Queries on Tungsten Light

[digipat2003]

Hi guys,

hope can give me advise on the following issues :

a) what brand of tungsten lamp to purchase ?
b) normally what watt to use for portrait ? 250w ? 300w ? or 500w ?
c) anyone try using tungsten with flash strobes ?
d) tungsten can be more creative than flash strobes ? and more easier to use ?

tks

 

[reachme2003]

respond to qn 2. tungsten lights generate heat, lots of heat that your subject will feel uncomfortable very soon, with beads of sweats appearing, messing up with the hairs and makeup,etc.... you draw your own conclusion.

 

[student]

Hi guys,

hope can give me advise on the following issues :

a) what brand of tungsten lamp to purchase ?
b) normally what watt to use for portrait ? 250w ? 300w ? or 500w ?
c) anyone try using tungsten with flash strobes ?
d) tungsten can be more creative than flash strobes ? and more easier to use ?

tks

I use tungsten lights al the time. There are a few reasons for this

1 It is cheaper
2 I shoot only in black & white (traditional) so color temperature does not matter!
3 I meter only with spot metering. The typical flash metering is an incident type metering which I don't like. I like to place my light values where I want them
4 I use 800 watts x3 plus 250 watts.

Problems: Heat

Solution: I light each light to assess its effect. Then I switch them all for a minute to meter. Then I switch msot light off for final composing. When everything is ready, I switch them all and shoot. One minute, it is all over!

No beads of sweat. No messing up makeup and hair!

Creativity? Come on! Hardly anything to do with the type of lights you use.

Brand? What is your budget? Bare bulbs can be very cheap!

 

[digipat2003]

tks guys for the advise. me think think

 

[reachme2003]

I use tungsten lights al the time. There are a few reasons for this

1 It is cheaper
2 I shoot only in black & white (traditional) so color temperature does not matter!
3 I meter only with spot metering. The typical flash metering is an incident type metering which I don't like. I like to place my light values where I want them
4 I use 800 watts x3 plus 250 watts.

Problems: Heat

Solution: I light each light to assess its effect. Then I switch them all for a minute to meter. Then I switch msot light off for final composing. When everything is ready, I switch them all and shoot. One minute, it is all over!

No beads of sweat. No messing up makeup and hair!

Creativity? Come on! Hardly anything to do with the type of lights you use.

Brand? What is your budget? Bare bulbs can be very cheap!

i think your subject would be stationary eg. still life. i would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to be shooting with live subject eg portraits. 'Switching most of the lights off' while doing 'final' composing and determining that 'everything is ready', before switching all on and shoot. 'in one minute, it is all over!' Oversimplicification to such an extent is the first time i heard of!

 

[student]

i think your subject would be stationary eg. still life. i would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to be shooting with live subject eg portraits. 'Switching most of the lights off' while doing 'final' composing and determining that 'everything is ready', before switching all on and shoot. 'in one minute, it is all over!' Oversimplicification to such an extent is the first time i heard of!

Welcome to learning! Ah, learnt something new, eh?

Absolutely! There is always a first time to learn something! This is what this forum is about, isn't it? I love the word "oversimplication"! Such simplicity! Well, the cake is in the pudding. Care to meet up with me this afternoon in the shoot at Robertson Quay organised by Kirk at 3.00 pm? I will be there a little earlier. I will bring some prints of people I took with these "oversimplified" and "very difficult, if not impossible" techniques. I will bring some prints of Emelyn and Elda, amongst others.

You will find that, most of the time, simplicity may be better! Less is more!

For your information, most (at least 97 %) of my shooting with tungsten lights is for portraits!!