Using construction Spotlight as studio lightning


S2Glow

Member
Nov 23, 2011
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can i use that? its a round thing and it have a maximum watt of 400 , i have no experience in using it and the company that i am working with just tell me to play with it. but i scared that i burn my hand or something, any safety precaution? :/
 

Rather than your hand, how do you think the heat produced will affect the models? If the models are uncomfortable with the lighting and the heat, you can imagine how your photos will turn out.
 

S2Glow said:
can i use that? its a round thing and it have a maximum watt of 400 , i have no experience in using it and the company that i am working with just tell me to play with it. but i scared that i burn my hand or something, any safety precaution? :/

Use gloves.

Technically any light is usable, within reason. Some people even use car headlights in a pinch, just depends on your concept and mood.

If you're using indoors then please blast the a/c, and learn how you can bounce off the walls instead of as a direct light.

A useful studio light is one which lets you shape light with modifiers. One that blasts light and keeps you toasty is just a heater.
 

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can i use that? its a round thing and it have a maximum watt of 400 , i have no experience in using it and the company that i am working with just tell me to play with it. but i scared that i burn my hand or something, any safety precaution? :/

All conventional lights generate heat but since this light runs on 230 AC volts you need to be mindful of the wiring cables,keep them away or lay them so that it will not entangle feet or tripping light stands,this includes checking that the cables are not damaged,insulation exposing frayed wires that can be electrical hazard or danger.Since they are 400 watters it is likely they will be some distance from subject or else it might be too bright and cause squinting of eyes but you can use diffusing material in front of the light but do take note if diffuser can stand the heat or there may be a fire hazard. Another thing to consider is the colour temperature
of this light ,play with the white balance settings to get the correct colour balance. If you have a professional camera you can just dial in the setting in degrees kelvin to try.
 

apparently i am taking company awards, any 2 cent to share with me? should i aim the light on the wall and let it bounce off as you all say? etcetc.. please help! T_T this company never even provide any professional to help z.z!! and thanks guy for sharing! i will wait for my glove before i start later my hand kissgoodbye lol

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this is the picture of 1 spotlight in action http://www.flickr.com/photos/58085302@N07/6975118681/ , i personally dont feel the need to use spotlight but i am a newbie really lol. i have 3 spotlight though so i can do left right and straight, not sure !!!! i need help lol ;x
 

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No offence but with so many question, did you consider if you should be doing the shoot in the first place?
 

i am just a internship with no choice but to serve the company till the school happy and let me pass lol :( also not i want de , i am more into outdoor videography lol T_T thats why i come to newbie forum cause i really newbie ma lol.

and i did some search on google, dont have really any tutorial that is related to what i do lol :S !!!!
 

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Huh? Is what you're doing even related to your study? Can you complain to your lecturer?

Google for product shoot. Ignore those that use a light tent. You can learn the basics but if the company is going to exploit you I don't see why you need to do a good job for them.
 

apparently i am taking company awards, any 2 cent to share with me? should i aim the light on the wall and let it bounce off as you all say? etcetc.. please help! T_T this company never even provide any professional to help z.z!! and thanks guy for sharing! i will wait for my glove before i start later my hand kissgoodbye lol

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this is the picture of 1 spotlight in action IMG_1841 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! , i personally dont feel the need to use spotlight but i am a newbie really lol. i have 3 spotlight though so i can do left right and straight, not sure !!!! i need help lol ;x

I wonder why young people so scared about when they are so tech savvy that is PC which normally run on 5,12,3 or 1.8 volts power supply. :) 400W is no big deal as there are 500W -1000W spotlights for garden use! Ever see Nikola Tesla in in his millions of volts laboratory? http://www.neuronet.pitt.edu/~bogdan/tesla/images/tesla32.gif
You can search youtube for studio lighting tutorials.Anyway what is a photographer if he/she cannot do a simple studio shoot? Best of luck.
 

