Beginner Lighting for Film Shooter

[jessica_jones7]

<p>I have been navigating my way around different posts from people looking for suggestions on lighting accessories for their shooting, and have then been directed to a few different helpful websites including Strobist which was quite informative. However, a lot of the suggestions include recommendations based on the individuals DSLR flash, and I am curious as to the possibilities available to me shooting a 35mm SLR camera.<br>

Primarily I shoot with an Olympus OM1n with the basic removable Olympus flash for that camera. I am almost always on a time crunch when I shoot for a school assignment & more often than not end up with less than the desired lighting for projects, indoors or out. As a student my budget isn't large, but I am not going to waste money on a cheap kit or anything, so I want to start with some basics and over time I will build on that, so any recommendations on where to start would be fantastic!<br>

Thanks!</p>

[SCL]

<p>Could you give some examples of just how the lighting you get isn't what you desire? What type of subjects, what sort of distance from your flash to the subject? Does your present flash have a movable head...ie can it bounce light? I spent a lot of time years ago with film cameras and flash as a school photographer for our newspaper, and an expensive flash kit wasn't part of the equation. FWIW, in the last 15 years I've been using, as one of the best flashes I've ever used, a Metz 45CL-4; I've used it on my Olympus OM2n, Rolleiflex, Leica R, M, and screwmount bodies, Canon and Nikon bodies, Pentax and Ricoh bodies. Its power and versatility are terrific, and the fact that it uses AA batteries is just icing on the cake. I can use it on both film and digital bodies, 35mm and medium format. On a smaller scale, I often use an old Vivitar 2800 which I picked up on Ebay years ago for around $10.</p>

[SCL]

<p>Here's a composite shot of the Metz (bought used) on some of the camera bodies, with either a direct X synch for use in the automatic mode, or with accessory modules for ttl metering.</p><div></div>

[mukul_dube]

<p>Too little information to go on. Just what are these school assignments? Portraits, groups, interiors? One thing you can do, whatever the subject, is put your flash on a bracket to one side -- as in the illustration above -- rather than in the camera's accessory shoe. Another inexpensive trick is to have a second flash, on the other side, fired by an optical slave sensor.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Jessica, lighting is lighting and it doesn't really matter that you're shooting film and not digital. Concentrate on the <em>quality</em> of your light, and not how it's produced. If you want the ugliest light in the world, then use an unmodified flash fitted on or close to the camera and pointed straight at the subject.</p>

<p>If you want something softer and more interesting, then turn the flash away from the camera and 'bounce' it off something, or better yet mount it well away from the camera and use a proper diffuser, reflector, umbrella or softbox. However, bouncing or diffusing the flash generally needs more power, and you could do a lot worse than something like that Metz 45 CL-4 shown above. Hammerheads like that are very versatile and generally reasonably cheap to buy used. There's also a more powerful Metz 60 CT series that have a separate power pack - great for use with those slow films!</p>

<p>There's a <a href="http://shutterworks.org/zeug/index_en.php">site here </a>with some good ideas on how to mount these hammerheads into an umbrella efficiently. And if you want a softbox, <a href="http://www.buycamerasa.co.za/images/Umbrella%20Softbox%20-%20BLK.jpg">the type shown here</a> is definitely the easiest and quickest to use.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Most important thing you can do with a flash is to get it off the camera. Ideally put it on a light stand and use it with an umbrella ($20 and up) or soft box on a light stand ($20 and up). You can use the Olympus flash you already have. Just put it on full manual mode and use your camera in manual mode. If you're on a budget, just use a long PC cord ($20). Go back to the Strobist site and read the Lighting 101 lessons if you haven't already. The site refers a lot to Nikon flash units but the principals work regardless of brand.</p>

[peter_simpson1]

<p>One more suggestion: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Magic-Introduction-Photographic/dp/0240812255">Light: Science and Magic</a><br>

If you want to learn about lighting, this is the reference to buy. There are used copies available with pretty much the same information, if you are on a student budget. It's well worth the money.</p>

[michaelmowery]

<p>learn to see natural light first. shoot as much non flash pictures. Use flash to fill when needed. Non flash and high iso should improve your images when you can see the direction of the light.</p>

[jessica_jones7]

<p>We shoot all kinds of assignments... portraits, scenery, product etc... and they have all been non-flash photos. I just hate having to rush home in the evening trying to beat the rain or the sun to try & shoot my assignments. It will turn out I have one day to do it & suddenly its thunderstorming & I have no light to work with.<br>

I will look into the flash being off of the camera, I do not have any experience with bouncing it or how that begins. Regarding the film vs. digital, all I was inquiring was if my Olympus flash was able to work off the camera, since it is so old, I wasn't sure of its capabilities. Thank you for all the responses!</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<blockquote>

