Improvised Studio Lights?

[rateeg]

Hi.
Is there any way to take studio portrait photos without purchasing those soft boxes and umbrelllas?

I mean can we use lamps, ordinary bulbs, etc?
And what can i use, the ordinary warm bulbs or the white flourescent bulbs?

 

[tirediron]

There are a number of ways, but using regular incandescent, fluourescent, or CFL bulbs is generally a last resort as they provide very little light, have a white range of colour temperatures (making WB difficult to correct) and can be very hot.

Your best bet for studio lighting on a budget is a few old flashes (Vivitar 283s, Sunpak 500 series), home-made diffusers (any thin, translucent plastic, tissue paper, etc) and some large sheets of white or light yellow posterboard to act as reflectors.

 

[KmH]

Hi.
Is there any way to take studio portrait photos without purchasing those soft boxes and umbrelllas?

I mean can we use lamps, ordinary bulbs, etc?
And what can i use, the ordinary warm bulbs or the white flourescent bulbs?

Sure, the key is learning how to effectively use whatever tools you have available.

That means you still need to learn about how lighting is done, and why it's done the way it is.

Tirediron alluded to part of it by mentioning home-made diffusers.

The quality of light, and more importantly, the quality of any shadows cast, is dependent on the apparent size of the light source.

Softboxes and umbrellas do that. They make the light source seem way larger than it really is. a large light source produces light that can wrap around a subject making nice soft edged, flattering, shadows.

 

[mrpink]

just one idea...

video: episode 4 , the mother of all stick in a can lighting vids | pro photo life




p!nK

 

[kundalini]

Get some 5500K bulbs for your lamps. Use white tee shirts or bed sheet, clear shower curtains to diffuse the light. Grab a white and a black foam core board to reflect, subtract light and use as a flag.

The answer is yes, you can. The results may not be 'to that level', but a damn sight better than doing nothing. The answers lie between your ears.

 

[rateeg]

thanks.
do i need to purchase those high wattage yellow lights or those white flourescent lights?