Lighting a dorm room

[cwr89]

I've been asked by a good friend to do some more portrait shots for her. Last semester we just walked around campus and took some shots, (I didn't know what I was doing really) I used the built in flash on my 400D and fill with the natural sun light.
This was the result:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y76/cwr89/Digital%20Rebel%20Photos/IMG_1270.jpg

Well, since I've taken almost the entire summer as a study session to shoot a ton and learn a lot and get some more equipment I would really like to do a better job.

I am thinking about doing almost all of it inside my dorm room where I can control the lighting.

I will be pressed for room as its a 9x12 rectangle with 2 beds 2 desks and 2 dressers minimum. I can hang sheets from walls and I've got white, black, blue, red, and green. I just don't know the best way to light it.

I've got very low funds but I want it to look professional, (she also agreed to doing some G&N shots as well and I want it to feel professional too.)

I have a few options that I've been looking at:

1) Clamp lights with nice bright florescent in them along with either the pop-up flash, or my sears 1980's auto flash that does a surprisingly good job.

2) I'm in film production, I can rent a set of 3 high powered film lights with tripod stands, I could secure scrims and gels for them as well. Also could be combined with my pop-up or shoe mounts

3) I saw a tutorial where 2 home depot 4' work lights are fitted with daylight adjusted light tubes and put on tripods vertically and aimed at the subject.

4) building a beauty dish following a youtube tutorial, drilling out a clamp light and inserting a vent reducer, cutting a hole for a flash and doing flash off camera into the dish. I could use a Canon Canolight D flash that was made for the rangefinders, its SUPER bright and I have almost no use for it (unless it is pitch black out).

I am open to suggestions. I'd really love to do it right and I know that lighting is the key to success.

thanks!
~Casey

[Lotto]

Since the room the quite cramped, adding more lighting equipments and props would limit the movements of you and the model, and mixing hot light with flash will also create white balance problems. I would suggest to start with a simple flash that you can bounce the light off the wall and ceiling. Or if you can, taking the flash off the camera to gain more directional controls. A simple flash bouncing off an umbrella plus a creative mind can produce great shots.

Keep in mind that shooting full figure in a confine space will force us to use wild angle lens, which make it tough hide things we don't want in the BG, including lighting gears.

You are right about lighting is the key to success. Also a portrait shot that gets the attention always start with a interesting subject. By looking at your sample shot, you are more than half way there :)

[hawk911]

1) Clamp lights with nice bright florescent in them along with either the pop-up flash, or my sears 1980's auto flash that does a surprisingly good job.

2) I'm in film production, I can rent a set of 3 high powered film lights with tripod stands, I could secure scrims and gels for them as well. Also could be combined with my pop-up or shoe mounts

3) I saw a tutorial where 2 home depot 4' work lights are fitted with daylight adjusted light tubes and put on tripods vertically and aimed at the subject.

4) building a beauty dish following a youtube tutorial, drilling out a clamp light and inserting a vent reducer, cutting a hole for a flash and doing flash off camera into the dish. I could use a Canon Canolight D flash that was made for the rangefinders, its SUPER bright and I have almost no use for it (unless it is pitch black out).

I am open to suggestions. I'd really love to do it right and I know that lighting is the key to success.

thanks!
~Casey

There is no good cheap solution unless you get a set of used strobes. The Calumet genesis light set can be had for around $500 IIRC and you get 2 lights. Plenty for your small space. Clamp lights and halogen will be hot, and I'd run away from that setup VERY fast in a dorm situation. One bad move and the whole place could be on fire!!

you mention renting- why not rent some studio lights then? I can rent a set locally for $100 for the weekend. Check your local camera store and see if they rent gear.

4- not a bad option to have anyway. There is a seller here that has a BD with a flash setup. Search for Kacey dish.

Again- work lights are VERY HOT!!!! and should be avoided at all costs especially in a small space like you have. It's just a headline waiting to happen.

[gonzogolf]

Avoid option 1, the clamp lights with fluorescent bulbs. The fluorescent bulbs arent full spectrum lights, they tend to be deficient in certain colors making it almost impossible to render nice skin tones using them.

[cwr89]

Gonzogolf - I've used daylight adjusted bulbs before and had some good luck with them. It was for video rather than photo though. I didn't know if it would work.

Hawk911 - I have some soft blue incandescent clamp lights that I was thinking about not halogen, but I agree, in that space it would be uncomfortable still.
As renting goes, I don't really know where to rent photo equipment from. My college (Ball State University) is located in a smallish town in Indiana, I know I can rent lighting for video through my school as I am in film production as my major.
I guess what I was talking about with the BD is actually a ring flash. I found this tutorial about a week ago and was wondering if it would work for the portrait stuff: http://www.motleypixel.com/forum/index.php/topic,80.0.html
If not, I did find a decent tutorial on making an actual BD out of a stainless steel mixing bowl, cutting it for a flash and adding a mirror. I would also build some type of diffuser or grid for it.

I don't currently have the ability to go off camera or really a decent flash.
I eventually would like to go wireless, I don't need the reliability of a pocketwizard so an ebay trigger would work for me in the future. I am thinking of just temporarily going with a PC sync setup. I know I need an adapter and cables and all.

Would this flash be ok for me to use? http://www.adorama.com/FAB.html It is closer to the price range I can afford. I was thinking that flash in the BD or possibly an umbrella stand and all.

Lotto - Thats a really good point. would it be better if I could get a room with 9foot ceiling at 25x30? As hall president I might be able to commondear the study lounge for an evening.

thanks for the tips!

~Casey

[hawk911]

start looking for Sunpac flash units- used they seem to run pretty cheap. get a few of them if you can. If you have access to a large room, USE IT!! The more room the better. You can put lights in better positions, use sheets to hide elements, etc. Just more options. Will limit the style of shooting- nude vs clothed (since you did say some G&N) but work with that some other place.

[mikekelley]

How about a couple vivtar 285HVs and some cheapo triggers?

Then just bouce, and flag off some areas accordingly.

[hawk911]

^+1 on that option too.