Lighting a Hangar?

bazair2air · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

I have been asked to shoot a private jet in a hangar.

Like shooting into a big garage, my shot will be from outside of the hangar so that I can show the jet and its home. I will need to shoot from different angles into the hangar to make sure I end up with the right shot. Hangar is east facing so morning light should be helpful. Current interior lighting is four, 8ft fluorescents. Its a big hangar, its very dark. Access is 9-5 with a weeks notice.

The jet and hangar interior should look bright and happy. I would like to light the shot properly but would prefer not to spend a fortune on lights.

Am I sick for thinking of buying six stand mounted shop lights from Home Depot? Florescent, Halogen, a couple fill flashes, who knows what daylight. CWB and pray?

Mav! What was the name of that truck driving school again?

StealthLude · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

uhhh... since it aint moving...

Tripod and just use a longer exposure... Or !!! do an HDR!

http://www.hdrsoft.com/

bazair2air · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

Thank you Stealth. Obviously, this will always be a consideration. However, a more dramatic shot is in mind.

I am talking lighted like a Disco. Approx. 60ft deep X 100ft wide.

StealthLude · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

Well, for an object that big, your going to need strobes... Depending on the power, and how much area you are trying to cover... you might need a lot of juice.

Are the celings white? if so, your in luck , you might be able to fire strobes like Alien Bees into the air and bounce them. If you are trying to hit it stright on, you will have to go for umbrellas 60 inch + distance and a lot of juice. Crank up the iso to like 400.

I still think for the most "dramatic" effect, of the hanger and plane. High Dynamic Range is going to be your best bet. With existing lighting, the floros will do you just fine. This also seems to be the cheapest route.

StealthLude · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

If you havent seen a high dynamic range photo... check the forums posters... b/c its the most dramatic i think you can get for an object like that.

Its going to cost you a FEW grand in lighting that area. If i had to do it, id slap six AB1600 units in my truck... I cant see this needing anything LESS.

ashbyroadeast · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

Hi,
Dont know much about lighting but have been around a few hangers.
If you take the shots "through" the doors then lighting can be hidden behind them, and there are usually lots of pieces of iron work to fasten to.
A few spots hidden behind the undercarriage may give a nice effect, finally as the hanger will be darker than the outside why not keep it dark and just highlight the aircraft.

good luck and show us the results- good or bad!

Unlike the UK at least you wont have to be wearing gloves and thermal underwear!

primoz · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

I hate to say this, but for normal amount of money only way to solve this problem is this what Stealthlude said. With normal lights from Home depot, you will have really "great" mixture of light temperature, so it will be pretty much impossible to get nice looking photo.
With strobes you will spend fortune to buy/rent enough of them to lit whole hangar well. And no matter how bright it might look it will still be A LOT darker then outside of hangar. So even if I hate doing stuff like Stealthlude suggested, I think it will be only chance to do this job.

PhotosGuy · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

Quote:

Tripod and just use a longer exposure...

My choice, too. MAKE THEM POSITION THE JET WHERE YOU WANT IT! You're the expert, so set up the shot. Don't just shoot what's there. (Do I need to copy & paste that in 4-5 times?)

Shoot RAW. Any other variations can be fixed in processing with Layer Masks:

Take a look at this thread for how to use a Layer Mask to selectivly lighten/darken part of a pic: Airport runway shoot

Dynamic range question...
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=135097
RAitch Tutorial - Burn and Dodge with a Layer
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...581#post810581
Tutorial - Create a layer mask from image detail
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=100077
Masks - Lightening
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...235#post977235

Russell Brown Tips & Techniques: Advanced Masking
http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html
Scottes: Tutorial: Masking for Noise Reduction (Big!)
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...ad.php?t=48929
The Light's Right Studio: Blended Exposures Revisited

mjordan · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

If you don't have the lights to light up the interior like you would like, try taking a picture at dusk with the hanger lights on. Put the camera on a tripod and shoot a long exposure as suggested above. But with it dusk or even dark outside, the lighted interior will stand out even more.

