Newbie would like to get some advise about lighting

hoftwi

hoftwi

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Hi all,

I am new to lighting and have just bought my first flashgun. I want to buy a diffuser to put on it, have a search on the bay, have found the following 2, may you please advise which one I should go for or actually I should look for something else instead?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151191346071?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/310809648658?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I mostly shooting still life and have bought a cheap foldable studio which came with 2 lights but I found the lights are bit hard. I read some posts that mentioned that the bigger light I get will result in the softer light. However, I am not quite sure where to start, I mean what kind of lights that I should be looking for and possible a better small studio box?

Any advises or suggestions will be greatly apprciated. Thanks in advance.

This is exactly what I have got at the moment
 
It's not so much a "bigger light" but a larger light source.

If you can add a cheap shoot through umberella on a stand with the flash firing through it, the flash gun you own suddenly becomes a very large diffuse light source.

So the modifier is now the light source. So best advice is look to get a couple of cheap brollies, stands and spigots to take the flash and brolly and you should be good to go.

Training is the best way to learn.
 
Before you buy *anything* - go and read Lighting 101 on www.strobist.com.

If you're shooting still life, you can do awesome, amazing things with one or two off-camera flashes, a PC cable and a trip to Hobbycraft for paper, card, tissue, plastic sheet and loads of other DIY stuff.

The key to making really good photos isn't the kit you use, it's how you use the kit you have. And putting something interesting in front of your camera ;)
 
hoftwi said:
thanks everyone and have just downloaded the Lighting 101, will read it this evening.

There are so much more to learn, I will get there, one day;)
Click to expand...

When you've read that and tried things out a little, head for Lighting 102. Then think about buying the book, "Light: science and magic".

Best of luck :)
 
For mini studio diffusers try a cardboard box with one side replaced with heavy gauge tracing paper. Add some black craft foam for flags, some white card for reflectors and some clothes pegs and blu tac to stick it together!

If you really want to buy something small then try a Chinese copy of the Rogue Flashbender rather than the items you've linked to.
 
juggler said:
For mini studio diffusers try a cardboard box with one side replaced with heavy gauge tracing paper. Add some black craft foam for flags, some white card for reflectors and some clothes pegs and blu tac to stick it together!

If you really want to buy something small then try a Chinese copy of the Rogue Flashbender rather than the items you've linked to.
Click to expand...

I tried this, too. I took out 3 sides of the box to leave a base and back, blue tacked some paper onto left and right, then had a large piece of paper from back to base to provide an infinity cove. It's not a bad little setup :)
 
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