Question by Email
This came in the email ...
emailer wrote:Is there someone there that can explain I am sure a few easy things for you, and the difference between these things
1) A Strobe, and strobe head ( is that a normal light or just the stand the light is on)
2) Alienbees
3)Speedlight (Is that a flash)
4)Grid spot
5)Open reflector
6)Back light, Hair light and Kicker light, is that refered to as a special studio light or is it just a strong normal light?
I bought a book that was reccommended to me by digigrin "beginners guide to photographic lighting" And they lost me on the first page when they started talking about these things.
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Comments
1) A Strobe, and strobe head ( is that a normal light or just the stand the light is on)
A strobe is the common name for an electronic flash unit - a small unit or a large studio type flash unit(s). It can be small and battery powered (great for portability) , it can be a self-contained unit that plugs into the wall (somewhat portable) - sometimes these are called a "monolight". Or it can be a "strobe head" - a flash unit that plugs into a power pack (not so portable). The power pack can accomodate multiple flash heads and it plugs into the wall. Lots of adjustments possible on the power pack.
2) Alienbees
a brand of strobe - it's a monolight style - small and quite inexpensive - www.alienbees.com
3)Speedlight (Is that a flash)
yup, just another name for strobe or flash
4)Grid spot
an atachment that clips on to the front of a studio type of flash (monolight or flash head version) that focus' the light. Nice for adding a little light to the models hair without causing objectionable shadows to the rest of the face.
5)Open reflector
Studio flash units usually have interchangable reflectors to "shape" the light. Some are very wide, like a "dish" (even called a "beauty dish" reflector). They spready out the light and create a soft look. A narrow reflector creates a sharper, more focused light. I'm assuming that "open reflector" refers to no attachments on the chosen type of reflector. Sometimes you might also see the term "bare bulb". This would be shooting with no reflector.
6)Back light, Hair light and Kicker light, is that refered to as a special studio light or is it just a strong normal light?
It could be a special studio light (for a specific purpose) but it more commonly refers to the light's placement. A "back light" would be placed behind the subject and would give a three-dimensional look to the shot. The model would appear to be separated from the background. The "hair light" and "kicker" are just lights placed to add highlights to the model - hair, shoulders, maybe an important prop. These lights can create a pleasing and natural appearance to the shot. And depending on the light setup, they also might be used to create a dramatic appearance.
Hope this helps!
here's some lighting tutorial links:
http://www.3drender.com/light/3point.html
http://www.studiolighting.net/studio-lighting-tutorials/
http://www.planetneil.com/faq/flash-techniques.html
http://super.nova.org/DPR/
http://www.photographers.co.uk/html/photographic-studio-lighting.cfm
this one's pretty good but make sure you view all four pages - the links are hidden a little bit:
http://www.ephotozine.com/equipment/buyersguide/fullbuyersguide.cfm?buyersguideid=26
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
Edward Steichen
Just to understand the back light kicker light etc, can these also be normal lights, lamps, whatever.
The reason I am asking is that I live in japan, and do not speak the language. I tried to explain to them I need studio lights, now I find myself with 2APL lights,(Has anyone ever heard of APL lights?) but I think that this is no more than normal lights, depending on what bulb you put in, or is that what studio lights are, changing the strenght of the bulb. I now understand the strobe thing, I have a SB-800, so that is a strobe!
The only real thing you need to concern yourself with is brightness and or color of the light you are using and how easy it is to modify the light to suit your needs. If the light is bright enough, has the color you need, and you can get it where you need it to be, then you can use whatever you want to use.
Strobes and flash are intermittent light sources. Like a cameras flash, they pop off a bright burst of light. They come in many sizes and shapes and names, some mount on the camera and some mount on a light stand. But the effects are the same. A bright burst of light when the camera takes the picture. Think of a portrait studio with the lights popping on and off.
Continuous lights, hot-lights, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights, fire, and the sun are "always on" and provide a "what you see is what you get" kind of look. They remain on before, during, and after a photo being taken. Think of a movie set or a stage where the light is constantly on.
A studio light is a generic term that can refer to either a flash or a hot light that mounts on a light stand. Some flash units have a hot-light built in, also known as a modeling light. It is a hybrid that provides both a continuous light source and a strong bright flash.
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