OP you might also consider making a diffusion panel and shooting lights through it. A diffusion panel is one of the lowest-cost, most-versatile bits of lighting kit I've ever used. Shoot hot lights through it, shoot strobes through it. Use it to diffuse direct sunlight, even.
I detail how I made mine here: http://photo-otaku.com/building-a-42...n-panel-frame/
Or bounce lights into a V-flat (two 4x8 foot--or whatever-- pieces of white Gatorboard joined at the long seam with white gaffer's tape.)
Like others have suggested, I started out this way too, but I soon learned that getting enough light was a problem with large format film, both for the sitter and because of all of the heat.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
I picked up a Snap-On(in name only) 2000 lumen work light from Costco a few months back. It was touted as "5000k, daylight balanced".
Well after a couple months of sporadic use, it's been quite a pleasure to use. Very bright. Quite small, and was inexpensive for what you get, approx $40. I'm going to buy a few more, since I like them so much.
Like this one pictured here, but the 2000 lumens, vs the 1600 lumen version, pictured:
This, in conjunction with a small diffusion frame/material, can make a really nice light, IMO. Using the default 'daylight' color balance on my OOOOOLD Kodak digital camera made a pretty darn neutral file(this has NO post-processing, outside of a size adjustment, FYI. Remember, color balance was NOT on "auto", it was manually set to "daylight" on a ccd-based ~2005era Kodak digicam):
(light was bounced into a silver umbrella)
Click picture to make it larger
-Dan
Stone Photo Gear
https://www.stonephotogear.com/
That's a good price. I will get a couple if they still have them.
I buy from here for a variety of LED miracle lights. They even have car spot lights which may be nice for photography and cheaper than the Pro brands.
I am sold on LED and use them in every fixture in my loft. I had 2 from Costco that would randomly turn on and off, it was very annoying, but that's only 2 out of 40. They are getting better very quickly. I hated CFL's.
Tin Can
Shooting mostly people. Individuals and groups of up to 5 (for the moment). I shoot 4x5 and I usually shoot using very small apertures (i.e., 22-90).Originally Posted by Oren Grad
--Mario
You need lots of light. Of course how much light anything delivers is dependant on distance of light to object.
Tin Can
Not sure why wouldn't you use strobes. Easier to carry, less power, not as much heat and space. But then its jut me.
For 90 you will need lights (specially with any kind of diffuser) that would lit up stadium
OK. Wanting to work at apertures as small as f/32 and f/45, with subjects as large as full-length portraits, and typically with a big softbox, is what drove me to strobes. Couldn't come anywhere near the amount of light I needed with the hot lights I looked at, not without frying the subject, myself, and my house's electrical system. Perhaps things have changed and there's some new LED-driven magic. But my impression is that most new lighting products these days are catering to folks who work in small digital formats, where f/8 is considered a small aperture.
I agree with Randy that LED is worth investigating. Back when I did this, I used a 2000w Blonde, an open-faced flood. It's like turning on a furnace. It could easily ignite just about anything.... Plus there are other safety concerns. The bulbs can explode. As a result, you must use a special safety shield if it's used anywhere near people, and you must have the proper fire extinguisher handy. I have serious reservations about people using these, or similar lights, in anything but a full professional studio with a number of assistants on hand. Stuff happens during a shoot. Your attention is elsewhere... disaster. The sturdy stands, C-stands or similar, should be properly sand-bagged, the power cords should be gaf taped to the floor....
Even with that light I found that with 8x10 HP5+ film I lost a lot of film speed....kinda undermined the whole thing.
LEDs should be great with BW film. Color rendering is another matter. If color is important, test by evaluating the light with something like a MacBeth Color Checker.
CFLs suck. They're a hazmat situation waiting to happen, and even the expensive photo ones I've tested have been very deficient in the reds.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
LED are not the best choice yet their Color fidelity leaves a lot to be desired for. Even the expensive units for Motion Picture work do have some Problems in that regard. Some natural Color tubes Kinoflo or similar are not bad and less hot than Tungsten. I personally love the look of a good mole or arri Tungsten light. 2000w at f90 means low shutter speeds. Even big movie lights with more than 2000w will be a bit slow. This is one of the rare occasions where strobes are the better choice unless you can get something along the line of a Maxi Brute actually this could be a pretty good choice 9K + so could a Mole Richardson Dino 24lite. But they are super expensive Diffusion is done trough a Diffusion Frame (cheap to make). A good strobe is cheaper than the aforementioned movie lights.
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