I have no idea where to post this....

divamum

I have a big ole gap in my schedule the day I teach at the local college. It turns out the photog department has a lighting class for EXACTLY that time slot, so I approached them about sittting in on it and they said yes!!

I'm very excited - had to share with somebody who might understand why!!! :barb:barb:barb

sweet caroline

divamum wrote:

I have a big ole gap in my schedule the day I teach at the local college. It turns out the photog department has a lighting class for EXACTLY that time slot, so I approached them about sittting in on it and they said yes!!

I'm very excited - had to share with somebody who might understand why!!! barb

Awesome!

Elaine

Oh, lucky you! I'm a bit jealous!

Mike J

Do share your education vicariously with the rest of us!

Scott_Quier

divamum wrote:

I have a big ole gap in my schedule the day I teach at the local college. It turns out the photog department has a lighting class for EXACTLY that time slot, so I approached them about sittting in on it and they said yes!!

I'm very excited - had to share with somebody who might understand why!!!

Just one of the bennies of working for a school - you get to audit classes! I'm so very excited for you and more than just a bit jealous of your opportunity!:ivar

Mike J wrote:

Do share your education vicariously with the rest of us!

She already does - on an almost daily basis it seems! She's been very free with sharing what she's learned. I've already learned things from her!

I'm sure she will be attempting the techniques she learns in that class and posting the results.

divamum

Of course I'll report back anything of interest!! I suspect it will probably be pretty basic, but that's GOOD, and just what I need. I've actually wanted to do a class for ages, but it's the first semester my schedule was even close to allowing it (and, amazingly, the class that's at the time I have to fill is my first-choice content too) - this may be the only *advantage* to having had my professional calendar butchered this spring! :ivar

Agnieszka

Yay!!!

Nikolai

Congrats!
I guess I don't see *you* in my workshop any time soon!

lisap

divamum wrote:

I have a big ole gap in my schedule the day I teach at the local college. It turns out the photog department has a lighting class for EXACTLY that time slot, so I approached them about sittting in on it and they said yes!!

I'm very excited - had to share with somebody who might understand why!!! barb

Oh nice! You're definitely at the right place at the right time! I always take these little 'coincidences' as signs that you're doing the stuff you should be doing. (does that even make any sense to anyone but me?!?! haha)

-- Lisa P.

eL eSs Vee

You can't beat that, Divamum! Lucky you!

Is this a course on strobe, natural, hot or all forms of lighting?

divamum

Nikolai wrote:

Congrats!
I guess I don't see *you* in my workshop any time soon!

yeah, well there was a small matter of a coupla thousand miles in the way there anyway...

divamum

lisap wrote:

Oh nice! You're definitely at the right place at the right time! I always take these little 'coincidences' as signs that you're doing the stuff you should be doing. (does that even make any sense to anyone but me?!?! haha)

-- Lisa P.

I know what you mean - and yeah, it sure seems that way, doesn't it? Serendipity

eL eSs Vee wrote:

You can't beat that, Divamum! Lucky you!

Is this a course on strobe, natural, hot or all forms of lighting?

I'm not sure yet - the course listing says "strobe and quartz", but I guess I'll find out exactly what I'll be doing once I attend next week

divamum

The bad news: the class this semester is intended to focus mostly on still life/product shots (last semester was the portrait session)

The good news: while I'm more interested in people shots, it doesn't really matter since it's still a studio lighting class and I'll be getting the basics I need like rigging lights, using a light meter, studio protocols, basic setups etc etc etc

The really good news: Two high-ceiling medium-sized studios (?15x20ish I'm guessing) which can be turned into one large studio if the partition is pulled back, overhead tracking system in each, six strobes (White Lightning), all the cables including hotshoe sync cords, remote controller system, all the modifiers I've seen or heard of so far, seamless paper backdrops in black and white, clear, white and black plexiglass sheets... (given my "studio experience" consists of an 8x10 space outfitted with one small speedlight and a home-made 12" soda-carton softbox, this seems like luxury beyond my wildest imaginings!)

