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Bertilsson — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 07:53:05 GMT

My interests in studio photography has risen since I got hold of an old Century No.2 5x7 camera and a couple of lenses (a Voigtlander Heliar 210mm f/4.5, an old 8" rectilinear f/8, and a Wollensak concoction that I'm not sure about). I bought this for a song, and am now wondering about studio lighting.

I've tried researching the topic, but find I don't have the funds for the types of lighting required for most. Large softboxes, etc. I have always loved natural window lighting, and I know how to treat that for a successful portrait / still life. I have attached a file here that is a portrait I made indoors with a Holga not so long ago.

What I really want to do is to duplicate this type of lighting as much as possible. I have tried working with those spun aluminum shop lights, as well as trying to make softboxes out of them by attaching a wire frame and stretching muslin fabric and other materials across, but I just end up with ugly shadows on the wall behind the subject, and I don't know what to do to avoid it from happening.
Those $10 shop lights is about how flexible my budget is. If you make recommendations on lighting equipment, it would be extremely helpful to me if there was a ball park figure of the expenditure it would involve.

I should also tell you that the space I have available to photograph in is very small, about 12x12 feet. I'm basically pressed up against a wall to get any distance between me and the object.

I also like to work with a reflector. I basically attach a large sheet of white foam core to an extra tripod and move it around. The shot attached here is without a reflector, however.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
- Thomas

TraditionalPhotographer.NET / On Photography / Studio Photography

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