Beginner Need help advice on lighting

MikraCoils

MikraCoils

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Darren
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Ok guys, really struggling getting my head around correct lighting for shots, this is the kind of picture that I will primarily be focusing on:-

chxm1.jpg


I'm using a canon 750d and a canon 100mm macro lens (non stabilized version).

On this particular shot, I went with no flash as I only have the built in one (for now) so I went with a lamp and a homemade diffuser. My main issue firstly is the colors are wrong. The 5 wraps on the above pic, the left wrap and the right wrap are meant to be that gold color, the 2nd from left is meant to be a deep purple, with the next 2 a bluer blue.

My second issue is, no matter what I do (flash, no flash etc) I always have a reflection of light at the front, directly above the letter a just below the 2 black rings. I know I need to get better lighting setup, and at the moment am debating between a non led macro ring and a light box. (limited budget)

Ive only been photographing with a dslr for a week, so its safe to presume I know nothing ;p
 
Yes agree with Gareth above get yourself from Ebay a Lightbox, one of these. Russ
L_Box.JPG
 
The advice above will get you 'a result'.
You'll also need a flashgun and some method of triggering it off camera.

Whilst you're buying the light tent, also get a copy of 'light science and magic' which is a very comprehensive guide to lighting.

I'll not bore you with the details, but what you're trying to achieve is quite advanced for someone who's just picked up their first proper camera.

Not saying you shouldn't try, but the learning curve is quite steep.

Flash because all lighting has a colour cast and flash is 'daylight' meaning less work.

A light tent because when you're lighting shiny objects you need to control what's being reflected.

But. I'd not use a light tent, because it won't give 'the best' result, for s beginner it's a good starting point though.
 
Yes, I would start with a small light tent, but you need to understand how light works. Shiny stuff is difficult - what you see on the surfaces is a reflection. Light reflects off an object at the same angle it strikes, like a snooker ball off the cushion. The problem with curved surfaces is they reflect everything over a huge range of angles, so you basically need to surround them with something that'll look right when reflected, eg a light tent.

Your colour problems are probably related to your light source. If that was a common domestic lamp with a florescent bulb, then the chances of accurate colour are pretty low. Fluorescents and LEDs don't, as standard, emit a complete colour spectrum and some colours are missing or very muted. Bulbs must be high quality, designed for photography with a high CRI rating. Light sources with naturally good colour include daylight, flash, tungsten and halogen bulbs. The latter have a yellow/orange bias, but all colours are actually there and easily corrected. Suggest Lightroom for post processing.

Given all that, a simple light tent with a set of halogen lights would probably be a good starting point - cheap off Amazon/ebay. With a tripod, you don't need flash and the big advantage of continuous lights is that they're WYSIWYG of course. You have an unusual vaping product there, where detail of the coils and colours are very important. It's worth a bit of learning and experimentation to show them to best effect :)
 
Do as Phil suggests and get yourself a copy of 'Light: Science and Magic' - I got an older copy from Amazon updated in 2007 whereas the latest update was last year, those are £20+ but I got my copy delivered for under £7. It has taught me so much, if you are serious about your photography the only way you will achieve the results you are after is with the right lighting, and to get the right lighting you are going to have to read this book.

Yea reading is boring, men don't read the manuals, but here's no way I'd have progressed and started to really understanding lighting without it.
 
Phil V said:
The advice above will get you 'a result'.
You'll also need a flashgun and some method of triggering it off camera.

Whilst you're buying the light tent, also get a copy of 'light science and magic' which is a very comprehensive guide to lighting.

I'll not bore you with the details, but what you're trying to achieve is quite advanced for someone who's just picked up their first proper camera.

Not saying you shouldn't try, but the learning curve is quite steep.

Flash because all lighting has a colour cast and flash is 'daylight' meaning less work.

A light tent because when you're lighting shiny objects you need to control what's being reflected.

But. I'd not use a light tent, because it won't give 'the best' result, for s beginner it's a good starting point though.
Click to expand...

Cheers Phil, I'll look at getting that book asap.

HoppyUK said:
Yes, I would start with a small light tent, but you need to understand how light works. Shiny stuff is difficult - what you see on the surfaces is a reflection. Light reflects off an object at the same angle it strikes, like a snooker ball off the cushion. The problem with curved surfaces is they reflect everything over a huge range of angles, so you basically need to surround them with something that'll look right when reflected, eg a light tent.

Your colour problems are probably related to your light source. If that was a common domestic lamp with a florescent bulb, then the chances of accurate colour are pretty low. Fluorescents and LEDs don't, as standard, emit a complete colour spectrum and some colours are missing or very muted. Bulbs must be high quality, designed for photography with a high CRI rating. Light sources with naturally good colour include daylight, flash, tungsten and halogen bulbs. The latter have a yellow/orange bias, but all colours are actually there and easily corrected. Suggest Lightroom for post processing.

