use hot lights
I think I'd look around for a mini mole with a snoot (hair or BG) and a couple Lowell totas
couple that with a Matthews medium kit stand and a collapsable white shoot thru screen.. mabe a magic arm to hold it in place
cheap and portable
No need to spend a lot of money. Go to Home Depot or similar store and get either some work lights which come with their own stand, and or clamp on units into which you can screw any bulb with a screw base. It takes far less wattage to amply light a portrait than most people use. Many years ago I attended a portrait lighting session which the presenter began by lighting a subject with a bare 5 watt bulb to show that it is not the quantity of light but the quality which makes a good portrait. Although I have floods up to 1000 watts, I rarely use more than 100-150 watts per bulb to light a portrait subject. Plenty of light, and easier on the sitter. It is also important to remember that in general more good protraits are taken with apertures of 5.6 or larger, than with f16 or smaller. Mine are always made with maximum opening unless they are old men, like myself, with lots of craggy features which I want to emphasize.
In my last foray into shooting portraits with hot lights, I was using 5x7 FP4+ behind a Hermagis Eidoscope f5, at f5. I was getting roughly 1/30th second @ f5-ish (somewhere between f4-f5.6, close enough for gummint work) with a single 1000w Fresnel, with the lamp a comfortable distance (for the sitter) away from the sitter (6-8 feet). I'm not sure how you are pulling that off with 150 watts without using fast film and/or having the light very close to the subject.
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