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lukaszb
Joined: 21 Sep 2009
Posts: 145
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:30 pm
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I want to shoot still life and do tabletop photography and need some suggestions on what to get in terms of lighting. Should I get a shoe mount flash or should I invest in strobes or other pro lights? What's the best solution here? |
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vclements
Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 2441
Location: http://www.vdavidclements.com
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:35 pm
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Without question studio strobes.
Decent usable studio strobes are quite affordable.
You can generally get studio strobes for less than a Canon or Nikon flash.
Depending on your budget, 2 or 3 heads at 300ws minimum (preferably 600ws).
I use Speedotron pack/heads, so I can't really add much for monolight info.
Dave and a few others really like the Flashpoints.
Some swear by Alien Bees - although I fail to understand that. They are plastic with proprietary accessory mounts and look quite fragile. |
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felix_casio
Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 1563
Location: www.felixtm.com
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:47 am
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I use alienbees stuff. Indeed some components seem fragile but I've had some of the heads take some extreme impact and they still work great. Call and ask if they could rent some equipment to you. |
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hhltdave5
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 19183
Location: Our Stock, Food & Portrait photography books at www.rindersmithphotography.com
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:52 am
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I have been using Flashpoints from Adorama for the past 3 years without one bit of problems. Great price, warranty and inexpensive replacement parts.
I agree with Vince on getting something at least in the range of 300 watt seconds. I use 600's.
Just so you know you can do some amazing work with nothing but natural light and some reflectors. If you have access to good natural light try it. Just make sure you use a good tripod and have an understanding of lighting. |
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lukaszb
Joined: 21 Sep 2009
Posts: 145
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:12 pm
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| hhltdave5 wrote: | I have been using Flashpoints from Adorama for the past 3 years without one bit of problems. Great price, warranty and inexpensive replacement parts.
I agree with Vince on getting something at least in the range of 300 watt seconds. I use 600's.
Just so you know you can do some amazing work with nothing but natural light and some reflectors. If you have access to good natural light try it. Just make sure you use a good tripod and have an understanding of lighting. |
That's the problem that I don't have good natural light at the place where I'm at right now, so i've been improvising with home made lighting, etc. but I'm not happy with the results that I've been getting. I have to do a lot of tweaking on the PC. |
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jeffbanke
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 13731
Location: www.xlr8photo.com, slipping into darkness
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:15 pm
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| lukaszb wrote: | | hhltdave5 wrote: | I have been using Flashpoints from Adorama for the past 3 years without one bit of problems. Great price, warranty and inexpensive replacement parts.
I agree with Vince on getting something at least in the range of 300 watt seconds. I use 600's.
Just so you know you can do some amazing work with nothing but natural light and some reflectors. If you have access to good natural light try it. Just make sure you use a good tripod and have an understanding of lighting. |
That's the problem that I don't have good natural light at the place where I'm at right now, so i've been improvising with home made lighting, etc. but I'm not happy with the results that I've been getting. I have to do a lot of tweaking on the PC. |
I agree with the guys about the studio strobes!
One last thought, the old adage leaps to mind "It takes money to make money!", so invest in the strobes!
300W/s strobes are only about $150 each, get a loan for 3 or better still 4 of them. |
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