lighting on a budget

Christie said... Hope,

I went and took some photos of a newborn baby...had a blast! However I am thinking that I need to purchase some lighting for indoor tasks!

Could I technically use 1000 watt utility work lights on stands? I don't want to spend a fortune on gear just yet! Would that work as a low cost lighting solution for indoor work? I am still having trouble working indoors with the existing lighting...perhaps we need to get together sometime and you can learn me some things!


Well, Christie, techinically you can use whatever lights you want. However, incandescent and fluorescent lighting all have a coloured cast ranging from yellow to green-ish (yes, even the ones that say 'bright white.') If you are planning on having the images in B&W only, then it really isn't an issue. In colour though, your subjects will all look jaundiced or seasick unless you are able to carefully program the white balance on your camera OR invest in filters OR if you are willing to post-process in some sort of editing software. Unless you are planning on doing strictly B&W photography, buying big honkin' "house" or "garage" lights will be a waste of money. Not to mention the fact that if you are working with babies or children, the huge honkin' lamps often get very very hot and are a hazard you may not want to try and navigate.

For proper lighting indoors, your best friend is natural light whenever possible. Try setting yourself up as close to a natural light source as possible - skylight, window, door, whatever. If the natural light is still a bit wishy washy, try exposing just for the lighter side of the face - you'll get a picture that's half shadow with detail on the lit side - very nice effect, really. If there is virtually no natural light because it's a basement or it's night, then you need to look at artificial light sources.

Your next best option is a flash unit, preferably with both vertical and horizontal bounce capabilities and/or off-camera sync. High end flashes will run you about $300 for a good used right up to $900 for brand new top-of-the-line, and will save you money from investing in professional strobes or lights, which can run well into the thousands very quickly.

On the flip side, you can buy a pair of wireless-sync strobes with umbrellas from London Drugs or off eBay for under $200. The inexpensive ones are primarily designed for soft box product shots, but will work just fine for portraiture if you set them up properly. The big drawback with strobes or lights is of course portability - you will always need access to a power outlet, and lugging around booms and umbrellas is a big old pain in the you-know-what. Hope that helps!

Comments

Christie said…
Just wanted to say thanks for the advice on my blog! I took the advice and tried doing portraits of the kids again...same set up just moved them away from the back drop more!

The results are AMAZING!!! NO SHADOWS!!!

I am very impressed with the shots that I took!

Will take more tomorrow as well!
Hope Walls said…
You're welcome, Christie!

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