# Lighting your flashlight photos... with a flashlight!



## jch79 (Jul 4, 2009)

In the Dark Room welcome thread, ElectronGuru brought up the concept of using a flashlight to light your photos with, and after exchanging a few PM's with him, I learned that the technique he's developing is much more refined than anything I've done (and hopefully he'll share with us what he's up to!), so I figured I'd show a few photos and say how I did 'em.

The two techniques I use are:
1) Painting with the light - basically just taking a longer manual exposure (in a darker room), around 15-30 seconds, and pointing the flashlight at the stuff I want to be lit up. It can yield really cool results, but can also be frustrating due to lack of control.
2) Using a flashlight as single point source of light, to create a more dramatic look.

Basically all it takes is a camera that can be set to a long exposure and a flashlight (you'll at least have one of the two!).

:green: I make no claims to be a great photographer, but rather I'm just sharing a few of my methods so people with better skills can make something that really looks nice!

Here are a few examples, most of which are old, as I now use the Strobist method to light most of my shots. But using a flashlight to light your photos is fun and easy, and certainly has its merits on a forum about... flashlights! :nana:






This is a McGizmo "rubber" Aleph 3, with a TB Ti bezel ring. It was taken with the light painting method, which let the subject really stand out. I can't remember what made the red light in the reflector, but I like it!






This is a TB 123 Aleph 1 light with a shortened clip on it. I took this using the "spot" method, just with one light from the left. It also does cool things with bringing out the details in an object, such as the texture of a bead-blasted light & clip, and the grain on the wood it was standing on. This was also an easy way of showing one of the trit slots off, as that part of the light was in the dark (although that particular vial wasn't as bright as the rest of 'em).






This is a photo of my (outdated) TranquillityBase collection. It was taken with just one light from the left - which, in retrospect, might not be the best approach for a group photo, as the subects closest to the light source are much brighter than the ones furthest away. It might've been a good candidate to combine the painting & spot method.

Please share with us your methods & results of using flashlights to light your photos of flashlights! :duh2:

:thumbsup: john


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## csshih (Jul 4, 2009)

ooh! I tried the painting with light thing.. shouldve used a completely white surface, and gotten rid of more dust,but here we go:
I already posted this pic a few times:






..and a bit of exif info:

Aperture Value:29.0 
Mode:Manual Exposure 
Exposure Time:10 
Flash:Off, Did not fire 
Focal Length:30.0 mm 
ISO:100 
Metering Mode:Average 
Camera Model Name:Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi 
White Balance:Manual


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## jch79 (Jul 4, 2009)

Nice job csshih! :thumbsup: That's a cool looking light.

Out of curiosity, why do you think you should've used a completely white surface? For black/dark colored lights, I prefer using neutral/gray backgrounds, so you can see the background as well.

Anyways, if you have Photoshop, you can easily whiten your mostly white background, by using either levels/curves, the eraser, or the dodge tool - or a combo of those, which is what I did here: (I hope you don't mind - if so, I'll happily remove it!)





(I kept some of the shadows, just for the heckuvit)

If you don't have Photoshop, try Gimp - it's an free open-source image manipulation app (Windows, Mac, Linux), that apparently is very well liked.

:thumbsup: john


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## csshih (Jul 6, 2009)

Of course I don't mind!
haha, I know how to use said programs.. but I have a laziness problem


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## Coop (Jul 6, 2009)

Lit using a incan & a Surefire L4


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## jch79 (Jul 6, 2009)

Sweet photo, Coop!  :twothumbs


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## Coop (Jul 7, 2009)

Thanks! It was a bit tricky to make... I put the Novatac on a treestump out in the woods, positioned my camera on a tripod, held the lights in my hands while triggering the cam via a wired remote between my teeth...

I should take more pics. But unfortunately, finding the time for such operations is usually the problem and most pics I take end up being of snapshot quality...


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## csshih (Jul 8, 2009)

nice pic, Coop 


I have another one I was trying out.. the GID/trit job kinda killed it.


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## Tom_123 (Jul 8, 2009)

Not exactly a lighting setup,
I just wanted to demonstrate that this flashlight could be operated without the head.
I used a film container as diffusor, otherwise it would have been hard to depict both,
the light and the object.


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## greenlight (Jul 8, 2009)

It's a great technique that gives soft shadows and also allows you to highlight your GID and tritium items.

That's how I got the pic in my sig:


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## jch79 (Jul 8, 2009)

Great idea, Tom! :twothumbs A lot of pro photographers use the bottoms of those plastic rubbing alcohol bottles, to diffuse their flashes - instead of forking over $25 for a piece of plastic that's made for that same thing.
:thumbsup: john


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## Witnessonly (Aug 19, 2009)

Hey all,

This is such a great idea and it makes so much sense as well  

So the other day I set up a little 'studio' and had a play...

This was lit using a fauxton 'UV' button cell light...






