Home studio setup for pets

bensherman2 said:
To the op, this link may be of some use to you. You may just be able to get away with some ocf by trying this and not buying background plus stands...

View: https://youtu.be/FO9Zy8m3cxw


May be of some use to you.
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Thanks for sharing the video, it's definitely something I'd like to have a go at and is really useful.

I guess unless I really want to have a well lit background or something in a different colour I could get away with just using a wall as a background for now, at least until I've got a hang of things anyway. Or would you guys say otherwise? It seems like a good starting point would be that kit I mentioned in my first post and a reflector, I'm watching one of those 5 in 1 neewer 43" reflectors and I assume that'd be OK?

If the kit goes at a decent price I might see if I can pick up a light meter. I've read a few threads and it seems like they're not essential, but might make my learning curve a little easier and will help to keep things consistent. The Sekonic L308s gets quite a few mentions and I'm looking out for a used Minolta on eBay too, but if any one else has other recommendations then fire away =)
 
GreenNinja67 said:
Certainly doesn't help the OP does it?

The power of the Internet.

Making warriors out of mice since the 90's
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Doesn't it? He wants to start up a pet photography business and someone is giving him completely erroneous advice in that respect.

I'd say that in business terms, that sort of knowledge is priceless!
 
Jonesy83 said:
Thanks for sharing the video, it's definitely something I'd like to have a go at and is really useful.

I guess unless I really want to have a well lit background or something in a different colour I could get away with just using a wall as a background for now, at least until I've got a hang of things anyway. Or would you guys say otherwise? It seems like a good starting point would be that kit I mentioned in my first post and a reflector, I'm watching one of those 5 in 1 neewer 43" reflectors and I assume that'd be OK?

If the kit goes at a decent price I might see if I can pick up a light meter. I've read a few threads and it seems like they're not essential, but might make my learning curve a little easier and will help to keep things consistent. The Sekonic L308s gets quite a few mentions and I'm looking out for a used Minolta on eBay too, but if any one else has other recommendations then fire away =)
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You don't need a light meter. Put the money towards something else :)
I bought a Minolta and haven't used it once.
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
You don't need a light meter. Put the money towards something else :)
I bought a Minolta and haven't used it once.
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Thanks guys, that's a meter off of the shopping list then.

Any ideas where the money would be better spent.............I'd love a Canon 135m f2, but I don't think meters get that expensive :D
 
Meters are cheap, easy to use and will safe you a lot of time. Maybe you will at some point decide that's not how you work, then it's not that much of a loss.
 
soeren said:
Meters are cheap, easy to use and will safe you a lot of time. Maybe you will at some point decide that's not how you work, then it's not that much of a loss.
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This^
Buy a second hand flash meter as cheap as you can get hold of.

It'll have cost you nothing if you sell it on 6 months later, we used to call this EBay rental.
 
Jonesy83 said:
Thanks for sharing the video, it's definitely something I'd like to have a go at and is really useful.

I guess unless I really want to have a well lit background or something in a different colour I could get away with just using a wall as a background for now, at least until I've got a hang of things anyway. Or would you guys say otherwise? It seems like a good starting point would be that kit I mentioned in my first post and a reflector, I'm watching one of those 5 in 1 neewer 43" reflectors and I assume that'd be OK?

If the kit goes at a decent price I might see if I can pick up a light meter. I've read a few threads and it seems like they're not essential, but might make my learning curve a little easier and will help to keep things consistent. The Sekonic L308s gets quite a few mentions and I'm looking out for a used Minolta on eBay too, but if any one else has other recommendations then fire away =)
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If you get that kit for less than £100 inc postage it's a bargain, but much over £150 and you'd probably be better elsewhere.

I decorate with the understanding I can use any room in the house as a 'pop up' studio.

See elsewhere for light meter.
 
bensherman2 said:
Haven't read anywhere that the OP wants to set up in business?
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Nor me. :thinking:

Home studio, shots of the family kids and pets.

Doesn't sound like a business venture, but the OP hasn't confirmed anything, which would help. :)
 
Jonesy83 said:
I'm def talking about setting up a studio for my own amusement and tying to improve/expand my own photography skills rather than setting up a business.
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Just to clarify, this will be a home studio so I can play around and learn something new ;)

Thanks for all of the continued help guys. It seems opinion is split when it comes to the meter, so I'll keep an eye out for a cheapish one rather than be in a hurry to get one straight away. I'll do some digging on eBay later and see what I can find.
 
I had a meter in preparation for setting up a home studio.

Then I needed to free up some cash and sold it again.

Then I bought the lights.

