About Portraits and Studio Flash, a on going saga

I've noticed a few threads about how to solve the studio lighting problem, and I think I have a unique if not optimal solution. It did have the advantage of being cheap (just over $100) and a few questions were asked about doing Portraits with the D7.

As this post seems to fit niether subject exactly I thought I'd introduce myself and start a new thread. My saga on my new Minolta D7 is on my web site on a special page that just this forum knows about. I'll keep up dating it as time and experiance permits.

http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm --Mike Newson

Hi Mike,
thanks for showing us the detailed setup.

After some failed attempts to use slave flashes, I decided to use halogen lights (they come with the same yellow tripods like yours and cost about $30 each) and the 3600HS(D) in fill mode.

The only problems I had were the temperature in the room during summer and the problem to find reflecting materials to bounce from which are easy to carry around but do not burn easy. Maybe I have to invest in some umbrellas...

I think that's a very unexpensive studio setup to start with.
tc

Mike Newson said:

I've noticed a few threads about how to solve the studio lighting> problem, and I think I have a unique if not optimal solution. It> did have the advantage of being cheap (just over $100) and a few> questions were asked about doing Portraits with the D7.> > As this post seems to fit niether subject exactly I thought I'd> introduce myself and start a new thread. My saga on my new Minolta> D7 is on my web site on a special page that just this forum knows> about. I'll keep up dating it as time and experiance permits.> > http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm > --> Mike Newson

Click to expand...

Mike - these are great! Thanks for the ideas. I dabble in glamour photography also and will try some of your ideas this winter when I set up my "livingroom studio". Here are some early attempts at using my D7 for some outdoor portrait and glamour work last summer:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=92104&a=13608940&f=0

Diane

Mike Newson said:

I've noticed a few threads about how to solve the studio lighting
problem, and I think I have a unique if not optimal solution. It
did have the advantage of being cheap (just over $100) and a few
questions were asked about doing Portraits with the D7.

As this post seems to fit niether subject exactly I thought I'd
introduce myself and start a new thread. My saga on my new Minolta
D7 is on my web site on a special page that just this forum knows
about. I'll keep up dating it as time and experiance permits.

http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm
--
Mike Newson

Click to expand...

Here are some samples from this weekends shoot, using the setup shown at http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm .

The lights cost me about $123, The refectors at less than $10 are designed for car windshields. The back drop is tie dyed muslin --- $50. I already had the stands, but they could have been made from PVC pipe for a few bucks. Even the umbrella could have been made from a piece of Foam Core and a stick.







800 x 600 down sampled, but otherwise unretouched versions of these images are found at http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm

I'll try and have more samples on the site as soon as I can. As a comparison the images of April, Michelle, and Elaine, ( http://www.glamography.com/legs were taken with a Nikon D1 using Norman Studio Stobes. (The rest of the images on the site were all scaned in from negative using a HP PhotoSmart film scanner or print on a HP 4200c flat bed scanner.) The lights for those images were Medalights from Tokina.
--Mike Newson

Hi Mike:

Thanks for the great webpage describing your homemade portrait studio. I bought the lights from Home Depot, and ordered an umbrella from Adorama. However, I am wondering how you clamped the umbrella onto the light stand? Is it tiltable?

Thanks,
Jeff

Mike Newson said:

Here are some samples from this weekends shoot, using the setup
shown at http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm .

The lights cost me about $123, The refectors at less than $10 are
designed for car windshields. The back drop is tie dyed muslin ---
$50. I already had the stands, but they could have been made from
PVC pipe for a few bucks. Even the umbrella could have been made
from a piece of Foam Core and a stick.







800 x 600 down sampled, but otherwise unretouched versions of these
images are found at http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm

I'll try and have more samples on the site as soon as I can. As a
comparison the images of April, Michelle, and Elaine,
( http://www.glamography.com/legs were taken with a Nikon D1 using
Norman Studio Stobes. (The rest of the images on the site were
all scaned in from negative using a HP PhotoSmart film scanner or
print on a HP 4200c flat bed scanner.) The lights for those images
were Medalights from Tokina.

--
Mike Newson

Click to expand...

Jeff,

I just used some standard Clamps that I bought from Harbor Freight Tools. They cost me $15 for a full set of little 1 inch clamps great for holding the backgound on the stand, up to big 6 inch clamps that I used to hold the umbrella to the lighting stand. Which means that the only adjustment is up and down. Some one else suggested that rather than bouncing the lights, to use the umbrella as a difuser and shoot through it. So that I would have more intensity and be able to use a faster shutter speed. They commented that when using teh umbrellas as a diffusion system simlar to a Soft Box that the light "wrapped" around the subject and was not as "flat" as the bounced light is. I have not had a chance to try it, but it makes sense.

Mike

Jeff A. said:

Hi Mike:

Thanks for the great webpage describing your homemade portrait
studio. I bought the lights from Home Depot, and ordered an
umbrella from Adorama. However, I am wondering how you clamped the
umbrella onto the light stand? Is it tiltable?

Thanks,
Jeff

Click to expand...

--Mike Newson

My 5600HS Minolta Flash that I bought from Etronics just arrived. So now I have the new Firmware upgrade and the new flash to test. I'm heading out of town for the weekend, but expect a report on the 3rd.