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loll , haha i opt for videography , is my hobby but i dont have experience in lightning hehe thanks guys ! i will search lol
 

just a piece of glass, you are not shooting ice cream, why you worry?

heheh if do must do until nice nice ma , + i can learn from you all if you all give some 2cent ^_^
 

There is no such thing as a simple shoot. There is only such a thing as how demanding the quality is required.

Calling a shoot simple is how clients like to lowball price.
 

S2Glow said:
heheh if do must do until nice nice ma , + i can learn from you all if you all give some 2cent ^_^

You have to ask yourself if you're willing to spend time, effort and money on something you won't get much recognition nor payment from. And because the equipment is not suited, result will only be as good as it can possibly get.

If you still want we can try to help. State your budget and full equipment list.
 

lol my equipment list is 3 spotlight ( spotlight picture on the flickr on top of the post u can see the link ), what else should i need ? i can ask from company.. this company budget lah dont even have stand!!! , tell them take at studio they say dont want zzz
 

The "simplest" / "low requirement" method is 1 light with background roll, and 2 white foamcore reflectors.

This light is placed behind you + the camera, pointed towards the ceiling at 45° and should reflect (bounce) on your product. If there is a stand for the light then it should be raised to at least half the ceiling height for 2 purposes.
1. Maximise the intensity of light as you cannot control the spread.
2. Minimise spill of light, especially on yourself as it will create shadow on product.

Background roll should be A2 length, smallest is A3. Because you will need to place the product a ways from the background to create separation. This is the professional method, if not you can just use a smaller piece and save money. Colour you can either ask the company to choose or you choose for them. This is tricky because if they choose then they might ask you to shoot multiple colours. Or tell you to shoot 1 colour then later tell you to DI to another colour. This one I cannot advise you what to do, because the professional way is to charge as different shots. If you decide for yourself, can use white, light grey or black. White is not good, because your product is glass. It is hard to separate the edges when your light is not hitting cleanly. Light Grey is preferable, because it can turn lighter or darker depending if light is hitting it. Black is the hardest but can be most beautiful because product is made of glass. If you can 'light' the glass surfaces till there is a slight reflection then you are up there with the best product photographers. If you are not, then it will look horrible and cannot make out where the product starts & stops, only can see the award winner's name floating in mid-air.

Foamcore boards can get from Art Friend, or go rubbish bin search. They should be at least twice the size of your product. Have some white A4 paper around too. Place the reflector boards on left & right of the product. You have to watch carefully how it interacts with the light and how it affects the product, especially the edges & surfaces. This one cannot teach you, you have to see and do on the spot. Make sure the light is powerful, else very hard to see any effect. A4 paper is for reflecting the base.

You can do it in 1 shot. Or shoot multiple times changing the reflector positions each time. This one you need a very stable tripod. I advise not to use more than 1 light, as you have no experience. But if the company got someone kaypoh try to spy & learn from you. You can action action a bit, place lights all over and pretend they have an effect. This is called showmanship, also what professionals do.
 

lol my equipment list is 3 spotlight ( spotlight picture on the flickr on top of the post u can see the link ), what else should i need ? i can ask from company.. this company budget lah dont even have stand!!! , tell them take at studio they say dont want zzz

If no stand for the light then you can either stack table, which is dangerous. Or following my previous post of light position, get a large piece of card or foam board to block the light from hitting you. Just make sure the your shadow don't hit the product can liao. As for intensity of light, bo pian. Have to use a longer shutter speed.
 

I think some people might advise you to buy a product light tent. Whether you or the company want to spend that $40 - $70 (whatever the amount) is up to you/them. But I'd say, while the job might get done, you won't learn much with that method.
 

At the end of the day if you're not confident of doing at least an acceptable job, don't do it. Just tell them that you woun't be able to do a good or even acceptable job. If you spend company time or worst money on it and the final is not what they accept, you'll just be calssifed as wasting company time or money, think about it.