Lighting Equipment Suggestion

[glamourpics]

I've been using Calumet "Elite" line. 1200 WS pack, with very lightweight heads. Excellent safety features. Tremendously adjustable. I can go from 7.5 WS to 1200 WS with a single head. Cycles full power in 1 second. Good variety of modifiers, reflectors available. The only thing I don't like is that the mounting and swivel are real Mickey Mouse, probably because the heads are made in Great Britain, and Mickey Mouse mounts seem to be as big a tradition there as lousy cooking. (See SV, for example). The price of the system is fair, though nowhere as cheap as the "stinging insect" products. The Elite line also has self-contained strobes, which are compatible with the pack and head system.

I have also used and am very impressed with the Profoto system.

I used to think that one strobe system was as good as another. Then I saw comparison photos by a colleague who switched from a cheapo to a high-end Swiss system (Broncolor). With the same lighting setup, there was a clear but not quantifiable difference ... the shots w/ the high end system had a certain clarity and 'creaminess.' The photog, who did a lot of extremely precise product and food shots, also told me that the high-end systems are far more consistent from shot to shot, whereas the cheaper stuff might wander from weaker or stronger by a 1/10 stop or so.

I should mention in fairness that I bought and still own the original Paul Buff "coffee can" strobes. They kept bustin' on me, and I was so disappointed by that, and their generally flimsy construction, that I never bought another Buff product again. Including the Alien Bees.

[Florida Glamour Photography]

Originally Posted by otwpix

It seems that when I shoot with my studio strobes that I am always at f11 or higher. Is there ever a problem with the hensel lights that you have too much light. Is 500 watt/seconds too much? or is this just not a factor because you can turn them down?

My strobes are new and I admit I don't know enough to get them to perform at their best.

Also can you purchase battery packs for the pro plus so they are portable?

otwpics...

Hensel is coming out with a portable battery pack so you will be able to take the integra's on location.

[DavidH]

I have the Rebel XT and can take RAW files at more than 2 a second. I don't know about the Rebel but if it is slow, check out the speed of your memory card. Try at least an 80X. Faster cards are not worth the money for this camera. The XT is plenty fast for most strobes.

David

[awlongo]

A very informative thread, lots of info but what it really need is a touch "more" to really put this lighting thing into perspective so that the working novice (me ) can better understand how a "progressive" lighting investment can improve the esthetics of an image.

Let's say that I have a good ol' standard flash unit attached to capable SLR. Then I snap a digital photo of a beautiful model, the flash goes off and the result is immediately visible and the photo looks like.......

Then my new best friend , Rolando, says, "What you could really use is a Hensel solution", and he proposes:

Integra Pro Plus Super Size Kit Mfg # 7338815
3 - Integra Pro Plus 500 watt heads (8815)
3 - Modeling Lamp 300w Halogen (1280)
1 - Radio Flash Trigger and Power Transmitter (390)
2 - Umbrella Flood reflector (87)
1 - 7” Reflector (504)
2 - Economy Umbrella (3180)
1 - Honeycomb Grid No. 2 (508)
1 - Five In One Reflector Kit (3000320)
1 - Ultra Softbox III (4601)
1 - Softbox Adapter for Ultra III
3 - Alu Stand (200)
1 - Softbag Deluxe IV (4200)
1 - Hensel Lighting Guide 2005

Of course, me being of fixed wealth I can only reasonably afford an item at a time. So I ask my new best friend, "Rolando, what item should I get first to make the biggest impact?"

I take his suggestion, make the purchase, and snap the second photo of the same beautiful model in the same location and it look like this ......

With each successive purchase I snap a new picture of the same model in the same location.

To be able to see the progressive esthetics that each successive image portrayed would provide a wealth of information. The layout of images juxtaposed against each other would provide a visual smorgasbord of knowledge. The biggest bang for the buck would be easily apparent and the buying decisions would be much easier to make. Make sense?

Now all we need is for someone to do the layout.

[R_Fredrick_Smith]

What you suggest has already been done, but with different equipment. Take a look through the lighting examples given here

http://pictureline.webphotoschool.com/

And you'll see them build the photos by adding one lighting item at a time and showing the resulting photo.

Cheers,
rfs

[mcherry]

Originally Posted by awlongo

Now all we need is for someone to do the layout.

Or you could simply go to any decent bookstore and purchase one of the many books on basic portraiture lighting. They all have done exactly that with the basic three point lighting set up.

Or you could google "three point lighting" and read all you could ever want.

The reason to invest in studio lighting equipment is so that you can control the lighting in your images. This allows you to control color, contrast, dynamic range etc. It is to a large extent what separates a photograph from a snapshot (at least in the case of glamour photography).

The reason for buying a quality lighting system is because, unlike a digi camera body, your lights should last you for many, many years. So it makes sense to invest in a system you can grow with. [Edit: and one with modifiers useful for your subject matter.]

An awful lot of modern fashion is being lit with on light. When you go to said bookstore, pick up copies of French Vogue, W and V. Study the images.

