Continuous lighting vs strobe

[chrisssy]

Hi, I'm not a photographer. Instead, I'm hiring a photographer to photograph my business. I found a very personable individual who I feel comfortable with. He has a good reputation, but he is a videographer/photographer. So, almost all his equipment is continuous lighting. He tells me that his stuff is as good as flash lighting, but I did some reading and I'm not sure this can be true. I get along with him well, but I'm wondering if I should cancel the job and get a photographer who has strobe? Another option is to rent high quality strobe equipment for the shoot, which I have no problem doing, except I wonder if he is going to be less proficient with flash compared to someone who works only with flash? The site being photographed is a fitness studio, so some of the shots will involve movement, but slow movement. There is plenty of natural light, but it is all coming from one direction, so we will need to block quite a bit of that natural light. I can give more details if anyone is interested.

 

[AlanKlein]

Have you seen his finished work? Do you trust him or not? Why don't you believe him when he says his stuff is as good as strobes? It's a plus you're comfortable with him so why the lack of trust? You're sending signals two ways.

In any case, I would not rent equipment for him he doesn't normally use. You don't want him learning on your job plus he may feel uncomfortable with you not trusting him. Why are you concerned about side lighting. That's his problem. He's the photographer. Either trust him or get someone else. It seems you're trying to be a photographer after stating you're not a photographer. Let him do his job. You're micromanaging a trade you know nothing about.

 

[AlanKlein]

PS Welcome to the photo forum, Chrissy.

 

[smoke665]

High end continuous lighting might work depending on the power required. They tend to fall short on power when compared to strobes resulting in wider apertures or higher ISO, which might not be acceptable for still photos. Videographers and photographers have some degree of overlap but the equipment/methods for video vs still photography don't necessarily overlap.

If you're hiring a professional photographer your job is to ascertain if they're able to produce your product, by looking at their portfolio and talking with references. Your job isn't to second guess "how" they do the job, rent equipment, etc. Whoever you use, you need it in wrting as to the specifics of the final product, price and time to finish. Verbal instructions, statements, promises, etc, very seldom hold up in court if the job is sub par.

 

[cgw]

Smoke665 lays out the procedure you should consider. Whatever you think or they promise, it's key to specify in writing what they'll deliver. Due diligence does require some work on your part--along with a willingness to look elsewhere if the photographer isn't up to scratch.

 

[hemlock1962]

hello chrissy and welcome. i'm a strobe guy. studio work with food and product for many years. i think you my have a valid point here. they my be good at video. but movement take stop action and that's much harder with constant lighting. strobes fire at thousandth's of a second. and so stop action is easier to achieve. with constant lighting you have to have a ton of power (wattage) to be able to use a fast enough shutter speed (upwards of 1/1000th of a second) to catch it clearly. and that means BIG LIGHTS. mixing the two light sources (natural, and constant) is very difficult. now i say this as an old school shooter. so there may be some tech that i'm not up on. BUT. from what i've seen on youtube about fitness photography, most if not all of them use strobes. just my two cents. but i'd take a long look at his website! and as has been said already. always! get it on paper!

 

[chrisssy]

I took some of the advise here and took a closer look at his website and portfolio. At first I was concerned because his stuff is all video and mostly outdoor stuff. But I noticed he did an indoor photo shoot at a gyrotonics studio, which is similar to a Pilates studio. The images appear to my untrained eye to be sharp. The color looks good. I'm assuming he used his continuous light for this shoot. One problem in this shoot is that the Gyrotonics equipiment is casting strong shadows on the walls. I will ask him to bring lights to direct to the back walls to avoid this. Or am I micromanaging?

 

[AlanKlein]

I took some of the advise here and took a closer look at his website and portfolio. At first I was concerned because his stuff is all video and mostly outdoor stuff. But I noticed he did an indoor photo shoot at a gyrotonics studio, which is similar to a Pilates studio. The images appear to my untrained eye to be sharp. The color looks good. I'm assuming he used his continuous light for this shoot. One problem in this shoot is that the Gyrotonics equipiment is casting strong shadows on the walls. I will ask him to bring lights to direct to the back walls to avoid this. Or am I micromanaging?

