Best Bulbs for a Primitive Photography Setup?

[The Kumquat Alchemist]

Disclaimer: I have no experience with professional photography, and use an awful camera.

Hello, Eurobricks! Today I have come across an issue setting up a proper photography area, relating to the bulbs I use in my two lamps:

Standard filament or fluorescent bulbs give my photographs horrible yellow tinge; this happens regardless of how the two lamps are positioned, or what other light sources there are in the room.

Would daylight bulbs work better? LEDs? Halogen? Is it even possible to take decent photographs in such a setting, even if I were to get better bulbs?

Edited October 26, 2014 by The Kumquat Alchemist

[torso]

Doesn't really matter what kind of bulbs you use as long as you set the white balance setting in your camera to match. (Or you can fix it yourself in a photo editing program later, but it's more work.) The big thing you should avoid is having different kind of lights in the same photo. There is no easy way to make mixed-light photos look good.

Personally I like overcast days for photography, because it gives me good photos with a minimum of work. When such conditions aren't available I use a couple of halogen light bulbs and set the white balance setting to 2700 K. The colours are just as good in those photos, but positioning the lamps to avoid hard shadows and reflections takes more time.

[Sven F]

whs^ The yellow tint is due to white balance. try setting it to "incandescent" or "tungsten" it is sometimes called. It is quite hard to get it perfect even if you adjust it to your lights, I find it always takes a bit of post-adjustment. Easy if you have the ability to take photos in RAW format, the adjustment is usually called "temperature", depending on your camera make/ raw format.

[OriginalJK555]

I don't know what your funds are like but you can buy an inexpensive light box set up that will give you pretty professional looking photos. Just Google "photo light box" and you can get a good idea of what's out there. Light boxes diffuse the light on you object and even crappy cameras shoot good pictures. As far as bulbs go, I believe most photographers use "daylight" bulbs, as they give the whitest look.

Edited October 27, 2014 by OriginalJK555

[The Kumquat Alchemist]

Thanks! Your comments have shown me some interesting paths of research.

Due to chronic penny-pinching (when not overspending on LEGO items) I think I'll mess with the white balance post-processing, using photo editors. If that proves ineffective, I'll probably make a proper light box and get a better camera.

Edited October 27, 2014 by The Kumquat Alchemist

[dr_spock]

What camera are you using? Does it have a custom white balance feature? It would be simpler than trying to correct white balance in post.

[Slegengr]

What camera are you using? Does it have a custom white balance feature? It would be simpler than trying to correct white balance in post.

From my experience, this is correct that it will be much simpler to adjust the camera white balance rather than trying to do the same with software after the picture is taken. Even simple digital cameras usually have some form of white balance. If you can adjust white balance, this would likely be the simplest solution.

I have found that florescent or daylight bulbs work better than incandescent bulbs, but I have had troubles finding higher-Watt florescent bulbs. They are dimmer than incandescent bulbs, so I have to use more than 2 light fixtures (which is not bad, as more light fixtures from different angles help to eliminate shadows) for my lighting and have still not perfected my photo lighting. The white balance on my camera has been the number one adjustment that helps with picture quality.

[Hoschiebaer]

http://www.canon.co....rShot_A3400_IS/

according to the informatioin on your flickr, this is the camera you are using =)

according to the website you got different white balance options - try to find the right for your bulbs (probably you have to go to the menu to adjust the wb)

building a light tent isnt very expensive - i built mine using the explanation in a BrickJournal article, which can be previewed here:

(dont forget to also check page 13 aswell)

http://issuu.com/two...nal25preview/14

Edited October 28, 2014 by Hoschiebaer

[wlderdude]

Custom white balance works best. Here's how it works for most Canon cameras. You take a picture of something colorless (white works, but a grey card works better) under the lighting conditions you have. Then under the menus there is the option like "Set Custom White Balance," which lets you select that picture to use. Realize that your camera will need something to focus on; it's hard to take a picture of a white sheet without overriding the focus.

As for what bulb you want, my first choice is Halogen and as many Watts ad your fixtures can handle. The "daylight" tungsten or standard tungsten also work well.

I'd avoid any florescent lights as their color varies slightly over each power cycle (that 60 Hz or 50 Hz alternating current thing). You can overcome that by setting the shutter time to a multiple of a power cycle (like 1/60 for 60 Hz), but that is so seldom practical.

LED's have a pretty choppy color spectrum, so I'd avoid them.

Edited October 28, 2014 by wlderdude

[62Bricks]

You can skip the bulbs and just turn that backdrop around to catch natural light from the window. If it's too bright and casts shadows, try adjusting the blinds, moving your setup out of the direct sunlight, or taping a piece of parchment or waxed paper on the window to diffuse the light. Find out how to set the white balance on your camera, like others have suggested. If you don't have a tripod, use a tabletop and a stack of books to steady your camera so you can take longer exposures. Also, use the macro setting on your camera. It will give you better results for close-up photos.

Another idea - get a large piece of paper or flexible cardstock and create a smooth backdrop. Tape one edge along the top of your backdrop and let it curve down to the bottom surface. That covers up the seam between the straight backdrop and the bottom surface and creates an "infinite" backdrop. My setup cost me almost nothing - a reused cardboard box with three sides cut away, a few pieces of printer paper taped on the inside surfaces to reflect the light and reduce shadows, and a bright white piece of cardstock for a backdrop. I'm not saying my photos are professional-quality, but just those few simple things really make a difference.