lighting equipment

[Bianca Berends]

I am exited because this Friday I am getting new lighting equipment! It took some time to sort out what I need and want.

First I thought I wanted two or three Lowel Omni lights, Daniel Greene uses these for his demonstrations to light his model and his canvas and palet. He uses 300w light bulbs. This is a great set-up but for taking photographs it is a bit hard and with use of a filter you also loose a lot of light.

So now I have decided to buy a Lowel Rifa light with a Pro-light as a second light source. Take a look at the Lowel website for more information. At the Lowel Edu site you can try out different lighting settings yourself and experience the effect.

Here are the technical specifications of the set I am buying:

Rifa eX 66 Pro Kit
- Rifa eX 66
- 650 W, 120v lamp
- 1 Pro-light
- 200w, 120v lamp
- 1 Pro-light 4-way barndoor
- 1 Pro & i Gel frame
- 1 Ks jr. stand
- 1 uni stand
- Pro & i gels
- Rifa 66 daylight gel set


I will keep you posted!

[Amanda Grosjean]

Hi Bianca,

I will be very interested to hear what your thoughts are on these lights once you get them up and running.

Lighting is just a constant issue. I purchased some Smith and Victor lights in a set last year. It had 3 lights in the kit and came with a case on wheels. It thought this would be perfect if I was going to be getting photo references on the road. The concept is great and I love the boom but they are awful. They get SO incredibly hot you cannot physically adjust them with your bare hands. Using these to also light my studio is bad because they they go thorough bulbs once a week. (Which is expensive and I know it is not great for the environment) But other bulbs I have tried, including the eco-friendly high-powered led's I have tried have not been efficient enough. I know that 5000K is optimal.

If this brand works for you please share what specific ones you chose and include how long the bulbs last.

I'd love to hear anyone's bulb/light of choice...especially if you have found an eco-friendly version! I'd be willing to spend extra if it saved me in the long run.

Thanks,

Amanda

[Cecelia Cox]

Amanda,

Have you considered using compact flourescents which are daylight balanced? 1000bulbs.com has some which are 5500K and are the equivalent to a 200 or 250 watt incandescent. I don't travel, but these are working very nicely in my studio. I can paint from the model and photograph under the same lights.

[Amanda Grosjean]

Hi Cecelia!

Thanks so much for your reply. In the past I have tried a 5500K fluorescent lights and I have found them to be a bit too blue. But maybe I just haven't found the right kind yet. I'll try that site you recommended. I'm kind of stuck with the lights I have for now because I can't afford a upgrade. I've had problems getting some of the oversized florescent bulbs to fit in the reflectors too. I bought some of the cheap lights in bulk to offset the cost for now but none of my heat issues or longevity problems have been solved. Thanks for the suggestion.

-Amanda