Lighting Recommendations

slpollett

I 'finally' have saved up enough money and I'm considering purchasing some lighting.

I really, really need some advice before making a purchase.

A little background first: Photography is a hobby for me. I have sold a few prints here and there (mostly to friends), but I don't go looking for jobs and I don't consider myself a professional by any stretch. My current equipment inventory is an Olympus E-520, olympus FL-50 flash and FL-36 flash, a number of nicer lenses (50mm f2, 12-60mm f2.8-4, 35-100mm f2, 14-54mm f2.8-3.5), a background support set-up with seamless paper, various reflectors, and the items mentioned in this thread that I posted a year or so ago:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=188441

I have been using that little set-up with my FL-50 flash on a light stand pointed to a silver umbrella, connected to my camera with a sync cord.

I use this set-up 2-3 times per year. Mainly what I use this for is taking what amounts to headshots. I volunteer as the somewhat official photographer of my daughter's high school marching band. Every year at the beginning of band camp, I take pictures of all the band kids & make 'pride' buttons (photo buttons) for the parents. I also use the pictures to make a poster for the band.

I am glad that I have this little set-up as it is slightly better than nothing, but I need (ok..."want") something better. I think it is time to move on....I haven't really been happy with my results.

Here's a couple of examples:
A couple that are decent:





A couple that aren't so good (harsh shadows, too dark, or whatever):




(If you really want to see more, here's a link to the whole gallery of button photos:
http://psphotos.smugmug.com/Sherry-Shots/HHHS-Red-Brigade-Band-2012/2012-Button-Photos/24446311_76WZCP#!i=2024179937&k=SsNKnLB)


Anyway, I now have the means to purchase something that will work better than what I've been using and I'm almost overwhelmed by the choices and all the accessories that go with. I'd also like to get rid of the cord and use a radio trigger of some sort, but still worry about what will work with Olympus.

I'd like some recommendations of what to buy--how many lights?, wattages?, what type soft box/ umbrella, etc?, battery packs?, radio trigger that will work with Olympus?, is it better to find a 'package' deal?, anything I might need to consider that maybe I haven't thought about? I have about $2000 to spend, so I think I can get just about anything within reason that would be good enough for me. ( I might even use them more than 2 or 3 times a year since I expect the results of my efforts to be more consistent and better quality.)

Any and all help would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Sherry

ziggy53

Are you wanting studio monolights, i.e. mains-powered studio flashes? ... or battery powered lights?
What are the conditions for the shooting area? (Ambient light, wall and ceiling color, size of the area, etc.)
Head shots, full length, ...?
Is "easy to set up" and "easy to transport" very important? More important than ultimate lighting?

slpollett

Thanks Ziggy for the response.

I would think that most of the time I would use these lights would be in a room with high ceilings, flourescent lights, grayish/white walls (but covered with lockers, bulletin boards, etc), and very little natural light. There are electrical outlets that I could use when I'm in the band hall. I'm not sure about any other place. I would use these for the head shots (as for the button photos), but also for full-length individuals and small groups (such as Drum Majors, Band Captains, Section Leaders, etc.). Sometimes a band student will ask me to do their senior portraits which I have been doing outside, but these lights would allow me to go indoors also.

I do not have a studio where I would set these up permanently, so portability is fairly important as is easy to transport and set up. I don't think I need the 'ultimate studio setup', but I want good, reliable quality that is reasonably easy to set up & haul around and gives consistent results. This being Texas and knowing that I will use these a lot during July/August, I would prefer strobes over continuous lighting that gets so hot. I would prefer to 'buy what I need' now while I have the money, than piece-meal items in over time. I've been dreaming of lights for 3 or 4 years now, so you would think that I'd know what I wanted by now. It has just seemed so unreachable that I never seriously shopped around.

Thanks again,
Sherry

ziggy53

I'm still working on a viable solution for your particular situation and application. I had thought that the E-520 had both a hot shoe and a PC flash connector, but it only has a hot shoe. That complicates things a bit.

ziggy53

I'm afraid that the best I can come up with are two recommendations:

1) Highly mobile, battery powered, some flash automation, optical technology.

FL-600R Wireless Flash, can be used as a wireless master/controller or a wireless slave.
http://www.adorama.com/IOMFL600R.html
FL-50R Wireless Flash, can be used as a wireless master/controller or a wireless slave.
http://www.adorama.com/IOMFL50R.html

These 2 flashes can give you some wonderful wireless versatility that you lack now. The 600R has the ability to not contribute to the exposure, so you can use it to trigger the 50R for the background when you wish. You can also use this pair of flashes alone when you want to travel light, or when there is no AC power available. You may also wish to purchase additional FL-50R flashes as they can be used in groups, allowing for different ratios.

2) AC/mains powered, transportable, manual operation, optical slave with radio slave option.

3 - Flashpoint II 620M A/C - D/C monolights. In fairly low ambient light, like I believe you will encounter, these should be plenty of output. I'll leave it to you whether you want to purchase the optional battery pack.

http://www.adorama.com/FP620M.html
http://www.adorama.com/FP620MP.html

It would be best to trigger these with inexpensive radio sets and they are manual operation only. Manual operation sounds scary but I actually like it better since I pretty well know what the units are capable of in different situations and with different modifiers. Three of these lights will give you a lot of setup flexibility.

Simple radio master/slave sets will get you simple wireless capability for the lights.

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-16-channel-Wireless-Trigger-MonoLights/dp/B002OL4EE6

I do suggest 10-12 foot light stands for either lights, preferably with air-cushioned control. The extra height is handy if you ever need to work in a place where the subject(s) is (are) higher than you are, like a church chancel area. The higher stands also tend to have a more stable stance.

These are fine and inexpensive:

http://www.adorama.com/LTSP10AC.html

For light modifiers I do like the Photek Softlighter II - 60" with 8mm removable shaft. This single device can be a double diffused modifier, similar to an octobox, but it has 10 sections for a more circular emission surface. With the stem extension removed, you can get very close to the subject.

You can also remove the diffusion panel and use it as a conventional white reflective umbrella, or you can remove the black cover and use it as a shoot-through umbrella. It works with both an umbrella bracket, for use with small, battery powered flashes, or directly onto most monolights, like those I recommend above.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/75852-REG/Photek_SL_6000_Umbrella_Softlighter_II.html
http://www.adorama.com/PTSL60.html

If you do go with the Olympus flashes you'll need some umbrella brackets. (I do suggest purchasing at least one more than you need, as these can/will break.)

http://www.adorama.com/LTUSH.html

slpollett

Thank you again, Ziggy, for such a thoughtful and thorough response.

You have given me two great options to consider--and both well within my budget. :ivar I will now research and decide what to do. I'm not in a huge hurry as it will be a several months before I would need to use them. (I may even end up with a little money left over to start drooling over upgrading my camera body. )

Thank you 100 times again for taking the time to give me a detailed answer. I really, really, really appreciate it.

Sherry