Once the studio was set up it was quite a fun little experiment.

I did find that using the self timer to trigger the camera gave me back a hand though.

I suspect this might be the start of something :naughty:

Regards,

WO

Thanks for the idea!


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## Superdave (Aug 19, 2009)

I posted this in another thread but why not...

this is/was my 9P project straight out of the sandblaster lit by my M6/MN21. 






I anodized the body today, the rest is going to get done next week. 



I have a ton of others on my work PC.. i'll post them when i get back from vacation.


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## jch79 (Aug 19, 2009)

Cool photos guys! 

Witnessonly, I love that background - some sort of metal grip flooring? And it almost looks like you propped the light up on something? Very neat effect - I never have used my UV light for photos, but might have to give it a try now! The GITD stuff looks cool.

Superdave, I like the spotlight action on yours.

:thumbsup: john


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## Witnessonly (Aug 20, 2009)

SuperDave, it' looks like something out of '2001', very 'purposeful' and slightly ominous, great flavor to it :twothumbs

I'll be looking forward to seeing more shots then  

jch, thanks mate,

to prop it up, a couple of bits of bluetac and a toothpick (shhh don't tell anyone )

For this sort of stuff I was thinking 'industrial waste' would be a great source of 'interesting' BG material. This is just a bit of scrap checker plate, one of my favorite types of vehicular bling 

I started out to only experiment with the UV, not really expecting to get anything interesting.
I have always hated red gels when it came to shooting bands etc, as the red doesn't record well on digi. So I wasn't expecting much from the UV, but as the results popped up on the monitor I though, hey there might be a shot in this. 

And as a bonus I found that the UV just set the GITD stuff off like a rocket (the R2 LED in the M20 was a poor second when it came to charging the GITD up). I love it when you get an accidental win win.

Thanks for the positive comments guys!

WO


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## EV_007 (Sep 17, 2009)

Single SureFire E2E beam diffused with a F04 diffuser used to shine on both sides of the frame to "paint" this scene while the shutter remained open for a couple of seconds.


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## greenLED (Sep 17, 2009)

A couple of mine:

I think I used an A2 for this shot:













...and that little light for this one:









hey, nobody said pics had to be any good! :nana:


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## Kiessling (Sep 17, 2009)

I tend to use multiple flashlights to photograph small objects, but it is trial and error and rather frustrating. I need dozens and dozens of pics to have a good one.
I like to add a little color to the pics for accents:





SF L6P lit up by an Amber Photon II and two other white LEDs.






McGizmo Aleph ... a little red to make it look warm and golden






Bare al Aleph ... red and blue in addition to daylight






UV light


Multiple light sources, not diffused:





SF Lego


But the best is still ... daylight:






... with the help of flashlights:







In the end ... a lightbox and 3 flashes would really be cool to have ... 

bernie


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## jch79 (Sep 17, 2009)

:rock: HECK YEAH!

Cool photos of awesome lights, fellas! :twothumbs

Migs, I thought we had an understanding that you weren't allowed to show pics of a LL ("Little Light" < HA!), without sending me it? :nana:

:thumbsup: john


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## Zeruel (Sep 17, 2009)

All my shots are lighted with flashlight(s). 
Here're 2 from other threads.


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## greenLED (Sep 17, 2009)

jch79 said:


> Migs, I thought we had an understanding that you weren't allowed to show pics of a LL ("Little Light" < HA!), without sending me it?


Sure, remind me of your e-mail addy and I'll send you all the pics you want of the LaLa light.


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## jch79 (Sep 17, 2009)

Nice shots, Zeruel - I especially like the shot of the two AAA lights on the white background - way to keep the white still present, without totally blowing it out.



greenLED said:


> Sure, remind me of your e-mail addy and I'll send you all the pics you want of the LaLa light.



:mecry: Why must you toy with my emotions? :mecry:


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## Zeruel (Sep 18, 2009)

jch79 said:


> Nice shots, Zeruel - I especially like the shot of the two AAA lights on the white background - way to keep the white still present, without totally blowing it out.



Thanks... ramping feature in a light certainly helps.


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## greenlight (Nov 18, 2009)

This is obviously a fantastic technique. Here is a blog with lots of photos that show this technique and what kind of results you can get:
http://ito-works.web.infoseek.co.jp/LED/Led.html
It's in Japanese, but the pictures speak for themselves.


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## jch79 (Nov 19, 2009)

Google Translate did a half-ways decent job of translating the Japanese on that page.

Although, I don't think their techniques are with a traditional single-LED flashlight... they're using clustered "light bars" (or Light Sabers, as they're calling them). Seems like something someone here could cook up pretty easily!! 

Thanks for the link, greenlight! :twothumbs

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Dec 10, 2009)

Just found this thread - cool photos - I did this one a while back and liked the way it turned out:







Kinda liked this one, too. Shows I'm an amateur, but it's still fun


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## jch79 (Dec 10, 2009)

Nice work, run4jc! :twothumbs

Your technique looks like it uses more of a single spot of light - ie, the flashlight was held in the same spot for the exposure.

