TP: advice on a Studio Lighting setup

flyingscot4 wrote: Before you decide on strobes, check out the new fluorescent tube lighting systems which make lighting truly WYSIWYG. Monte mentions it in one of his videos.

Before you decide on fluorescent tube lighting be sure to understand how it irretrievably (non-correctable) alters the light spectrum and the colour content of your images.

Not to mention that it requires longer exposure times, thereby increasing blur in your images from shutter release to subject nervousness. A couple banks of fluorescent lights will result in exposure times of about 1/15 to 1/30 at ISO 100 and f/8. This is also a shutter speed range where mirror slap manifests itself.

A flash exposure at full power takes place in 1/500 s; at lower power levels it could be as little as 1/20,000 s. No blur or movement.

I can't emphasize how much better flash is than continuous in the studio. You can get to higher shutter speeds, but you will need a lot of lights which gets big and cumbersome (and expensive) in the studio while continuously giving off heat - albeit much less than incandescent.

I have been doing studio type portaiture since the mid-1970s always on the cheap. Started with incandescents, and believe me that was no fun. Never enough light for the fine grain films and so hot. But I couldn't afford either strobes with modeling lights, a flash meter or a medium format camera with Polaroid back, so the WYSIWYG aspect of incandescents was my only choice.

Now everything is different. The grain-free, high ISO capability and instant feedback (even onto a high quality monitor)of modern digital photography makes the high power and modeling lights of professional type strobes totally unnecessary for occasional, non-paid work.

I have found a setup that I relly like, which I call "bright room and a main light". Using two and three light setups over the years, I was never really satisfied, but didn't want to spend lots for many more lights. Now I have 10 Vivitar 3500 (vintage early 80's) flashes all equipped with the variable power-slave modification. These cost less than $15 each for the flash unit and another $15 or less for the variable power-slave replacement for the dedicated camera type module all from ebay within the last couple of years. Oh and they only take two AA batteries each. I bounce as many of these as I need all around off my white ceiling and walls to make the "bright room". Then I set up one umbrella with my Sunpak 544 on a synch cord (adapted to the camera, up to now a KM 5D) or Sigma dedicated flash on a Minolta OS/OC-11 cord and shoe as the main light. The main triggers all the "bright room" slaves. I sometimes need a few of the Vivitars to fully light my background paper, but that is it. The light from the walls and ceiling illuniates hair beautifully and gives lovely, even skin illumination. Since it is coming from all over (like overcast sky), there are no harsh shadows on the faces and very little shadow on the background except from the single main light. It really does remind me of very well filled in sunlight. Easy to meter with a gray card, just meter all the Vivitars, then the main. No expensive add ons like soft boxes. And what I really like is that using only one umbrella, I get the much sought after single highlight in the models' eyes. Never could do that with a main and fill umbrella.

One more nice thing is that there is plenty of light when using ISO 400 to set all the strobes at 1/4 or less power so recycling is nearly instantaneous.

I have never seen anyone describe this before. Comments would be appreciated.