continuous lighting

[mrrod]

Quick question, would an 800w halogen, colour temp 3200k continuous light work for photography? or would it be too hot for the model/subject?

[Colin Southern]

Quick question, would an 800w halogen, colour temp 3200k continuous light work for photography? or would it be too hot for the model/subject?

Hi Rod,

Been there, done that. If you want a good DoF you'll end up having to use a higher ISO (prob 400) and your shutterspeed will likely still be down to 1/20th for an aperture of say F11. For the subject they're bright (unflattering constricted pupils) and hot, and not particularly soft either.

In summary, they're a bit like a space-saver spare tyre on a car: "it gets the job done, but it's far from ideal".

[Manfred M]

I've played with some old pro (Mole-Richardson) hot lights before for a few hours. These were the 2000W units so lots of light output compared to what you are looking at using and the ones I was playing with had the large fresnel lenses. You had to wear heavy duty leather gloves to adjust them in order not to burn yourself.

Advantage - what you see is what you get.

Disadvantage - pure murder on your subject. Your models will squint their eyes, perspire, their pupils close right up. You have to stop frequently to give your model a break. Not a lot of fun for either your model or the photograher.

Modern light modifiers can't take the heat either so they cast a very harsh light. I did use reflectors and other light modifiers used in video work, but these take a lot more work when trying to contain light spill.

There is a very good reason that people use portable of studio flash.

[rpcrowe]

The "Advantage - (of continuous lights) what you see is what you get"; is totally negated by using studio strobes which have modeling lights built-in. The modeling lights provide the WYSIWYG shooting and they are not hot or bright enough to annoy the subject or the photographer.

The modeling lights of the studo strobes will, however, provide working lights for the shoot. I seldom have any other lights turned on in the studio when I am shooting. The modeling lights also provide light enough to focus by.

I would definitely recommend studio strobes (even the inexpensive Chinese models) over continuous lights (because of brightness and heat, in the case of tungsten) and hotshoe flashes jury rigged into pseudo studio strobes, a la the Strobist doctrine (because of the lack of modeling lights). The studio type strobe readily accepts modifiers, can mount on light stands without adapters and usually have optical strobes. They also use A/C for power so that recycle time is constant and doesn't increase as you shoot.

Whle I would not suggest that a professional equip himself with Chinese studio strobes for 5-days a week, 8-hours a day shooting; the inexpensive units are quite sufficient for the occasional portraitist to use.

Used, brand name, studio strobes are another alternative and are someimes the best and most economical route to take because the manufacturer often supports these strobes for years after they stop production. I can still get flash tubes for my ancient Paul C. Buff White Lightning WL-5000 units and I bought mine used over twenty years ago.

[mrrod]

Seems I'll be saving for some good quality lighting instead; anyone know where to buy second hand professional mono lights with high wattage?

[rpcrowe]

You can sometimes find good used monolight units on eBay at decent prices... As far as high power units... The need for high power depends on the areas, groups or subjects you will need to light.

[Manfred M]

http://www.paulcbuff.com/

The modeling lights of the studo strobes will, however, provide working lights for the shoot. I seldom have any other lights turned on in the studio when I am shooting. The modeling lights also provide light enough to focus by.

This of course only applies if you are shooting in a nice, dark studio. This is something I rarely get to do, and the modelling lights don't help quite as much if there is plenty of ambient light where I am shooting.

Rod - A lot of people on a budget shoot with Paul C Buff's Alien Bees lights http://www.paulcbuff.com/. When budgeting, don't forget to include money for a stand and a light modifier. A dual purpose (reflecting and shoot through) umbrella is going to be the most cost effective modifier if you are starting out.

[Colin Southern]

This of course only applies if you are shooting in a nice, dark studio. This is something I rarely get to do, and the modelling lights don't help quite as much if there is plenty of ambient light where I am shooting.

In which case the next best thing is probably to shoot tethered (to a PC or laptop) - then you can see what the camera sees. Personally, I mostly only use the modelling lights when I'm doing hard light so I can target it properly; when I'm working with softboxes it's more the ratios that need playing with than the actual position, and modelling lights don't really give any great advantage over just a bit of experience / common sense.

[Manfred M]

In which case the next best thing is probably to shoot tethered (to a PC or laptop) - then you can see what the camera sees. Personally, I mostly only use the modelling lights when I'm doing hard light so I can target it properly; when I'm working with softboxes it's more the ratios that need playing with than the actual position, and modelling lights don't really give any great advantage over just a bit of experience / common sense.

You are quite right there Colin, on the other hand the reason I went with PocketWizards is to eliminate the tripping hazard from the synch cable, so introducing tethered shooting would introduce something for me to trip over again...

[rpcrowe]

I can trip over my own shadow or the white lines on the road. I loved it when I shot with lights that were suspecded from overhead. That eliminated the tripping factor - except for that darned shadow...