You can get softer looking light (if that's what you're after), by taking a longer exposure and moving the flashlight around - that way, you won't have a really bright reflection in the flashlight.

Either way, thanks for sharing, nice light, and great pics!

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Dec 10, 2009)

Thanks, John! At my tender age of 51 I've taken many a photo, and worked for Canon for 24 years...but I never thought of doing the long exposure/move the light idea. What a great idea. Can't wait to do some more shots using that technique. 

With all the variance in surface, the Haiku is just begging to throw reflections, so I could probably create some neat effects moving the light around.

When you do the longer exposure, how long? f/stop? Ambient light level? I really want to try this out....

Thanks again!

Dan

 :twothumbs


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## jch79 (Dec 10, 2009)

Hey Dan,

I haven't done this technique in a long while, since I got my lighting equipment.. but I just checked the EXIF info on the very first photo of this thread:

15 sec @ f20, ISO 100

My ambient light was just one room light on, for focusing purposes.

So you work for Canon, eh? Hmmm.... what's the CPF discount for a 5DmkII??   

Hope that helps! :wave:

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Dec 10, 2009)

jch79 said:


> So you work for Canon, eh? Hmmm.... what's the CPF discount for a 5DmkII??
> 
> Hope that helps! :wave:
> 
> :thumbsup: john



Work-ed-....  Back in school now getting my MBA, although I NEED to go back to work soon! 24 years I spent Canon, but it was time to do something else. So, bummer, no more discounts!! 

And yep, it helps! Final exams next week - soon as I get those under my belt, it's time to a) take those photos and b) go for a long bike ride around DC!


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## jch79 (Dec 10, 2009)

Good luck with your finals! :wave: I bet MBA finals aren't quite the same as my art school finals were back in the day. :laughing:

I imagine bicycling in DC would be very fun. I was just there for work last year (architectural photographer), and found the city very inspiring - especially with the low-rise office buildings, it makes the downtown feel very welcoming.

I just got my new bike on Tuesday - after a 2 1/2 year wait. And go figure, we got snow and sleet Tuesday night here in Chicago. And since this is my "nice weather" bike, it's gonna sit in my basement until spring! 

:thumbsup: john


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## brianch (Dec 17, 2009)

lit with LEDs, does that count?


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## jch79 (Dec 19, 2009)

brianch said:


> lit with LEDs, does that count?



Sure, why not? :laughing:

If you move the light source around a bit more, you could get rid of the blown-out hotspot, and could have it diffused a bit more. Although, I like the look of it! Looks like a scene from some sort of espionage movie.

:thumbsup: john


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## Solscud007 (Dec 19, 2009)

Here is one I tried after looking at Sardukar's gorgeous pics.

I used my kroma for the colors. Red and blue obviously. Long exposure.


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## jch79 (Dec 20, 2009)

That's what I'm talkin' about! :twothumbs What a cool shot. 

:thumbsup: john


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## Solscud007 (Dec 20, 2009)

Yeah it was a little tricky with the timing. I would hold the kroma on one side in red for a few secs then take it away and quickly switch to blue and hold it on the other side.


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## Archie Cruz (Dec 23, 2009)

Been using flashlights to paint on my stil-lifes for a long time. Originally with stock mini-MAG's but lately with everything I can get my hands on. Most of the pics in this site were supplemented with LED flashlights 
http://www.imagometrics.com/FLReviews/FLR.home.htm
...and here's a recent shoot with my new fav, the MAC MAG-1D P7 in action.




Kills me that I used to own a 'light hose' once upon a time.


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## jch79 (Dec 24, 2009)

:twothumbs


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## run4jc (Dec 31, 2009)

I'm not in the same league with most of you and your beautiful photographs. I still haven't experimented with long exposure and moving the light - but I have picked up what I think will be my primary tool for illuminating the photos. I picked up a Sundrop XP from a fellow CPF member and wanted to share a couple of shots showing the color rendition this light provides. Interestingly, for fun I used my software's 'auto correct' on the shots (with the intent of immediately undoing it) and it offered NO changes on the Sundrop shots!

There are NO adjustments to either of these shots for brightness or color saturation. NONE. I think you'll find the difference in tint very interesting.

So please consider these two simple shots of my some of my collection. They are labeled, but to set up, in the first photo is a shot of with illumation provided by a great little light, the MirageMan mule hosted by a McGizmo 1x123 McClicky. The Sundrop is in this photo along with a Lunasol 20, a Haiku, and a CREEmator hosted by a McClicky 2x123. 

The second photo is lit by the Sundrop XP and you can see the Mule alongside the other lights. 

For grins the 3rd photo is of the uber simple setup - a mic stand holding the lighting tool shining down on my desk.