The ZOMG squeee I can't believe it news: I can book and use the studio for my own projects from time to time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! barb

sweet caroline

WOW! That'll be fun. Oh, to have a studio...

Caroline

lisap

Wow! That's awesome! I know you'll be making good use of that.

-- Lisa P.

Scott_Quier

:ivar I'm really looking forward to watching what happens in the near future ... the term "Leaps and Bounds" comes to mind

divamum

Scott_Quier wrote:

I'm really looking forward to watching what happens in the near future

Ha - yeah, me too I'm itching to get in there, but there is NO WAY I'm experimenting with high voltage, high heat output equipment until I've been shown how to rig it and use it properly (don't want to fry my camera... or ME - too many years onstage have taught me just how dangerous poorly/ineptly rigged electrics can be... :nono). I'll have to wait a couple of weeks before I fly solo and start shooting on my own, but believe me, as soon as I'm confident I can set up safely I will SO be trying to use this unexpected opportunity! I still can't believe my luck

VayCayMom

wooo hooo I am excited for you !!!!:ivar

Scott_Quier

divamum wrote:

Ha - yeah, me too I'm itching to get in there, but there is NO WAY I'm experimenting with high voltage, high heat output equipment until I've been shown how to rig it and use it properly (don't want to fry my camera... or ME - too many years onstage have taught me just how dangerous poorly/ineptly rigged electrics can be... :nono). I'll have to wait a couple of weeks before I fly solo and start shooting on my own, but believe me, as soon as I'm confident I can set up safely I will SO be trying to use this unexpected opportunity! I still can't believe my luck

:confused Constant lights might be high-voltage, high-heat - I don't know as I've never used them. I know the quartz/halogen lights from places like Home Depot will run very, very hot.

But studio strobes should be neither. They run about as hot as your Canon Speedlight.

eL eSs Vee

Scott_Quier wrote:

:confused Constant lights might be high-voltage, high-heat - I don't know as I've never used them. I know the quartz/halogen lights from places like Home Depot will run very, very hot.

But studio strobes should be neither. They run about as hot as your Canon Speedlight.

The quartz (constant) lights will be hot, so I hope this studio has air conditioning. Strobes are much cooler, but the more strobes you use, the more modeling lights you have and the more modeling lights you have the warmer the room becomes over time - it just doesn't warm up nearly as much as with those hot lights: The room just becomes really, really comfortable. Of course, the temperature of the modeling lights depends on the wattage; I've seen some as high as 250 watts. Enough of those will have you adjusting the air conditioning a little.

Divamum. Back when I was attending a local junior college, the man who ran the photo studio got to know me well, and trusted me with all of the Norman lighting equipment to the point where he'd let me use the studio (approximately 20' by 45' - I'd have the whole studio, but only used half of it, with room to spare) even when I wasn't taking a course that required it. All I had to do was ask and if the time slot I wanted was free, it was mine, even on a Saturday. I spent six years using that studio (in a two-year college), and at one point had a shoot that lasted seven hours! Talk about being in studio heaven!

Since the course you'll be taking is on still life and product shots, I'd like to recommend an extra book for you. The Studio Photographer's Lighting Bible by Calvey Taylor-Haw. (link) Lots and lots of ideas. Most of the photos come with lighting diagrams, and all with written details. He also covers shooting such subjects as people, pets, food and even a refrigerator.

You're going to learn a lot in this course, and I look forward to seeing the results! Enjoy!

Mitchell

This sounds great.

Your first homework assignment is to promise to share your newfound information here with us.

divamum

Mitchell wrote:

Your first homework assignment is to promise to share your newfound information here with us.

But of course! I think it'll be a while before we get to "the good stuff", but I"ll be more than happy to feed back anything juicy I pick up. That said, I think most of you guys have forgotten more than I'm likely to know for QUITE some time, so I wouldn't expect too much!

