Calumet Rentals

8utters

8utters

Messages
1,449
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm doing some portrait photography for my dad at his office (basically individual photos of everyone in the 3 departments, and 3 group photos of each one).

I don't have any flash heads or softboxes so was going to hire some from Calumet, anyone rented from them before? Are they any good?

Also can anyone give me some advice on the right kit to get, I was thinking 2 softboxes (100x75) with 2 heads...don't know which heads to go for, here's the Calumet rental guide:

http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/pdfs/DRU_Rental_Guide_08.pdf

Might also rent a lens, perhaps as 50mm f/1.2 or 85mm f/1.2. If not then my 70-200 for the individual shots (or maybe my nifty fifty) and my 17-40 for the group ones.

Oh and to connect flashheads to my camera, do I need any adapters or anything? My 40D has a little socket on it with the flash symbol next to it so I assume you can plug heads into that, yeah?

Also any advice on camera settings would be good, never done studio photography before so I would have thought something like this:

Apature: f/4 or f/8 for the group shots.
Shutter: 1/250
ISO: 100-200
WB: Auto?

Thanks :D
 
8utters

You will be best getting a light meter to use with the Heads. The sync speed will be 1/125 so that will be your shutter speed. Stick to ISO 100 and the light meter will tell you all the other settings.

The sync lead will plug into your camera from one of the flash heads and the other flash head/s will be fired via slave.

It is not easy setting up studio lighting and I would advise that you try this before committing yourself to using the equipment in a commercial sense.
 
I had to smile when I saw this. We often get people asking whether we hire out lighting equipment, and I always say no because it's just so darn complicated. Maybe one day I'll figure out what on earth a pulsospot is, or a wafer (I'm guessing that probably isn't edible), or a spill kill dish ... but probably not. I sometimes can't help wondering whether the jargon is intended to make it all more complicated than is strictly necessary to keep the newbs out.
 
Hiring kit from Calumet is fine. They are a good outfit - they have got replaceent gear out to me in some weird and wonderful places when I have been on assignment (up the Amazon for instance - they flew a set of gear out from one of their USA offices and sorted the paperwork when i got home). I have been a customer of KJP for over 20 years and can thoroughly recommend them.

For your studio flash - you want a large softbox. If you go for the Bowens it has built in slave, so no wires other than the power lead. Get two heads, one softbox and one sunlight reflector. That will do everything.

Setting up - as said. You need to practise with it first. Lighting ratios willmake or break the set up. Get the softbox close for what you want - you don't want any hard shadows for commercial portraits. These will be for the personnel picture board in reception, or the office wall or even on business cards, so clients/visitors can see who they are dealing with. Get the safe shots, then you can always go for the avent garde afterwards with deep shadows etc.

Use a blank wall for background. Light that with the second head to give a white background - or pale one. Set it to one stop more than your camera. Set camera for f8, set background light to f11. Thats it.

For the main light, get the softbox in close, on a level with the head and shoulders, slightly at an angle from one side or the other - if the softbox is slightly turned, so it isn't facing directly at the subject you get softer light again (only about 5 or 10 degrees away.) Try it set at f8 (use a flash meter - some cameras will have a flash meter built in. Read your manual.) Try it, then according to the result either pop it up or down a bit. If you shoot RAW it doesn't matter because you can tweak afterwards if it is pretty close. It will make you look as though you know what you're doing, rather than fiddling around with sitters in front! That makes them think you aren't prepared.

If you get a big football, you can use that as a head to set up first to get the light right distance away and angle. It isn't critical.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top