Studio lighting -getting started

[Loose Canon]

Interesting.

Being able to control lighting groups from the camera helps a lot if you don't have a VAL (VAL = Voice Activated Lighting) (insider joke for assistant) (or "Lighting B!tch") (hey, it ain't pretty, but it's real!). so from that point of view it looks good.

I see that they've incorporated a light meter too, which in theory is great, but in practice, because it's camera based it's only going to be able to calculate the overall exposure -- it's not going to be able to sense lighting ratios (which are important) (although the lights can control output ratios that's not the effective light that's delivered because that inturn depends on the light modifier used and the distance from the light to the subject).

So in summary, the remote control is good, the rest I personally wouldn't use. Then again, it's possibly better than nothing if you don't have a lightmeter (I use a Sekonic 758DR) (but then again, after a while you kinda get used to the settings you use commonly anyway - I know if I setup a key light on 5.6 into an octabox - floor to ceiling reflectors on other side - camera 1/125th @ F11 @ ISO 100 I'll get a good exposure with about a 2:1 to 3:1 fill ratio (cookie cutter h&S portrait).

Its not camera based. You take it off the camera into the scene, hold it in your hand, and use it just like you would any other meter.

[Colin Southern]

Maybe I was unclear in the way I said it. The transmitter has a built-in light meter. You still have to put the meter in the scene, fire the lights to get a reading (after setting the shutter/ISO on the meter), and set your camera to that desired setting, but after you have registered a reading any adjustments in power are shown in the readout so you don't have to take continuous readings after making adjustments. It will read out individual lights, groups, or the entire lighting scheme according to power adjustments. The metering is built-in to the trigger system and talks to the lights.

If you don't like that you can use your Sekonic and calibrate the two together if you want.

http://www.paulcbuff.com/cc.php

Sorry, I didn't realise that.

If that's the case then I can't really comment as I've only ever used the Sekonic. Having just said that, I probably wouldn't want to be taking it off the camera every time I change lighting.

[Loose Canon]

Sorry, I didn't realise that.

If that's the case then I can't really comment as I've only ever used the Sekonic. Having just said that, I probably wouldn't want to be taking it off the camera every time I change lighting.

You don't have to necessarily. Unless you change light positions, it will show the power adjustment on the transmitter, on your camera, and then you just happily (and manually) change your camera settings to match.

If you have to walk into the set to move lights, you simply slip it out of the hot shoe, go move your lights, take a reading on your way back to the camera and your good to go.

One heck of a lot cheaper than a separate meter and it works. Probably not as many bells/whistles as your Sekonic but easier on the wallet for sure.

[Colin Southern]

You don't have to necessarily. Unless you change light positions, it will show the power adjustment on the transmitter, on your camera, and then you just happily (and manually) change your camera settings to match.

If you have to walk into the set to move lights, you simply slip it out of the hot shoe, go move your lights, take a reading on your way back to the camera and your good to go.

One heck of a lot cheaper than a separate meter and it works. Probably not as many bells/whistles as your Sekonic but easier on the wallet for sure.

Not sure I quite get it -- the light settings need to be changed to suit the camera, not the other way around. And if I'm shooting 8 sets with 8 different lighting configs then the way I see it I'd have to take it off the camera at least 8 times and then remount it at least. 8 times.

Not a biggie, but personally I'd rather just have the light meter on me and adjust light power from my iPad.

[Loose Canon]

Not sure I quite get it -- the light settings need to be changed to suit the camera, not the other way around. And if I'm shooting 8 sets with 8 different lighting configs then the way I see it I'd have to take it off the camera at least 8 times and then remount it at least. 8 times.

I'm not quite sure you do either Colin and most likely because I can't explain it clearly! You use it just like a light meter. That’s what it is. You can change your camera settings to match the reading, or you can change the light settings to match the camera, just like any other meter. The difference is that you can control the light output from that same transmitter/meter.

I recently needed to shoot some items @ f/22. Needed lots of light. Positioned the lights where I wanted them and to what ratios I thought I would like. Took the transmitter/meter into the scene and took a reading. I wasn’t up to f/22 yet so I just increased the power to all lights as a whole with one adjustment. They all increased relatively so that I kept my ratios until I got to f/22. I could have changed each light’s power output individually (if say, I didn’t like the ratios), or as assigned groups, or any way I had set it up and it would have still given me the corresponding f-stop as a relative whole. Without taking any more readings or firing any more lights.

