[chucuyuco]

Can I use these clamp lights to make a cheap homemade studio if I put the right bulbs in them and then cover them with wax paper or similar? If that would work, what kind of bulbs would be best- the soft white or? I'm just trying to play around with portraiture and still life, etc. but I don't want to break the bank. I have a metz 50 that I can use as well for off camera flash.
Link to Light Pic

[jase036]

It might work, I don't think you're going to get a modifier on there though, and to be honest, being able to modify your light output from high contrast harsh light to soft feathered light depending on your need is quite important in portraits. Wax paper won't cut it, and If you put wax paper, depending on the heat and the paper, you might be looking at a mess. Continuous lights put out a lot of heat, even the new energy saving fluorescent ones, at least the ones with decent wattage, and the bulbs are big, the clamps on those lamps might not have been designed to hold such a big bulb. It's also important to be able to mount to a light stand so you can move the lights around to achieve the proper lighting, Do you know if those clamps will hold the light on the light stand?
If you are going with continuous light, I suggest you get a properly balanced daylight bulb like the ones from Wescott or any other cheap versions (don't know how good those are though, you can check them out here)
If you already have a flashgun, and if you are not going to use the lights for video, I would suggest you invest in a softbox modifier for it or an umbrella, and if you don't have a radio trigger system, get one. One of those 3 in 1 reflectors could help and won't break the bank either. You can also get another low cost flashgun such as the Vivitar 285HV and with 2 flashguns, modifiers and a 3 in 1 reflector you'd be pretty decently equipped for most portraits or still life.

[chucuyuco]

Thanks for the input, I'll look into some of those options. I read somewhere about using some of those lights and then hanging a white sheet in front of them to soften them up, might that work better?

[JimJohnson]

In a pinch I have used a pair of contractor type halogen work lights (the type with their own pole-type stands), human 'stands' for posterboard reflectors and tacked up a solid color blanket for a backdrop. I had my camera with me at this family event, but didn't expect to be called upon to do studio portrait work. It worked to everyone's satisfaction under the circumstances, but this is not how I would want to work regularly.

[Wheatfield]

Can I use these clamp lights to make a cheap homemade studio if I put the right bulbs in them and then cover them with wax paper or similar? If that would work, what kind of bulbs would be best- the soft white or? I'm just trying to play around with portraiture and still life, etc. but I don't want to break the bank. I have a metz 50 that I can use as well for off camera flash.
Link to Light Pic

Those things are very much like the dish reflectors that were in the vogue in the 1940s (though rather smaller). They might well be fun to play with. I use a set of 20" dishes with no modifiers for much of my portraiture. You will find they are rather hot in the center, feathering out quite nicely towards the edges of their illumination field.
You will probably need them to be quite close to your subject to get good light, but they should be workable (and a couple of them isn't going to break anyone's bank account.

[GibbyTheMole]

You can certainly use those. I have a pair of those myself. The bulbs I use are daylight temperature CFL 26w bulbs. I would've bought higher wattage bulbs, but those are the most powerful the local store had. They're ok for closeup stuff a couple of feet away, but you'll want higher power bulbs for general use.

Here's a cheap 45 watter for $8 total.

And here are some all the way up to 105 watts... These should be plenty bright.

Good luck,
Bobbo :-)

[chucuyuco]

I ended up getting a clamp lamp and 120W natural light bulb for about $15 total. It's not bad but I need more light. Maybe it's time to build a pvc light stand because my fiance is tired of holding the lamp for me while i shoot