Mike--Mike Newson

Mike,

Your link does not appear to be working as of 6:10 pm EDT on Friday, Dec 28th. Maybe your server is down?

Dan

Mike Newson said:

I've noticed a few threads about how to solve the studio lighting
problem, and I think I have a unique if not optimal solution. It
did have the advantage of being cheap (just over $100) and a few
questions were asked about doing Portraits with the D7.

As this post seems to fit niether subject exactly I thought I'd
introduce myself and start a new thread. My saga on my new Minolta
D7 is on my web site on a special page that just this forum knows
about. I'll keep up dating it as time and experiance permits.

http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm
--
Mike Newson

Click to expand...

--Dan

The server (ISP) was down, but is back and functional again. I added to my Minolta page a full rez, but cropped "eye" and a bit of hair from a image to give an idea of the resolving power of the 5 mega pixels. Plus put in the links to the rest of Ashley, Shannon, and Holly's photos. Even if they are reduced in size it still gives an idea of how the camera perfoms.

I tried out my 5600HS with one of my old strobes and got good results on full manual. It was just a still life, but it did work to trigger my studio lights. Which is good as those three girls are coming back on the 5th...

Mike

Dan The Man said:

Mike,

Your link does not appear to be working as of 6:10 pm EDT on
Friday, Dec 28th. Maybe your server is down?

Dan

--Mike Newson

Click to expand...

Mike,
I assume full manual means no pre-flash.
Marty

Mike Newson said:

I tried out my 5600HS with one of my old strobes and got good
results on full manual. It was just a still life, but it did work
to trigger my studio lights. Which is good as those three girls
are coming back on the 5th...

Mike

Dan The Man said:

Mike,

Your link does not appear to be working as of 6:10 pm EDT on
Friday, Dec 28th. Maybe your server is down?

Dan

Click to expand...

--
Mike Newson

Click to expand...

That is what it looks like, whatever it is doing the stobes sync. I am using a shutter speed of 1/60th for my testing, and will increase that to see where it fails.

Mike

MartyB said:

Mike,
I assume full manual means no pre-flash.
Marty

Click to expand...

--Mike Newson

Thanks for the info. I took my first test portraits of my dog and they came out beautifully. I'll post them later on. I have a couple of other questions for you if you don't mind.

1. How did you remove the cages from the lamps? Mine appeared to be hot glued to the lamp. Did you just cut them with wire cutters?

2. How do you paint your muslin to get that nice standard backdrop look? Right now I'm leaving mine plain bleached white, but it would be nice if I could make one like you did.

Thanks,
Jeff

Mike Newson said:

I just used some standard Clamps that I bought from Harbor Freight
Tools. They cost me $15 for a full set of little 1 inch clamps
great for holding the backgound on the stand, up to big 6 inch
clamps that I used to hold the umbrella to the lighting stand.
Which means that the only adjustment is up and down. Some one else
suggested that rather than bouncing the lights, to use the umbrella
as a difuser and shoot through it. So that I would have more
intensity and be able to use a faster shutter speed. They
commented that when using teh umbrellas as a diffusion system
simlar to a Soft Box that the light "wrapped" around the subject
and was not as "flat" as the bounced light is. I have not had a
chance to try it, but it makes sense.

Mike

Jeff A. said:

Hi Mike:

Thanks for the great webpage describing your homemade portrait
studio. I bought the lights from Home Depot, and ordered an
umbrella from Adorama. However, I am wondering how you clamped the
umbrella onto the light stand? Is it tiltable?

Thanks,
Jeff

Click to expand...

--
Mike Newson

Click to expand...

Jeff Axelrod said:

1. How did you remove the cages from the lamps? Mine appeared to
be hot glued to the lamp. Did you just cut them with wire cutters?

Click to expand...

Mine were pop out types, you had to install them as part of the "some assembly required." I don't think the guards will make much difference, try it and see, if they do, try using a diffuser to see if that solves the problem.

Jeff Axelrod said:

2. How do you paint your muslin to get that nice standard backdrop
look? Right now I'm leaving mine plain bleached white, but it
would be nice if I could make one like you did.

Click to expand...

I tie-dyed it. Crumple it up with elastics and dump it in a cold dye of the color you want. (I did Basic Black, and then only left it in a short time to let it turn gray.) The color rinses out so let it get darker than you think you want it. Then undo the elastics while the background is still in the water, as I had to re-dye mine, some of the inner folds never got any dye. This way you can make sure that everything has some gray, and the dark areas will just get darker. I want to paint mine to add some more character to it, but have not had time.

If anyone has painted a background I'd love to know how much you diluted the latex paint before sponging it on the background.

I've now got my New White Lighning strobes in (the story is added to my Minolta page at http://www.glamography.com/minolta.htm and the first test image is below. I wanted to do a white balance check, and basic exposure test. So I just grabbed the closest items that I could find and have no significance beyond that, the image is un retouched except for size. Shutter speed was 1/500 and the stobes were in sync even at 1/1000 and f8

http://www.glamography.com/edu/PICT0151s.jpg--Mike Newson