YaKe Studio Lighting
 

Anyone used or know anything about YaKe lights and if so what impressions?


Thanks

Tony

I have a set of 3 britek lights with stands, one is a large boom for the backlight, and 3 softboxes. They work pretty well. $600. Check EBay or Rostronics.com.

I'm curious to know if anyone has ever found a softbox useful when shooting a wedding?

lights at the wedding?

I can see this going the same place the mic on the bride thread went.

I'm sure there is a way it could be done "unobtrusively" but would the bride or church see it that way? It could be suicide for your wedding business.

i do own a frezzi mini-fill dimmer with a softbox that I use at the reception.

I wasn't really thinking ceremony so much as reception, but if anyone has actually used one at the ceremony, I'd be curious to know if they had rotten tomatoes thrown at them. :)

I did one wedding where we were ASKED to bring in some lights at the last minute because it was in a tent and the weather didn't co-operate. It got real cloudy and overcast and frankly looked like there might be a tornado.Fortunately the DJ came thru and lit up the "altar" area with a few of his stage lights. I had a couple of 600W lights with softboxes ready but turns out I didn't need them AND the sun came out about 2 minutes before the ceremony started. We left the lights on anyway.

Don

Tony,

you may want to ask this question on the lighting board.

I think your way off Matt. We actually use a Yake light with a large softbox at the reception and it has been received very well. It saves us from needing to worry about lighting for speeches, dances or random dancing and can also make the footage look much better, not simply from the amount of light but also from the placement. We do show couples the option before hand and footage with and without it and 85% opt for the studio lighting at the reception and we have never had any complaints on or after the wedding because of this.

As for the Yake lights in general, they are a great value for the price and very reliable. Watch for some models that use a fan to keep them cool which limits what you can do for love story type interviews due to the noise. However, we have use the yake set for interviews and just had to be careful with the audio ( and clean it a bit after) and it really looked great. We have used the Yake set for over a year now so if you do have any other questions, feel free to let me know.

Like I Said, I'm sure there is a way that it could be done effectively, and unobtrusively. However, most brides have had it drilled into their heads that a "good" videographer should not need additional lighting. The thought of added clutter by lighting equipment would be enough to send most brides running. Bridal planning sites have articles on choosing a videographer, and warn of a videographer who brings in extra lights, ruining the mood of the ceremony, reception, etc.

In reality 2000 watts of well placed lighting could be much more unobtrusive than a 50w on camera light. The well lit footage will be much cleaner and have a more 3-dimensional feel. By building a relationship with the bride and groom, allowing them to become comfortable with you and your work, and the proper technique, I would be confident that additional lighting could work out quite well. It just needs to be approached from the right angle.

If you just showed up at the ceremony with lighting though, I don't know that it would go over quite as well.

As far as my comment about checking the lighting board, I was just trying to help out because of the lack of comments here. Thanks for your input patrick, it was very insightful.

Does anyone here bounce light off the ceiling, on occasion, at receptions? My basic thought is to put lights in corners, aimed at the cieling, slightly towards that corner, if the lighting is really bad (to boost ambient lighting in a dimly lit facility, while not putting the additional light directly in anyone's eyes).

Also in reply to your previous question - softboxes.

I always discuss lighting with the B&G before the time and normally always scout the location before the time to help me ascertain as to lighting levels. If the reception is badly lit, I always advise them that I would be using additional lighting but then try and use it as unobtrusive as possible and then always with a softbox.

There have been occasions when I have used 1000 watters with softboxes but hid these as best as possible.

As long as your lighting is not over-bearing or "in the face", most would not object. However, on the flip side, always try and use as little artificial lighting as possible to keep the mood of the day. No one likes "being in the spotlight".

Cheers

My general approach is disturbing the day as least as possible. I make the very best video I can with the environment I have to work in. If the room is dim, that is how they wanted it.

I havn't been to a reception yet that was too dark to get shots of the important events. Maybe it isn't the best picture from a technical standpoint, but you can see facial details, and this is what is important. For the dancing, there is alot I can do by shooting from an angle where the DJ's lights will complement my shot. I always shoot to preserve the events, feelings, and the overall tone and mood of the environment.

I do tell brides that some light is required, I do not care what camera you use. Without light there is no color. But generally I don't want to light up the dance floor. That is the Dj's job.

Jeremy

Your brides must be different over there!!!

Cheers

Tony

Tony,

If you are going to or would like to use lighting at the reception, I would suggest getting the same shot, after color correction and any other adjustments, with and without the light. Show that to the couple and let them know what is possible. The majority, if they are like the brides we meet with, will opt for the lighting if it is needed. I would guess that there is liking an interaction between the tyope of video you sell and the pricing of your packages in predicting what brides will be okay with lighting, but from our experience, many prefer it, it makes our job easier, and the footage looks much better by far. It is probably used at some point in the night up to 80% of shoots.