Lighting for Full Figure shoot

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AlmicheV

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That kit is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

You'd need a bag of 6" nails to keep your model still during the very long exposures needed, and even if it produced 1000x as much light, the light couldn't be controlled, so the results would be very flat and unflattering.

Think flash. Please read this short intro to studio lighting, it may help.
 
heh, even their demo photos are nasty... stay well clear and as Mr Edwards says - go for flash.
 
You don't mention what ceiling height you have? If doing full height portrait work you will want to get your softboxes/umbrellas up high to achieve this.
 
9' should be just about ok for most setups, I wish I had that luxury.
What's your budget? Are you looking at a 2, 3 or more light setup?

Garry is probably your best bet for useful info.
 
Wow, that's a big ask on that budget. If you can get one of the Interfit setups at Jessups at 50% then you are still up at about £180-200
 
Powerflash - I didn't know that any examples of the world's worst lighting head had survived from the mid nineties.

My advice - either save for something better, forget the whole thing or make do with hotshoe flash (a poor substitute for the real thing IMO but some people love it)
 
Garry Edwards said:
My advice - either save for something better, forget the whole thing or make do with hotshoe flash (a poor substitute for the real thing IMO but some people love it)
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:suspect: :lol: I agree with Garry, though, you'll get nothing worth having in "proper" lighting for that sort of money and very little even in the way of hotshoe flashes either, if you have to factor in lightstands and umbrellas etc.

If the plan is just to use the setup in the house then save up a bit more and get one of the entry-level kits from one of the good manufacturers, Garry here will be able to advise you on what is out there to suit your needs and what a realistic starting price would be.
 
Sorry to say that I agree. That doesn't mean that you can't start with something and upgrade later if you find this is an area that you want to seriously get into. Of the budget systems about, the Interfit EX150 Mkii two light kit got a good press in the mags when it came out and may well do you for now? that's pushing £200. You really can't get away from the fact that more power is so much better though.

But you might want to have a read of this:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=98902&highlight=interfit+150
Elite Pro starter kit is a good price (but more than your stated budget of course)

This is worth a read also:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=97864
 
You're moving in the right direction, but from your original post you say you are interested in full length portraits. This will require the lighting to be further away from the subject. This in turn requires a higher guide number. To be honest I don't think you'll get the results you are hoping for unless you go for say a 300W/S (Joules) setup with a guide number up above 150 :thumbs:. This is especially important once you start using softboxes and other modifiers. That's just my opinion of course, but I wouldn't want you to spend out £200 when for another £100-150 you could have the setup you wished you had purchased to begin with. However if you are looking to only deal with close-in work, head shots and the like, a less powerful setup may well be sufficient :shrug:
 
V8burble said:
You're moving in the right direction, but from your original post you say you are interested in full length portraits. This will require the lighting to be further away from the subject. This in turn requires a higher guide number. To be honest I don't think you'll get the results you are hoping for unless you go for say a 300W/S (Joules) setup with a guide number up above 150 :thumbs:. This is especially important once you start using softboxes and other modifiers. That's just my opinion of course, but I wouldn't want you to spend out £200 when for another £100-150 you could have the setup you wished you had purchased to begin with. However if you are looking to only deal with close-in work, head shots and the like, a less powerful setup may well be sufficient :shrug:
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:agree:
But if that's the limit of your budget then my advice would be to go with the ones sold by Stable Imaging. My guess is that both of the lights in those Ebay listings are from the same factory (and I could make an educated guess which one) so there is probably little to choose between them, but Stable Imaging is a UK seller with a good reputation, the other one seems to me to be selling from Hong Kong (regardless of what it says in the listing).

Your alternative, with a limited budget is to go for ONE decent flash head and a reflector, then add to it when funds allow. You'd be surprised at what you can achieve with just a single light:lol:
 
I think most of my shots will be 3/4 length - let's say knees up (mother etc etc....). I'd like a balanced light all over with very little shadow. Am erring towards the 3 set at the mo.
 
As Garry says, if the budget is the budget, that 180W/S set is a better place to be than the previous options for sure
 
Phone some local studios, explain you are a novice and want to get some studio experience, then go along and assist a pro who will show you the ropes. Then make your decisions on what to buy, you'll quickly realise that if you 130 quid, thats what you'll get is 130 quids worth of lighting. You probably want to be looking at nearer 1000 or more to get decent repeatable shots. It could save you spending money on something thats next to useless.

Good luck with it.
 
Is there not an interfit kit on the for sale threads here?

I'm sure it was from Jessops
 
Have been using the Stable Imaging 3 light set and am very pleased - it has ample power for full figure work. I have some model shoots planned so will up some samples asap.
 
Im looking at getting the lastolite hotshoe softbox x2 and a lastolite hilite 6'x7' has anyone had any experience using this set up? should I stear clear of the lot of it and just go for a more cumbersum set?
 
AlmicheV said:
Have been using the Stable Imaging 3 light set and am very pleased - it has ample power for full figure work. I have some model shoots planned so will up some samples asap.
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Glad to hear you are getting what you wanted out of them :thumbs:
Looking forward to seeing the results soon :)
 
Amanda88T said:
Im looking at getting the lastolite hotshoe softbox x2 and a lastolite hilite 6'x7' has anyone had any experience using this set up? should I stear clear of the lot of it and just go for a more cumbersum set?
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You're probably better starting a topic Amanda, you might get more help.
 
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