Need Lighting Recommendations

[3 Olives]

I'd appreciate recommendations for a lighting set with a key hole light, fill light, and back light. This is for my son so please be as specific as possible. Thanks!

 

[Athiril]

For what purpose? Using at home/studio only?

 

[mweintraub]

I started with portable hot shoe speed lights, but found that having to rely on AA batteries slow recycle time and "low power" sucked. I found on Craigslist someone selling a three Fotodiox 400w/s monolight kit with two or three softboxes (24x36") and stand for $300. The monolights are beat up, but they work great. Love the power I get from them. The larger softboxes (than I had before) produce some nice soft light.

Really any set of monolights will work, but there are some that have more features than others.

 

[M Carter]

Key-hole light? I'd assume you mean key light...

In many cases - maybe most - the three fixtures are the same - it's what you attach to them that makes the difference.

You might use 2 large softboxes for key and fill, and an attachment like a grid, or a small softbox, or a strip softbox, for back lighting.

Often your "fill" light is a reflector, even a big sheet of foam core, which bounces some of the key back to the other side of the subject.

Key-fill-back is generally called "three point lighting", and it's a go-to that works, but is also kiind of knee-jerk/unimaginative/autopilot lighting... but having the setup to light like that will give you options to get more creative.

Is this strictly for stills? Is he into video too? Portraits, products, fashion? Experimental/artsy?

There are generally two kinds of flash gear when you get past the on-camera stuff: packs and heads (a power pack powers several light units, the "heads", which have cables and are placed on stands. You can usually adjust how much power goes to each head) and monolights (the power and the strobe tube are in one unit that looks like a larger fixture - you just plug that into AC power). With monolights, there's usually a sync function so they all fire at the same time.

There's a ton of used Speedotron gear out there (brown-line for portrait and semi-amateur, black-line for more pro studio shooting). But Speedo doesn't recycle very fast (the wait between flash pops). For fashion, where you want the ability shoot 1 or 2 frames a second - that requires higher end stuff, or a decent monolight setup with fast recycle times. Profoto is what most fashion pros use - and many of them rent it, it's pricey stuff - godawful expensive.

And beyond the lighting gear, you need stands, softboxes, reflectors, grids... more stands to hold cards and bounce reflectors. There's no end to it. Some people like softboxes, others like umbrellas. For really white scenes, I make a 8' square frame with light stands and pipe and hang soft fabric over it and blast light through that...

Here's an example: A 3' softbox on the guy. A flag - a frame with black mesh, about 3' x 2' - blocks some light from his shirt, hands and chest. That's the "key". There's a light with an 11" face, which has a metal grid on it that directs the light, hitting his cheek and hair. There's another light, 7" with a grid and a warm gel washing the back wall. And another 7", dialed way down, with a grid, lighting the glassware a touch (this is a web page for a restaurant consultant, with blank space for logo/text/etc.) No fill light used. There's no end to this stuff!!

 

[Tebbiebear]

What price point? Do you need stands or just the lights?

 

[analoguey]

Problem with OP asking for specific responses but not being specific enough with the question! (I wonder if the son's a subject of a portrait or the shooter himself)

Sent from Tap-a-talk

 

[ParkerSmithPhoto]

Are you asking for a recommendation as to brand of gear to be purchased, or an idea for a three light setup?

 

[John Koehrer]

Key-hole light? I'd assume you mean key light...

In many cases - maybe most - the three fixtures are the same - it's what you attach to them that makes the difference.

You might use 2 large softboxes for key and fill, and an attachment like a grid, or a small softbox, or a strip softbox, for back lighting.

Often your "fill" light is a reflector, even a big sheet of foam core, which bounces some of the key back to the other side of the subject.

Key-fill-back is generally called "three point lighting", and it's a go-to that works, but is also kiind of knee-jerk/unimaginative/autopilot lighting... but having the setup to light like that will give you options to get more creative.

Is this strictly for stills? Is he into video too? Portraits, products, fashion? Experimental/artsy?

There are generally two kinds of flash gear when you get past the on-camera stuff: packs and heads (a power pack powers several light units, the "heads", which have cables and are placed on stands. You can usually adjust how much power goes to each head) and monolights (the power and the strobe tube are in one unit that looks like a larger fixture - you just plug that into AC power). With monolights, there's usually a sync function so they all fire at the same time.

There's a ton of used Speedotron gear out there (brown-line for portrait and semi-amateur, black-line for more pro studio shooting). But Speedo doesn't recycle very fast (the wait between flash pops). For fashion, where you want the ability shoot 1 or 2 frames a second - that requires higher end stuff, or a decent monolight setup with fast recycle times. Profoto is what most fashion pros use - and many of them rent it, it's pricey stuff - godawful expensive.

