Help needed with photo booth lighting

I use a rotating photo booth for my day job of photographing cars. It came with two large LED assemblies and overall works pretty well but there are times I wish it was better. I use a Canon SL1 with a 430 EX II. Mainly what I am asking is if there are any suggestions on a proper way to get better lighting especially down low. I have the ability to power more lights or strobes that can rotate with the booth so that's not an issue if that's the best course of action.

The photos from the booth already come out better than 90% of the competition's, but I just want to do the best job possible.

Thank you for any suggestions.

Heya,

Depends on how much post-effort you want to do. But I would think it would be pretty easy to simply place a few speedlites where ever you want them, take a shot from a tripod, and move the speedlite around and get several shots from the same tripod spot, and then in post, overlay them all. Or literally get that many speedlites and do a single shot. It would be easier than rigging up some booth, at least, I would think. I wouldn't use LED at all. If anything, I'd be using speedlites or strobes for this.

Of course, no idea what the final product is expected to be here.

Very best,

Ideally there will be no post editing. I shoot about 1000 shots a day and use a wifi card to transfer to my phone which immediately uploads to our site so there's no point along the way to do any editing. I am very uneducated in lighting so that's why I thought I would check here to see what the best layout for quick, consistent results would be. I was thinking maybe two strobes somewhere along the lower sides of the opening to the booth and maybe one more behind the car to completely white out the wall, but I don't know exactly what size to get and how to aim them.

Sometimes I try to expose to the top edge of the vehicle to eliminate all the overexposure as seen in the sample photo, but that also leads to darker lower areas of the car. The photo I posted was just the first one I came across that looked like an average between good and bad shots I've gotten.

Heya,

Cool that helps to know. I kind of figured as much, but it does pay to ask!

Some wired strobes would be cost effective and have the least downtime. You can then just carefully angle them so that their hot spots and reflections are not too obvious (don't want to see them in the car reflections right?). You could want to build that booth with material that allows light to pass through, treat the whole thing like a giant softbox perhaps. Then there's nothing in the reflections. Otherwise, to keep it simple, just putting some wired strobes will get you a lot of light and options, compared to LED stuff.

Does the final image look like what you posted? Where you see the booth and the flooring? It would help to know what a final production photograph looks like, to figure out what would help the most.

Very best,

The picture I posted is directly from our website so it's a final photo. My employer is fine with how they look and it's a lot better than most of the other places here that just take quick shots outside and move on. It's more of a personal thing that I want to do a better job for my own approval.

Thank you very much for helping me out.

Are you using a CPL on your lens?
To me the color seems faded.

I have never used LED lighting, personally I prefer strobes for all of my product photography photos .

I'm not but I do agree the color looks pretty weak in that shot. Do you think it would help? I could bump up saturation in the camera as well.

ib2loud wrote in post #17706205
I'm not but I do agree the color looks pretty weak in that shot. Do you think it would help? I could bump up saturation in the camera as well.

The CPL would be for reducing reflections.

Very best,

I use a CPL when I photograph cars under direct sunlight.

If it will help you or not I don't know, I am a hobbyist photographer on cars.

I do product photography on custom made pool cues and billiard products.
Any time I photograph anything with a smooth surface am thinking about reflection issues.
Any more I almost never remove the CPL from the lens i use for product photography and the same lens i use for cars.
But i am not doing product photos on the cars i photograph,
They are on the street in the sun...............

IMAGE LINK: http://s1110.photobuck​et.com …0car_zpshvr5gdm​p.jpg.html

IMAGE LINK: http://s1110.photobuck​et.com …20PU_zpsggbefep​b.jpg.html

ib2loud wrote in post #17706205
I'm not but I do agree the color looks pretty weak in that shot. Do you think it would help? I could bump up saturation in the camera as well.

The weak colour is due to the LEDs, they don't provide a full colour spectrum, so won't render true colours, it'll be worse with red than any other colour.

flash is the answer to that.

IMHO that light tent is an appalling tool for the job required, for it to do the job it promises, it needs to be sealed at the front with just a hole for the lens. And even then, it'll only produce OK results, which might be all that's required.

You know I have used light tents for awhile , and to be honest I don't like them on smooth surfaced products .
To much glare and reflection issues IMO.
What is your camera setting ?
Are you using a slow shutter speed ?

Just using P mode on the camera, usually at around 1/60" on the shutter with the speedlight bounced. I suppose it's fine for what is required, as said earlier. I just want to do the best I can possibly do.

Thanks for the responses.

ib2loud wrote in post #17711455
Just using P mode on the camera, usually at around 1/60" on the shutter with the speedlight bounced. I suppose it's fine for what is required, as said earlier. I just want to do the best I can possibly do.

Thanks for the responses.

I don't wish to sound harsh, but if your investment in this is some cheap LED lights and a camera on P mode, your results will reflect that.

'The best you can do' ought to mean you're prepared to push yourself and learn.

As we've said, a red car will never shoot well with those lights, you need flash, or to use tungsten and a custom white balance (oddly whilst tungsten has a massive colour shift, it does have a good CRI).

Are there 'shoot through' holes in the light tent?

When I am doing product photography photos I am always in manual mode..


When I am doing all my product photography its in the dark.
I make sure that there are no other light that is striking the product, I want total control of the lighting.
THE ONLY LIGHT I WANT IN THE ROOM OR BUILDING IS MY STROBES or MY STROBES MODELING LAMPS .

I ALSO ONLY SHOOT TETHERED.


Most every book I have read on product photography and lighting has helped me in my product photography.

The books Lights Science and Magic and Speedliter's handbook I think might help you.

I think your lights need to be moved because of the reflection or glare issues and I think you should set you camera to manual mode.
I don't even know if you are using a tripod ?
Personally I would use only strobes,.....
All these ideas might slow down your production or how many cars you photograph per day.

God I sound like a drill instructor...