p.2 #1 · Old Norman studio set-up : anything I need to know before purchasing used kit?
That is fantastic! I love the pics....do you not use a background light? I noticed today that with a white background, my flash head was too powerful to simply blow out the background and I could not power it down any more, nor move it back. The background light was reflecting too much back onto the subject and was really effecting the contrast.
I ended up using another head plugged in pointed away from the subject to stop the head down to half the power (the normans don't have stop down function).
After figditing around for a couple of hours, I came to a satisfactory arrangement but it really made me re-think filling up on the normans and not going with alien bees.
I think that my initial expense inquire was that a two light kit with batteries and misc other things was going to cost around $1,500...
With the normans, for 4 heads, 2 soft boxes, 2 stands, the 2000 and 800 pack, I'm currently around $800...so I guess it's not too bad....still that variable power would have made things so much easier!
But I've got a set-up that seems to work and will be great for outdoors and large product shot if I have need.
I love the idea of just using simple direct lighting rather than working on the lighting ratio for shadows...the kid was always moving around!
It looks like you have the two kicker panels and also a hair light on top?
Are both top and bottom main lights at the same strength or is the lower your fill and less powerful?
Thanks so much for sharing!
p.2 #2 · Old Norman studio set-up : anything I need to know before purchasing used kit?
Oh and I did have a pop and some smoke today from one of the packs! I think I was just going too fast, with too many heads. Camera was attached and was fine....not sure what happened, but the pack seems to still be working fine on all ports? What does that mean when you get a pop and a bit of smoke?
p.2 #3 · Old Norman studio set-up : anything I need to know before purchasing used kit?
I've used Normans for many years, it's almost impossible to kill these things! Most of the time now my main lights are Elinchrom but the Normans still work for backup and fill lights. Nothing wrong with these other than have to be super careful plugging and unplugging the heads from the packs otherwise you could get an arc which sounds like a large caliber rifle going off. The smoke you are seeing is probably from dust that is accumulated inside the plugs or the pack, you need to vacuum or blowout the plugs. Normans are the best bang for the buck for lots of power. If you're using bounce or layers a diffusion in front of the heads the 2000 packs deliver the right amount of power.
p.2 #4 · Old Norman studio set-up : anything I need to know before purchasing used kit?
The background light in the set-up shot is hidden behind the mat board on the floor. Aiming key and fill towards the background help to light it evenly.
I use a 16 x 22 SB with circle mask and 40° fabric grid for the hair light. I initially used metal grids but found it too harsh, specular and out of context with the frontal lighting.
I used the reflectors on the side because I only have 4 lights and wanted highlight from the sides on the white comfirmation dress.
When I set the lights I adjust fill visually for shadow detail using the camera feedback. If using rim lighting I want any skin or white clothing it hits to have detail so I raise it until I see clipping then back down. The RAW file has more detail than the playblack of the camera, but allowing for changes in PP from 16 bit to 8-bit JPG the camera warning predicts what the final JPGs will look like. Key light on front also gets adjusted to the point of clipping then backed down to where it looks slightly darker than the rim lighting on the back side if the white clothing and skin. The final step in that set up was nuancing the look with the reflectors which were bouncing both key and fill.
I also have and use a meter for set-ups but after doing the same set-up in the same space many times I know what power levels I need to rough in the ratio and then just tweek by eye with a few test shots. My controller for the lights is next to the camera so I can fire off the test shots and adjust the lights faster than walking back and forth with the meter.
Ultimately it's the perceptual feel of the lighting and how it matches the age, gender and implied mood of the subject that matter to me not what the numerical ratio is. Starting with key = fill results in a light shadowed, soft shadow look I find flatters young kids and women of all ages when I want them to look soft and feminine.
Setting key 1-stop brigher (3:1 reflected) is similar to what we normally see by eye so it works well for general photography like candid shots, portraits of men and boys when I want them to look mature.
What happens perceptually when lighting ratios get darker than the "looks normal" 3:1 ratio is that is tells the viewer the environment isn't average or normal, and by inference the mood if the subject is serious, sad, etc.