After a few sessions with the lights I can more or less guess the benchmark for exposure with maybe a bit of fiddling with shutter speed but it's pretty close.

I don't feel the need to buy another meter for the type and amount of shots I do.
 
As above for me, it's. It like the old film days where a meter was a necessity.
I'll take a shot and then check LCD and then adjust to suit.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
I had a meter in preparation for setting up a home studio.

Then I needed to free up some cash and sold it again.

Then I bought the lights.

After a few sessions with the lights I can more or less guess the benchmark for exposure with maybe a bit of fiddling with shutter speed but it's pretty close.

I don't feel the need to buy another meter for the type and amount of shots I do.
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Fiddling around with shutterspeed is offcource an option if using continuous light sources ;) :D with flash, unless you balance ambient or do HSS it's not of much use.
 
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soeren said:
I know. That was your free ticket :) when using flash in studio like situations your shutterspeed won't change your flash exposure. That's the job of your aperture.
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Yes it can do, especially depending on triggers, and the use of non IGBT flash, the difference between 1/60 and 1/250 can be interesting to see - often quoted fact and often not really understood

Mike
 
mike weeks said:
Yes it can do, especially depending on triggers, and the use of non IGBT flash, the difference between 1/60 and 1/250 can be interesting to see - often quoted fact and often not really understood

Mike
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So we are talking (very) long duration flash/strobe here? Does not look like an approach for consistence to me but then again.......
 
Chaz Photos said:
A good set up of light take a look here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281008891976?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
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I have that set (or one very similar) - just to say that the power range is 1 - 1/16, so you have less control over power than the Lencarta equivalent lights.

Personally I'd have preferred to spend the cash on a Lencarta kit, but was volunteered at short notice to set something up for my God-daughters 16th by my wife, which included lighting the background, so felt I needed the 3 lights.

Quality I'd say is OK, but the softboxes are a pain to assemble / put down, as they are not the 'umbrella' types.
 
soeren said:
So we are talking (very) long duration flash/strobe here? Does not look like an approach for consistence to me but then again.......
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No, standard studio flash, the saying really comes from on camera flash but people assume it applies to all flashes. With the good old capacitor based flash duration gets longer as you turn the power down so using at lower powers the quote is often not true.

Mike
 
mike weeks said:
No, standard studio flash, the saying really comes from on camera flash but people assume it applies to all flashes. With the good old capacitor based flash duration gets longer as you turn the power down so using at lower powers the quote is often not true.

Mike
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I thought it was the other way round with most flashes. The higher the output the longer the flash duration.

http://photoartsmonthly.com/blog/2011/06/30/whats-up-with-flash-duration/

Is this what you talk about?
flashduration.png
 
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mike weeks said:
Yes it can do, especially depending on triggers, and the use of non IGBT flash, the difference between 1/60 and 1/250 can be interesting to see - often quoted fact and often not really understood

Mike
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It makes no difference whether the flash is IGBT technology or not.
What makes the difference is the amount of ambient light present, i.e. if there is zero ambient light then it makes zero difference.
If there is a high level of ambient light then using a longer shutter speed will not affect the exposure produced by the lights, but will affect the overall exposure because the ambient light will contribute to the total amount of light - destroying, at the same time, the lighting effect of the flash.
 
mike weeks said:
No, standard studio flash, the saying really comes from on camera flash but people assume it applies to all flashes. With the good old capacitor based flash duration gets longer as you turn the power down so using at lower powers the quote is often not true.

Mike
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That must be very low power :thinking: :)
 
DemiLion said:
I hate to disillusion you, but you must have got your offer dramatically wrong or been chasing the wrong market.

The right pet owner will pay thousands for well taken images of their beloved.
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what he said. I'm doing very nicely for myself from photographing pets. Infact the way its going I'm hoping to not take any weddings next year
 
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Garry Edwards said:
It makes no difference whether the flash is IGBT technology or not.
What makes the difference is the amount of ambient light present, i.e. if there is zero ambient light then it makes zero difference.
If there is a high level of ambient light then using a longer shutter speed will not affect the exposure produced by the lights, but will affect the overall exposure because the ambient light will contribute to the total amount of light - destroying, at the same time, the lighting effect of the flash.
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Sorry Garry but you are missing the point, as you decrease the power on traditional studio lights the flash duration increases and therefore there can be differences at 1/60 compared to 1/250 i.e. The shorter shutter duration will not see all of the flash pulse, nothing to do with ambient - how measurable and to what level is a different matter

Mike
 
soeren said:
I thought it was the other way round with most flashes. The higher the output the longer the flash duration.

