Studio Setup Practice on a Budget

[Derrel]

I just used the disagree button for the first time ever. I feel that modeling lights are the key to helping beginners learn how to position their lights. I think learning how to light using speedlights is just fumbling around in the dark, and is a huge handicap for the beginner. The MORE experienced you are, the less you need modeling lights, based on lots of experience and work with specific lights.

 

[MichaelHenson]

I just used the disagree button for the first time ever. I feel that modeling lights are the key to helping beginners learn how to position their lights. I think learning how to light using speedlights is just fumbling around in the dark, and is a huge handicap for the beginner. The MORE experienced you are, the less you need modeling lights, based on lots of experience and work with specific lights.

I can certainly see the benefit. Any suggestions on what to look for in a modeling light? Again, looking for budget friendly initially since this is more hobby than anything else at the moment.

 

[tirediron]

... Turn the room lights off and use the modeling lights. How else are you going to know if you've got enough light coming back from a reflector? How else are you going to know if your shadow transition is where you want it? How else are you going to know if your highlights are right?

Perhaps the modelling lights on my equipment just aren't good enough then. I've never found them them to be especially useful, even when the studio is almost dark, they don't seem to give me the information I want.

I just used the disagree button for the first time ever.

I feel honoured!

I feel that modeling lights are the key to helping beginners learn how to position their lights. I think learning how to light using speedlights is just fumbling around in the dark, and is a huge handicap for the beginner. The MORE experienced you are, the less you need modeling lights, based on lots of experience and work with specific lights.

I think if you're talking complex, multi-light setups, sure. But for the OP, we're talking keylight and fill. Set-up, shoot a test, fine-tune, shoot.

 

[astroNikon]

I don't know if this is true across the board for other brands or nikon models, but my Nikon Speedlights have a feature loosely similar to modeling lights. You press the function button (with a custom menu option turned on) and the speedlights go into continuous mode and provide a "modeling-like" feature until you release the button.

 

[Derrel]

Set up shoot, chimp, re-set,re-shoot,chimp,re-set,re-sshoot,re-chimp. What could be done without firing a single frame requires a lot of steps, and is only good on static subjects that do not move.

My feeling is that the exact placement of catchlights and shadows is the secret to good studio lighting.

As far as your equipment Tirediron, M90's have three low-powered modeling lights, MW3U's have the 100 Watt quartz lamp, and M11's have a 150 Watt quartz lamp that throws a fairly bright light that has a definite hot spot, a dot, right jn the center of the beam, while Black Line heads have very powerful 250 Watt quart lamps that are super-easy to see by. I use the modeling lights to see where my catchlights are, and where my nose and under-chin shadows fall. The smaller the modifier, the easier it is to see the effects of minor light placement variations; the bigger, and mushier the light modifier, the tougher it is to discern minor movement effects.

Let's talk about a simple, two-light, key light plus fill light setup. I used to work in a portrait studio where the critical factor was setting the precisely right height and angle for the nose shadow, and the key is and always has been to literally MOVE the light through an arc on the floor, to actually determine visually, exactly how the light interacts with the subject's face and body; that is what is lost when using speedlights--there is literally ZERO opportunity to visually observe a myriad of light placements when using a speedlight. The ability to move the light and to literally SEE the effect of multiple light placements is utterly lost when using a speedlight. Instead, the speedlight user takes a guess at the best placement.

Secondly, when shooting with a fill light shooting straight ahead, from camera position, in the classic on-axis fill light placement, when the main light is of the same intensity, but closer, it's easy to visually SEE how moving the main light farther or closer changes the main to fill relationship, as well as to literally see the dual catchlights. I'm used to this two lights, equal power, one at 8 feet, the other at 11 feet (to get a 3:1 lighting ratio automatically) way of working. Two lights of identical power and type at 2.8 and 4 feet; or 4 and 5.6 feet; or 5.6 and 8 feet; or 8 and 11 feet, create a beautifully ratioed light. Notice the way the f/stop scale also works with distance? Mathematics and science are amazing things!

Again, I think for the BEGINNER, the ability to literally see what the lights are doing, continuously, is a huge advantage in learning how to best set the lights up. Modeling lights give a constant, continuous, immediate feedback loop. Shoot/chimp/re-set/re-shoot,re-chimp is an entirely different approach.

 

[Derrel]

Here is a video that does a pretty good job of demonstrating how modeling lights help the photographer using classic portraiture lighting techniques with studio flash units equipped with modeling lights.
Classical Posing & Portrait Lighting - YouTube

This video was created by the folks at Sekonic, the makers of many fine light meters for measuring flash and continuous lighting. you can see how having the light ON and SHINING on the people helps the photographer achieve the desired posing and lighting in real-time.

 

[astroNikon]

what wattage modeling light is good ? 100 .. 250 ?

 

[MichaelHenson]

Here is a video that does a pretty good job of demonstrating how modeling lights help the photographer using classic portraiture lighting techniques with studio flash units equipped with modeling lights.
Classical Posing & Portrait Lighting - YouTube

This video was created by the folks at Sekonic, the makers of many fine light meters for measuring flash and continuous lighting. you can see how having the light ON and SHINING on the people helps the photographer achieve the desired posing and lighting in real-time.