Given all that, a simple light tent with a set of halogen lights would probably be a good starting point - cheap off Amazon/ebay. With a tripod, you don't need flash and the big advantage of continuous lights is that they're WYSIWYG of course. You have an unusual vaping product there, where detail of the coils and colours are very important. It's worth a bit of learning and experimentation to show them to best effect :)
Click to expand...

Im ordering a light tent next week, so I will see how that goes, and after I have read the above mentioned book, I will look to stepping it up a notch (limited budget sadly)

NDevon said:
Do as Phil suggests and get yourself a copy of 'Light: Science and Magic' - I got an older copy from Amazon updated in 2007 whereas the latest update was last year, those are £20+ but I got my copy delivered for under £7. It has taught me so much, if you are serious about your photography the only way you will achieve the results you are after is with the right lighting, and to get the right lighting you are going to have to read this book.

Yea reading is boring, men don't read the manuals, but here's no way I'd have progressed and started to really understanding lighting without it.
Click to expand...

Getting the book, I actually dont mind reading and prefer actual books over pdf's etc ;p

Thanks guys
 
It's actually a good read Darren, and it's the sort of book you will want to keep going back to in the future. I'm hoping the latest reprint isn't vastly updated from the one I've got, I guess some of the technology has moved on but the principals will be the same and have been used for a long time now.
 
TBH I'm not sure about the book. LS&M might be a good read, but it's not a light or easy read for someone with no experience. It's an in-depth text book that covers a lot of things that will be news to some seasoned professionals, if only because they've never needed that level of specialist knowledge.

By all means buy it and get stuck in, but don't let that hold you back from actual photography, and learning through experience. A decent grasp of the basics is all you need to get good results here.

And a limited budget shouldn't be a hindrance either. You can DIY a light tent, or get a mini table-top studio/tent complete with lights for £25 off Amazon, eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Squ...TF8&qid=1475273124&sr=1-4&keywords=light+tent Add your own DIY diffusion front panel (tracing paper) if necessary.
 
HoppyUK said:
TBH I'm not sure about the book. LS&M might be a good read, but it's not a light or easy read for someone with no experience. It's an in-depth text book that covers a lot of things that will be news to some seasoned professionals, if only because they've never needed that level of specialist knowledge.

By all means buy it and get stuck in, but don't let that hold you back from actual photography, and learning through experience. A decent grasp of the basics is all you need to get good results here.

And a limited budget shouldn't be a hindrance either. You can DIY a light tent, or get a mini table-top studio/tent complete with lights for £25 off Amazon, eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Squ...TF8&qid=1475273124&sr=1-4&keywords=light+tent Add your own DIY diffusion front panel (tracing paper) if necessary.
Click to expand...

Thats actually the one ive been looking at, but with the intention of getting better bulbs Richard
 
MikraCoils said:
Thats actually the one ive been looking at, but with the intention of getting better bulbs Richard
Click to expand...

The bulbs are good - 50w halogen. Sure they get hot, but that shouldn't be a problem and they're cheap and bright with good colour. I wouldn't change them.

With that little studio, all that's missing really is a front diffuser panel with a hole in it for the lens. You may or may not need it depending on the effect you're after. Likewise, cut some pieces of black card so you can line the sides and create a dark reflection, or a smaller piece towards the back to moderate it. That kind of thing. You need to experiment. Move the lights around too - front to rear, high and low, closer and further away - watch how the reflections change. Turn one or two off. You'll probably need to rig something up to shine one through the top. Moderate brightness and the softness of the shadows with distance. Good lighting is more about knowledge and skill than fancy kit.

Now, where's my Digbys Oriental Plunder ;)
 
For the front diffuser panel Richard, is there any pre-made with the holes cut? Or whats the best peice material to use, would it matter if the softbox panels and the homemade front panel is different material? Never tried digbys, but the oriental plunder profile sounds nice ;p
 
MikraCoils said:
For the front diffuser panel Richard, is there any pre-made with the holes cut? Or whats the best peice material to use, would it matter if the softbox panels and the homemade front panel is different material? Never tried digbys, but the oriental plunder profile sounds nice ;p
Click to expand...

As mentioned above, use tracing paper for the front, and a bit of BluTack. That's all you need, though once you've got a decent set-up you could fashion something a bit more permanent with ripstop nylon and Velcro or whatever, but it won't work any better.

For the uninitiated, the OP's subject is the base and coils from an e-cig vaporiser. Tiny thing - you could fit half a dozen of them in the palm of your hand.
 
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