Location lighting questions (maybe a silly question but need help)

[hobbsr]

Hi All,

I am not much of a lighting person at this stage so on a steep learning curve, so sorry if this is a silly or simple question but would really appreciate the answer.

I am looking to use a portable light source to shoot a couple running in front of a large building on a very bright day. I was thinking a 5-Step Power Control Fluorescent Light with Reflector. Uses up to 30W compact flouro 5600 or 6500K?? only problem is what kind of portable power source? No-one here can suggest an option outside of using this kind of solution with main power. I have seen that many fashion photographers seem to use this one light type setup and they seem to have a 240v portable power source? Can anyone offer any advice n the right kind of setup and where to source it from?

So the shot concept is a large wide shot with the whole building in the background the foreground will be in shade and want to shot some light across into the path of the couple running or walking in front of the building on the lawn.

Hope that makes some sense to what I am trying to achieve?

Thanks

Rodney

[gwhitf]

if it's a bright day, you're gonna need a ton of strobe to light a large area like that. two or three 2400 packs. flourescent won't put a dent in it. and if they're running, i'd use bi-tube heads for shorter duration.

[hobbsr]

Hi,

I suppose what I want is just be able to put a bit of warmth across them so they stand out from the shade and dark nature of the convent that I will be shooting against. I thought a direct type of light at them so they run towards or into that would help.

Rodney

[Jonathan H]

What gwhitf said - fluorescent lighting won't even be noticeable in your image.  The only thing that will do what you want is strobe output.  I don't think multiple packs will be necessary, however.  A single 2400WS pack ought to do the trick.

If you aren't comfortable with strobes though, another option is having an assistant or two hold large reflector panels (4'x6' or larger).  Even if the entire area where you're shooting is in the shade, the panels are large enough that you can have them positioned probably 20-30 feet away in direct sunlight and still get the effect you're looking for.

[hobbsr]

Hi All,

Maybe I could get closer with the light source and compose the image a different way, can anyone tell me what the light rig is in this shot?

[HarperPhotos]

Hello Hobbsr,

What I think you should look at is to rent some battery powered flash like in the attached image.

This is the brand I use but there are plenty of other flash companies to choose from.

Cheers

Simon

[hobbsr]

Hi simon,

Yes, I see get what kind of power 1200 or 2400 head and use a refelctor 40 degree 17" or smaller to get max output like a 12" reflector? Am I on the right track with my thinking as this is what is in the image?

Regards

Hello Hobbsr,

What I think you should look at is to rent some battery powered flash like in the attached image.

This is the brand I use but there are plenty of other flash companies to choose from.

Cheers

Simon

[HarperPhotos]

Hi simon,

Yes, I see get what kind of power 1200 or 2400 head and use a refelctor 40 degree 17" or smaller to get max output like a 12" reflector? Am I on the right track with my thinking as this is what is in the image?

Regards

Hi Hobbsr,

Yes, this is the sort of flash as in your image.

The Bowens Explorer is 1500 watts which I think is the most powerful battery powered generator available.

Most of the other battery flash generators are around 1200 watts.

If you need more power the way to go is to hire a 2400-3000 watts mains powered flash generation and a petrol powered generator/inverter like the Honda 2k.

Cheers

Simon

[Photostudent]

Dear Friend,

You can get many battery units or AC pack from many brands like Profoto, Bowens , Bron etc... according to me you should select on the basis of flash duration for your desired subject, you need action freezing pack to capture running couple and for background building you should use AC pack(4800ws or 6000ws) with large reflector or panels.

mix and match to get desired  visual.

 

Hi All,

I am not much of a lighting person at this stage so on a steep learning curve, so sorry if this is a silly or simple question but would really appreciate the answer.

I am looking to use a portable light source to shoot a couple running in front of a large building on a very bright day. I was thinking a 5-Step Power Control Fluorescent Light with Reflector. Uses up to 30W compact flouro 5600 or 6500K?? only problem is what kind of portable power source? No-one here can suggest an option outside of using this kind of solution with main power. I have seen that many fashion photographers seem to use this one light type setup and they seem to have a 240v portable power source? Can anyone offer any advice n the right kind of setup and where to source it from?

So the shot concept is a large wide shot with the whole building in the background the foreground will be in shade and want to shot some light across into the path of the couple running or walking in front of the building on the lawn.

Hope that makes some sense to what I am trying to achieve?

Thanks

Rodney

[kingsize]

Essentially you have only one viable option: BATTERY FLASH or MAINS FLASH w/ petrol generator

Broncolor make the Verso A4, a 2400w pack that can work via mains or battery. Take 2x batteries, and if you are concerned about freezing action, take either:

1x  Verso A4
1x  Bi-Tube Head
2-batteries (1x = backup)

or

2x  Verso A2
1x  Bi-Tube Head
(3-4x batteries)

and

1x pocket wizard kit.

The modifier looks like a beauty dish: either a silver or white interior dish: the silver is essentially a big hard dish, the white is more flattering, soft but directional.

[gwhitf]

I think the best gear you need to look for is a good Photo Assistant that can handle the lighting. With all due respect. If this is a job, and it's your job, then put the energy into finding a good crew, and turn it over to them.

[hobbsr]

Hi All,

Thank you for some of the insightful comments regarding equipment choice to get the job done.

Rodney

[Juanito]

As others have said, you'll need strobes to do the job. My weapon of choice is the battery powered Profoto 7b. You can find them at pretty much any rental house. You can also use plug in strobes with a generator. That's more of a hassle though.

I use my Hassleblad H1 for these kinds of shots because it has up to a 1/800 sync speed. That means I can use a faster shutter speed not only to stop motion but also to reduce the ambient sunlight and thus increase the impact of my strobe lighting. A Mamiya 645 has a 1/125 sync speed while small format has 1/250. That's not enough when you really need to overpower daylight.

Here's a sample of something I did using strobes outdoors. I shot this at high noon using 7b's.



John

[stevesanacore]

Hi All,

I am not much of a lighting person at this stage so on a steep learning curve, so sorry if this is a silly or simple question but would really appreciate the answer.

I am looking to use a portable light source to shoot a couple running in front of a large building on a very bright day. I was thinking a 5-Step Power Control Fluorescent Light with Reflector. Uses up to 30W compact flouro 5600 or 6500K?? only problem is what kind of portable power source? No-one here can suggest an option outside of using this kind of solution with main power. I have seen that many fashion photographers seem to use this one light type setup and they seem to have a 240v portable power source? Can anyone offer any advice n the right kind of setup and where to source it from?

So the shot concept is a large wide shot with the whole building in the background the foreground will be in shade and want to shot some light across into the path of the couple running or walking in front of the building on the lawn.

Hope that makes some sense to what I am trying to achieve?

Thanks

Rodney

My first choice would be some shiny boards from Mathews. Gold or silver on C stands with lots of sand bags and a few assistants to keep them aimed on your subjects. If they are in direct sunlight, you will get all the light you need. You can even use mirrored boards if you need more light. I sometimes use mirrored boards to shoot into a large butterfly to light a scene. Used correctly the light is beautiful and you can shoot with no concern for shutter and color problems from mixing strobes with daylight.

Strobes would be my second choice.