tungsten lights

[Peter De Smidt]

I too like Arri lights. An Arri kit with small fresnels, stands, case...would be ideal but not cheap.

I also have a Blonde, a 2000w open faced light. These aren't small, but they throw a lot of light. Personally, two fresnels and one non-fresnel lights would be a good start. Lowel non-fresnels are fairly small. You definitely want to bounce or diffuse Lowels. Other brands are Mole Richardson, Helix, ianabeam. These all have been studio standards for years. If you check ebay or talk to a few commercial photograhper's/studios in your area, you can probably get a few in decent shape.

Be very careful with hotlights. They can be very hot, (duh, I know.) If you put something flammable close to them, they can quickly set it ablaze. The bulbs can shatter if they get moisture or oil on them. For example, touching one with a finger when installing it will probably leave enough oil to cause the bulb to fail. If the lights are close to the sitter, make sure to have something between the light and the sitter so that any flying shards of really hot glass don't hit them. This isn't a problem with Fresnels, as the glass Fresnel is between the bulb and the sitter. Metal screens are available as a safety add-on for most lights.

One more thing to consider, meters often over-inflate film speeds when an image is shot with tungsten light. You'll definitely want to test your film exposure before doing important photos.

Metal scrims are better to use than dimmers, as they don't mess with the spectral characteristics of the lights. That can affect color but also bw. Cinefoil, matte black aluminum foil, is very good for making impromptu light modifiers with hot lights.

Always have spare bulbs. If you must use extension cords, make sure that they are heavy duty enough. Try to plug into separate electrical lines. Sandbagging the light stands and taping down the cords with gaffer's tape is good practice.

[Klyment Tan]

If you are looking to imitate George Hurrell's portrait style I am doubtful you will find anything that could even begin to be considered light weight that would give you the same light qualities. A three head Arri Fresnel kit w/ 4.5"-6" lenses on each head may be about 50lbs but I think that Hurrell's key light is easily upwards of 12". Then you have to think about how you're going to boom something that heavy. Sometimes a large dish reflector on a strobe head with a modest spot grid can give you a similar light but the "glowiness" of his portraits is probably more easily recreated with continuous light where you can introduce slight movement or even some light fog to soften edges without it looking obvious that there was movement or definition to the fog. If you are considering the strobe/dish reflector/grid route, there's a good used market for heads, packs, and their larger reflectors which are already relatively inexpensive even brand new. Another possibility is using very small soft boxes with Soft Egg Crates or with those metal grids that Chimera sells for some of their soft boxes.

[arca andy]

Thanks folks for all the great comments...I think Dedo lights are what I need...but I could be wrong. I'll let you know how I get on.
Andy