I'm looking forward to doing some long exposures with my Sundrop, if I can figure out how to do it!

Happy New Year!















I think my Sundrop will be used often photographing small objects!

:twothumbs


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## run4jc (Dec 31, 2009)

jch79 said:


> Good luck with your finals! :wave: I bet MBA finals aren't quite the same as my art school finals were back in the day. :laughing:
> 
> I imagine bicycling in DC would be very fun. I was just there for work last year (architectural photographer), and found the city very inspiring - especially with the low-rise office buildings, it makes the downtown feel very welcoming.
> 
> ...


Long delay in replying - finals done - made my 'As' - but I have to ask, what kind of bike did you get? I haven't been on mine in weeks 'cause of all the lousy weather in DC of late...


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## run4jc (Jan 1, 2010)

Finally got around to taking some photos with my Sundrop and a 4 or 5 second exposure - ISO100, stopped down to f5.6

My 23 Year old Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust and McGizmo Lunasol 20:






A Limited Edition NRA Badged Benchmade S30V Griptilian




"Happy Family" - 
Mirageman Mule hosted by 1x123 McClicky Pak;
Milkyspit Creemator hosted by 2x123 McClicky Pak;
McGizmo Haiku;
McGizmo Lunasol 20





Walther .40 PPS with Benchmade...





An old friend - a Smith and Wesson Model 36 .38 Special





An even older friend - my Martin D28 Sunburst 





And notice the difference in tint - this is the Sundrop, "light painted" with the Mirageman Mule






Thanks, John, for introducing me to a new hobby - "lighting my lights with my lights" -  - I know they are still amateurish at best, but while away from work for the holidays, it's fun to experiment.

:twothumbs


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## jch79 (Jan 2, 2010)

Nice!! :twothumbs

It's very easy to see the improvement in quality from the first set of images to these. And some nice lights too! 

My first suggestion would be to try and use more interesting backdrops. White certainly serves a purpose, but IMHO, there are a lot of cool things out there that work well as surfaces. A few examples I can quickly think of are Brian's (Mirage Man) use of trees, Mac's use of that rubber stuff, TB's use of tile, Fred's use of mirrors, and Don's use of underwater). BTW, I find that the more reflective the surface, the harder it is to light (or hide the fact that you're lighting!).

Love the D28 burst! Martin Guitars... be still my heart! I have an old 0-18K ("K" for Koa), which I love. Here's a shot of two lights on it... the 0-18K is the "floor", and my Ukulele is the "background". _This was taken with strobes though_, using the "Strobist" method (which I started a thread about here some time ago).






Keep 'em coming! *And come on, other people!* :wave: 

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Jan 4, 2010)

Thanks, John! I'll look forward to doing some more...and changing up backgrounds. That 'old' Martin - a 1979 D28 - has tons of color..I've got a Les Paul and a Strat that I'll use, too...half the fun is setting up the shot! The Sundrop makes a great lighting tool, but I like using a flash, too...this shot was a simple bounce with the light sitting on a piece of furniture that kind of 'warmed' the photo:






This is an 8 flute PD-S sitting on, of all things, a red scrub shirt...





I love this shot of the Lunasol - more to come - promise!






lovecpf


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## jch79 (Jan 5, 2010)

The reflection of the wood in the LunaSol is awesome! :twothumbs


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## run4jc (Jan 6, 2010)

Have to keep this thread going - perhaps others, after seeing what a poor photog I am, will pitch in and contribute some really good photos. These were spur of the moment, and they look it, but what the heck...lit by a Sundrop XP:

My American Deluxe Strat hosting two Gizmos...










And then 'hanging' with my sweet 1994 Mesa Boogie Blue Angel combo tube amp...


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## bondr006 (Jan 15, 2010)

I have a few lights that I like to use for lighting. I have a 4D and a 3D LED that with the bezels off are great for photo lighting. I also have a AAA Dorcy that the head comes off that works well. My SF E2L with the F04 is one of my favorites. I have 2 levels of light with that. I also have a bunch of different color fauxtons that come in handy for special color lighting.

The 2 shots below are done with a combination of all the above.


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## jch79 (Jan 15, 2010)

oo: Nice photos! :twothumbs The quality of light is great - and the red light behind the lights is such a cool accent. 

My only criticism is that I wish the bottom one wasn't cropped - it seems a little suffocated.

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Jan 19, 2010)

Okay, okay - it wasn't totally flashlight lit - I'll confess that up front - used a Sundrop to 'enhance' and create the cool reflection - at least I think it's cool!

Your thoughts?