Now if you use 8 sets then yes, you need to use it 8 times. Just like you would use your Sekonic 8 times. The transmitter just slips in and out of the hotshoe. No big "mounting" issue. But… if you need to make adjustments, you don’t have to go back into the scene, fire the lights again, and take another reading. It gives you the relative readings based on the adjustments.

I would suggest Colin, that if you are interested then just read the downloadable manual. I seem to be having difficulty explaining satisfactorily (typical!)! Its really a very cool and forward-thinking system in my opinion.

[Colin Southern]

I'm not quite sure you do either Colin and most likely because I can't explain it clearly! You use it just like a light meter. That’s what it is. You can change your camera settings to match the reading, or you can change the light settings to match the camera, just like any other meter. The difference is that you can control the light output from that same transmitter/meter.

I recently needed to shoot some items @ f/22. Needed lots of light. Positioned the lights where I wanted them and to what ratios I thought I would like. Took the transmitter/meter into the scene and took a reading. I wasn’t up to f/22 yet so I just increased the power to all lights as a whole with one adjustment. They all increased relatively so that I kept my ratios until I got to f/22. I could have changed each light’s power output individually (if say, I didn’t like the ratios), or as assigned groups, or any way I had set it up and it would have still given me the corresponding f-stop as a relative whole. Without taking any more readings or firing any more lights.

Now if you use 8 sets then yes, you need to use it 8 times. Just like you would use your Sekonic 8 times. The transmitter just slips in and out of the hotshoe. No big "mounting" issue. But… if you need to make adjustments, you don’t have to go back into the scene, fire the lights again, and take another reading. It gives you the relative readings based on the adjustments.

I would suggest Colin, that if you are interested then just read the downloadable manual. I seem to be having difficulty explaining satisfactorily (typical!)! Its really a very cool and forward-thinking system in my opinion.

So in summary, it's just a combined light meter and lighting controller.

For what it's worth, we do much the same with the Elinchrom Skyport where we can raise or all or any groups 1/10th of a stop per click of the button (or via iPad / iPhone etc).

If that controller only has 2 buttons though then I'd be thinking it would be hard work changing a lot of things?

[krfessl]

I went back and reread the CyberCommander and them the separate trigger device also ... Can be used in combo when you want to hand hold the commander component... You then mount the trigger instead on the hotshoe (it only fires with the set-up thru the trigger, but still does remote radio control to the lights ... More I read and learn, more I wanna get this gear... ALMOST know what I'm reading now, thanks to this dialog...

Added another foot, to working studio area, thx to CFO now being into it too, and leaning my way. :-)

I can sense, Pressure going up to produce

[jcuknz]

I have one tip which I mention as a result of Colins comment the ceiling is too low. My freind's solution when setting up a room for formal wedding photography was to get a carpenter freind make a curved ceiling .... a variation on the horizon-less background.

The figure in the drwg is a little small to be a correct representation

[Colin Southern]

I have one tip which I mention as a result of Colins comment the ceiling is too low. My freind's solution when setting up a room for formal wedding photography was to get a carpenter freind make a curved ceiling .... a variation on the horizon-less background.

The figure in the drwg is a little small to be a correct representation

In my case I was meaning so that models can stand and still be room for lights with softboxes attached on boom arms and still a reasonable distance from the softbox to the subject. IMO 3m is "on the tight side" whereas 4m + is "great".

PS: I think your spelling checker might be on the blink; "freind" is actually spelled "friend" ("i" before "e" except after "c" etc ...)

[RustBeltRaw]

I can sense, Pressure going up to produce

Get used to that. It only gets stronger.

As much as I like the idea of having a separate flash meter around to provide an objective, camera-independent metering standard, don't forget that your camera's histogram can take you pretty far. Using it means you're likely to spend more time tweaking lights, but you can easily determine the blown-background limit and keep tabs on your subject's exposure with the histogram.

[krfessl]

Yeh Lex, you have no idea the pressure the CFO can put on, but she's giving some too... I got another foot - making the length 16' now (E to E usable) and 11' wide... The backdrops should be here today for the long side (which looks to be portrait central)...

I just got some Histogram reading, so I'm gonna catch-up there too, thanks! Any reccos for that are appreciated... Buff won't budge on the AB gear pricing... But I'm hooked on the CyberCommander/CyberSync stuff. (It's so smart, it Sounds like they must have part of Colin's brain imbedded in the CyberCommander Software ( a respectful comment) :-). It's got features out the wazoo... And I am, if nothing else, a gadget guy...

