Beginner Studio

mnez17 · July 25, 2009

Not really sure which forum to put this. I am contemplating setting up a small studio for family/friends portraits (headshots). So many decision whether to use umbrella, continuous light, softbox, strobe lighting. I happen to come across this on amazon. Any comments on this system ?

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-P...8560407&sr=8-3

ziggy53 · July 25, 2009

mnez17 wrote:

Not really sure which forum to put this. I am contemplating setting up a small studio for family/friends portraits (headshots). So many decision whether to use umbrella, continuous light, softbox, strobe lighting. I happen to come across this on amazon. Any comments on this system ?

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-P...8560407&sr=8-3

Seated head shots and head-and-shoulders can be accomplished in a fairly small space. Even a 2-shot doesn't require too much space. There are still considerations with different lighting setups. I suggest you determine the lighting setup requirements first and then start building your lighting system.

You can use "hot lights", tungston-halogen work pretty well and even regular tungsyon will do in a pinch. They do get hot, dangerously hot sometimes, and that nakes them less than desirable for studio use. They also tend to make the pupils small in the subjects. That may be fine for subjects with a dark colored iris, but a light colored iris can look "odd" in a portrait.

Another potential problem with tungston based bulbs is color temperature. while it's easy to correct for the color temperature using an appropriate white balance (WB), it does tend to reduce the dynamic range (DR) of the imager. The reason for this is because most imagers are balanced for daylight. That means a tungsten WB will have less Red headroom and less Blue shadow detail than a daylight balanced image of the same intensities and hues. All this means is that your control of lighting has to be more precise and you tend to use less contrasty lighting using tungsten based lamps. This might rule out some lighting techmiques which use contrasty lighting or work close to the extremes in hues.

There are some folks who use Daylight Fluorescent technology for a home studio, but i don't think it provides enough continuous spectrum to be an authentic replacement for daylight or daylight balanced flash. It is a great way to learn in that it is always "on" (although "flicker" can pose a problem with some of the cheaper bulbs) and it's cool enough that most modifiers can be used with little heat build-up. It can also be pretty inexpensive to purchase, although professional fluorescent lighting is terribly expensive. I tend to use it for some copy stand work myself (when absolute tonal accuracy isn't required).

I do think that modern electronic flash has the best of all features, especially studio lights that incorporate modeling lights. You can achieve large pupils and most modifiers, like lightboxes etc., work without a problem. Studio flash tends to be expensive, but to a studio photographer the lights are a major component of the studio and the costs are generally justified by the results.

To summarise, get some good glass at least. The fast prime lenses are justified for a studio and portraiture. They will also enhance your outdoor work. Then work on lighting. The compact Daylight Fluorescent bulbs might be your best way to start, considering costs and use with modifiers. Then, when you come to understand about the different lighting configurations, graduate to flash lighting for the best results and maximum versatility. Look around for used monolights if possible.

BTW, 4 lights is fairly standard for the most typical lighting setups:

Key light (main)
Fill light
Background light
Rim/Hair light

Studio configuration is another aspect. You might be able to use 8 foot ceilings for shorter standing subjects and certainly for seated subjects and small children and pets. For taller subjects and groups you need pretty high ceilings to maintain the correct lighting angles. You can try bouncing light off a white ceiling, but you'll need some extra experience to make that work consistently.

Some studio lighting threads and links:

http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=742194&postcount=10

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=5772

http://www.geocities.com/glowluzid/portrait/portrait.html

Beginner Studio

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