Comments on: video : episode 15 , studio lighting basics for shiny metal and reflections

By: Missing the Magic Touch of Lens | ..aimvotal: money at the mouth

Missing the Magic Touch of Lens | ..aimvotal: money at the mouth — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:09:48 +0000

[...] equipment. Tell me what you think, guys. I was trying to achieve a photo effect that I saw on a Tutorial Video : episode 15 , studio lighting basics for shiny metal & reflections; at prophotolife.com like on the right photo. I must admit that I did not quite get the desired [...]

By: dewo

dewo — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:38:30 +0000

hallo jim, nice video and great technik.. please more video like this about replexion thinks..

dewo - Hamburg

By: David

David — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:57:15 +0000

Thanks Jim, that’s very helpful.

By: Jim Talkington

Jim Talkington — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:21:59 +0000

Hi David, I’m glad the videos are a help. The Genesis 400 can be turned down in power over a 5-stop range so don’t worry about having too much power. If you can afford the 400 I say go for it.

By: David

David — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:41:14 +0000

Hi Jim,

These videos are superb, I think I’ve discovered more over the last couple of days than I would have in weeks with a pile of books!

As a newcomer to strobe lighting - I’ve been struggling with fluorescent continuous lighting up to now - I decided to go with a Genesis lamp (there’s a huge lead time in the UK for some reason); is it worth going straight for the 400 over the 200 as a long-term investment or is this too powerful for predominantly table-top applications?

Keep up the good work!

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:02:10 +0000

Great video as always. This is by far the best photography site I have come across.

By: Alfonso - Phosy

Alfonso - Phosy — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:23:09 +0000

Hi Jim. This video has been an inflexion point for me, because I took it into practice. In my case using a portable strobe (Metz 54)

I’ve put an album in flickr with all the photos step by step, and it was impressive for me the clear progression I got following the intructions on your video

By the way, I have subtitled the video in Spanish as always

El video en español aquí:
http://www.nova-foto.net/2008/06/18/prophotolifecom-video-15-metales-brillantes-y-reflexiones/

By: Matthew Botos

Matthew Botos — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:05:59 +0000

Thanks for the feedback, Jim. I already cleaned up the dining room studio, but as a thought experiment it plays out - a high light should reflect low and cut the direct glare into the lens.

By: Jim Talkington

Jim Talkington — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:41:53 +0000

Yep, Matthew, you’ve got it, that’s the very principle in action. I’m on my laptop so I can’t be critical but the photos appeared neutral and well exposed so I’d say your calibration is in the ballpark.

Here’s a thought if you still have things set up and don’t mind taking it a step further. That rounded handle is really tough to deal with. See how there’s a hot spot in the middle that elongates up and down it? Would you mind trying to lift your main light up higher (but then pointing it down) to see if it lessens that reflection? And then trying to move the cards in as close as possible? No worries if it’s already been put away, I’m just curious if it’s possible to conduct a long-distance light experiment.

By: Matthew Botos

Matthew Botos — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:46:52 +0000

I took a go at this tonight; here are my shiny photos, including some colored reflectors.

I also just did a rough color calibration of my monitor; do the results show it worked?