Lighting for art photographs

<p>Thanks I think I will go with the strobes then, I may have to get two new umbrellas as the one provided is translucent shoot through whereas I would need reflective so black or silver backed?, I had hoped to find a kit that would provide either 2 soft boxes or 2 umbrellas rather than one of each I'm sure there is a explanation for it that I don't understand :), Yes the kit comes with a free radio trigger whatever that means!, I've got to say its all really interesting stuff as a total novice.</p>

<p>Is there much difference between my first link and this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/DynaSun-Professional-Studio-Trigger-Umbrella/dp/B007MAF0ME/ref=sr_1_11?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1429738297&sr=1-11&keywords=strobe+lighting+kit, aside from price and contents the specs seem quite similar, I'm wary of buying off amazon especially with no reviews there's so many options out there I'd hate to make a bad purchase.</p>

<p>Just took a quick look at the link and I'm not impressed. No radio triggers, so you will need at least one sync cord to the camera, and I think you will need a hot shoe adapter to PC for that to work with your camera. PC cords are, in my humble opinion, some of the worst designed and built accessories in all of photography, so avoiding them via decent radio transmitters/receivers is a good thing. Also, a rating of 80 watt seconds (assuming it is accurate) isn't very powerful so you may wind up using a higher ISO on your camera (can lead to more noise and lower quality) or using your lens at a wider f/stop which can also lead to lower sharpness in the final image. Spending a bit more on your lights now will pay off in better quality results and a lot less annoyance for you as you photograph your work. </p>

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<p>Is there much difference between my first link and this one <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/DynaSun-Professional-Studio-Trigger-Umbrella/dp/B007MAF0ME/ref=sr_1_11?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1429738297&sr=1-11&keywords=strobe+lighting+kit" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" data-skimlinks-orig-link="">(link)</a>, aside from price and contents the specs seem quite similar . . .</p>

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<p>The specs are similar but there are differences. The strobe kit in the second link has many fewer features than the first strobe kit. In my opinion, the second kit's specifications as described are inferior, in no particular order:</p>

<p>1. less powerful, (GN = 35m/ISO100), whereas the first strobe kit, GN = 45m/ISO100) (GN is the 'Guide Number').<br>

In simple terms the second kit is about 1 Stop less powerful, what I mean is, if you meter the first kit needing F/8 @ ISO200 the the second kit would need F/5.6 @ IS0200 (or F/8 @ ISO400) for the same Flash Working Distance </p>

<p>2. no modelling lights</p>

<p>3. no inbuilt cordless triggering (assumed you could buy triggers/receivers as additional items) </p>

<p>4. (I think) you'll need two sync cords, one for each strobe head (2 cords are listed as supplied)</p>

<p>5. appears not to have variable output </p>

<p>***</p>

<p>Having PC trigger leads can be a problem, though it hasn't ever really bothered me that much, but I do have a tool kit and tend to make my wiring and pins & sockets 'gorilla-proof'. I do agree that many off-the-shelf PC Cords, Pins and Sockets are prone to failure, sometimes even after only a little lightweight use. I think that the main problem with PC leads is the possibility of other people tripping over them: a consideration for you. </p>

<p>The most important differences that I note between the two Strobe Kits is the <strong>lower Power Output</strong> and the <strong>lack of Variable Power Output</strong> of the second contrasted to the first.</p>

<p>Also, I think that both the kits will have <strong>very light weight Stands</strong>. This might not be a problem if you are not moving and traveling them. It could be a problem if there are other people around combined with PC cables on the floor that could add to potential problems if there are other people moving in and out of the room - I guess that leads onto consideration of liability insurance as this is a business venture - noted that running Hot Lights would be much more of a liability and much more costly to insure for liability.</p>

<p>As I mentioned previously, I advise that you consider the actual dimensions of the room which you are converting into your studio, including ceiling height, as these units will take up space, especially when the Umbrellas are opened.</p>

<p>Most often you will get what you pay for. The more money that you pay usually means: more power, more sturdy construction and more <strong>useable & worthwhile</strong> features. </p>

<p>I don't know either of brands that you've linked to so can only comment based upon the data that is placed in the advertizements.</p>

<p>I have used Elinchrom Studio Flash Heads for many years and if you are wanting a recommendation for a brand that would be mine. I have had very good service from my Elinchrom gear, though some of it is quite old now, it is a studio flash <em><strong>system</strong></em> which I have built up over the years and that system has served me well. I concur with the advice to buy quality lighting and build on it as a system.</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>Thanks, Andrew, William, I will go ahead with my initial instinct, buy the better quality lighting.....which umbrellas would be best for me though?, I would need reflective.... so black or silver backed ? the one provided is translucent...once I've bought the lights just the colour calibration to ponder!....would it be best for me to have monitor calibration.</p>

<p>The umbrellas that I use most often have a silver reflective surface backed up by black. This is the most efficient way to get the light directly on the subject and not have light bouncing all over the room, possibly causing color casts depending on what color the walls, ceiling and floors are. Silver reflectors are also less likely to change color over their lifespan, in my experience. I threw out one otherwise good soft box because the interior white material had become green over the five years or so that I owned it. Most photographers use shoot through umbrellas for portraits, where very soft light is frequently desirable.<br>

Monitor calibration is essential if you want to make good prints without wasting a lot of time and materials. I have been very happy with the Eye1 Display Pro that I have been using for the last couple of years, and would recommend it highly.</p>

