What kind of lamp in the DIY lighting setup?

[barryburgard]

I have been following the DIY lighting thread and the topic is interesting. I do not see any real mention of the best type(s) of lamp to use. Halogen, flood, spot, color, etc. Thanks for any and all advice you can offer this beginner at studio lighting.

Thanks

Barry

[Jon]

It's going to depend on a number of things. Some form of tungsten lighting, preferably a photoflood, would be easier to start with because you can see what you're getting as you set it up. Using a photoflood setup will also give you a relatively consistent, standard colour temperature to set white balance for, and will be easier to figure exposure with. But it's going to be hot, and it will require a fair amount of power in the studio space. Studio flashes with modelling lights will let you see what the impact of your lighting setup's going to be, and will unquestionably let you get more controlled white balance and exposure, but the initial expense is going to be more, and you'll have to put either expense or time into determining exposures to use (flash meter or a lot of trial and error).

If you decide to go with tungsten, halogen lamps are generally more consistent over time (because the halogen scavenges the plated-out filament metal from the lamp bulb). Color, as in white balance, is a direct consequence of the light source you're using. If you're thinking colors as in theatrical lighting, that's not going to be a general practice. Most lights can be controlled to produce a spot-effect via barn doors or snoots, or diffused via umbrellas, soft-boxes or other; those techniques should be in your bag, but don't try to work with them right away. Get a good handle on the basics and build from there.