I think the serial number is also cool...."471"...think about it... :wave:





This is my rig I am using now for lighting photos of small stuff. Sometimes I put the Sundrop on top like you see in the photo - other times I do a long exposure and 'paint' with the Sundrop. I leave the sidelights on all the time. It was a cheap acquisition from Sportsman's Guide, but it works well and is portable.





lovecpf


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## bondr006 (Jan 19, 2010)

Very nice. I like it. Basically the same type setup I use. Simple, very versatile, and easy to use. Perfect! :thumbsup:


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## Gazerbeam (Jan 19, 2010)

Hello every body, pardon my noob attempt. Lit my RAW SS from top to 

bottom with, JET-I PRO 3V Q35A, NOVATAC 120P, RED PHOTON, NDI Q5, and FENIX EO1 at the tail.






And I had to take one in laughing rabbit red too.


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## jch79 (Jan 19, 2010)

:twothumbs I like all of these! Keep 'em coming! :twothumbs

run4jc, thanks for posting the setup shot - that's very helpful for people to get an idea of how they can mimic your results!

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Jan 20, 2010)

My oh my - a bit of spare time and a new hobby leads to too many photos - but it is quite enjoyable combining flashlight lighting, natural lighting and other lights to go for different effects. Sorry if I'm overdoing it on this thread, but I have to share some of the most recent (without further commentary!)





















































































Final choice - 8s f/25 - dialed back the T1A's output










The setup to take the previous photos....


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## jch79 (Jan 20, 2010)

Wow, cool comparison shots!

One thing I'd suggest is, if you're not moving the light around while shooting (aka "painting" the photo, a shallower depth of field would blur the background, which is a bit distracting in the blue pics (the horizontal line).

Love the Mini Grip - every single person should own one of those! 

Thanks again for all of your hard work, run4jc... I hope people are learning from all of your experiments. I know I am! 

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Jan 20, 2010)

Good idea - I've struggled with depth of field and these photos had intentional deep depth of field. My thought was to be able to angle the lights to minimize reflections, but the only way to have the entire light in focus was to go to the f/22 and higher settings.

I may fire off a few more next time with the lights 'unangled' and open up wide to try and blur the line (and the background.) One problem with the portable studio is that when you fold it up, that line forms on the blue cloth. OR - I could just take it out and hang it up....:thinking:


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## run4jc (Jan 22, 2010)

I just had to post these - couple of my favorites. jch mentioned the crease or line in the backdrop - my next step is to take that cloth out and press it! But for now, I tried to wash out the background with shallow depth of field - unfortunately my lens does not have a large enough aperture to totally blur it out at such a short distance. Then I decided to try using ALL flashlights and 'paint' the line away with focused light beams. Here's the setup - I have 2 McGizmos(Haiku and Haiku XP-G) pointed at an angle through the side of the 'studio' at the crease in the cloth, then I used a Sundrop to 'paint' the object from all sides. This is what it looked like:






And this is the resulting photo...





Almost looks as if the light is in the clouds - wish I could eliminate the 2 shadows, but the lights are so bright that I can't overcome them with the less bright Sundrop. Here are the settings for this shot:
ISO: _100_
Exposure: _1.0 sec_
Aperture: _5.0_
Focal Length: _46mm

_Here is another setup using all flashlights, only having the Sundrop overhead and the side lights (Surefire LX2 and E2DL) angled up:





And here's the resulting shot - this is one of my favorites, but I still need to eliminate that crease in the background - the line is distracting:






jch, I really don't mean to 'hijack' your thread, but I'm so enjoying experimenting that I'm taking WAAAY too much time doing it - but when a good shot comes up I just have to share it.

Thanks for looking!


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## jch79 (Jan 22, 2010)

run4jc said:


> jch, I really don't mean to 'hijack' your thread, but I'm so enjoying experimenting that I'm taking WAAAY too much time doing it - but when a good shot comes up I just have to share it.



LOL - you're not hijacking anything... you're staying exactly on topic, and taking this thread to a whole new level, as far as not just sharing your results, but explaining AND taking pictures of your process. It's been really fun to follow. I don't take that many flashlight-lit photographs anymore, since I have a bunch of lights for work.

You might be able to eliminate those shadows by diffusing the light even more - use anything that's white and translucent - from white tissue paper, to bubble wrap, regular printer paper, or paper towels. You can experiment with how you prop it up, but I'd start with maybe a sheet of 11x17 paper, and make an "arch" out of it, over the flashlight (still inside your light cube setup). This should soften up the shadows and even will help with some reflections in the lights.

That last photo you posted is the best you've done so far, IMHO! Agreed that the crease in the backdrop isn't ideal. FWIW, I prefer taking light photos while standing over the light (maybe at a 45° to the subject). That way, you won't see where the backdrop folds, and the shadows might be more natural looking.

