LightBulb for a Makeshift "Studio"

[lawrence_ho]

<p>I am planning to use my unfinished basement for a makeshift studio. Nothing serious other than taking some portrait pictures. Right now, I am only using Nikon flash units for lighting. I always switch on the overhead incandescent light for composition purose, and turn it off before I pull the trigger to avoid color contamination. Obviously, there is some walking/running between the camera on the tripod and the lightswitch and also a brief moment when the basement is close to pitch dark.<br>

My quesions are:<br />1. Am I over concerned with the wb contamination?<br />2. If so, would it help to change the bulb to a daylight color temperature bulb and leave it on?<br />3. If either one will contribute some sort of contamination anyway, what is the best way to avoid that effectively?<br>

Hope I make myself clear and appreciate your help. Thanks.</p>

[mark_sirota1]

<p>Take a photo as you normally would, except unplug or otherwise disable your flashes. (If you normally use automatic exposure, you'll need to switch to manual with the same settings.) See what you get -- that'll tell you how much the overhead light is contributing to the exposure.</p>

<p>Assuming you're normally shooting at something like 1/250th, ISO 100, f/8, I think you'll find the overhead lamp isn't making much difference at all.</p>

[JAPster]

<p>They do sell 120V screw-in bulbs that produce light that is supposed to be much more like natural daylight (even though natural daylight itself varies in quality, color, and intensity throughout the day). You might try replacing the existing bulb with a 'daylight' bulb. That sort of change might bring the bulb's light much closer to the Nikon flash's light.</p>