What is the ideal lighting setup for field use

[wotan1]

The only lights I have owned in the past were Nikon branded small strobes as well as a ring light for closeup work.

I see the following situations where lighting can potentially contribute. All of my shooting is typically in natural light.

1. Landscapes, fill in flash to lighten shadow areas;
2. MACRO shots of nature (plants, insects)
3. Birds: High speed flash stop action such as of hummingbirds to freeze the wing
4. Capture images of wildlife at night
5l Limited architecture, lighting interiors
6. Perhaps fill in flash for a bird or animal

I don't do portraits or event photography.

What I would use would have to be on location so it has to pack up and will be transported in a vehicle.

What do you recommend and why.

 

[dabhand16]

For landscapes I think that exposure bracketing and HDR is a better option than trying to use fill flash.

 

[wotan1]

I have used fill flash effectively when shooting the underside of overhanging branches.

 

[dabhand16]

I have used fill flash effectively when shooting the underside of overhanging branches.

For me trying to match the ambient and flash colour temperatures would be too much bother.

 

[ElenaH]

I use SB-800 as a fill flash for noctrnal animals during the day (which are lying in he shade). The same for birds for a catch-light. The same during twilight but going fully manual.
I have also a very small Meike Flash but the sync speed is only 1/200 and I prefer faster speed for leopards jumping from the tree in the evening light or other action. at night
In some national parks and game reserve using flash durng dark hours is prohibited at all. In some using a torch with white light is prohibited. So, please check it in advance.

Using torch is great in safaris but it must be a special yellow-light torch, beter XENON and not LED. Normally guides using their own light connected to the vehicle.
I use XENON torch for light-painting or lighting some landscape parts for nightscapes. It gives me an excellent colour temperature without flickering which can be seen as lines in long exposure.

 

[Warren D]

I won't say my set up is ideal, but it works for what I want to do. Seasonally, I shoot steam trains at night. They are big, black as the night and soak up light like sponges. I have 3 Paul Buff Einstein studio lights (640 w-s each) that each have their own accessory battery pack. The lights, batteries, stands and stuff all fit in a car with little room left over. I have Pocket Wizard triggers as the Buff triggers don't have the range and seem to be subject to interference from something on the locos (probably RF from the dynamos). Long throw reflectors help push the light. I use them for other things but they are not TTL so balanced exposures are up to you. They are 5600K which is fine, but again, variable K light sources will need to be taken into consideration. They aren't cheap and they are heavy, require good support and don't tolerate moisture. Battery life is decent, I can usually get about 100 full power pops on a charge which is normally about 50 more than I need for an evening out with 9 train runs.

 

[Nimi]

Re 1, don't. Per the Zone System (Ansel Adams), you need both absolute white and absolute blacks in your images, and while there has been a shift in amateur photography towards HDR due to phones and Insta, that look is way overdone and faddish. Let shadows be shadows and don't obsess over some overblown highlights. The sun SHOULD BE blown.

 

[Butlerkid]

Re 1, don't. Per the Zone System (Ansel Adams), you need both absolute white and absolute blacks in your images, and while there has been a shift in amateur photography towards HDR due to phones and Insta, that look is way overdone and faddish. Let shadows be shadows and don't obsess over some overblown highlights. The sun SHOULD BE blown.

HDR doesn't have to be over-done with no white or black points. I sometimes use HDR when photographing the interior of buildings that have 5+ stops of light difference. Most folks don't even realize that multiple bracketed exposures were used. Jus sayin'................

That said, I find that today a single raw capture can often processed to achieve the same effect as blending 3-5 exposure bracketed raw images. The sensors and processing software today have significantly reduced the need for me to take bracketed exposures.

 

[Nimi]

I

HDR doesn't have to be over-done with no white or black points. I sometimes use HDR when photographing the interior of buildings that have 5+ stops of light difference. Most folks don't even realize that multiple bracketed exposures were used. Jus sayin'................

That said, I find that today a single raw capture can often processed to achieve the same effect as blending 3-5 exposure bracketed raw images. The sensors and processing software today have significantly reduced the need for me to take bracketed exposures.

I agree with you and I exaggerated for the sake of emphasis. And as you point out, there is plenty of exposure latitude in these sensors.

Some of the most visually painful photos are the over-saturated, over-sharpened, HDRs generated by phones and small sensors.

 

[Butlerkid]

I
I agree with you and I exaggerated for the sake of emphasis. And as you point out, there is plenty of exposure latitude in these sensors.

Some of the most visually painful photos are the over-saturated, over-sharpened, HDRs generated by phones and small sensors.

Absolutely agree!

