Beginner Novice help 1 studio light small room

CheekyAngels

CheekyAngels

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Hi there,

I've been wanting to try out studio lighting for family portraits and pet shots mostly.

I usually use speedlites for the majority of my photography but have no experience with studio lighting

I did the whole dazzled by auction sites with the bumper packed continuous lighting kits, luckily I researched a little more on here by reading the threads for weeks and realised I needed to get Flash studio lighting for my family shots. I understand I could have used my speedlites but I really like the thought of studio gear, unfortunately my budget is not great atm as I am a student.

I managed to get 3 lencarta ep 300w for a good used price and liked the reviews on here. My challenge now is to build my knowledge by starting with 1x light and trying to understand the basics.

Could anyone help with some tips for my 1 light set up.
My worry is the space in the dining room is too small - 2.3mtr wide by 4.3mtr length

What type of background for this space - pop up or small collapsible cross stands - unfortunately I don't have dedicated space to leave out so would need to dismantle

What would anyone recommend as a starter modifier for 1 light set up and what sized reflector

Thanks for any help, just want to get it right at the start and am looking forward to learning
 
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In that space, if you only aim for headshots or 3/4 you should be fine. If you've got a plain wall, that's all you need environmentally.

Try a 100x60 gridded softbox as a starter (other opinions are equally or more valid). IMO it's the best way to isolate your subject from the background in a small space and to reduce spill spoiling your hard work.

Look for an easy up version, or maybe a 95cm octobox with a grid.

Then buy or bodge a snoot and get a cheap 5in1 reflector.
 
Thanks lots Phil, that's great tips I was unsure what would be a good starter modifier

I made an error in my initial post about the size of the length, edited now to 4.3
The background at the moment is the curtains which cover a window going pretty much along the full width of the wall

Will defo look at the soft box and octobox - thanks with the sizes phil - that was something I was struggling with

As the curtains don't look that nice what would be the suggestion as a background with 2.3mtr my max width - there is a door to the right and a chimney breast to the left, this is where I took the measurements, thanks again :):ty:
 
Thanks Mike, defo gona look for those items and I will check out the dish and grid to see what light that produces aswell, atm I only have the standard reflectors and set of wireless receivers
:ty:
 
Fantastic, I will look at buying a grid for it and gona watch the video too, I have started a youtube playlists to try and understand lighting better thanks again for your input it's been really helpful
 
Hi that was a really cool video thanks for sharing Mike it gave me a lot of useful info

Have looked and read about the easy up softbox and octobox with grids which look great, do you have any recommendations of brand in the sizes you recommend which has a grid that's suitable or should I get these separately

Also I loved the image on the video of 1 white grid beauty dish, what would be a good size dish for 300w lights as he was using 500w and I'm not sure if this matters

Thanks again, can't wait to get some modifiers real soon ☺
 
Hello CA, I have a set of three Bowens 500w lights of which I have set up in various places.
The smallest was my own living room which given the two double sofas large hifi unit & 5 speakers plus large TV & unit plus the computer leaves a free floor space of 2 x 2.5 mtrs max.
I have a roll of double sided tape when I can't use my stands & fix a sheet of material I have to the wall draping it over the furniture.
I manage to capture full length shots of my Fiancée both standing and laying along the couch from 5 feet away.
With ISO 100 F/6.3 & 1/80 sec setting on the camera you will obtain clear bright photos. If you want more moody shots then turn one light off & make the aperture F/10 or F/11ish & the shutter say 1/50 sec but obviously use a tripod.
Even with studio flash you can get unwanted movement, so maybe an idea to tell the model you're using slow shutter so please ask to stay still a little longer.
Of course if you're doing product shots it won't matter.
Have you got a light meter? You can use the cameras histogram to determine for blow out but a light meter will tell you straight away which settings you need.
You may want to shoot "high key" in which case blow out is something you want but be careful as if the highlights are where you don't want them it's near impossible to get any detail from these areas.
You can shoot hand held but will need higher shutter speed but just bump up the strobes output, or the ISO but watch out for the noise.
Retrosi...
 
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mike weeks said:
Some brands have very good grids, Lencarta for example, others vary in quality.

Mike
Click to expand...
Awww Thanks Mike, that's great news will defo check up on lencarta and the likes ☺

Retrosi - thank you so much for your informative post, it was really helpful to know that you can get those set ups in such a small space. this gives me the knowledge that I should have enough space to practice once I have my 1st modifier. The camera values are great as I can use those as practice scales when i start playing around.

