| COLOR CORRECTION
Q:
How do I
correct for image color problems?
We recommend
QP colorsoft to
correct any color issues.
PURE WHITE BACKGROUND
Photography for a floating image
Q: What is the
best equipment for creating "floating objects"?
Imaging for a web catalog frequently
requires objects to be "floating" on a pure white background. This can be
accomplished with image editing software like Paint Shop Pro or Photo
Shop, but the time and effort required to edit images can be significantly
reduced if the original photo of the image has a near pure white
background.
Our
Table Top Studio
is specifically designed to produce small object images with an almost
pure white background. There are several lighting techniques and camera
settings required to produce a shadow-less image.
1. Lighting Technique - The
white background of the Table Top studio must be sufficiently illuminated
by having the lights aiming at the background more than the object. Keep
the object as far forward on the Table Top as possible. Aim the lights so
that most of the light falls on the background and some of it illuminates
the object.
2. Camera Settings - Set the
camera white balance to a "custom" setting, capturing it without the
object on the Table Top Platform. If your camera does not allow for
"custom" white balance than use the "Tungsten", "incandescent" or
"interior" white balance "pre-set. Set the camera light metering to "spot"
metering. Always use a camera tripod and use the self timer or remote
control to trigger the shutter. If your camera does not support these
features than you should consider a camera upgrade
STROBE vs.
CONTINUOUS LIGHTING
Q:
Which is
better flash or continuous lighting?
We recommend continuous lighting for most
digital photography situations including portraiture. Continuous lighting
is easier to use because you can see exactly what you are photographing,
whereas with flash lights you compose in relatively dim lighting of the
model lights, and it is difficult to compose in the dark. Flash lighting
requires more trial and error setup corrections, it is not intuitive and
can be very frustrating. Also, flash lighting requires the use of an
expensive flash meter whereas continuous lights allow you to use the
sophisticated metering in your digital camera. In addition, flash lighting
frequently has triggering issues. For more details see or
continuous vs. flash
page.
In the past portrait photographers
disliked continuous lights because they were hot, uncomfortable for the
customer and power hungry. Our
ALZO "cool lites"
solve all of the problems of conventional hot lights. ALZO "cool lites"
produce unnoticeable heat
- ALZO "cool lites" work with all digital
cameras
- ALZO "cool lites" are daylight color
temperature
- ALZO "cool lites" are naturally soft
light
- ALZO "cool lites" do not have
triggering issues
- ALZO "cool lites" conserve energy
Color balance is not much concern with
digital cameras and their sophisticated "automatic color balance"
settings. This is because the "white Balance" feature automatically
compensates for the color temperature of the studio lights. Make sure your
digital camera has custom "white balance" for the most accurate color
reproduction.
For digital cameras with a "hot shoe" or
a "PC" connector we supply a
Wireless Trigger
to eliminate cable connections.
FLASH
LIGHTING
Q: Will
flash lighting work with any digital cameras?
NO, flash lights require a trigger
circuit and most digital cameras do not provide these connections. Only
higher cost cameras have external flash trigger circuits.
Q:
Would I need
any special additional equipment to use flash lights with my digital
camera?
Our flash lights include trigger cables
with "PC" connectors. For digital cameras with a "hot shoe" but no "PC"
connector we supply our
Wireless Trigger
or our Hot Shoe Adapter.
Q:
I have read that some Flash lights can damage my camera if they are not
"compatible"?
Only much older Flash lights (built
before 1980) caused damage to cameras. All of our Flash lights are low
current isolated protected and will not damage a digital camera. If your
digital camera flash trigger circuit is damaged with the use of our flash
lights (as determined by the camera manufacturer), then we will repair
your camera.
CONTINUOUS LIGHTING
Q: Why is more
light better when shooting products?
The choice of lighting is always based on
usage. Brighter lighting is always preferable because it offers more
versatility and allows for a smaller aperture when shooting, which
provides a greater "depth of focus".
If you want to shoot an array of products
with larger ones in the back and smaller ones in the foreground you are
going to need to set your camera to a very small aperture (f11 or smaller)
to produce the greatest "depth of focus". (i.e. all products foreground
and background in focus). Setting a small aperture requires more light and
a slower shutter speed. For maximum depth of field we recommend our
ALZO 2000
continuous "Cool Lite". Always use a tripod to hold the camera and use
a shutter release, the cameras self timer or remote control to trigger the
shutter.
FILM PHOTOGRAPHY
Q: Will
the Digital Photo Studio lighting work with film photography?
All of our continuous HOT lighting
equipment is suitable for film as well as digital photography. When using
our Flood Lights with film, you must use special "tungsten" film
for 3200k color temperature. Or, you can use normal "daylight" film with a
special color correcting filter. Using a filter will require a slower
shutter speed or a larger aperture to compensate for the reduction in
light caused by the filter.
Using our ALZO "Cool Lites" with film may
require a filter to make an adjustment to the color temperature of the
light. |
