[Mallee Boy]

Some weeks back I posted a thread on here asking about the wisdom (or lack of) of buying ebay stuff for studio lighting.

I received many great replies that were very helpful and to show my appreciation, here are some shots of the studio and a few first efforts, which are very much test shots of both equipment and myself with very low expectations at this point. I say that because I do appreciate the learning curve is steep and I know that practice will (eventually...one day...sometime...??) make perfect and the journey has to have a beginning.

I have still have much to add to the studio, both in the short term and the longer term..... and both in aesthetics and equipment, but for now it does operate.

I hope my experience may be of help to some one else....and of course if you have any suggestions, they are always welcome.

Cheers,
Grant

First of all the Studio and the gear. Strobes are Fotobestway, purchased locally, other lights are ebay purchases, backdrops are ex Cowboy Studios, but hanging system is local. Stll want to fill in the edges between side screens and back drops to prevent any un wanted light, have the cloth, just need the seamstress to get around to it. Not sure if the skylights will be a problem, but there are simple solutions to that.
In the absence of tethered shooting capability via Lightroom with the K5 I opted for a $290 Full HD screen, so I can get instant feedback on what I am doing...and it works pretty well, the image is good enough to let you know what direction you are going in and make finite adjustments.
Strobes are operated wirelessly using the onboard flash as the trigger and the k5 wireless option. I am still coming to grips with that, but at the very least I have lights flashing when I want it to and can adjust the intensity....humble beginnings, but a beginning nonetheless.!!


Attachment 115614


Messing around with Chromakey. Have opted for Green Screen Wizard as my software (purchased locally), I dont have CS5 and do all my work on Lightroom, and as yet there are no plug ins available (at least none that I could find).
This could be a whole lotta fun !

Attachment 115612


beware....TEDDY below !!!......







....as in bear.......I am really looking forward to getting into this in detail....but for now the bear has to suffice.



Attachment 115613

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Last edited by Mallee Boy; 12-10-2012 at 11:55 PM.

[HawaiianOnline]

Nice setup.

[fuent104]

Congrats on your setup. I think you are going to be very happy. My only concerns would be the 2 sources of extraneous light you mentioned...the on-camera flash, and the skylight. Once you have that under control, you will really be in business. I'm looking forward to seeing your results.

[Mallee Boy]

Thanks guys, appreciate you having a look.

This is a little quick & dirty using the demo software on Chromakey.....no adjustments other than dropping in two of my own shots, foreground is part of what is already posted and the background is Dave wondering who the hell he was really travelling with during our recent Canada sojourn..? Yes, there are some obvious flaws, but am confident I will be able to deal with those once I get the full software up and running.
Cheers
Grant

I'm sure Dave or Jimbo will have a quick comeback on this.
Attachment 115616

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Last edited by Mallee Boy; 12-10-2012 at 11:55 PM.

[keithg]

Thats my albino brother. Thought you wanted me, not him for a model. lol Is the opening this weekend Grant? If so, what time and day or days? Keith

[Mallee Boy]

Now... mate... I wasn't going there....but now you mention it I can sorta see a resemblance....???

Which day suits you....Sunday..coffee?....lunch ?...both?
Cheers

[keithg]

Probably sunday. Ill ring you either later or in morning.

[ismaelg]

Congratulations on a great start!
I'm trying to do something similar, but space is my biggest problem now. I'm trying to fix a small-medium size room for that. In the meantime, I have to setup (and remove) everything in the garage...

Thanks!

[forensicscientist]

Did you purchase a true photographic green screen or improvise from something else??

[slip]

Boy I would give anything to have that much room.... the set up looks great!

post some more once you get real subjects

cheers

[Mallee Boy]

Did you purchase a true photographic green screen or improvise from something else??

Purchased the green screen from Cowboy Studios in the US. It was the biggest one I could find at 10 ft X 24 ft.....and it was the length I wanted.
I have (since) seen a site where you can buy the cloth in any length.

Found the link: Chroma Key Fabric @ Chroma-Key.com


and a bit more messing around with it....this is for Jim & Dave.