If you have the time and they are willing to work with you, take two shots. One with the outside light the way you want and one at dusk or dark with the interior lights on and then merge the two images together. You could use a few select placements of light inside to light up any areas that need additional light... say a company logo or name, logo, shadows, etc.

Mike

mbze430 · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

I did a shot of a tank... total light used... 15 lights.

Good luck.. 3 of those where hollywood continuous.

chtgrubbs · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

Maybe something like this, which is from Helix Photo's rental department in Chicago:
BIG SHOT KIT
• 10- Speedotron 2405B power supplies • 12- power cords
• 2- Speedotron 105/2 heads w/ tube caps • 12- 7” 110° grid refl
• 10- Speedotron 202VF heads w/ tube caps • 12- 11 1/2” 60° grid refl
• 2- Chimera single speed rings • 2- 11’ stands
• 2- Chimera/Plume light boxes, choice of size
• 5- 48” white umbrellas • 10- 9’ stand
• 4- C-clamp pipe hangers with 5/8” mounting spud
• 4- C-clamps (6”-8”) with 5/8” mtg spud † • 10- slave trippers
Special “hard wire” sync package with:
• 10- 2 blade male/male sync adapters • 10- 2 blade cube taps
• 10- 20’ two blade sync extentions • 2- tube pouches
All above packed in shipping cases on request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275.00 daily 825.00 weekly

DocFrankenstein · 11th of May 2006 (Thu)

Well... you COULD light it with home depot lights, but you'll need them to open the hangar at 3-4 AM so that the light levels are convenient.

You'll need about 40K in lighting gear to light it decently with strobes in daylight.

HDR is the only way.

PhotosGuy · 12th of May 2006 (Fri)

This doesn't have to be hard! Faces east? Put the jet just inside the door of the hangar.
Start shooting before the sun comes up, and keep on shooting for about 1/2 hour after.
A few Car Lighting Tips

bazair2air · 12th of May 2006 (Fri)

Thank you! I was very concerned about using so many different types of lights sources.

They are willing to place the jet anywhere that I like. However, this is a shot that I have wanted for quite some time.

After further thought, I see that I am looking at this shot all wrong. I am going to take it at dusk or early morning as you suggested. That way the light comes to me. The ceiling and the floor are white which is a plus. I can place a couple of fills and some colored lights for that dramatic effect.

I always shoot RAW. I will be going for HDR on this shot during post. Thank you for all of the links.

The attached photo is a rough idea of the shot with the focus being on the jet instead of the logo. I would like it brighter and more colorful and the interior of the jet will be lighted and colorful as well.

kona77 · 15th of May 2006 (Mon)

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhotosGuy

My choice, too. MAKE THEM POSITION THE JET WHERE YOU WANT IT! You're the expert, so set up the shot. Don't just shoot what's there. (Do I need to copy & paste that in 4-5 times?)

Shoot RAW. Any other variations can be fixed in processing with Layer Masks:

Take a look at this thread for how to use a Layer Mask to selectivly lighten/darken part of a pic: Airport runway shoot

Dynamic range question...
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=135097
RAitch Tutorial - Burn and Dodge with a Layer
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...581#post810581
Tutorial - Create a layer mask from image detail
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=100077
Masks - Lightening
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...235#post977235

Russell Brown Tips & Techniques: Advanced Masking
http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html
Scottes: Tutorial: Masking for Noise Reduction (Big!)
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...ad.php?t=48929
The Light's Right Studio: Blended Exposures Revisited

Ahhh, the old runway shoot. It worked out just great thanks to your help.

bazair2air,

Photosguy made me look like I knew what I was doing. He knows his stuff. Good Luck.