<p>I agree with Andrew: for the REFLECTIVE Umbrella - silver with black backs would be a good choice for the work that you want to do. I agree about the fading and the colour changes of <em>Reflective</em> Umbrellas which are white</p>

<p>Shoot through umbrellas will give a softer light, as Andrew stated. But as we have already discussed, for some Art Works, Soft light might provide a more desirable result for you - this aspect is in the area of subjectivity - so I suggest that you not totally discard that idea of having a pair of Shoot Through Umbrellas, without first trying them and seeing for yourself.</p>

<p>The point is, if you buy into a Studio Flash System, then have the capacity to try both hard and soft lighting as you please and you can choose for yourself what you think is best suited as you photograph <strong><em>different</em></strong> individual Art Works.</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>Thanks I've bought the umbrellas you have both suggested I think they have removable covers so can be shoot through also. I'm thinking of the spyder4 pro advanced calibration it has good reviews...I'm getting a gray/white card but will I also need a colour card for the camera as well?</p>

<p>I've received the lighting today and am hoping tomorrow to set it up and learn to use it. I'm a bit confused by the flash idea though. I received a trigger kit and sync cable. Ideally would I want to avoid triggering with the camera flash?, how does the sync cable work and the lights in relation to the cameras shutter I don't don't understand how to connect them both so when the lights flash the camera responds is that the point of the sync cable it connects from camera to lights?</p>

 

<p>Your camera probably doesn't have a PC terminal, so without an adapter that slides into the hot shoe on the top of the camera (you probably have a plastic protective cover on it if you haven't used an external flash) the sync cable won't work. Go into your camera's menu and make sure that the camera flash is only activated manually when you photograph your work. With any luck, the flash trigger that came with your set of lights will slide into the flash shoe and when you click your shutter that will trigger the flash units. You will need to set exposure manually. Step one is to set your shutter speed at the X sync speed, or one setting slower to be safe with the radio transmitter. Check your camera manual for what this exact setting is, although most DSLRs are at least 1/125 or 1/180 if not faster than that. Then, using the trigger (it should have a test button) take readings with the flash meter you have purchased. Set the shutter speed and ISO you are using on the meter, and let the meter tell you what f/stop to set the lens to. Take multiple readings in the center and at the four corners, and adjust your lights until the readings are all exactly the same f/stop. Ignore the camera meter for this, it can only read the modeling lights and not the flash output which is actually making the exposure. If the readings don't match, you will need to lighten or darken parts of the image in editing, and even then it can be difficult if not impossible to get it exactly right. When you shoot, take an image with your color balance target in the image so that you can easily make any color corrections you will need for the exact lighting that you are using.<br>

Good luck!</p>

<p>Since it hasn't been mentioned in this thread, I suggest you turn off any image shake reduction whether on the lens or camera body if you're going to use a tripod. Even though most cameras invoke this at shutter speeds at or lower than 1/30's (like my DSLR) it's just a precaution in case you change your lighting situation that requires slower shutter speeds.</p>

<p>Looking at the flash trigger kit I received free it says its only single channel radio transmitter when I checked it out on amazon someone said you need to get another set for the receiver so not sure I can use it alone with 2 sets of lights.<br>

I will get a AS-15 sync terminal adapter if if will make thing simpler.</p>

 

<p>Also in lighting kit there are 2 sync cables I'm assuming one for each light but if I get the AS-15 sync terminal that only has a connector for one so where does the other go?</p>

<p>Are your flash units equipped with a built in radio receiver? Some AC flash units come this way now, your instructions should tell you this. Most others come with built in optical slaves, in which case you could potentially use your built in camera flash as a trigger if you are careful to direct it toward the ceiling with a white card or aluminum foil. My reply overlapped--I looked at the specs for you kit again and it indicates a free transmitter/receiver kit. Normal procedure in this case is to fire one flash with the radio transmitter from the camera and the optical slave fires the second flash in response to the first flash going off. This very slight delay is why it is a good idea to set slightly slower than maximum sync shutter speed on your camera.</p>

<p>The instructions are very basic and don't really give much detail but from what I can gather it has built in infrared and flash sensitive slave cell, looking at the free transmitter/receiver kit I attach the trigger to the hotshoe then the receiver into one of the flash heads. So when I press the trigger it set off both flash heads simultaneously. Would I have to reduce the power of the cameras flash ?. When using the light meter I'm to take readings while triggering the flash surely it will be too fast or I may be too slow.</p>

<p>Or I use the light meter to trigger the flash, or the lights can be put into flash mode</p>

<p>my camera sync speed is 1/200 the meter doesn't have that only 1/125 or 1/250</p>

<p>Set the meter to 1/125 and your camera also. There probably won't be a practical difference between 1/200 and 1/250 unless you have incredibly bright ambient room light, but when you're setting up something like this it helps to reduce the potential number of variables that you have to deal with.</p>

<p>Thanks Andrew I checked manual again and found I just had to change the meter to 3rd increments then got the 1/200 to match camera. Think I'm slowly getting there! :)</p>

<p>I've set the light up today to test, they work fine synced light meter to one light and can get the flash but can't get the other flash head to work, they have optical trigger, do I have to programme the lights? connect them somehow?</p>

<p>They shouldn't need to be connected--if the optical slave is working properly, the second flash should go off when the first one does. I haven't used your particular lights, so I can't help with programming/flipping switches one way or another.</p>

<p>you can use the trigger shot ,it will help...