Lighting Alternative?!

hi. i'm totally new to strobe and lighting, so i wanted to ask the lighting genius' about this halogen light i saw at Home Depot for $5.88 for 500 watts.

Sorry to say it but that's a great work light and not a good light for photographic lighting.

Dont mix continuous lighting with flash. You can make it work by gelling your strobes to match the tungsten color of the work light, but thats just the beginning of your issues. That light might be bright enough to compete with the flash. Usually most tungsten lights arent powerful enough to actually add much to a photo, this might be the exception. Also these are hot and harsh, that might not be an issue behind a car to give some edge, but you wouldnt want to light a model with them.

Even though it's a 500W light, that's still significantly less light than a 500w/s strobe. The strobe puts out as much light, nearly instantly, as the 500W light puts out over an entire second, which makes it very hard to mix continuous and strobe lights. You could, possibly, do it with a car, but the continuous lights won't add enough to the strobes to do anything for a person.

TMR Design wrote in post #9052129
Sorry to say it but that's a great work light and not a good light for photographic lighting.

thanks. i really wasn't lookin' to use this as a main source, maybe as backlgiht. at $5.88 i knew it was too good to be true!lol

gonzogolf wrote in post #9052136
Dont mix continuous lighting with flash. You can make it work by gelling your strobes to match the tungsten color of the work light, but thats just the beginning of your issues. That light might be bright enough to compete with the flash. Usually most tungsten lights arent powerful enough to actually add much to a photo, this might be the exception. Also these are hot and harsh, that might not be an issue behind a car to give some edge, but you wouldnt want to light a model with them.

so i guess this won't replace another ab800, but could possibly work as back lighting - is that what i'm understanding?

John Photography wrote in post #9052167
so i guess this won't replace another ab800, but could possibly work as back lighting - is that what i'm understanding?

Maybe, depending on how you expose your background, but remember its going to provide nasty yellow orange light if you white balance for the flash. If you have your camera handy, set your wb to flash, point it at an old tungsten light bulb and see what you get. Same thing only brighter

gonzogolf wrote in post #9052180
Maybe, depending on how you expose your background, but remember its going to provide nasty yellow orange light if you white balance for the flash. If you have your camera handy, set your wb to flash, point it at an old tungsten light bulb and see what you get. Same thing only brighter

gotcha, that makes plenty of sense! i suppose at $5.88 a piece....these will have to do with just simple lighting while on location.

but the newb that i am, how does one light up a subject like a car....when there's very little ambient lighitng? do i use the model light on the AB?

Depends on what that light is. One option is to put the camera on a tripod, use a longish exposure to get the ambient light in the background then pop the flash to light up the car and model. If you have an AB800 try a shoot through umbrella for that wide soft light.

The modeling light on the ab just shows you where the shadows are falling relative to the flash. It goes off when the flash fires.

gonzogolf wrote in post #9052216
Depends on what that light is. One option is to put the camera on a tripod, use a longish exposure to get the ambient light in the background then pop the flash to light up the car and model. If you have an AB800 try a shoot through umbrella for that wide soft light.

i ordered a medium octobox to shoot a car. hopefully that's more than sufficient.

Well your softbox is meant to control the spill side ways. In this instance you want light to spill as widely as possible. Skip the octobox for this one and go with a shoot through.

Do you understand my point about the longer shutter speed?

gonzogolf wrote in post #9052256
Well your softbox is meant to control the spill side ways. In this instance you want light to spill as widely as possible. Skip the octobox for this one and go with a shoot through.

Do you understand my point about the longer shutter speed?

i have the following on order...

and you were gonna spend $12 bucks for lighting?!?!?

57hardtop wrote in post #9052368
and you were gonna spend $12 bucks for lighting?!?!?

cuz' after that order, i only have $12 left!!lol

seriously, i just thought it was be "cheap" added lighting. it was stacked up near the register and figured i'd pick up one.

I understand completely ...I think we all get that fleeting thought...that we've just discovered some new, cheap way to accomplish what would normally cost a fortune...only to be shot down in flames