Need HELP in balancing halogen hair light!

[markj]

Very new to studio shooting, so I was a little surprised to see orange/yellow cast on my wife's hair using a halogen light. Both my key and fill lights are nikon speedlights. How do I balanced or convert the halogen 3200k to 5600k?

 

[Rephargotohp]

The Halogen is too hot to gel so you need to Gel the Flashes a Rosco 85 would do it, a 1/2 CTO is close. Then white balance forTungsten. custom WB or shoot RAW

 

[markj]

Thanks Rep, So your saying not to correct the halogen, but to change the temperature of the flashes? In effect, make everything 3200k?

 

[Rephargotohp]

Yes, that would be the best route, You could gel the Halogen, Blue, But they get so hot they melt most polyester Gels

It really doesn't matter what gets gelled as long as they are consistant

 

[markj]

I see these blue plastic diffusers that snap on the front of the flash. Will that work? If so, can I still use my white balancing lens cap to achieve great exposure?

 

[Rephargotohp]

Well, You wouldn't want Blue on the Flashes because they are already cooler than the Halogen, You would need Orange/Yellow Filters to warm to 3200k.

Re : White Balancing cap: Yeah, I've never used one of them but you can use it to set the constant light since those in general are hard to use with Flashes

 

[480sparky]

Well, You wouldn't want Blue on the Flashes because they are already cooler than the Halogen, You would need Orange/Yellow Filters to warm to 3200k.

Ditto. Make your flashes yellow.

Re : White Balancing cap: Yeah, I've never used one of them but you can use it to set the constant light since those in general are hard to use with Flashes

Never had an issue with using one w/flash. It's just a matter of exposure: synched shutter speed and proper aperture.

 

[markj]

My SB-700 comes with a SZ-3TN incandescent filter. It's orange not yellow, will that do the trick? How does the orange differ from the yellow temp wise?[h=2][/h][h=2][/h]

 

[480sparky]

It's not so much 'orange', but mireds. You need to shift the color temp of your flash to match the color temp of your lights. The Nikon-supplied filter might be close, but may not match halogen.

 

[Rephargotohp]

That should do the trick

Red/Orange/Yellow From warmest to cooler. Remembering that while a Temperature in degrees may be higher the color temp is cooler

5500k would need to be warmed to 3200 - Orange Filter

3200K would need to be warmed to 5500 - blue filter

 

[markj]

Thanks for all the information, and again solving my dilemma. That's why I love this site.

 

[table1349]

One other option to consider, although a bit more expensive. Add a third light such as a 285HV and a Zoot Snoot to the equation. Should solve the color issue and add a little more flexibility with your lighting.