[Colin Southern]

You can always tell the CFO "if I don't get the gear I need then I can't guarantee the quality of the portraits of her"!

[krfessl]

You can always tell the CFO "if I don't get the gear I need then I can't guarantee the quality of the portraits of her"!

Colin, Literally LoL, ROTF!!!!! She's sitting next to me at our local sushi bar (Friday nite date spot for 15 yrs of our 36 yr marriage) I showed her your post, and she wants to talk to YOU now, so look out! ;-)

[Colin Southern]

Colin, Literally LoL, ROTF!!!!! She's sitting next to me at our local sushi bar (Friday nite date spot for 15 yrs of our 36 yr marriage) I showed her your post, and she wants to talk to YOU now, so look out! ;-)

Quite often in the studio we'll have a Mum accompanying a daughter and I'll suggest that we get a few fun photos of the Mum. Almost invariably the response is "no way in hell!". So I tell them that one way or another I'm going to get a shot and that they can either co-operate in the hope we get something 1/2 descent ...

... or alternatively, we can just run with a vidcap from the security camera footage!

[krfessl]

Quite often in the studio we'll have a Mum accompanying a daughter and I'll suggest that we get a few fun photos of the Mum. Almost invariably the response is "no way in hell!". So I tell them that one way or another I'm going to get a shot and that they can either co-operate in the hope we get something 1/2 descent ...

... or alternatively, we can just run with a vidcap from the security camera footage!

We have friends in Auckland, mate. :-) (really)

[Colin Southern]

We have friends in Auckland, mate. :-) (really)

We call them JAFAs - Just Another Fine Aucklander!

[krfessl]

Oh yeah... The CFO said go for the ABs, with all the cool electronics (radio triggers, digital displays, metering, power control)... That's why I love this woman!

[Colin Southern]

Here begins a journey

[krfessl]

Order placed! :-)

Item Ref. Price ea. Qty. Description

B800-B 3 B800 Black Studio Flash
CC 1 Cyber Commander
CSR+ 3 CyberSync Receiver Plus (AC)
CST 1 CyberSync Trigger Transmitter
FSB2436 1 Foldable Medium Softbox (24in
. x 36in.) speedring attached
LS1100 1 Backlight Stand
LS3050 1 10-foot General Purpose Stand
LS3900 1 13-foot Heavy Duty Stand
SLFA 1 Speed Light Foot Adapter
U48TWB 1 48-inch Shoot-Thru Umbrella
UBR 1 Background Reflector

[Colin Southern]

Looks pretty good.

I'm not sure exactly of the details of some of the products, but you might like to think about adding another softbox (it would be a rare shoot indeed that didn't use at least 2 for me). Some kind of boom arm to enable a hair light over the model, and a cheap beauty dish with grid for hair light (you have to control the light quite tightly).

A snoot is good for hard light / high contrast shots (tradition says don't use on women, but I like to break that tradition), and a couple of grids for rim/kicker lights (good for blokes).

Regardless, you'll find that from this point onwards (hope CFO isn't reading this), you'll be constantly adding things from equipment to makeup to hair dryers / curlers / straighteners / spray. Then things like fans, water sprayers, props ...

Past a certain point you need to extend past equipment to capture the image to an environment where you create the image; that goes beyond the lights and camera and extends out to things like:

- Planning & researching the look & lighting beforehand

- Briefing the model on things as diverse as avoiding alcohol (it shows in skin tones) to loosening off bra shoulder straps a couple of hours ahead of the shoot if you're doing any off the shoulder shots (they leave strap marks)

- Studio music (model's choice) (except Justin Bieber -- have to draw the line somewhere) (to get the model "in the groove")

- To strategies to make the model comfortable (eg bring a friend, being "goofy") - to explaining that we're not here to take a photo OF them, we're where to make a photo WITH them (it's a team effort)

- To best practice like legal releases and independent chaperons, especially when shooting young women

- To having things like clothing and other props (there's still something not quite right when my daughter asks "Dad, can I PLEASE borrow one of your dresses - they're so much nicer than mine!)

- To having hair and makeup facilities

And a lot more too.

The irony is that EVERY bloke who sees the studio comments to the effect that its a cool job to be shooting scantily clad young women, but the reality is that the pleasure only comes from the finished images at the end of post-processing; up until that point its all bloody hard work.