Looking to purchase lighting

MissB · May 15, 2009

I have a Have a huge potential client that I need to impress. I have to do a onsite product photo shoot of cabinets doors, knobs and such... I guess I need a large product lighting kit... I've had some great suggestions in the past about at home DIY lighting kits... but I really need to have something reliable and "professional". I am looking to spend under $400. What do you think? Should I invest in one of these light tent kits I see everywhere online? If so, which one should I choose...there are so many. Thank you so much!

Oh and, What is the best type of lens to use for this kind of project???

Don Kondra · May 15, 2009

More info please

Are the doors installed on cabinets?

Are the cabinets installed on a wall?

Are you to work in a show home or the cabinet shop or the warehouse?

Any available light?

What is your camera and lens collection?

For now, this is a just fooling around shot of my kitchen with a Alien Bees B1600 and 2' x 3' softbox shot in manual in the afternoon with a 14-54mm lens..

Kitchen daytime (Small).jpg

Cheers, Don

Don Kondra · May 15, 2009

And the same shot, no strobe in aperture mode...

Kitchen no strobe (Small).jpg

Cheers, Don

FYI the distance from the camera to the front of the corner cabinet countertop was 20' and the lens was at 21mm.

MissB · May 16, 2009

Don Kondra wrote:

And the same shot, no strobe in aperture mode...

Kitchen no strobe (Small).jpg

Cheers, Don

FYI the distance from the camera to the front of the corner cabinet countertop was 20' and the lens was at 21mm.

wow, thank you for going thru those lengths to help me... So far, I know I will be photographing individual cabinet doors knobs and such... perhaps... cabinet units... the actual display show is in vegas this week and I came aboard too late to attend that... so I do not believe I will actually be photograhing the kitchen mockups. But I do know... there will be a massive amount of photos needed and the shoot will take place over 3 days in the warehouse.

I have a canon rebel xsi I have some basic lenses
kit canon 18-55mm
canon 55-250mm
canon 50mm 1.8

here is a link to some of the work they've had done in the past... http://www.woodmark-homedepot.com/hardware_page1.asp
http://www.woodmark-homedepot.com/hardware_page1.asp

heres the tricky one.... is the reflection photoshopped or does that look like the lighting they used??
http://www.woodmark-homedepot.com/decorativeDoors.asp

I know I am capable of doing this... but being as I am new I want to get everything right. This is a great oppurtunity and a definate shoe in. Thank you for anymore help you can offer!!!!!

Don Kondra · May 16, 2009

Okay, considering your budget and the examples you've shown, I would suggest a 28" light tent and three CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) lights.

Two lights from the sides and one from the top.

By using a top light aimed more at the backdrop you will minimize light fall off and achieve a more uniform background. Which will hopefully save a bunch of time in photoshopping.

If you are "handy" you can get creative with DIY stands and reflectors or just buy a complete kit...

http://alzodigital.com/online_store/alzo_250_econo_cool_lite_tent_kits.htm

The glass panelled doors are photoshopped. What I would try is taping a different color paper to the back of the door.

Now this is where it gets interesting

You could shoot the doors laying flat on the ground if you have a Horizontal Camera Mount tripod attachment.

Or shoot them on a wall. Screws or clips can hold the door in place and be cloned out later.

As for the reflections in the glass, start with two lights at 45 degrees to the door and then move them around until you get the least reflection.

Perhaps someone else can jump in on the use of polarizing filters with continuous lights, I purchased mine after I moved on to studio strobes....

You will be shooting in aperture mode and I assume the use of a filter will just take a longer exposure ????

Use your sharpest lens and shoot tethered to a laptop. The larger screen will allow you to take test shots and adjust lighting/camera settings, etc. much easier than the tiny back of the camera screen.. and give you the confidence that you won't be wasting a day of shooting with the wrong settings.... And the client can see the preliminary results immediately.

You also need to decide how much time you want to spend editing, ie. shoot jpeg or raw. I prefer the leeway raw gives you

Cheers, Don

Looking to purchase lighting

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