And beyond the lighting gear, you need stands, softboxes, reflectors, grids... more stands to hold cards and bounce reflectors. There's no end to it. Some people like softboxes, others like umbrellas. For really white scenes, I make a 8' square frame with light stands and pipe and hang soft fabric over it and blast light through that...

Here's an example: A 3' softbox on the guy. A flag - a frame with black mesh, about 3' x 2' - blocks some light from his shirt, hands and chest. That's the "key". There's a light with an 11" face, which has a metal grid on it that directs the light, hitting his cheek and hair. There's another light, 7" with a grid and a warm gel washing the back wall. And another 7", dialed way down, with a grid, lighting the glassware a touch (this is a web page for a restaurant consultant, with blank space for logo/text/etc.) No fill light used. There's no end to this stuff!!

View attachment 96511

This would be a good basic kit.
Three monolights(2-800WS & 1-400WS), a softbox and maybe a grid. Two 8-10' stands and a shorty.
It's nice to have a bit more power than you need, you can dial it down but there's no way to add to it.
Use it to learn the ropes and you may never outgrow it, though if you want to try really large areas(large studio, sports arenas) you're going to need a lot more power.

 

[fotch]

Price is no object? Or, at what budget should the recommendations fit?

 

[3 Olives]

Sorry for being so vague in my OP. This is for my son. He sent some examples of what he needs to me. I hope that will help with recommendations.





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/591139-REG/Impact_QL300_2KI_Qualite_300_Focusing_Flood.html





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/185140-REG/Lowel_L1_93ULB_Lowel_L_light_Mid_L_Kit.html





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/638599-REG/Impact_QL300_2KII_Qualite_2_Light_Soft_Kit.html





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/250337-REG/Smith_Victor_401452_KQ83_Ultra_Quartz_Tungsten.html





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/285755-REG/Lowel_V1_90ULBZ_GO_Easy_V_Kit.html





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/294038-REG/Lowel_Tota_Omni_Two_Light_Kit.html





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ictor_401494_K42U_Toolbox_Tungsten_Light.html





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/48833-REG/Smith_Victor_401488_K61_Thrifty_Quartz_Tungsten.html





http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/439002-REG/Smith_Victor_401466_K64_3_Light_Controlled.html

 

[M Carter]

Ahh, we seem to be talking tungsten, not strobes...

I own a small boatload of tunsgten gear. But I built up a kit of used cinema & theatrical stuff, when I was shooting fashion and I wanted to differentiate myself from the EPP and strobe look. And now you can shoot video with your DLSR... came in handy.

I think your son needs to be posting here. And if he wants to shoot video/films (motion)and not stills, point him to DVXuser.com or a similar forum?

 

[3 Olives]

He doesn't have time to post here.

 

[cliveh]

How about just using a window and a bed sheet or white card as a reflector.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

What price point? Do you need stands or just the lights?

You need the stands too;holding the lights up isn't vry practicalbut,the good news is,stands are not very expensive unless you want the safer air-cushoned variety,which are nice but not necessary if you can be a bit careful.

 

[M Carter]

You need the stands too;holding the lights up isn't vry practicalbut,the good news is,stands are not very expensive unless you want the safer air-cushoned variety,which are nice but not necessary if you can be a bit careful.

Opinions vary, but I've found air cushioning to be one of those useless "features" that are more marketing related. The few stands I own that have that? The stuff's been drilled out. When packing up on location, I really dislike having to push the stands together or wait for the "cushioning" to bleed off.

I've noticed that none of my stands that really carry weights that could be injurious - combos, beefy babies, c-stands - rely on air cushioning. It's not something I've ever seen on film or video sets, or high-end fashion or product shoots. If it's not necessary for a $2k profoto, a $5k HMI or a 60 pound fixture... is it needed for a cheap 1 pound monolight? It just makes it slower to lower a fixture, in my experience anyway.

OK, off the cushioned soap box - most folks will start out with the tripod stands that came with their "starter set" (which could be cheap smith-victor bowl lights or a $5k Speedotron Black line package). Those can provide years of service if treated decently - you simply have to learn to tighten the riser clamps, as they all seem to loosen eventually (OK, I don't know about now, but the stands that used to ship with Novatron kits? Ow!).

What I see when people begin to upgrade is a knee-jerk "c-stands!!!!" thing. C's are great, but they were designed for flags, cards, and small fixtures. Yet I see kids making zombie flicks trying to put an 8' frame on 'em. A steel beefy baby is about the same $$ as a turtle-base C, easier to pack, holds twice the weight, and is much harder to topple. I'd want at least a pair of those before I got a c-stand.

 

[Dismayed]

I prefer flash to continuous lighting. Alien Bees are a fantastic value, and you'll get excellent support should a repair be needed.

http://www.paulcbuff.com/alienbees.php

I sold my Bees and went with Paul Buff's new Einstein because I needed shorter flash durations to freeze motion. pricier, and only needed for certain situations.