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#1
bazair2air Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 182 IMAGE EDITING OK	Lighting a Hangar? I have been asked to shoot a private jet in a hangar. Like shooting into a big garage, my shot will be from outside of the hangar so that I can show the jet and its home. I will need to shoot from different angles into the hangar to make sure I end up with the right shot. Hangar is east facing so morning light should be helpful. Current interior lighting is four, 8ft fluorescents. Its a big hangar, its very dark. Access is 9-5 with a weeks notice. The jet and hangar interior should look bright and happy. I would like to light the shot properly but would prefer not to spend a fortune on lights. Am I sick for thinking of buying six stand mounted shop lights from Home Depot? Florescent, Halogen, a couple fill flashes, who knows what daylight. CWB and pray? Mav! What was the name of that truck driving school again? __________________ Blue Skies! Baz www.ChrisBazil.com Canon 5D, Canon 15 FE, Canon 17-40 4L, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Canon 70-200 IS 2.8L, Canon 100 Macro, Canon 100-400 IS 4.5L, 580EX, 430EX Last edited by bazair2air : 11th of May 2006 (Thu) at 06:08.

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#2
StealthLude Goldmember Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 3,680 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Lighting a Hangar? uhhh... since it aint moving... Tripod and just use a longer exposure... Or !!! do an HDR! http://www.hdrsoft.com/ __________________ [[Gear List]] Skype: Stealthlude

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#3
bazair2air Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 182 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Lighting a Hangar? Thank you Stealth. Obviously, this will always be a consideration. However, a more dramatic shot is in mind. I am talking lighted like a Disco. Approx. 60ft deep X 100ft wide. __________________ Blue Skies! Baz www.ChrisBazil.com Canon 5D, Canon 15 FE, Canon 17-40 4L, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Canon 70-200 IS 2.8L, Canon 100 Macro, Canon 100-400 IS 4.5L, 580EX, 430EX

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#4
StealthLude Goldmember Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 3,680 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Lighting a Hangar? Well, for an object that big, your going to need strobes... Depending on the power, and how much area you are trying to cover... you might need a lot of juice. Are the celings white? if so, your in luck , you might be able to fire strobes like Alien Bees into the air and bounce them. If you are trying to hit it stright on, you will have to go for umbrellas 60 inch + distance and a lot of juice. Crank up the iso to like 400. I still think for the most "dramatic" effect, of the hanger and plane. High Dynamic Range is going to be your best bet. With existing lighting, the floros will do you just fine. This also seems to be the cheapest route. __________________ [[Gear List]] Skype: Stealthlude

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#5
StealthLude Goldmember Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 3,680 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Lighting a Hangar? If you havent seen a high dynamic range photo... check the forums posters... b/c its the most dramatic i think you can get for an object like that. Its going to cost you a FEW grand in lighting that area. If i had to do it, id slap six AB1600 units in my truck... I cant see this needing anything LESS. __________________ [[Gear List]] Skype: Stealthlude

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#6
ashbyroadeast Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bretby, Burton Upon Trent, England Posts: 127 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Lighting a Hangar? Hi, Dont know much about lighting but have been around a few hangers. If you take the shots "through" the doors then lighting can be hidden behind them, and there are usually lots of pieces of iron work to fasten to. A few spots hidden behind the undercarriage may give a nice effect, finally as the hanger will be darker than the outside why not keep it dark and just highlight the aircraft. good luck and show us the results- good or bad! Unlike the UK at least you wont have to be wearing gloves and thermal underwear! __________________ Darin My Pics: Flickr- Ashbyroadeast My Gear:30D,17-40L,24-70L,EF-S 60mm Macro , 70-200 L F4, 100-400 L 1.4 TCII Speedlite 580ex manfrotto 055 prob and 488 head, 681 monopod & head,Ste-2 Wireless Transmitter

