systmster wrote:
I am looking to get some lights for doing some close up (macro pics), nothing extreme just close ups of small objects. Are there some cheap lights that I can purchase that are pure white or closer to white then standard light bulbs…
What about the light bulbs called "Pure White" has anyone tried those?
Does anyone have a link that describes how to setup a cheap light box to minimize shadows on objects?
Thanks.
First, you probably want some shadows. If you don’t have shadows, everything is the same degree of luminosity. That is very flat light and can be very boring. However…
You don’t need a light box to get rid of the shadows. You need a light tent. This is a small, white, translucent tent that goes over the product. Your lights are outside the tent. The tent defuses the light to make it come from all directions. Well, to a degree; that depends on how many and where you place the lights.
The best product shots I’ve seen used many complicated spot lights, few big (soft) lights, and many light blocking devices. This is an art that is beyond me though. It seems to be an art that is beyond all but the very few.
Your light color problem may be more of a computer and camera setup problem. If you work with standard colored lights (studio flash or hot lights), your camera probably has a White Balance setting that is darn close to those. If you want to be more accurate, shoot with a camera that has a Custom White Balance setting and set it.
If you are looking for very accurate color, you have to have a calibrated monitor and software for setting colors exactly. (I use Curvemeister inside of Photoshop CS2.)
If you are looking to do this really cheap, you are in for trouble. Incandescent bulbs are not very consistent in color or luminosity. They change over time and conditions. For example, the variable voltage that is coming into your house may change the color of the lights, if you don’t have plugged into a UPS.
Florescent bulbs are more consistent, but they may have or lack colors that you really need in your picture. Metal Halide lamps are very inconsistent in light color. OK, they aren’t cheap either. Flash is very consistent in color.
If I were going to shoot cheaply, I would use my Alien Bee flashes. Oh… OK. A light tent could be made pretty easily with cloth. Go to a fabric store and hold up different white cloth to the light to make sure you don’t have too "hot" a spot. Buy all your bulbs at the same time, place, and batch, if you can. Plug the fixtures into a UPS. 15 minutes after you turn them on, calibrate the Custom White Balance in your camera to the white floor inside your tent. Shoot.
Of course, I can’t see myself shooting without my Alien Bee flashes, my Spyder2 monitor calibrator, Curvemeister, and a few other things. These have all made getting correct color much easier.
Clyde