<p>"....suddenly its thunderstorming & I have no light to work with."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well, that's the reason why professionals don't rely on natural light for their portrait and product shots, but they generally aim to emulate the quality of natural light with flash or some other type of artificial lighting. You might want to search this site for the excellent video tutorials by Steve Sint as an introduction to studio lighting.</p>

<p>It's difficult to say if your Olympus flash is suitable for off-camera use since you don't mention the model number. However most older flashguns are able to take a simple Prontor-Compur (P-C) trigger cable that plugs into the little co-axial socket on the front/side of the camera. These cables are readily available in a 3 or 5 metre length and will allow you to get the flash away from the camera and onto a support stand.</p>

<p>BTW. Why not ask the advice of whoever is setting you the assignments you mention? Isn't that part of their job?</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Start with a constant light source, not flash. Flash adds a layer of technology to learn, when shooting film there is a

mother difficulty to learning how to light with flash as well: you can't really see what the light is doing and hence cant

make a judgement about the effect the lighting creates and whether you like the effect or want to try something else until

after the film has been processed and proofed (yes I know that studio type lights have a modeling light to simulate what

the flash will do , but even the best modeling light design is no more of a rough guide to the final effect than an

absolute emulation.)

 

So start with constant light. This can be as simple as a desk light, a flashlight, a work light in a simple reflector from a

hardware store, something that is more specifically dedicated to photography, or best: a potent entail combination of all

of the above.

 

If you are looking for a simple, rugged very bright photographic "hot light" I recommend you look for a Lowell Omni-D or a

Lowell Totalight. Get a good stand or two as well.

 

Along the lines of lighting advice:: best guide to basic lighting effects is Ross Lowel's book "Matters of Light And Depth." It

is very straightforward and uses almost no technically dense jargon.

 

Good lighting isn't hard to achieve: it just takes practice and curiosity about what happens about what happens when you

put a light here or there, where you point it, and what you put in its path.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Edit, the 1st paragraph should read:

Start with a constant light source, not flash. Two reasons: Flash adds a layer of technology to learn; and when shooting

film there is a another difficulty to learning how to light with flash as well: you can't really see what the light is doing and

hence cant make a judgement about the effect the lighting creates, whether you like the effect, or want to try something

else until after the film has been processed and proofed (yes I know that studio type lights have a modeling light to

simulate what the flash will do , but even the best modeling light design is no more of a rough guide to the final effect than

an absolute emulation.)

 

My conclusion remains: to learn lighting , start with constant light sources not flash. the only thing flash does that constant lights do not is freeze motion.

[jessica_jones7]

<p>It is a T32 flash, but I like the idea of constant light source. Some kind of halogen or lamp lighting would be ideal, but I don't even know how to begin. Umbrellas, reflectors.. I really just want the basics. I will definitely look into that book! I like to build things so even if I can gather items together myself to set something up that would be fine too. Or I guess I could just go to Home Depot & purchase a really larch lamp, haha.</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Just start with a simple work light from Home Depot : the kind you screw a lightbulb in And has a spring clamp to attach it

to a chair or a post. The only downside with this will be if you are shooting color as tungsten household lamps put out a

very warm light (2700 kelvin) , quartz-halogen are slightly cooler (3200 Kelvin) and daylight balanced color film is

balanced for 5500 Kelvin. But for B&W you'll be fine. Fluorescent could work as well for B&W film but presents a different

problem for color film (it photographs as greenish-yellow.

 

As to light modifiers , bounce the light from the ceiling or a wall or a. Piece of white dome core to make a broad light

source.

 

This how you start. You can make it more complicated but fiddling with gear gets in your way of learning the

fundamentals of how to create and use light.

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Yes, your older Olympus flash will work off-camera. If it doesn't have a PC cord connection, you can get a hotshoe-to-PC adaptor. Older flashes tend to be much simpler than current flashes and in some ways are easier to work with.<br /><br />If you want to experiment with continuous light on the cheap, you can get a work light like Ellis says. But for about $35 you can get an actual photoflood light meant for photography, with the proper light stand mount and umbrella holder. Not fancy, but a little more versatile and you can get the proper 3200-degree bulbs or daylight balanced bulbs so you can work with color if you want.<br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/48734-REG/Smith_Victor_401006_910UL_Adapta_Light_500_Watt.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/48734-REG/Smith_Victor_401006_910UL_Adapta_Light_500_Watt.html</a> </p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I'm still curious about what your tutor(s) is/are doing to help you with this? Being set assignments without any guidance is no way to learn.</p>