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Jan 22, 2010)

jch79 said:


> You might be able to eliminate those shadows by diffusing the light even more - use anything that's white and translucent - from white tissue paper, to bubble wrap, regular printer paper, or paper towels. You can experiment with how you prop it up, but I'd start with maybe a sheet of 11x17 paper, and make an "arch" out of it, over the flashlight (still inside your light cube setup). This should soften up the shadows and even will help with some reflections in the lights.
> :thumbsup: john



Great idea. While i have the time - before I go back to school tomorrow and hopefully work next month - thought perhaps I'd try your suggestion. Alas - no 11x17 - but upon looking around I found what is familiar to many CPFers who sell on the marketplace or B/S/T - a USPS One rate box - large in this case. Had to trim it so it would fit in the light box. thought I'd see how it worked and for grins flipped on a light with the beam pointed up, and lo and behold, it was some of the most natural lighting I'd seen yet. So why break out all those lights, etc...stick to the real theme of this thread and literally light the light with the light's own light 

Here's the setup - and I took your suggestion also about increasing the angle and went approx 30 degrees - too 'short' a window to go much higher:





Closer view with flash to see it better...






It's interesting to look at the varying tints from each light...

Sundrop XP being a buddy and lighting up a Haiku XP-G





Lunasol 20





PD-S





Haiku XR-E





Sundrop XP - setup and resulting photo










A slightly different 'angle....'






Again...(and this is my favorite from this batch - the colors are so rich)






Another really good shot of the Haiku






Even the Creemator had to get in the game...





Many thanks John, for starting this thread. I have not one ounce of artistic or photographic ability, but it's really fun to try and learn. I live in the business world, and regret to say that I've probably taken for granted the talents of those who put together great product layouts and photos. 'Enlightening'  to see how much effort and skill it takes!!

:twothumbs


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## jch79 (Jan 22, 2010)

Your favorite is mine as well! Interesting that the light in the photo is also the lightING in the photo! 

And although that turned out really cool results, I'd still try and use something (a few 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper taped together to create something that's a little bit stiffer), and allow your lights outside your lighting rig thing to go through the white lighting rig AND the paper. (does that make sense?)

I live in the business world too... but on the less lucrative creative end of it. :laughing:

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Jan 26, 2010)

I followed John's instructions and came up with the following 'addition' to my light box.






It was plain old copier paper and was rather 'limp'...but it worked






My problem is that the paper didn't diffuse the light enough to eliminate the shadows - and if I add any further paper to diffuse things my lights aren't strong enough - so I resorted back to my old tricks, only this time experimented with a few more lights. A virtual 'light farm.'






That was overkill (but it looked cool - at least to me!) The next photo is a more reasonable setup - you can't see all the lights, but there are 3 - 2 pointing up and one pointed at the side of the box at an angle. Played around with the angle until I got the 'look' I wanted.






And here's the photo with the other lights cropped out.






All these photos can be found here

I've been shooting them in 'raw' format and uploading them as jpeg files to Picasaweb. It's quite a fun hobby - I fear it could get expensive, so perhaps I'd better stop! Meanwhile, at least I'll have memories of these lights should I ever sell any of them! (Hope not to, though)


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## jch79 (Jan 26, 2010)

run4jc, you might have better luck diffusing if you leave some space between the paper "arch" and the light cube wall. This means that the "arch" would have to stand up (or be propped up) on its own, as opposed to being taped right to the cube walls. Or, vice-versa, you could tape a piece of paper right over each of your lamps. You'd want to be careful that it wouldn't get too hot and catch fire (not sure how hot your lamps run), but that would probably do nice things as far as diffusing goes.

I like your last photo - nice and simple. Although the table surface backdrop leaves a bit to be desired. Try a leather jacket, or a mirror, or a dirty rag (my bike rag is an awesome backdrop, as it's all dirty and greasy, which makes the shiny light stand out more), or a piece of wood, or stone/tile, or... anything else you have laying around! LOL



run4jc said:


> Meanwhile, at least I'll have memories of these lights should I ever sell any of them!



Word to that! I try and take a nice picture of special lights before I sell them. I wouldn't have recently sold my LunaSol27 if I hadn't taken a half-ways decent picture of it first:





(taken in a homemade light tent, with two off-camera flashes - so this photo technically doesn't belong in this thread!)

Thanks for sharing your results again! :twothumbs

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Jan 27, 2010)

Totally different 'poor man' set up. Taking a few of John's suggestions and playing around with them. The backdrop is a guitar amp and a pillow - the lights are : Surefire LX2, McGizmos - Haiku and Sundrop. Former 2 mounted on mic stands with plain copier paper taped over them - the other is lying down next to the object - also with the paper taped over. Looked like this:











These are just 3 of the photos I ended up with. Reduced reflections for sure, but the titanium still is very sensitive to picking up glare, seemingly no matter how much I filter it. Still, I like the way they look!

Very shallow depth of field throwing the other 2 lights deliberately out of focus...





Again, but different light in focus. Still have shadows, but these are shot with 1/13 shutter and no 'light painting' - fixed light positions (on purpose).





Here's another shot without the pillow - I like the amp grill cover....