http://photoartsmonthly.com/blog/2011/06/30/whats-up-with-flash-duration/

Is this what you talk about?
View attachment 101168
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mike weeks said:
Sorry Garry but you are missing the point, as you decrease the power on traditional studio lights the flash duration increases and therefore there can be differences at 1/60 compared to 1/250 i.e. The shorter shutter duration will not see all of the flash pulse, nothing to do with ambient - how measurable and to what level is a different matter

Mike
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Mike is right. It's commonly said that shutter speed has no effect on flash exposure up to max x-sync of 1/250sec or so, but it's not strictly true - especially when using radio triggers that all introduce a delay in flash firing, mostly insignificant these days, but not always. And it applies to pretty much all voltage-regulated studio strobes, and all IGBT flashes at full power.

Easy to test: shoot a plain wall at shutter speeds from say 1/60sec up to max x-sync. At the higher end, you'll see slight darkening at the bottom of the frame which is the second shutter curtain closing while the fading tail of the flash pulse is still putting out a small amount of light. If you have an IGBT flash, turn the power down to say 1/4 power and the darkening will disappear.

I always use 1/125sec as my default flash x-sync speed. Canon actually recommends down to 1/30sec in some cases (it's in the handbook).

Edit: note that with voltage regulated flash (ie most studio strobes) the flash duration in terms of total burn time doesn't change significantly as power is adjusted - see diagrams above, the yellow graphs. What changes is the 'effective' flash duration for action stopping which is the height of the peak. The darkening effect visible at max x-sync speed is more noticeable with voltage regulated heads when turned down.
 
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Got the Interfit EX150 mkIII kit for £45 and he's not a million miles away from me so can pick it up sometime this week. Bargain or what?!?! Even if they blow up in the next year or so I'll still be happy =)
 
Phil V said:
They clearly appear the other way round @Bobsyeruncle
I believe my post prompted the OP to clarify.
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Nope, I posted on the first page that this is a learning experience for me and I'm no way near good enough to set up a business and then clarified again later on. Not that it matters, mind. The main thing is that you bunch are very helpful and informative!

Now, onto light meters for me! I've seen a few Shepherd meters on eBay and was wondering what people thought about the following model numbers......

FM800
AM130
FM100

Thanks!!
 
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Jonesy83 said:
Nope, I posted on the first page that this is a learning experience for me and I'm no way near good enough to set up a business and then clarified again later on. Not that it matters, mind. The main thing is that you bunch are very helpful and informative!

Now, onto light meters for me! I've seen a few Shepherd meters on eBay and was wondering what people thought about the following model numbers......

FM800
AM130
FM100

Thanks!!
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You did indeed post on the first page it was a 'learning experience' and I acknowledged that.
However you did indeed let the old guard debate your intentions when you could have shut them down much sooner.

And my post above is clearly before you eventually did that.

Anyway, glad you're sorted with the lights.
 
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Jonesy83 said:
Got the Interfit EX150 mkIII kit for £45 and he's not a million miles away from me so can pick it up sometime this week. Bargain or what?!?! Even if they blow up in the next year or so I'll still be happy =)
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They used to be quite expensive a couple of years ago, you would have paid over £200 for a 2 head kit second hand so I think it's safe to say you got a real bargain, congratulations.

They use the Elinchrom attachment so bear that in mind if you want to expand your modifiers in the future.

Let us know how you get on using the kit.
 
Phil V said:
You did indeed post on the first page it was a 'learning experience' and I acknowledged that.
However you did indeed let the old guard debate your intentions when you could have shut them down much sooner.

And my post above is clearly before you eventually did that.

Anyway, glad you're sorted with the lights.
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From the first page, 3 posts after anyone started to debate my intentions and my first post after......

Jonesy83 said:
I'm def talking about setting up a studio for my own amusement and tying to improve/expand my own photography skills rather than setting up a business. Shooting with anything but natural light is something I've never done before, to be honest I wouldn't feel comfortable charging anyone for any shots because I don't think I'm good enough yet, just in general! But who knows, I might be in a position to do so sometime in the future. I'm sure there are loads of people out there who pick up a camera and think they can start charging people just because they have a dslr and I'm not one of them, but there are a couple of interesting videos from Kelbyone on YouTube where people talk about funding your photography habit by charging people and that has made me think. However, I guess that's a discussion for a different thread/forum =)
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I hate to be picky and don't want to seem ungrateful, I spend a lot of time reading this forum and not posting too much because I don't feel I know enough to contribute, your posts are often the ones that lead to me learning something!
 
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