Attachment 115670

[keruili]

I would love to have even the humble beginnings you have here, but right now it is two speedlights, a sofbox and snoot 8P. Anyone tried some of these deals from eBay, like Meking? I bought some of their stuff while I was in Hong Kong and it seems to be alright for a start. Any thoughts on where to start for real studio strobes/stands/kits on a budget?

1. Constant light with FL bulbs yes/no
2. Umbrella sizes for head shot vs full length
3. Brands y'all recommend
4. Any other thoughts

Lots of questions, hopefully lots of feedback

[Mallee Boy]

I would love to have even the humble beginnings you have here, but right now it is two speedlights, a sofbox and snoot 8P. Anyone tried some of these deals from eBay, like Meking? I bought some of their stuff while I was in Hong Kong and it seems to be alright for a start. Any thoughts on where to start for real studio strobes/stands/kits on a budget?

1. Constant light with FL bulbs yes/no
2. Umbrella sizes for head shot vs full length
3. Brands y'all recommend
4. Any other thoughts

Lots of questions, hopefully lots of feedback

Thanks for looking. It's working pretty well too.

Bowens seems to be regarded highly and I was encouraged, in store, in that direction....but the budget was already in tatters so the brakes had to be applied. Elinchrome was another highly regarded brand but I was told they have changed their manufacturing in recent times and the modern Elinchrome may not be quite the product the old was.

My best guess is that if you do your homework and check the availibility of support and spares, then they are all going to be much the the same and your decision will come down to personal preference and budget. It wont be long and they will all be made in China anyway.

Happy hunting.
Grant

[adpo]

I would love to have even the humble beginnings you have here, but right now it is two speedlights, a sofbox and snoot 8P. Anyone tried some of these deals from eBay, like Meking? I bought some of their stuff while I was in Hong Kong and it seems to be alright for a start. Any thoughts on where to start for real studio strobes/stands/kits on a budget?

1. Constant light with FL bulbs yes/no
2. Umbrella sizes for head shot vs full length
3. Brands y'all recommend
4. Any other thoughts

Lots of questions, hopefully lots of feedback

What exactly do you want to get out of shooting with something other than speedlights? What you plan on shooting will help with the decision factor as to what system to go with.

1. I'm not a fan of constant FL lights as light sources. While i do have a pair mounted on a lightstand, they're more there for focusing rather than as an actual light source. For what I shoot, they're simply not powerful enough.
2. The size of your light source, combined with the distance from your subject control the softness of light. So the softer you want the light, the bigger the umbrella. For what i shoot, i got a 60 in convertible for the times i want really soft light and a 43 inch convertible for when i want a light softer than my beauty dish but harder than the 60.
3. Once again, depends on your budget and what you shoot. Alienbees are a solid choice for general studio work and there are plenty of affordable modifiers out there available for them. The entry level elinchroms, i'm not a huge fan of, but they're very consistent units. If you have the cash, the slightly higher end elinchrom lights are quite nice and very consistent. At a similar price point are PCB's Einstein units, which are very fast, very versatile and very consistent. Some chinese makers such as Mettle provide decent lights with plenty of power for cheap, but at the cost of flash duration (around 1/60s on some units). Bowens makes some pretty solid lights, although i have never tried them myself. Speedotrons can be had for decent prices, although their pack-and-head style might take a bit of a learning curve.
4. If you don't know exactly what you want out of bigger lights, stick with your speedlights and save up in the meantime. That way, you get something that can fit your needs perfectly and, since you'd be saving until then, you could afford much nicer lights when you do decide to buy them.

[fuent104]

I agree with the statements above. Studio strobes are great, because of the amount of control they offer, as well as the ability to use modeling lamps. Continuous lighting is really not the ideal tool for most applications of studio still photography.

Speedlights are wonderful. They offer some of the great advantages of strobes, with the lack of a modeling lamp being the main disadvantage. However, the money you save using speedlights can be spent on modifiers. I would also recommend that you purchase some grip equipment (e.g. c-stands, flags, nets), so you can really shape the light, rather than being at the mercy of the shape provided by umbrellas and softboxes. This is especially true if you plan to do a lot of table top imagery.