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#7
primoz POTN Sports Photographer of the year 2005 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Anywhere where ski World cup makes its stop Posts: 2,509	Re: Lighting a Hangar? I hate to say this, but for normal amount of money only way to solve this problem is this what Stealthlude said. With normal lights from Home depot, you will have really "great" mixture of light temperature, so it will be pretty much impossible to get nice looking photo. With strobes you will spend fortune to buy/rent enough of them to lit whole hangar well. And no matter how bright it might look it will still be A LOT darker then outside of hangar. So even if I hate doing stuff like Stealthlude suggested, I think it will be only chance to do this job. __________________ PhotoSI \| Latest sport photos

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#9
mjordan Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Hillsboro, OR Posts: 1,315	Re: Lighting a Hangar? If you don't have the lights to light up the interior like you would like, try taking a picture at dusk with the hanger lights on. Put the camera on a tripod and shoot a long exposure as suggested above. But with it dusk or even dark outside, the lighted interior will stand out even more. If you have the time and they are willing to work with you, take two shots. One with the outside light the way you want and one at dusk or dark with the interior lights on and then merge the two images together. You could use a few select placements of light inside to light up any areas that need additional light... say a company logo or name, logo, shadows, etc. Mike __________________ Hillsboro, OR Canon 1DMKII and lots of "L" http://www.sitnprettyphoto.com

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#10
mbze430 Goldmember Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chino Hills Posts: 2,454	Re: Lighting a Hangar? I did a shot of a tank... total light used... 15 lights. Good luck.. 3 of those where hollywood continuous. __________________ Gear List My Hub to my personal work (just click on the banners) Last edited by mbze430 : 11th of May 2006 (Thu) at 22:51.

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#11
chtgrubbs Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,668	Re: Lighting a Hangar? Maybe something like this, which is from Helix Photo's rental department in Chicago: BIG SHOT KIT • 10- Speedotron 2405B power supplies • 12- power cords • 2- Speedotron 105/2 heads w/ tube caps • 12- 7” 110° grid refl • 10- Speedotron 202VF heads w/ tube caps • 12- 11 1/2” 60° grid refl • 2- Chimera single speed rings • 2- 11’ stands • 2- Chimera/Plume light boxes, choice of size • 5- 48” white umbrellas • 10- 9’ stand • 4- C-clamp pipe hangers with 5/8” mounting spud • 4- C-clamps (6”-8”) with 5/8” mtg spud † • 10- slave trippers Special “hard wire” sync package with: • 10- 2 blade male/male sync adapters • 10- 2 blade cube taps • 10- 20’ two blade sync extentions • 2- tube pouches All above packed in shipping cases on request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275.00 daily 825.00 weekly

11th of May 2006 (Thu)	#12
DocFrankenstein Cream of the Crop Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: where the buffalo roam Posts: 10,962	Re: Lighting a Hangar? Well... you COULD light it with home depot lights, but you'll need them to open the hangar at 3-4 AM so that the light levels are convenient. You'll need about 40K in lighting gear to light it decently with strobes in daylight. HDR is the only way. __________________ I have typed this from Ubuntu. Vent: One lens, two lenses. Advice=what you seek; advise=what we do. Then="at that time" or "subsequently"; than="compared to". Aperture, not aperature. Their="owned by them"; there="at that place"; they're="they are". Its="owned by it"; it's="it is". Your="owned by you"; you're="you are"; ur="primitive".

12th of May 2006 (Fri)	#13
PhotosGuy Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: S. E. Michigan Posts: 64,653	Re: Lighting a Hangar? This doesn't have to be hard! Faces east? Put the jet just inside the door of the hangar. Start shooting before the sun comes up, and keep on shooting for about 1/2 hour after. A few Car Lighting Tips __________________ FrankC - 20D, RAW, Manual everything... Classic Carz, Racing, Air Show, Flowers. www.FrankCizek.com Find the light... A few Car Lighting Tips, and MOVE YOUR FEET! Have you thought about making your own book? // Need an exposure crutch?

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