:wave:


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## jch79 (Jan 27, 2010)

Great results, and I like the new backgrounds - especially the amp grill cover. I've never thought about taking a picture on my amp... although mine is relatively uninteresting (at least from a looks perspective )

I like the shallow depth of field - three "stacked" lights is a lot to look at when everything's in focus - this tells the viewer what to look at, and then lets them wander a bit. 

From a lighting perspective, it seems like the shadows are a little bit more under control. Obviously, if you "paint" with the lights, you can eliminate the harsh shadows - but diffusing a static (in one spot) light is a good ability to get a hang of.

Cool!

:thumbsup: john


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## Stillphoto (Jan 27, 2010)

Can't believe I didn't see this thread earlier...Both shot with my little G9 point n shoot





From the left - daylight from a large window.
Right side - specular highlight from I believe a milky modded kl1 sitting on the table (notice the twin streaks down the side, the lower streak being the reflection of the light on the table. Broad highlight / fill was a sundrop bounced into something white.
Addition white things here and there to clean up reflections in the bezel.

Not a flashlight, but still something appreciated by most of you...




All daylight, with subtle help of my sundrop to help make the right edges pop and show the depth of the piece. This kind of violates the spirit of the thread, but I figured I'd show an example of using the light to enhance already nice lighting.


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## jch79 (Jan 27, 2010)

:wave: Robb!

I was beginning to think this was a forum that only run4jc & I had access to! :laughing:

Great photos (as usual), and a wonderful idea, using available light (note to people: overcast days are the best for this sorta thing... direct sunlight can be hard to control!), but accenting it with another lightsource.

And love that photo of your Ra light - is that an anodized Ti version? 

Now tell us how you got that Atwood to stand up!  The ol' "cloned-out fishing line", or propping it up from behind?

:thumbsup: john


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## DM51 (Jan 27, 2010)

This is an excellent thread that shows what can be done with a bit of improvisation. Some very nice results, excellent photos, and very useful tips for amateurs like me!


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## Stillphoto (Jan 27, 2010)

Thank you jch! 

The Atwood shot would have been too much of a pain to set up a fishing line rig to hold it up. Instead, I used a product photography secret weapon...Tacky wax (also know as quake hold, available at home depot). One $10 tub will last a photographer many lifetimes. It's great for propping lights up or keeping them from rolling away too.

I can see how you'd think that might be a RA from that angle, but it's actually an oldschool HDS U60! So the green parts are indeed ti, the rest, just your run of the mill (other than the internals)...


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## run4jc (Jan 28, 2010)

Beautiful! Thanks for posting - this has become somewhat of a new 'obsession' for me (and that is a positive thing - thanks, jch!) and I really want to learn more. Your shots are great.

At the risk of a partial hijack, I'm particularly interested in the G9...I've been contemplating whether to buy an 18-50 f/2.8 for my Digital Rebel, or just a bit more for a G10 (I can get a good deal on a G10) or cough up a bit more and get a G11. What I want is more light sensitivity/less graininess so I can shoot more of this type photo plus have a nice carry around camera. Going to Europe in May and want to bring home as many high quality shots as possible, and right now continue to explore this side of the hobby.

Your thoughts? Your G9 seems to perform really well on these shots...or jch, should I get the faster, more wide angle lens? (Please don't say both!)


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## jch79 (Jan 28, 2010)

Robb (stillphoto) has much nicer photographic equipment. 

The Canon "G" series (G9, G10, and now the G11) are oftentimes used as scouting and/or backup cameras to the EOS SLR's. It's small (still not pocketable, obviously) light, and is a great companion to a bigger camera.

For your European trip, since the G9/10/11 aren't really pocketable, I'm a bigger fan of either bringing my SLR, or more likely, a pocket camera. The mid-ground seems weird to me - the G9 would still be around my neck (or in a bag), whereas a pocketcam is super light and can be taken out in a second. (I'm a light packer and traveler, though).

As for a lens for your Rebel... that's all personal preference. For the Rebel series of lenses, the 17-85mm EF-S lens is a great all-around lens (especially for the money). I think you were talking about the 18-55mm, which is an OK lens, but you might find yourself wanting a little more zoom while on vacation.

And there's always the Canon 10-22mm EF-S, which is a great wide-angle lens, but I wouldn't bring it as my only lens on vacation, unless I'm going hiking. That said, I'm an architectural photographer, and it doesn't leave the body of my Rebel camera.

*But in the end.... YMMV!* :nana: LOL

:thumbsup: john


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## run4jc (Jan 28, 2010)

Thanks, John. Again, sorry to drift off topic, but since we're there, I'll give you a better idea of my situation. I worked for Canon for 23 years - left there last year - and in that time accumulated a few toys. I have an older Powershot S400 - a Powershot TX1 (which I will carry to Europe because it will shoot 720P hi def video), and my old Digital Rebel. I have a chance to pick up the G10 at a good price (as mentioned) or splurge for the G11, but considering what I want (lower light capability and more wide angle) the alternative of a different/better lens for my Rebel came to mind. I have a 28-90 EF lens (fairly cheap) and a 28-135 USM optically stabilized (not expensive, but okay) - both Canon lenses, and the 28-135 stays on the camera most of the time, including the flashlight photos. It has a maximum aperture of 3.5. If I took the Rebel to Europe, I would take this lens also. The TX1 would give me the LONG zoom and lightweight 'walking around' camera, and the Rebel would go out with me (in addition) when I wanted to get some serious photos. 