I've only had experience with speedlites for Macro photography so this studio lighting gives a whole different playground available, can't wait to try

I really like the technique mentioned with using the blinkers for getting highlights just before blown out however after watching several videos and reading on here and your message I realise I need one. Can't afford the big boys but I would love to get sekonic l358, I realise they discontinued but gona look for used, I haven't got pocket wizard so for now don't need that component but I like Rhee the thought of adding should time and budget arise

My wish list for now

95cm octobox + grid
Flash meter l358
Beauty dish
Reflector grid /snoot
Cheap practice background
Reflectors

Nikon 85mm 1.8g (studio)
Tamron 70 300 vc (outdoor)

Going to be wishing payday comes round real soon and Santa too

Thanks again Phil, Mike and Retrosi you've been a real help in getting me started ☺
 
I have the 308 and the 358, no need to get the 358 when starting as the 308 will do what you need however if you can stretch the budget it is nice to have.

Lastolite make some nice pop up backgrounds (double sided) and that is one way to save on the expense of stands.

Beauty dish can wait

Mike
 
retrosi said:
With ISO 100 F/6.3 & 1/80 sec setting on the camera you will obtain clear bright photos. If you want more moody shots then turn one light off & make the aperture F/10 or F/11ish & the shutter say 1/50 sec but obviously use a tripod.
Even with studio flash you can get unwanted movement, so maybe an idea to tell the model you're using slow shutter so please ask to stay still a little longer.

You can shoot hand held but will need higher shutter speed but just bump up the strobes output, or the ISO but watch out for the noise.
Retrosi...
Click to expand...
Going to disagree with this a little.

Shutter speed only controls the ambient light, not the power from the strobes. So taking a shot at your cameras flash sync speed e.g. 1/200 and taking the same shot at 1/50 will result in the same amount of light from the strobe at the same f stop. So in the quoted example above changing from f6.3 to f10 / f11 is what changed the 'moody' appearance in the shots, not the change from 1/80 to 1/50. The higher f10 / f11 cut the amount of light captured from the strobes.

Speeding up the shutter speed e.g. moving to 1/200 instead of 1/100 is the way you kill ambient light (any light that is not your strobe e.g. room light, natural light). So it's perfectly possible to take shots in a room that is lit via an overhead ceiling light and not have it impact on your final image. An easy way to see if you have any ambient light in your image is turn off your strobes and take a shot, if you've killed ambient light the image should be black as nothing else apart from your strobes is lighting the scene.

f5.6 to f8 apertures are generally a good place to start with portraiture as those apertures are often sweet spots in terms of lens sharpness.
 
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Shaky is correct as I forgot to mention my shoot at the time was with modeling bulbs on preeminent hence the longer shutter speed.
 
Thanks loads Mike, yes my 1st choice was the 308 but hopefully if I can stretch to the l358 and it comes in at ok price used, I would defo rather add it now.

I will wait with the beauty dish for now defo gona get one soon as finances allow and I have learnt some with the softbox

Sharky thank you for the advice that makes sense with what I have been reading and Retrosi your advice still brill as it helped me with small rooms and what I could possible achieve

Will defo try the part with checking ambient light before hand to see what my camera checks and will try from the apertures mentioned as a guide.

The pop up lastolites look very cool for something that needs to be put straight away, might start with cheap bedsheets for time being just so I can get up and running to practice with one light then see what I can do with pop up

Thanks again for all the help really is great advice that you have all given :ty:
 
If you have curtains at one end of the room close them, instant backdrop :)

I've done just that a couple of times when the background doesn't matter, ours are a nice reddy leafy type affair :D, put people 3-4 feet away from them and they aren't too bad or do like Shaheed (Sir SR on here) and use a nice plain wall.
 
Thank you cowboy the curtains are a light beige, be good if they can be used as a makeshift background aswell.

I will definitely look out for shaheed as a member to follow

thanks again, background and bessel 95cm softbox on order, practice shots to follow real soon ☺
 
Awww Fantastic that is really good to see in action, thanks so much sir sr

Have ordered a bessel 95cm octobox for now and once i have started to understand 1 light set up it will be great to introduce the other lights

Will definitely check out your images on flickr too thank you - what is your flickr name, I am called cheekyangels on there
 
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I'd also recommend walls rather than curtains, even plain curtains look like.... curtains. Whereas a plain wall looks completely neutral.
 
CheekyAngels said:
Awww Fantastic that is really good to see in action, thanks so much sir sr

Have ordered a bessel 95cm octobox for now and once i have started to understand 1 light set up it will be great to introduce the other lights

Will definitely check out your images on flickr too thank you - what is your flickr name, I am called cheekyangels on there
Click to expand...


Unimaginatively I'm sir sr on Flickr too!!
 
Awww I'm the same as with the name

I'm currently rebranding to my own name, within photography, I wasn't able to change my user name on here or my flick url but least I have begun to elsewhere as Cherry Harrison
 
CheekyAngels said:
Awww I'm the same as with the name

I'm currently rebranding to my own name, within photography, I wasn't able to change my user name on here or my flick url but least I have begun to elsewhere as Cherry Harrison
Click to expand...


Had a look at your photo stream. Some really good stuff on there. I presume you're using some lights for some of your creative shots already.
 