[dagwell]

Originally Posted by awlongo

Let's say that I have a good ol' standard flash unit attached to capable SLR. Then I snap a digital photo of a beautiful model, the flash goes off and the result is immediately visible and the photo looks like.......

Here's an image taken with a Canon 30D using a 580EX external flash. This small light source produces a very hard light. As a result, you see a very harsh shadow behind the model. Even the snow is casting shadows on the model.

Re: Lighting Equipment Suggestion 

Originally Posted by awlongo

Of course, me being of fixed wealth I can only reasonably afford an item at a time. So I ask my new best friend, "Rolando, what item should I get first to make the biggest impact?"

I take his suggestion, make the purchase, and snap the second photo of the same beautiful model in the same location and it look like this ......

This second image used a strobe with a large softbox. The softbox emits a more diffuse light. As a result, the shadows are greatly diminished.

Re: Lighting Equipment Suggestion 

[herps]

So I'm about to throw up in my shoes right about now...

I have read here and there on the forum and have two stingers already in my posession. I have used them and admittedly will always be learning my lighting, but didn't realize that some of the "color" problems I'm having might be with the lights themselves. I almost had it blamed solely on myself or my 10D.

Well now I'm stumped, as I've recently "invested" in one 1600 and an additional 400 to my twin 800's I already had...
Not to mention the radio transmitter and reciever, 4 channel remote control and a few other accessories, I'm not sure what to do! Should I immediately return said items or "make due"?

Any advice is appreciated.

Rick Lohre
lohrecreative.com
rglohre (at) fuse -dot- net

[R_Fredrick_Smith]

Originally Posted by herps

So I'm about to throw up in my shoes right about now...

I have read here and there on the forum and have two stingers already in my posession. I have used them and admittedly will always be learning my lighting, but didn't realize that some of the "color" problems I'm having might be with the lights themselves. I almost had it blamed solely on myself or my 10D.

Well now I'm stumped, as I've recently "invested" in one 1600 and an additional 400 to my twin 800's I already had...
Not to mention the radio transmitter and reciever, 4 channel remote control and a few other accessories, I'm not sure what to do! Should I immediately return said items or "make due"?

Any advice is appreciated.

Rick Lohre
lohrecreative.com
rglohre (at) fuse -dot- net

I know lots of people who have the Alien Bees (I assume that is what you're calling stingers). I've used them quite often my self. I've never had any problems with the color. If you set the white balance of the camera correctly, then you should get the correct colors. You can also shoot in RAW, and them pick the WB after the fact, but I always like to have the WB close when shooting so I get a good LCD Preview. There are many reasons people get poor color. Sometimes it just means they don't have their monitor calibrated and so they correct till it looks good on the badly calibrated monitor and naturally it will look bad on other monitors that are closer to a good calibration. There are tens of thousands of people using the Alien Bees and White Lightnings and getting professional results with them.

The simple way to determine if you have a problem, is to shoot a known color reference chart such as a macbeth card using the lights. Set the camera to Custom White Balance as detailed in the Canon 10D manual. Shoot one shot in JPG and one in RAW. Upload both to the internet, and then post a link to the two and then some of us can look at it and see if its you, the lights, or something else. Also post some of the shots that you think have color problems and be sure to include all the M E T A data (don't use Save for Web which will remove the M E T A data).


Here's Renee with a Macbeth Color Checker.

Cheers,
rfs

[mcherry]

Originally Posted by herps

So I'm about to throw up in my shoes right about now...

I have read here and there on the forum and have two stingers already in my posession. I have used them and admittedly will always be learning my lighting, but didn't realize that some of the "color" problems I'm having might be with the lights themselves. I almost had it blamed solely on myself or my 10D.

Well now I'm stumped, as I've recently "invested" in one 1600 and an additional 400 to my twin 800's I already had...
Not to mention the radio transmitter and reciever, 4 channel remote control and a few other accessories, I'm not sure what to do! Should I immediately return said items or "make due"?

Any advice is appreciated.

Rick Lohre
lohrecreative.com
rglohre (at) fuse -dot- net

I've seen too many good images taken with bees to think that they'll cause serious color issues (at least what YOU would consider serious color issues, as opposed to say the art director on a product shoot).

I don't like the bees, for a variety of reasons, but you should be able to use what you have and be able to take photos that look just fine. I'm assuming your color problems lie elsewhere in your workflow.

Can you describe the problem in detail, and perhaps post an example?

As far as returning the lights go, as I said, I don't care for them myself, as I don't think they represent a good long term investment. That said, if you are happy with them, or if they are what fit your budget, keep them. I will say this though, I would not buy more of them. I would think of this as my starter kit, and, if you continue to pursue this, start planning on what light system to build out over the long term. If you are in a position to be able to afford some of the better, lower priced units, such as Hensel, then you may want to consider doing that now, but only you can make that call.

Edit: I just noticed that you purchased the accessories from bees as well. Those I would definitely return. Not only do I think they're crap, but everyone I know who uses the bees (and love the lights) think the accessories are crap.