Question about mobile lighting solution

hadoq

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Hello, I'm not quite sure if it's in the right place (well, probably not, I'm new around and I should still learn how this board works)

but here's my case, I'm only starting to get somehow "serious" in photography and it's been a while I was thinking about bringing some lighting along with me.

I'm taking photos of cars, most of the time and I could really use a good light source.

Question is, what does exist ?

I mean I'd need something that could go in my car (or at least in a car), so power is the main issue.

so is there an "out the box" solution to my problem or do I have to think it through ?

thanks
 
There are numerous solutions available. I recommend reading thru the Strobist Lighting 101 / 102 tutorials as a starting point. This will give you a solid basic understanding of lighting.

There is a trade-off between mobility and power. You can, of course, use speedlights like Canon 580EX II or the Nikon equivalent. Their power source is, of course, contained within their bodies but they don't have the power you may need/want outdoors. The other option is using studio strobes. They have the power but you will be hauling several more cases of equipment. You can get battery packs for the strobes so you aren't limited to being near outlets. I use both, depending on the need.

As far as recommendations, it's a personal choice. I carry my 580EX II and a pair of Vivitar 285HVs in my camera bag but also have an Alien Bee 800 with the Vagabond II for power when needed. All of these are triggered with Pocketwizards. I'll admit I'm relying more and more on my AB800 when I have the time to set it up. But like I said, it's a personal choice.
 
There are numerous solutions available. I recommend reading thru the Strobist Lighting 101 / 102 tutorials as a starting point. This will give you a solid basic understanding of lighting.

There is a trade-off between mobility and power. You can, of course, use speedlights like Canon 580EX II or the Nikon equivalent. Their power source is, of course, contained within their bodies but they don't have the power you may need/want outdoors. The other option is using studio strobes. They have the power but you will be hauling several more cases of equipment. You can get battery packs for the strobes so you aren't limited to being near outlets. I use both, depending on the need.
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As far as recommendations, it's a personal choice. I carry my 580EX II and a pair of Vivitar 285HVs in my camera bag but also have an Alien Bee 800 with the Vagabond II for power when needed. All of these are triggered with Pocketwizards. I'll admit I'm relying more and more on my AB800 when I have the time to set it up. But like I said, it's a personal choice.

You could always get a power inverter (car cig lighter turned into normal outlet) and use any normal lighting you already have.
 
yea I could, the problem is: if I do that, then how can I shoot the car ? (>.<)'

thanks for the input tho, I'm gonna check these things out.

the problem in photography, it's that once you get to some point, then it's all about how much $$$ you want/can spend
 
yea I could, the problem is: if I do that, then how can I shoot the car ? (>.<)'

thanks for the input tho, I'm gonna check these things out.

the problem in photography, it's that once you get to some point, then it's all about how much $$$ you want/can spend
You're right about that. Equipment can be very costly. That's why I went with the Alien Bees. They are highly rated, very reliable and relatively inexpensive. In fact, my B800 cost less than my Canon 580EX II!

I forgot to add that I usually use a mixture of the AB800 and speedlights and it works really well!

A way that is a little easier on the pocketbook is mpex.com's Strobist Kits. Check them out. I have three of them and they work fine!
 
yea I could, the problem is: if I do that, then how can I shoot the car ? (>.<)'

thanks for the input tho, I'm gonna check these things out.

the problem in photography, it's that once you get to some point, then it's all about how much $$$ you want/can spend

Ok, we need to learn to walk before we learn to run. Just getting into photography, the basics, I am willing to put money down are NOT yet mastered... and we're talking lighting and cars and what not.

Though your enthusiasm is fantastic and will get you to a point, you need to get the basics down. Lighting is very comlex and 100 times more complex if you have not mastered ISO, shutter, aperture. Stop, take a breath... MASTER these concepts.

Then... goto Strobist and read Lighting 101 and 102. Those are your lighting basics. While you are doing that, don't be afraid to do searches on flickr for automotive shots. Many have wide angle setup shots that show what they did to get a shot.

This is the best way to give you what you want. Be ready to read a lot, practice even more and enjoy. :)
 
It is more than possible to shoot photographs of cars with what you can fit in the trunk. I had the opportunity to assist on a shoot with a photographer who works with battery powered Lumodyne flashes during the day, and at night uses light painting techniques to create images that are lit in a way that would be impossible to do outside of a studio with a traditional method. Layering of light painted exposures lets you work with very inexpensive lights (we are talking $10 lights + batteries) and produce very polished images with some practice.
 
Ok, we need to learn to walk before we learn to run. Just getting into photography, the basics, I am willing to put money down are NOT yet mastered... and we're talking lighting and cars and what not.

Though your enthusiasm is fantastic and will get you to a point, you need to get the basics down. Lighting is very comlex and 100 times more complex if you have not mastered ISO, shutter, aperture. Stop, take a breath... MASTER these concepts.

Then... goto Strobist and read Lighting 101 and 102. Those are your lighting basics. While you are doing that, don't be afraid to do searches on flickr for automotive shots. Many have wide angle setup shots that show what they did to get a shot.

This is the best way to give you what you want. Be ready to read a lot, practice even more and enjoy. :)

? how you can say I need to learn the basics while I believe I already know the basics.

ISO, shutter, aperture, I know how these work and I'm confident enough working with all of em.

I'm not saying I'm a pro whatsoever, but if I got to the point to ask myself a question about aditional lighting, then I guess that's where I am as a photographer.

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now if you prefer, you could as well read my posts and see my stuff before saying I'm somehow a beginner who has no idea about the basics.




That being said, I appreciate your input and will surely use it, I hope, wisely

I'm no pro whatsoever, but I think I basically know how to take a picture. Now I want some lighting so I can explore new things and techniques. As you can say, I like my photos somehow "artificial" looking, (not that much about the natural stuff), so I feel like the next step to where I want to go is custom lighting
 

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