Constant Lighting prefences

[alatreille]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the best category to post this under, but here it is....

This question is a request for preferences/experiences on brands/models of constant tungsten lighting for studio use.

We're going to be completing a series of shoots for an professional Architectural model builder over the next couple of months.
In the past I have used gelled monoblocs to match tungsten along with a series of Lowel based lights.  Attached are a couple of examples shot using this set up.

This next series I would like to complete using all constant lighting.
The qualities I'd like to be able to control are

• the intensity (ie light should be dimmable)
• the focus of the light (so I can have hard or diffuse shadow edges

Other than Lowel's, what are peoples preferences for types of lights and modifiers for shooting in the studio under constant lighting?
Has anyone used Arri's for this type (or similiar) of work?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts/feedback.

[Ellis Vener]

Why do you want to use incandescent (tungsten and quartz- halogen) over LED or Fluorescent arrays

Dimming incandescent lights will lower the effective color temperature. High quality LED arrays and Fluorescents that are designed for photography or video work are better behaved in terms of color shifting.

[alatreille]

Hi Ellis,

Thanks for your reply.
I've very little experience with LED's.  Are their modifiers for these to allow me to focus and alter and shape the light?
I would have thought that banks of LED's would be really just good for fill light?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Cheers
Andrew

[Peter McLennan]

A small, incandescent "fresnel" light is probably what you want.  There are many manufacturers of this type of light since they're a standard tool for the film industry.

A fresnel light can be dimmed, but as Ellis says, the colour temperature will drop as the light is dimmed.  Alternatively, light output can be dimmed by putting a wire mesh in front of the lamp.  These meshes are custom-sized for the particular light you have and they lower the amount of light without changing its character or colour.  These wire meshes are available in photographic increments.  A "double" is a wire that cuts the light by about one stop.  A "single" cuts it by half a stop.  A "half double" is half wire mesh, half empty.  Very useful.

Fresnel lights can be spotted or flooded as an alternative to the wire mesh scrims, but the area that's lit will change as you spot or flood.

Shadow softness is dependent on the apparent size of the source as viewed from the subject.  The larger the source, the softer the shadow.  A point source creates sharp shadows like sunlight, a large area source creates soft shadows like a cloudy day.  Un-modified fresnel lights create sharp, hard shadows by default. The apparent size of the source is modified by either passing the light through a diffusion material (available from photographic lighting suppliers) or by bouncing the light off a suitable reflector.

LED lights are available in single emitter versions, unlike the flat, multiple-emitter panels you have probably seen.  These are very new and very expensive, but offer continuous dimming and independent choice of colour temperature.  Otherwise, they operate much like the tools described above.

Fresnel lights are available in sizes from 250W to thousands of watts.  The more wattage, the bigger area you can light.  The size of your architectural models will determine the size of lights you require.  All of these items are readily available at photographic rental suppliers.  Suppliers to the film and video industry will have a better selection than those who service the still photography business.

[bill t.]

Peter's post brings back memories of Mole Richardson "Inkys" and other small fresnet lights I used on architectural models in days of yore.  Yes, incredibly useful lights with all sorts of modifiers that can sit in the hooks at the front.  Buy yourself a pair of heavy, heat-resistant leather gloves and you will truly look the part of a lighting professional.  Search "Mole Richardson Inky."  Sad to say those things are becoming relics of the past, you may be able to pick some up cheap at a movie equipment rental house.

Another possibility with small, static sets is to do it with light painting, which has certain advantages for those with limited equipment storage space and/or budgets.  The link below shows some pretty over-the-top examples, but very "natural" results are also possible.  Basically, you shoot a bunch of shots each with only one part of the scene lighted.  Then you stack those shots up as Photoshop layers, with each layer set to "Overlay" mode which is the key to combining the images.

Shoot the originals tethered to a Lightroom system so you can easily see the exposures you have already made and those that you still need.  Shoot more than you think you'll need.  You can obtain a wide variety of lighting hardness/softness/coverage with just a single good flashlight.  You can make huge adjustments to lighting in post by selecting subsets of the total layers, and by controlling individual layers with their own curves and mask layers.  Lotsa fun, actually.

http://www.haroldrossfineart.com

Check especially the "Forged" section at screen lower left.  There are some fairly detailed tutorials in the text sections of that page.

[Peter McLennan]

Darn good idea, Bill.

[alatreille]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the feedback.  Yes - I was heading back to the Fresnel light.

Then I saw the Profoto Tungsten lights.....thoughts, feedback?
Has anyone used them?  Profoto have a large amount of light shaping options!

Cheers

Andrew

[Peter McLennan]

No experience with the lights you mention, but I did have another thought on this project.  I'd get some very small LEDs (the single, actual LED, not a lighting unit) power them with AA batteries and put them inside the model as if they were practical interior lights.

Let us know how you make out. 

Peter