Lighting

[Libby]

I will be borrowing a camera to use for a day to learn from, a Canon prosumer one. I want to get the most out of it while I have it for the day. The loan is the camera, a tripod and a lavalier. A lav is because I plan to do interviews as part of a pratice working with..well, people and lighting and sound.

I am reading here about cheap lighting from Home Depot ect. Some lights on stands and one to hang from and diffusers and gels and black tin foil.
I want to experient with all of that in a one day try everything with this camera. Reason is because the next time I borrow it - it will have to be for something that would be aired on local tv.

Gels. How and what could be used as gels on these Home Depot light stands? I don't want to set the place on fire. I was thinking of going to Staples and buying those colored clear things we used to use on the overhead in grade school...but in truth, I don't know if they even exist anymore.

Regular paper as diffusers?



I just checked out H.D. Lots of worklights...which would be the better overall choice in wattage? What would be the most practical? I don't need somethiing thats going to blinde me but I don't want something that is not bright enough.

Lighting is my big thing now because I never gave it a thought before and now I realize how much time and effort is put into lighting. I just thought, turn on the lights and go...instead of planning each and every scenes lighting.

 

[niik000]

home depot clamp lights are awesome, you could get a bunch of those with different watt bulbs and bulbs with different lenses (you can get those bulbs with par lenses with different degrees) and you can get some real nice lighting out of it. I would be worried about the paper burning if it were being used as defusion because it would have to be soo close to the light. Gels are used because they can't catch fire they can only melt. there not too expensive on ebay cant really think of an alternative

 

[Libby]

Thanks. I think I will check out those clamp lights because they are easier to move around.

I would consider ordering gels from ebay but the problem is that they probably would not arrive here by the time I have the camera available to me. I might see if I can borrow gels from the studio where my class is...if they let me. I wonder if a photography store would have them...have to check that out.

Thanks.

 

[David.rhsc]

Good photography stores will usually sell small gel filter packs for $30-50. At least the place I like to go here usually has them. It also helps that the local grip house here has thrown down a random number discount both times I have been there recently. Haven't tried that on anything terribly expensive though, mostly just tape.

You don't get very many, and they are not the large rolls or anything. Usually just 1' x 1 squares. They should also have things similar to tuff and spun (diffusion) and the like as well.