To clarify what I meant about the lights: I'm not "afraid" of them, I'd just rather be shown how to rig this (expensive) equipment before diving in and guessing! I'm sure it's easy once you know how

Thanks eL eSs Vee for the book recco - I'll check it out.

Scott_Quier

eL eSs Vee wrote:

The quartz (constant) lights will be hot, so I hope this studio has air conditioning. Strobes are much cooler, but the more strobes you use, the more modeling lights you have and the more modeling lights you have the warmer the room becomes over time - it just doesn't warm up nearly as much as with those hot lights: The room just becomes really, really comfortable. Of course, the temperature of the modeling lights depends on the wattage; I've seen some as high as 250 watts. Enough of those will have you adjusting the air conditioning a little.

This applies only if you actually use the modeling lights. I have only 4 AB800 strobes and have yet to get any benefit from the modeling lights. Tried to use them for a while - they didn't do anything for me. Now, I don't even turn them on. One of these days, I think I'm just going to remove the bulbs. They're just common 60W tungsten bulbs (and that may be the source of why I've not found them useful).

For whatever reason, I don't need them. I just picture (no pun intended) in my mind what each strobe is going to do. It helps to remember that if the subject (or portion thereof) can't see the strobe, then the light from the strobe won't illuminate that subject (or portion thereof).

ChatKat

Modelling lights
I took two studio lighting classes. One was portraiture with Douglas Kirkland, a Canon Explorer of Light and and Icon at the Julia Dean Workshops in Venice, California. That just whet my appetite and I took a week long class at the Santa Fe Workshops later that year.

At the Santa Fe Workshops, we used every kind of light and modifer and brands like Elinchrome, ProFoto, Calumet - from CStands to Gels, Ringlights, Softboxes and Beautydishes to you name it. One of the days we were to take our lights out on assignment and somehow I did not get a partner so the studio manager spent the entire day with me. It was the most incredible experience to learn each piece and how it works.

Since then my first paid job was doing 300 pair of eyeglasses and I bought hotlights and a light table. You will learn a lot doing product photography that you will be able to apply to portraiture. It will surprise you.

Scott, I always use the modeling lights on my Profoto Monolights. I can see exactly the result that I am going to get - what the strobe would light, the shadows and spread. Maybe it has to do with the wattage of your strobes and your modeling lights.

Divamum, the first time you use a pack, you will be okay with it. Make sure you have NO water around, and you learn how to discharge it. I will look forward to hearing more about your experiences.

Scott_Quier

ChatKat wrote:

I took two studio lighting classes. One was portraiture with Douglas Kirkland, a Canon Explorer of Light and and Icon at the Julia Dean Workshops in Venice, California. That just whet my appetite and I took a week long class at the Santa Fe Workshops later that year.

At the Santa Fe Workshops, we used every kind of light and modifer and brands like Elinchrome, ProFoto, Calumet - from CStands to Gels, Ringlights, Softboxes and Beautydishes to you name it. One of the days we were to take our lights out on assignment and somehow I did not get a partner so the studio manager spent the entire day with me. It was the most incredible experience to learn each piece and how it works.

That had to be an incredible experience!

ChatKat wrote:

Since then my first paid job was doing 300 pair of eyeglasses and I bought hotlights and a light table. You will learn a lot doing product photography that you will be able to apply to portraiture. It will surprise you.

Scott, I always use the modeling lights on my Profoto Monolights. I can see exactly the result that I am going to get - what the strobe would light, the shadows and spread. Maybe it has to do with the wattage of your strobes and your modeling lights.

And, I admitted as much. But, for better or worse, I don't use them and don't miss them. Maybe it's the engineer in me, but I really can take the light meter numbers, estimate the angles, and see the light in my head. It works for me but may not be everybodies cup 'o tea.

ChatKat wrote:

Divamum, the first time you use a pack, you will be okay with it. Make sure you have NO water around, and you learn how to discharge it. I will look forward to hearing more about your experiences.

- really looking forward to that.