Help me assemble my new lighting kit or repurpose my old ones?

[Luke Hill]

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

Even I would add a note of cation about building a "mixed kit". Half the time I find myself shooting in mixed lighting situations anyway. You can go mixed as long as you know how to do it properly. But the big time pro lighting guys will advise you to go one way or the other, LED or tungsten. It is all about your needs and what works for you.

There are two kinds of barn doors out there for pro lights. 1. Regular flat doors with alligator clips. 2. True Lowell barn doors with folding wings on each door. I like the later.

Thanks, Steve. I've noticed the same. I know it's perhaps not 'ideal' to mix lights, but for budgetary reasons (and because I already have the LED stuff), I figured it couldn't hurt to try and let the results speak for themselves!

And yes... definitely the 'proper' barn doors for the lowels! Thanks again!

[Steven Digges]

I think it would have been hard to light this shoot with LEDs. Sometimes there is no substitute for pure wattage. Space very tight, no room for ground support. I had to boost room light to match the high intensity light in the mouth. It all had to match for color and exposure. Just me, three cams, and my kit. It really should have been a two man job but this one did not work out that way.

Dental surgery. Only time I have ever had to wipe blood off of my lens during a shoot!

Steve

[Luke Hill]

Yikes! That sounds like quite an interesting shoot....

I hear you - being primarily a 'one-man band" I definitely want to start building up a more versatile kit (nothing worse than showing up for a job and realizing your gear isn't really what you need).

I really like your idea of piecing stuff together (especially since I already have all my old tungsten gear), so I think I'll be keeping a close eye on ebay, myself....

[Steven Digges]

I am not going to claim it was easy, it wasn't. I was in that operatory until midnight the night before setting up. I ended up with more gear in that tiny room than the surgeon. Those stills are under exposed so you can see the lights. The bright light on the high self is a bare bulb tota blasted at the ceiling for shadow fill. There is also an Omni out of frame doing the same thing. I lucked out with the surgery light, it was tungsten. I did put a piece of diffusion on it for balance. I had everything balanced to perfection. Then the next day the surgeon kept habitually flipping on this high intensity blue light he was wearing on his forehead. BAM.....blue light. Me..... Ahhh Doc, you turned that light on again! Him.... Oh sorry, I forgot.

This video is not for those with a weak stomach. It is jump cuts mostly of the surgical close ups. The farther into it gets the more graphic it gets. This is what you cant see when a dentist is pulling your teeth....

Edit; I had things balanced but I still had changing exposure problems because the surgery light is on an articulating arm he moves around. Challenging....not perfect.

Steve

DentalSurgery on Vimeo

[Luke Hill]

Yeah..... As far as dental work goes, I was supposed to get my wisdom teeth removed 19 years ago, and I still have them in, so thanks for posting the link, but I won't be watching that one! ;-)