Thanks Phil v really makes sense what you say,.... I've bought a cheap set of backgrounds & stand just for now, I realise they get delivered folded and creased but I am hopefully going to spray, roll and place near heater,.... in time when money prevails I will hopefully get a better background as I unfortunately don't have a plain wall in an area wide enough or accessible for use.

Sir sr, thank you so much, really appreciate your comment about my photostream, really fab pics on yours, the portrait lighting is something I aim for, i have followed you on there. I have 3 speedlites that I use for my macro work, would like more but I decided to venture into studio based lighting as I like the technical challenges and opportunities available. I realise I have left it late to try and learn this craft however the information gained from this forum has been so interesting and helpful, that even someone like myself who has run away from studio disciplines in the past with thoughts of it being to hard, is eager to develop these new skills.

Thanks again for all the help and advice ☺
 
@CheekyAngels

I did a lot of stuff with just speed lights to start with! They'll come in useful still!

And you've not left it too late. I got into photography only a few years ago and I suspect I'm older than you
 
It's good to know that, I suppose it's because I like yourself only started a few years ago and because I had built up my knowledge around speedlites, then moving to studio lighting is like starting from scratch again.

Am certainly looking forward to the challenge ☺
 
CheekyAngels said:
Hi there,

I've been wanting to try out studio lighting for family portraits and pet shots mostly.

I usually use speedlites for the majority of my photography but have no experience with studio lighting

I did the whole dazzled by auction sites with the bumper packed continuous lighting kits, luckily I researched a little more on here by reading the threads for weeks and realised I needed to get Flash studio lighting for my family shots. I understand I could have used my speedlites but I really like the thought of studio gear, unfortunately my budget is not great atm as I am a student.

I managed to get 3 lencarta ep 300w for a good used price and liked the reviews on here. My challenge now is to build my knowledge by starting with 1x light and trying to understand the basics.

Could anyone help with some tips for my 1 light set up.
My worry is the space in the dining room is too small - 2.3mtr wide by 4.3mtr length

What type of background for this space - pop up or small collapsible cross stands - unfortunately I don't have dedicated space to leave out so would need to dismantle

What would anyone recommend as a starter modifier for 1 light set up and what sized reflector

Thanks for any help, just want to get it right at the start and am looking forward to learning
Click to expand...

There is absolutely tons of stuff on Youtube. Check out Zack Arias, he even runs one light workshops. The advantage is you can actually see it being used.
 
Thanks loads jennygw
I will definitely look at those workshops, really liked the one that was recommended at the start off the thread, I think in instances like this I learn better visually

Thanks for the further recommendations on the videos minnt
 
No probs. He's good at explaining everything and how it all works in relation to each other. Using only one light, it makes things simple. The second workshop uses just one speedlight for most of the shots too.

Once you find the limit of one light, add a second if you feel the need to. I've gone from one, to two and now back to one again as it's just simpler and less to be messing around with. It can also create the kind of lighting I like as I do like a bit of shadow aswell. :)

Any more questions then just shout...
 
CheekyAngels said:
Thanks loads jennygw
I will definitely look at those workshops, really liked the one that was recommended at the start off the thread, I think in instances like this I learn better visually

Thanks for the further recommendations on the videos minnt
Click to expand...

Here are a few Youtube links to get you going and they will no doubt lead you to more. Sadly, or not, I think I've watched just about every video on these links and a lot more besides. There there's the pile of books i have and the magazines. MOST of the information was available for free. Some of the books were essential and some of the videos, too. You'll work out what is important to you as you go.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=joe mcnally photography
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gavin hoey
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zack arias
https://www.youtube.com/user/BHPhotoVideoProAudio
https://www.youtube.com/user/adoramaTV
https://www.youtube.com/user/ProfotoGlobal
https://www.youtube.com/user/elinchromLTD
https://www.youtube.com/user/Lastolite
https://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalRevCom

This is a list of photographers who are known for their off camera flash work generated from a thread I started on Strobist:-
http://blog.jgw-photography.co.uk/camera-flash-photographers/

Flickr Strobist Group set up and run by David Hobby
https://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/

David Hobbys Blog/Site ... TONS of info here.
http://www.strobist.blogspot.co.uk/

More stuff here
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/
 
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Wow these are brilliant
JennyGW said:
Here are a few Youtube links to get you going and they will no doubt lead you to more. Sadly, or not, I think I've watched just about every video on these links and a lot more besides. There there's the pile of books i have and the magazines. MOST of the information was available for free. Some of the books were essential and some of the videos, too. You'll work out what is important to you as you go/
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the links, they are definitely going to be added to my playlists. I agree how addictive they can be when adding to a library of information. I do have some books in relation to photography but find they more geared towards the philosophy, I will look to open this to the more technical aspects along with videos to help with the lighting.

With speedlites I've found that I discovered my lighting through trial and error, studio lighting brings it's own challenges but I am really enjoying discovering the new techniques and equipment

Thanks again JennyGW
 
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