Telling him what you want is not micromamnaging nor is asking him if he has the tools to do what you want. Outling exactly what you want to see in the final results are fine with me. You're the customer. Telling him what aperture he should use would be micromanaging. I guess this is all a matter of degree and comfortability.

 

[Don Fischer]

I have a nephew in Portland you might try.

www.joshpartee.com

 

[smoke665]

One problem in this shoot is that the Gyrotonics equipiment is casting strong shadows on the walls. I will ask him to bring lights to direct to the back walls to avoid this. Or am I micromanaging?

Conspicuous or distracting shadows are caused by improperly lighting the scene, be it placement or quantity. As the customer it isnt your responsibility to direct the method and manner of the work, only the specifications for the finished product. Your RFQ should list the specific requirements of the final product, how that product will be used (web, prints, etc), when payments will be made (at booking, upon providing proofs, and upon finished product). Finally your RFQ should provide for how dispute resolution will be handled in the event that the photographer fails to meet the requirements.

With a written RFQ in hand I'd contact some other photographers in the area as well

 

[chrisssy]

Here is an example of the shadows in his work at this location. I asked him about this job, and he told me he was using a single off camera flash. So he does have some flash lights. I guess you would need at least two lights to get rid of these shadows? I think it is appropriate for me to be sure that he brings at least two lights.

 

[AlanKlein]

Here is an example of the shadows in his work at this location. I asked him about this job, and he told me he was using a single off camera flash. So he does have some flash lights. I guess you would need at least two lights to get rid of these shadows? I think it is appropriate for me to be sure that he brings at least two lights.

No. You're micromanaging again. Your job is to tell him you don't want shadows like that. How he does it is his responsibility. He's the expert. What if he needs more than two lights? Stop trying to do his job.

 

[JBPhotog]

Here is an example of the shadows in his work at this location. I asked him about this job, and he told me he was using a single off camera flash. So he does have some flash lights. I guess you would need at least two lights to get rid of these shadows? I think it is appropriate for me to be sure that he brings at least two lights.

I don't mean to shake your confidence in this individuals ability but here is what I notice from the sample shot you provided.
1. Yes, the shadows in the background are a bit harsh. This is likely due to the small LED panel or modifier he is using on his constant light source. This is a major issue with continuous light since it really lacks the power to cover large areas in a large 7 foot umbrella or extra large soft box unless you are using high level cine lighting equipment.
2. The colour is not correct. To me it looks like a blend of 3000k ambient with 5500k supplemental lights, notice the orange tones on the upper arm and body areas getting illuminated from the room source lighting. This is classic mixed lighting and the colour temperatures are not matching. This can be acceptable depending on your needs but IMO this is not a quality image.

With strobe one can use larger modifiers and they can over power the ambient lighting or simply turn them off and control the lighting with only strobes.

What I would highly recommend is for you to Google "Fitness photos" or "Pilates photos" or what ever fitness genre your studio is and download a number of samples that you send to him or any other photographer showing the style you are looking for. In the industry this is called a Mood Book. That way you are clear as to the direction and results you are looking for, this can be key evidence should litigation be required later. HTH!

 

[chrisssy]

>The colour is not correct. To me it looks like a blend of 3000k ambient with 5500k supplemental lights, notice the orange tones on the upper arm and body areas getting illuminated from the room source lighting. This is classic mixed lighting and the colour temperatures are not matching. This can be acceptable depending on your needs but IMO this is not a quality image.

I guess I don't have the refined eye for this stuff that you do. Thanks for the input. This individual is a very good videographer, but he might not be an expert with strobe. Although, I know he does have a couple, but I don't think he uses them very often. Question: If I rent strobes for the job, how fast do you think someone can adapt to equipment that is't his?

 

[JBPhotog]

That is a bit like asking, "my tire guy doesn't have the tools and probably has never used them before but if I bring the tools do you think he can change the cam shaft on my car?"

I'm not sure why you are stuck on using this person to do your promotional photos, is it price, a favour, a family friend? You might ask them if they are comfortable with retail strobes but quite frankly, if you don't like them, you enabled the results. You have received a number of good responses in the thread, heed that advice and govern yourself accordingly. Is there no other photographer who can do this for you?