Colour negative film in available low-energy lighting

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grangarden

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Do tungsten colour correction filters from back in the days work with modern low-energy indoor lighting?

I am mulling a project that is basically portraits of people in their homes and since my rate of shooting is extremely low and only have a little experience with colour I'd appreciate some input so I can have a reasonable starting point. I would be using available light in many locations and nowadays that means low-energy LED lights. My ultimate goal (in all likelihood several years away) is producing a few darkroom prints but in the short run the negatives would be scanned. I'm not aiming for perfect colour fidelity, only not having a colour cast distract from the actual image.

Would that be manageable using Portra or would I be better of using black and white film?
 
grangarden said:
Do tungsten colour correction filters from back in the days work with modern low-energy indoor lighting?

I am mulling a project that is basically portraits of people in their homes and since my rate of shooting is extremely low and only have a little experience with colour I'd appreciate some input so I can have a reasonable starting point. I would be using available light in many locations and nowadays that means low-energy LED lights. My ultimate goal (in all likelihood several years away) is producing a few darkroom prints but in the short run the negatives would be scanned. I'm not aiming for perfect colour fidelity, only not having a colour cast distract from the actual image.

Would that be manageable using Portra or would I be better of using black and white film?
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It would depend on the temperature of the LED lighting, much it is very high, so close to daylight, some is low, close to incandescent lighting.
 
Could use a small d****al or phone that has tungsten and daylight settings to do a test shot of face and a sheet of white paper.
 
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Modern low energy lights are all over the place and in someone's home you might find tungsten, CFL, halogen or LED. I guess you would be better taking your own lights with you, even if it is just a couple of flash guns or high CRI LED panels
 
LEDs are available in practically any wavelength from UV to IR. In general lighting situations these are normally combined to create lighting that is pleasing to the eye - this will usually be be a daylight equivalent or a warmer tungsten like shade, and if the venue is not particular can even end up as a mixture.
I know of several places where the LED lighting can be picked from a range of about 20 colours (the mess room at work is one of these).
 
Thank you for your replies. I suppose, as expected, that it boils down to me having to take a few test rolls.

I also wonder if the filter factors are different with household LED-lights. If the filter happens to block exactly the wavelength the light emits relying on an external light meter might underexpose the image.

I'd hoped to avoid using flash, mainly because I'm not good enough with them to replicate the original atmosphere of the location which is what attracts me to the project too begin with. Perhaps a 'deadpan'-style very flat flash lightning would also work, it would remove a lot of the mood of the location but hopefully place more emphasis on the subject.

That, or black and white...
 
You can put the filter over the sensor of the light meter which might give a rough idea of the filter factor.
 
You could get a couple of 100w LED flood lights and mount them on tripods, then with simple reflectors you can control the lighting and know the colour.
Don't let any one tell you they can replace flashes in a studio setup, they can't, the light output is too low, especially for anything that moves which a flash could freeze, but they are very useful and cheap where you don't want a whole load of kit to cart around.

I also have some LED video lights, which would work well for your use, but you need batteries or a 12V supply for them. They have adjustable light output, and filters to replicate old fashioned lighting (warm)

If you can control the main lighting, it would mean that each location would be similar.

Maybe not a "professional" solution, but it works :)
 
Well reading and I'm not sure of the problem as would think Photoshop or similar would correct different lighting???????
 
excalibur2 said:
So are you saying using daylight colour film (indoors for e.g. portrait) that Photoshop cannot correct all lighting conditions?
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Not at all, but from the original post looks like he wanted a film answer, not digital
 
excalibur2 said:
Well reading and I'm not sure of the problem as would think Photoshop or similar would correct different lighting???????
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There are some LEDs which are exceptionally difficult to fully correct for and doubly so if two different types of LED are used
 
sirch said:
There are some LEDs which are exceptionally difficult to fully correct for and doubly so if two different types of LED are used
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Is it just film users that have this problem and not for the digi guys?
 
excalibur2 said:
Is it just film users that have this problem and not for the digi guys?
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It's the same whatever, LEDs with a lower CRI are only emitting light in a few narrow parts of the spectrum and our eyes are filling in the gaps. TBH it has got better over the last 5 years or so but if there are older LED lights in use then you can end up with colour casts which are more noticable in the shadows and IME hard to correct.
 
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