Lighting

[Yatys 93]

any one got any recommendations for a cheap white light for taking photos, me and a friend are making a cocktail book and need to take pictures of all the drinks, we have a white sheet and a canon 1300D just want a small light panel or a soft box.

[Hashiba]

Hi @Yatys 93,

 

Maybe If you could give us a little bit more of information such as budget, the kind of setup that you have in mind, we might be able to help you; like for instance; are the shots of the cocktails going to be done on a neutral or white background, are you going to be doing macro shots? are you planning to also add models to the shot? do you have some references of how you want it to look like? are you also going to be doing video? have you considered using strobes instead?

[Yatys 93]

51 minutes ago, Hashiba said:

Hi @Yatys 93,

 

Maybe If you could give us a little bit more of information such as budget, the kind of setup that you have in mind, we might be able to help you; like for instance; are the shots of the cocktails going to be done on a neutral or white background, are you going to be doing macro shots? are you planning to also add models to the shot? do you have some references of how you want it to look like? are you also going to be doing video? have you considered using strobes instead?

sorry you are right.

 

nothing more than £40ish as its for a one off thing then not sure when it will get used again, as I said will be on a white backdrop (sheet) with possibly some bright coasters if I can find a way to get them without buying multiple packs so possibly just on white. nothing fancy in the way of macro, just using the standard EFS 18-55mm lens that came with the camera, no models or anything, just one or two drinks, ranging from shots to pitchers in size, no video and had not considered strobes but I have a very cheap one somewhere I bought years ago.

[Yatys 93]

should also note, prefer mains powered, but battery is fine provided its a normal battery (AA)

[Hashiba]

ok, the 18-55 is a "slow lens", f3.5-5.6 depending the focal distance, you'll need all the light you can get, so you might have to play with the shutter speed if you are going with continuos lighting, if you have some experience with the strobe perhaps a cheap complimentary strobe might give you more versatility, perhaps you can use one for the background and one for the drinks with some kind of diffusion.

 

I would try to find an affordable led light, led's tend to be diffused so, you might be able to add random materials in front of it to created a soft box effect.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QV1ML90/ref=twister_B07BJ32JZJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

you can start with something like that, I wouldn't get a dual color temperature fixture on that small range because of the output loss, so, go for 5500K, some come with a filter or you can add a CTO later on, it's very cheap and it's definitely better to convert 5500K to 3200Kish than going the other way around. (3/4 of a stop vs 2 stops loss)

 

If you don't need the stands you can save some money and get slightly bigger lights and/or different accessories. 

 

 

[Yatys 93]

6 minutes ago, Hashiba said:

ok, the 18-55 is a "slow lens", f3.5-5.6 depending the focal distance, you'll need all the light you can get, so you might have to play with the shutter speed if you are going with continuos lighting, if you have some experience with the strobe perhaps a cheap complimentary strobe might give you more versatility, perhaps you can use one for the background and one for the drinks with some kind of diffusion.

 

I would try to find an affordable led light, led's tend to be diffused so, you might be able to add random materials in front of it to created a soft box effect.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QV1ML90/ref=twister_B07BJ32JZJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

you can start with something like that, I wouldn't get a dual color temperature fixture on that small range because of the output loss, so, go for 5500K, some come with a filter or you can add a CTO later on, it's very cheap and it's definitely better to convert 5500K to 3200Kish than going the other way around. (3/4 of a stop vs 2 stops loss)

 

If you don't need the stands you can save some money and get slightly bigger lights and/or different accessories. 

 

 

Thank you!

 

the strobe is a very basic thing, it was i think £3 in a supermarket we bought for a laugh at a house party, not variable speeds or anything, just on or off so not sure how much that will work, but the camera will be on a tripod so could just do a slightly longer exposure?

 

that one you linked looks like they will do the trick! and the stands will come in handy at some point!

 

[Hashiba]

I'm glad that helps, feel free to reach out if you have more questions, good luck on your next Gig! 

[Yatys 93]

1 minute ago, Hashiba said:

I'm glad that helps, feel free to reach out if you have more questions, good luck on your next Gig! 

will do! should be a fun night, need to find people to help with the drinking so we can still work the camera  if all goes well we will have a f1.8 50mm lens so that will make life easier too.

 

 

[Hashiba]

3 minutes ago, Yatys 93 said:

will do! should be a fun night, need to find people to help with the drinking so we can still work the camera  if all goes well we will have a f1.8 50mm lens so that will make life easier too.

 

 

Nice!, that little 50mm f1.8 is a savior! have fun!