The 18-50 is a Sigma lens - f/2.8 - 4.5 (seen here) and I'm thinking it would be good for group shots, photos of the sights 'up close', and just good in general for walking around - plus large enough aperture and bright enough that I could shoot some of these flashlight photos with very narrow depth of field. I also considered a 17-70, but that would set me back a bit more - about the cost of a McGizmo!!

So hopefully this completes the scenario. I'm not interested in going long zoom - really - more interested in being able to capture wide angle, 'normal' focal length, increased depth of field and better light capture.

Based on this overload of info, any further advice? And to keep in the proper theme, especially since I want to continue the 'flashlit flashlight' photo hobby?



THANK YOU!

:twothumbs


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## Hellie112 (Jan 28, 2010)

Well my photo is not really a photo of flashlights but this photo it was made with the use of my flashlights


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## jch79 (Jan 28, 2010)

That Sigma looks nice, and seems to have good reviews. But I'm a Canon snob, so I prefer to save up my moolah for their lenses. (even if the quality is sometimes very comparable... :laughing

I still think you'd be more pleased with the 17-85 EF-S than the Sigma. It's only f4-5.6, compared to the Sigma, but the quality is awesome, and you'll be able to get even a little wider angle out of it. Then again, as you put it - it costs a McGizmo! oo: 

And not to deviate more off this thread (who cares anyways!), but you should check out the Strobist site for lighting with off-camera flashes. I started a thread here on CPF about it as well (sheesh, I need to add some pics taken with my new homemade light tent!). IMHO, it gives you a lot more control and flexibility in your lighting options... but then again, it's expensive! 

Ugh... I wish I had more money.

:thumbsup: john


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## jch79 (Jan 28, 2010)

Hellie112 said:


> Well my photo is not really a photo of flashlights but this photo it was made with the use of my flashlights



Cool photo, Hellie!

How did you use flashlights to light this? A flashlight in each doorway/opening?

I maybe would've brightened it up the slightest bit in Photoshop - leaving the shadows nice and dark and mysterious, but lifting the highlights just a touch. Nice work - where is this anyways?

:thumbsup: john


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## Gazerbeam (Jan 29, 2010)

Here are some more G11 newbie pictures.

Lit by NOVATAC P120 with diffuser and red photon.





Lit by Q5 drop-in in a G2 with diffuser.





Lit by LOD CE inside, JET-I Q3 with diffuser outside.


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## jch79 (Jan 29, 2010)

The first and third photos are AWZUM! :twothumbs


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## Hellie112 (Feb 1, 2010)

Actually set te camera with a 15 sec exposure time and I had to run like hell to shine in every opening.
I used my fenix tk40 to shine in every opening, and a friend of my used his fenix hp10 headlamp on the other side.. but that isn’t really showing on the picture. (I have to get a better camera and a better second flashlight) 
The location is in limestone mines in the Netherlands, a great place for a flashlight addicts.






jch79 said:


> Cool photo, Hellie!
> 
> How did you use flashlights to light this? A flashlight in each doorway/opening?
> 
> ...


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## jch79 (Feb 1, 2010)

WOW, that must've been a fun time doing the photo. Nice results!


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## andyw513 (Feb 7, 2010)

Hey, this was a very good idea for a thread, I'm liking the shadow effects a lot.


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## Archie Cruz (Mar 11, 2010)

Just a quick note to you guys who are doing such marvelous stuff lighting still life's with flashlights.
Heed this rule: Angle of Reflection = Angle of Incidence.
I see a lot of your setups are excellent for lighting jewelry but not flashlights. the key lights need to be pointed from slightly BEHIND the subject at an angle of incidence that cause the illumination to make the subject surface glow.
Here's a recent example.
Doug Ritter's Pico Lite , lite with an LED Lenser X21 set to wide


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## Sardaukar (Apr 28, 2010)

I've never used flashlights as the main source of light for a photo, generally only as accent lighting. Intriguing idea though. Might have to put my quad die lights to work.


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## Archie Cruz (Apr 29, 2010)

what i love most about using flashlights versus strobe or even strobe with modeling lamps is....
The accent illumination is EXACTLY what ends up in capture. modeling lamps almost never follow strobe exactly. Hot lights often require WB or filters and since I use natural daylight a lot in lighting, the LED lights are a perfect match.
Look at this picture. Shot outside in the woods with a frosted shower curtain scrim and flashlights for accents. Looks like studio, huh?


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