Thanks for this!

 

[Derrel]

what wattage modeling light is good ? 100 .. 250 ?

Kind of depends I guess. 250s are sooooo bright and hot they must be in fan-cooled heads. 150 quartz modeling lamps generate "some heat", but are pretty easily seen. How bright the lights need to be is in part where they are used. If you have a studio or garage/basement/living room and can turn off all the lights, then 75 Watts is usable, although noticeably dimmer. Also, keep in mind, when the lights are reduced in power, if the modeling lights "track" [proportional dimming] with the power, they will get dimmer and dimmer and dimmer as the power goes down. On other lights, sometimes there are just two levels of modeling light-Full, and Low. When you set up in daylight or well-lighted rooms, 250 Watt lamps like in Speedotron Black Line are still easily seen.

Also, lower-powered lights might be given lower powered modeling lamps, so that WYSIWYG works well when mixing low-powered lights with high-powered lights, like say 200 Watt-second lights paired with 800 watt-second lights. In general, the flash makers pick what they think is the optimal Wattage for the modeling lamps for each,specific type of flash. Unless a unit is fan-cooled, the likely maximum Wattage is 100 Watts or so, perhaps 150 Watts in something all-metal and fairly "open" like a Speedotron Brown Line M11, where the modeling lamp is well in front of the flashtube and has a tremendous amount of "air" around it.

 

[Designer]

Any suggestions on what to look for in a modeling light?

Nearly every studio strobe I've seen includes a modeling light as part of the head. Naturally, some will differ in wattage, etc, but you should expect to find that strobes have that feature included.

 

[Derrel]

Any suggestions on what to look for in a modeling light?

Type of bulb: incandescent or quartz-halogen, or in newer, rarer cases, LED.

Wattage: Indoors in smaller spaces, lower wattage bulbs are adequate. If you shoot in bright light, higher Wattage lamps make things easier to see, and may also allow better video. For example, four x 250 Watts of quartz-halogen is VERY bright!

Bulb replacement costs: Are replacement bulbs $26 a pop, or are they $8? For example, Speedotron Brown Line M90 units use three, screw-in base incandescent bulbs that retail normally for about $8 each from photo equipment dealers nation wide. I bought a bunch of used M90s from e-Bay that had no modeling lamps, so rather than spend 3x3x $8, I went to The Lighting Store here in town to see if maybe they had some of the needed bulbs. The guy told me, "Oh, did you know that these bulbs were developed for heavy duty truck turn signal bulbs in the 1950's? These are truck blinker light bulbs!" I bought a sack full of Chinese-made replacements for $1.49 per bulb. So far, seven years worth of use out of them.

The M90's three, exposed, 25- to 35-Watt lamps allow it to be used as a BARE, un-modified main light, that does not blind models or subjects. Bare, unmodified 150 Watt quartz lamps leave a retinal hot-spot for 20 minutes, which makes quartz-halogen modeling lights much less suitable for bare, unmodified use.

Quartz-halogen modeling lamps throw a MUCH harder,brighter, more crisp light, that makes the modeling light easier to see and evaluate than more-diffused, frosted incandescent bulbs do, especially on longer throws or in bigger rooms.

 

[Robin Usagani]

My favorite is turning off all of the lights in my house except one light in a small room. Then I open the door of the lit room and use that light to light my subject in the hallway. You will have almost pure black background with directional light. You kinda have to shoot it with a pretty high ISO though.

 

[Derrel]

My favorite is turning off all of the lights in my house except one light in a small room. Then I open the door of the lit room and use that light to light my subject in the hallway. You will have almost pure black background with directional light. You kinda have to shoot it with a pretty high ISO though.

Well, it's time to you to move up to the glorious light that emanates from a nice MacBook Pro!!!! it rivals the light from Profoto strobes!!! There's nothing quite like shooting using a single-light setup made from a glowing MacBook set to a blank page of white screen!

 

[Mike_E]

Hell, I've been known to forget my meter and just up the ISO and shoot with the modeling lights.

You want to figure out how to work lighting?

Fine: Sew together two 42 inch strips of black felt and mount them onto a 4x6 foot frame then take them outside and then figure out how to shoot your subject.

Don't worry about the darned light, the only thing you really have to work with is the shadows!

 

[Village Idiot]

I just used the disagree button for the first time ever. I feel that modeling lights are the key to helping beginners learn how to position their lights. I think learning how to light using speedlights is just fumbling around in the dark, and is a huge handicap for the beginner. The MORE experienced you are, the less you need modeling lights, based on lots of experience and work with specific lights.

I do think there is an upside to not having the modeling light as a beginner and that's portability. If you're buying one light to start out with, having a speedlight that you don't need an additional battery or wall plug for is an advantage over using a monolight or pack and head system if you don't have the room to set up in your home or don't want to always drag the heavier lighting gear with you. I know when I first started learning about how to light I would shoot where ever my friends were and that wasn't always in a location where power was available. With a camera bag that easily accomodates a speedlight and triggers, all I had to carry in addition to my normal kit was a small portable light stand and an umbrella. Walla! Portable studio!

And when you're shooting on location with a "studio" light on a battery, most manufactures warn against using the modeling light while on juice.