Cheap softbox lighting
Lim Soon Beng
have looked through the articles and forums on photo.net on how to set up a
studio.
Being very cheapskate, I have no intention of buying professional studio
equipment, except maybe a roll of background paper, unless I can tape up
some white mahjong paper (approx 3x3 feet each) and edit out the seams using
Photoshop. Yes, I'm THAT cheap.
I was thinking of constructing my own softbox lights, using a floor-standing
reading lamp as a base, building a styrofoam or cardboard box around the
lampshade and draping white muslin cloth over the front. The lamp would be
around 60 watts (incandescent). I figure that slightly longer exposures
would be fine if the light is not bright enough, and the white balance can
be set to incandescent or even auto, so the colour temperature would not be
a problem. Even if it is, I can always change the colour balance to my
liking using Photoshop later.
Would a lamp using 50 watt halogen lights be a better idea? The problem is
that the halogen lights tend to produce a focused beam, whereas the
incandescent bulbs would be more diffuse.
Before I rush out to buy a couple of $19.90 reading lamps, can someone tell
me why this idea would not work?
The other thing I was thinking of doing is using a (normal) rain umbrella
with a slave-fired flash. Maybe get my wife to hold it by the edges since I
don't have a stand for the umbrella - will I need to cut off the handle? (oh
but I forget, I need her to model, too, since I'm not going to have PAID
models).
Thanks in advance for any input.
--
Soon Beng
www.ourfamily.com.sg
moat
"Lim Soon Beng" <limso...@yahoo.com.sg> wrote in message
news:9q1ep6$bn2$1...@newsie.singa.pore.net...
> I was thinking of constructing my own softbox lights, using a
floor-standing
> reading lamp as a base, building a styrofoam or cardboard box around the
> lampshade and draping white muslin cloth over the front. The lamp would be
make diffusion panel instead
http://www.lightingmagic.com/
> around 60 watts (incandescent). I figure that slightly longer exposures
> would be fine if the light is not bright enough, and the white balance can
> be set to incandescent or even auto
i have had good result with manual white balance, since not all incandescant
give same color temp.
> Would a lamp using 50 watt halogen lights be a better idea? The problem is
> that the halogen lights tend to produce a focused beam, whereas the
> incandescent bulbs would be more diffuse.
build double diffusion panel then
but u will lose even more light
> Before I rush out to buy a couple of $19.90 reading lamps, can someone
tell
> me why this idea would not work?
i think u need a more powerful lamp
> The other thing I was thinking of doing is using a (normal) rain umbrella
> with a slave-fired flash
try
http://www.lanset.com/rcochran/flash/
Dick Weld
local fabric store.
2. Use a standard flash unit and one of those white styrofoam coolers
from the 7-11, with diffusion material over the front. This gives you a
very effective flash softbox for about $2.00.
Dick Weld
Lim Soon Beng wrote:
>
> Being very cheapskate, I have no intention of buying professional studio
> equipment,
>
> I was thinking of constructing my own softbox lights, *
Jeff Drabble
<limso...@yahoo.com.sg> wrote:
>I have a Nikon CP990. I'm thinking of venturing into studio photography, and
>have looked through the articles and forums on photo.net on how to set up a
>studio.
>
>Being very cheapskate, I have no intention of buying professional studio
>equipment, except maybe a roll of background paper, unless I can tape up
>some white mahjong paper (approx 3x3 feet each) and edit out the seams using
>Photoshop. Yes, I'm THAT cheap.
Get a sheet of 1" thick white polystyrene and a one or two of those
rectangular outdoors lights with the 500 watt halogen bulbs. You can
get them from hardware stores for about $25 and they often come with
quite a useful stand for a few dollars more. The colour temp is
slightly off, but easily correctable in Photoshop, or your camera
might well handle it on auto WB. The whole setup with one light, a
stand and the poly reflector should be less than $50.
You can now use the light reasonably close to the reflector (pointing
directly at it) as an excellent soft keylight.
If you want to use key and rim you can set the light up for rim and
have it hit the reflector on the key side of the subject, so that
you've effectively got a key and rim with one live light. The
intensity will, of course, drop away quickly with this method, but it
should still be plenty for portraiture. Those lamps are also
available in 1000 watt if you need more oomph. The disadvantage is
that you will have to arrange something else for fill light, but with
such a soft key light it is often not necessary, or you can use a
second piece of poly reflector catching the rim spill on the fill side
and set it further away from the subject than the key reflector.