 

[jeffnles1]

I won't say my set up is ideal, but it works for what I want to do. Seasonally, I shoot steam trains at night. They are big, black as the night and soak up light like sponges. I have 3 Paul Buff Einstein studio lights (640 w-s each) that each have their own accessory battery pack. The lights, batteries, stands and stuff all fit in a car with little room left over. I have Pocket Wizard triggers as the Buff triggers don't have the range and seem to be subject to interference from something on the locos (probably RF from the dynamos). Long throw reflectors help push the light. I use them for other things but they are not TTL so balanced exposures are up to you. They are 5600K which is fine, but again, variable K light sources will need to be taken into consideration. They aren't cheap and they are heavy, require good support and don't tolerate moisture. Battery life is decent, I can usually get about 100 full power pops on a charge which is normally about 50 more than I need for an evening out with 9 train runs.

wow, that is a terrific shot!

 

[Calson]

For lighting large interior spaces I have used the Quantum Qflash in bare bulb mode quite effectively. It also works well in an outdoor setting to light people's faces.

Flash can be bounced off a rock or a wall for effect and works well where there is no ceiling or the color of the ceiling is going to color the reflected light.

Oudoors with static subjects a tripod works the best by allowing for much longer exposures of subjects and of scenes. Taking a sequence of shots and then overlaying them in an application like LR or PS and having the software only combine objects found in all of the images is a great way to eliminate people from an outdoor shot.

 

[aringer]

I used the Godox V1 to photograph bunches of monarch butterflies hanging about 75 ft away and it helped. The V1 has built in HSS and manual power adjustment, and you can add the magnetic accessory kit for color correction, gels, diffusers, etc.

 

[dabhand16]

I used the Godox V1 to photograph bunches of monarch butterflies hanging about 75 ft away and it helped. The V1 has built in HSS and manual power adjustment, and you can add the magnetic accessory kit for color correction, gels, diffusers, etc.

I'm surprised that the flash has any affect at that range on HSS.

 

[pnbarne]

I won't say my set up is ideal, but it works for what I want to do. Seasonally, I shoot steam trains at night. They are big, black as the night and soak up light like sponges. I have 3 Paul Buff Einstein studio lights (640 w-s each) that each have their own accessory battery pack. The lights, batteries, stands and stuff all fit in a car with little room left over. I have Pocket Wizard triggers as the Buff triggers don't have the range and seem to be subject to interference from something on the locos (probably RF from the dynamos). Long throw reflectors help push the light. I use them for other things but they are not TTL so balanced exposures are up to you. They are 5600K which is fine, but again, variable K light sources will need to be taken into consideration. They aren't cheap and they are heavy, require good support and don't tolerate moisture. Battery life is decent, I can usually get about 100 full power pops on a charge which is normally about 50 more than I need for an evening out with 9 train runs.

Just about the perfect locomotive picture. Well done.

 

[aringer]

I'm surprised that the flash has any affect at that range on HSS.

The butterflies were still, so I shot them at 1/200. I was merely listing some of the features I like. It'll probably work fine shooting hummingbirds with HSS

 

[dabhand16]

The butterflies were still, so I shot them at 1/200. I was merely listing some of the features I like. It'll probably work fine shooting hummingbirds with HSS

I thought that HSS drastically reduced the flash power and so the range as it works by very rapid flashes that need reduced power so the flash can maintain the rate without overheating or recycling. I'm impressed with 75 feet so I'll have to try it myself as I use my flashes for fill in daytime 95% of the time and always try to keep under 1/200.

 

[dabhand16]

HDR doesn't have to be over-done with no white or black points. I sometimes use HDR when photographing the interior of buildings that have 5+ stops of light difference. Most folks don't even realize that multiple bracketed exposures were used. Jus sayin'................

That said, I find that today a single raw capture can often processed to achieve the same effect as blending 3-5 exposure bracketed raw images. The sensors and processing software today have significantly reduced the need for me to take bracketed exposures.

I pride myself that on the relatively few occasions that I use bracketed shots and HDR nobody spots that they are HDR. However I have seen some deliberately OTT HDR images that work really well. One was a 90 degree junction on the Grand Union Canal with an old disused warehouse on the corner. It was shot with a Nikon using a fish-eye lens (don't know the model or focal length) and processed with OTT HDR and it looked great! Going towards a cartoon.

 

[Jadiehl]

I won't say my set up is ideal, but it works for what I want to do. Seasonally, I shoot steam trains at night. They are big, black as the night and soak up light like sponges. I have 3 Paul Buff Einstein studio lights (640 w-s each) that each have their own accessory battery pack. The lights, batteries, stands and stuff all fit in a car with little room left over. I have Pocket Wizard triggers as the Buff triggers don't have the range and seem to be subject to interference from something on the locos (probably RF from the dynamos). Long throw reflectors help push the light. I use them for other things but they are not TTL so balanced exposures are up to you. They are 5600K which is fine, but again, variable K light sources will need to be taken into consideration. They aren't cheap and they are heavy, require good support and don't tolerate moisture. Battery life is decent, I can usually get about 100 full power pops on a charge which is normally about 50 more than I need for an evening out with 9 train runs.

Stunning!