Need large lights that will fit in a very small space.

I'm the product photographer for a very large liquor/beer/wine retailer. We need to set up a small studio in an 8' x 8' space to shoot tens of thousands of images of various booze.

The lights need to be large so that the bottles are evenly lit. Are there very large LED panels available? Massive diffusers?

I realize this is an incredibly small space to work in, and I've already explained that to my bosses. But, they want me to try and find out if there is any possibilty of making it work before we explore other options.

paint the walls white and bounce your lights off the sides. If painting isn't an option, tape 4' x 8' sheets of white foamcore to the walls. You don't need "large lights" you need a large apparent light source. Small speedlights will work fine.

jcolman wrote in post #16686463
paint the walls white and bounce your lights off the sides. If painting isn't an option, tape 4' x 8' sheets of white foamcore to the walls. You don't need "large lights" you need a large apparent light source. Small speedlights will work fine.

Now that is an interesting idea... Thank you, sir!

shocksyde wrote in post #16686482
Now that is an interesting idea... Thank you, sir!

You're welcome. Bouncing small lights off of large pieces of foamcore is a trick I've been using for years in the video biz. It works just as well for still photos too.

jcolman wrote in post #16686505
You're welcome. Bouncing small lights off of large pieces of foamcore is a trick I've been using for years in the video biz. It works just as well for still photos too.

I feel a little silly because I actually use "apparent light" in my in-house studio at my office. Just at a smaller scale.

As Jim says, large source via bounce works well.
Also, if you are shooting that much stuff with varying colors of glass and liquid for use on web sites, print etc. you should consider coming up with a lighting scheme and camera position that creates consistency then "lock" everything down so you can create consistent results for the while variety of products.

That approach let me shoot hundreds of sunglasses for client with single exposure per item, tethered.

I shot in raw, imported into Lightroom via tether with preset applied to get the color etc. color wanted. Single exposure meant I could confirm cropping quickly, then export the three sizes of JPGs they wanted.

Raw, original meant I had a large, high quality image available for special purposes if needed.

dmward wrote in post #16686639
As Jim says, large source via bounce works well.
Also, if you are shooting that much stuff with varying colors of glass and liquid for use on web sites, print etc. you should consider coming up with a lighting scheme and camera position that creates consistency then "lock" everything down so you can create consistent results for the while variety of products.

That approach let me shoot hundreds of sunglasses for client with single exposure per item, tethered.

I shot in raw, imported into Lightroom via tether with preset applied to get the color etc. color wanted. Single exposure meant I could confirm cropping quickly, then export the three sizes of JPGs they wanted.

Raw, original meant I had a large, high quality image available for special purposes if needed.

Yep, that's the plan. I'll be training non-photographers to do the actual shooting, so consistency is the name of the game. Thanks for the tips!

+1 bouncing.

If you need to move the flashes often to get your lighting, use the eclipse flag. It blocks out light not intended for bouncing and doesn’t need resetting after the move.

http://photo-tips-online.com …eld-side-view-flash-fired

SFzip wrote in post #16686886
+1 bouncing.

If you need to move the flashes often to get your lighting, use the eclipse flag. It blocks out light not intended for bouncing and doesn’t need resetting after the move.

http://photo-tips-online.com …eld-side-view-flash-fired

I tried one of those. Its a waste of money in my view. A piece of black foam from craft store and pony tail band do the same or better for much less money and ease of use.

shocksyde wrote in post #16686868
Yep, that's the plan. I'll be training non-photographers to do the actual shooting, so consistency is the name of the game. Thanks for the tips!

I used a piece of plexi with light behind it for white background, then got the large light sources set for the glasses. Worked a charm for white cutout look on website.
Keep the white background about 95% in Lightroom then put a vignette around it to 100%. On a white background website it looks seamless.

dmward wrote in post #16687265
I tried one of those. Its a waste of money in my view. A piece of black foam from craft store and pony tail band do the same or better for much less money and ease of use.

For the OP's benefit, here's how the eclipse has helped us.

We have a remote flash mounted on a light stand set up for bounce lighting. My assistant helps me move the flash around to dial-in the direction of light. We've been successful using a small piece of foam fastened around the flash head to flag the light, but someone always had to check to see if the flag was actually positioned correctly for sufficient coverage. Then we tried a large piece of foam thinking more coverage, but that ended up blocking too much light (absorbed and wasted). We concluded that the small piece of foam worked best, so we dealt with having to baby sit it.

In the same scenario with the eclipse flag, we no longer had to do our routine check on the position of the flag. Basically, the flash and subject can move just about anywhere in the room and the subject is fully blocked from any direct light coming from the flash. And brilliantly, the light output is not impeded by the eclipse.

SFzip wrote in post #16689109
For the OP's benefit, here's how the eclipse has helped us.

We have a remote flash mounted on a light stand set up for bounce lighting. My assistant helps me move the flash around to dial-in the direction of light. We've been successful using a small piece of foam fastened around the flash head to flag the light, but someone always had to check to see if the flag was actually positioned correctly for sufficient coverage. Then we tried a large piece of foam thinking more coverage, but that ended up blocking too much light (absorbed and wasted). We concluded that the small piece of foam worked best, so we dealt with having to baby sit it.

In the same scenario with the eclipse flag, we no longer had to do our routine check on the position of the flag. Basically, the flash and subject can move just about anywhere in the room and the subject is fully blocked from any direct light coming from the flash. And brilliantly, the light output is not impeded by the eclipse.

Doesnt change the fact that the same could be accomplished with a bit of craft foam. You might have discovered a new way to do things, but its the technique, not the specific device.