Color balance works similarly, perceptually. A warm bias creates a warm, safe vibe. Adjusting the WB to the cool side can be used to convey a darker mood, or the fact the subject is freezing their butt off.
What is important for the photo to fire on all cylinders if for the clues created with ratio and WB to match the expression on the face. A happy smiling face with dark shadows and shaded eyes and cool WB sends a mixed message to the viewer. But if the intent is to show a kid throwing a tantrum a tucked down chin and shaded eyes, cooler WB and darker shadows are exactly what you'd want to create that impression in the mind of the viewer.
Start with a clear goal for the emotional reaction you want in the mind of the viewer, then plan the lighting strategy around it. Experience will teach you what clues create different impressions. Just pay attention to how you react to photos and scenes in movies then notice the lighting ratios and color balance to connect the dots. Once you consciously understand how you've been reacting all your life subconsiously you'll know how to create that same reaction in the mind of the viewer in your photos.
To solve your power adjustment problem you could cut the power of your light with ND gel. Each .30 = 1 stop You can buy in in sheets and rolls at B&H. Cinematographers use big rolls of ND and color gels to cover windows in exterior shots to balance the scene outside the window with the indoor tungsten lighting.
wrightm wrote:
That is fantastic! I love the pics....do you not use a background light? I noticed today that with a white background, my flash head was too powerful to simply blow out the background and I could not power it down any more, nor move it back. The background light was reflecting too much back onto the subject and was really effecting the contrast.
I ended up using another head plugged in pointed away from the subject to stop the head down to half the power (the normans don't have stop down
p.2 #5 · Old Norman studio set-up : anything I need to know before purchasing used kit?
thanks for all of the insight guys! I did a sort of test shoot...my first time with the equipment and the first time doing studio stuff in a long time...
was wondering if anyone might be able to take a quick look at 18 photo's and give me your thoughts on what I should work on with exposures, lighting combinations, and color...
Any helpful thoughts would be great! If it works better I could also post on here, but I'll put a link to a sample gallery as that seems to be easier.
These are the Raw files....that have been adjusted a little bit..but still without any further edits that I plan on doing http://iisource.net/temp/sample/index.html
thanks!
micah
p.2 #6 · Old Norman studio set-up : anything I need to know before purchasing used kit?
btw...it's not in a studio..just my living room and various props and rigs I could find around the house...very unconventional...but I think that is a skill that every photographer needs to master at some point..being able to improvise with what you have...
The problems I mainly ran into was that my background was too close to the model...so I got extra light bouncing off or too much reaching the background on the black...but I had no more room...
Also I ran out of room to move the lights back and forth to adjust exposure rations...
And the power was a bit much, so I had to some 1-2 heads firing into dead space just to decrease power to the other heads.
But I think that I got a pretty decent outcome for such a small space...I think the clients will be happy but from a photographers standpoint...I think I have a long way to go and a lot more experimenting and research
p.2 #7 · Old Norman studio set-up : anything I need to know before purchasing used kit?
>> the two prongs). Does this have a techincal name to it that I am missing?
Technically, it's a NEMA 1 plug. But only electricians would call it that. The film business will call it an "Edison plug", or commonly just a 2-prong household plug.
>> looking for a way to sync two norman packs
The simplest, least expensive and reliable method is just to connect them with a two-plug "zip" cord.
That's just a standard inexpensive extension cord with a 2-prong (male) plug on each end.
Plug a standard, inexpensive 2 or 3 way ac splitter into the norman sync outlet, connect the two packs with the zip cord. The 2 or 3 way splitter is so you can plug a second sync cord into the pack to go to the camera or wireless slave or another pack.
When wiring multiple packs, after pluging in another pack, test fire the packs, if it does not fire, reverse the plug and test fire again. The norman sync outlets have a polarity, so you just have to match them up by test firing the packs. You can hook up dozens of packs this way.
Hard wiring packs together prevents interference from other strobes or radios.
Of course, it's a good idea to mark them with a big warning to not to plug either end into a standard 110v ac outlet. With trained assistants, usually not a problem. With others, you take your chances...