I've also done all this just using sunlight from a window as the
backlight and it works a treat. Very cheap, too.
You can use a small, 50 watt, halogen bedside lamp to give a
background splash.
Jeff Drabble
Chip Zempel
Jeff Drabble <jef...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> Get a sheet of 1" thick white polystyrene and a one or two of those
> rectangular outdoors lights with the 500 watt halogen bulbs.
Jeff-
I liked your tips, but where does one obtain 1" thick polystyrene?
Thanks!
Chip
Jeff Drabble
I get it from my building supply company, but refrigeration companies
have it and if you have a store that carries plastic and rubber goods,
they will usually have it. It isn't expensive and I only get the 1"
stuff because it offers a bit more strength and rigidity, but thinner
material is fine.
Just to clarify: the polystyrene I'm talking about is the light, white
material commonly used as bean-bag filling, or as a packing material,
but obviously in sheet form for our purpose.
Jeff Drabble
Lim Soon Beng
Thanks!
Will post my results....
--
Soon Beng
www.ourfamily.com.sg
"Jeff Drabble" <jef...@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
news:4q49st89mqfg3ndk1...@4ax.com...
Chip Zempel
Jeff Drabble <jef...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Oct 2001 14:33:11 -0700, Chip Zempel
> <cze...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> >In article <4q49st89mqfg3ndk1...@4ax.com>,
> > Jeff Drabble <jef...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> >
> >> Get a sheet of 1" thick white polystyrene and a one or two of those
> >> rectangular outdoors lights with the 500 watt halogen bulbs.
> >
> >Jeff-
> >
> >I liked your tips, but where does one obtain 1" thick polystyrene?
>
> I get it from my building supply company, but refrigeration companies
> have it and if you have a store that carries plastic and rubber goods,
> they will usually have it. It isn't expensive and I only get the 1"
> stuff because it offers a bit more strength and rigidity, but thinner
> material is fine.
>
> Just to clarify: the polystyrene I'm talking about is the light, white
> material commonly used as bean-bag filling, or as a packing material,
> but obviously in sheet form for our purpose.
>
> Jeff Drabble
Thanks, Jeff!
Les Marquart
Be sure you keep a good distance between a 500 watt halogen and that poly or
you'll have a roaring fire very quickly. Test the radiative heat with your hand
to see what I mean! Electric heaters are at most 1500 watts (on a typical 15
amp circuit).
Les
Jeff Drabble
wrote:
>> Get a sheet of 1" thick white polystyrene and a one or two of those
>> rectangular outdoors lights with the 500 watt halogen bulbs.
>>
>> directly at it) as an excellent soft keylight.
>>
>you'll have a roaring fire very quickly. Test the radiative heat with your hand
>to see what I mean! Electric heaters are at most 1500 watts (on a typical 15
>amp circuit).
I had assumed that common sense would prevail, but you are right to
point out the dangers. There is generally a glass cover on the front
of the lamps I've mentioned and this cuts down the radiated heat
somewhat, however, a sensible distance should be maintained. A
further issue, but not one that negates the value of the warning, is
that the poly will tend to melt at a temperature below the point of
ignition.
Another home source for reflectors is alfoil (aluminium - aluminum) .
It can be glued to a backing board and is useful indoors and out. If
used flat, straight from the roll, the reflected light can be a bit
vicious and to overcome this you can scrunch it up and then spread it
out again. (Do it carefully in a long tube, rather than making a big
ball, or you won't be able to undo it without tearing it.) The
respread, crinkled surface now gives a softer reflected light.
Photography with string, wire, tape and kitchen utensils is the most
fun. I've even used somebody wearing a white tee-shirt (they were out
of shot) as reflector for the subject in an outdoor shoot.
Jeff Drabble
Rickbuble
I have used portable white boards ( you know the ones--anybody who was in Amway
and used to draw circles has one). Bounce a flash off of one of these and you
get a very nice, soft reflector. They also work well outdoors or indoors for
filling shadows.
A kiss on the hand might be quite continental, but tactical nuclear weapons are
a boy's best friend.
Rickbuble
A previous reply in this thread talked about gluing scrunched and then
unscrunched aluminum foil to something ( a lot of stuff will work-I like big
sheets of heavy, white artboard--hey, they work as reflectors also, but if you
need more reflection, you can staple the unscrunched aluminum to the
arthboard). This is a little faster than gluing.
The really cool thing about digital cameras is that I can experiment with all
sorts of devices and get my feedback fix instantly!
Shoot on, Dudes!!