Lighting Equipment for Still Life

<p>I am trying to find out what is the best type of light for still life? I am going to be taking my first still life course and for hardware needed it just says you need- Access to studio equipment: i.e. lighting equipment (strobe and/or hot lights) light stands, light modifiers, and backdrops. <br>

I currently own Impact Tungsten Three-Floodlight Kit with 6' Stands http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/308806-REG/Impact_401495_Three_Floodlight_Kit.html <br>

Do I need different lighting equipment to shoot still life? I've read you can also use softboxes. <br>

What is the best lighting equipment for shooting still life? Any brands you would recommend? <br /><br>

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Thanks<br /></p>

<p>Your first piece of equipment should be the book, <a href="http://www.laurphoto.com/prdr/light_science_magic"><em>Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting</em></a>.<br /><br />It will help you to understand that not all still life requirements are the same (a desk? a banana? a shiny stone? a piece of black coal?), and that things like "softboxes" aren't lights, but light modifiers. NO equipment until you've got some of those basics understood - and that book is the best way to get acquainted with the basics (and some more advanced concepts).</p>

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<p>What is the best lighting equipment for shooting still life? </p>

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The best lighting consists of equipment that will give you the effect you want, at a price you can afford. Since you don't need to stop action, you have many options. If you want soft light (=soft shadows) you can use diffusers or reflectors instead of a commercial softbox. There are many other cheap DIY alternatives. <br>

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1. Get the book Matt recommended. It is very strong on Still Life lighting (and a little weak on Portrait lighting). Once you understand light, you can make better decisions on equipment.<br>

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2. Watch some of Steve Sint's videos. <a href="http://setshoptutorials.com/photo-tutorials">http://setshoptutorials.com/photo-tutorials</a></p>

 

<p>Still life (table top) lighting situations are as varied as "real life " situations. Almost any lighting tools are good to start with and your kit looks pretty good. In classical still life, as derived from old master paintings, often employ a soft box. It is used simply because it emulates the directional, soft window light source that was popular in early times mostly due to lack of artificial sources and often from the North side of the building where the light was more consistent throughout the day. Using tungsten lights, soft boxes can get VERY hot but a open, simple flat diffusion panel can be placed in front of a tungsten source, at a safe distance, can give a similar lighting quality.</p>

<p>When I first started shooting table top subjects I used a hardware store clamp-on light on a broom handle stuck into a cement filled paint can. It worked pretty well. Your kit is miles better than that. I would just start with what you have and play with it. Matt's book selection is a good one. Also, just simply LOOK and STUDY lot's of still life images old and new, photos and paintings, and try analyze how the lighting is working, it's direction, color and quality, on various surfaces, how objects are arranged into pleasing compositions and how focal length, view point and focus helps control the movement of the eye through the composition. Still life work offers tremendous control over the entire image which is at once thrilling but can also be fussy work. </p>

<p>As you move forward, the hardware store offers much in the way of various woods and Formica materials for working surfaces. A sturdy, folding banquet table or thick plywood sitting on a pair of saw horses make for good table tops. Get a variety of "A" spring clamps of different sizes while you are there. Very useful items. Later, add a simple, diffuser panel and some white and silver reflector cards. Add some good ideas and you can make great still life images for a long time with surprisingly simple, and inexpensive tools. Master photographer, and photo.net member, Steve Stint has some nice video tutorials worth a look <a href="http://setshoptutorials.com/photo-tutorials">HERE</a>. The web offers lots of other tips and tricks out there and worth searching and investigating. Best of luck to you.</p>

 

<p>You want lighting that you can control. Flood lighting does nothing for impact or creativity. You will want lights that has or can accept a full range of light shapers from focus spots to gridded soft boxes. Still life can be a small ring or an automobile.</p>

<p>Another book to take a look at would be Steve Sint's "Digital Still Life."</p>