OK, I am trying to get the home studio going and have found a good solution to some cheap lighting if I can solve one problem. I am using 4 750W halogen lights to light the backdrop which is white muslin. I am trying to get the back drop at least 2 stops lighter than the subject. For the main light I am using my flash which is mounted at 45 degrees to the subject about 5 feet away and fitted with an omnibounce unit. Fill light, when I want it, is via reflectors made of white foam board. That is about as far as I have gotten. Next is going t be how to set up a hair light and a better way to mount the reflectors. Long way to get to the problem. The halogen lights and the flash are obviously not the same temp. Are there halogen bulbs that would be balanced for the flash or is there a way to gel the flash to balance with the halogen lights? I know this setup does not even come close to what the pros would use but I wanted to do this as cheaply as possible and the problem solving and building equipment has been fun. Here is a link to an example of the problem. I used auto WB correction in LR and the background looks pinkish but Grumpy I think is correct. http://haunteddoc.zenfolio.com/img/v6/p586037508-4.jpg
You would need to gel the flash - normally the studio lights are LEDs or strobes which run at the same temp as an electronic flash... Even with the omnibounce I still see the reflection of it on him. Have you tried using Lumiquest's Lightbox?
Wow - very impressive -- and very high tech. Tonight I was determined to get a shot of the tree at GF that wasnt "yellow". So I took a picture of a white wall and set my white balance to it!
Doc, do you have two hot shoe flashes? If so, try positioning one 'behind' doc and pointed at the background. Crank that one up to +1 maybe +2, and your flash above and camera right at 0. I'd try shooting the camera right one through a shoot through umbrella, softbox, or even a reflective umbrella. The white foam core should do the trick for lower left fill. Check out http://www.Strobist.com LOTS of good ideas there!
I think you use a CTO (color temperature orange) gel to match the halogen, but I can't remember for sure. The next time you order from B&H, get a sample pack of Rosco Cinigel. That has all of the colors you could possibly need.
WOW!! Thanks for all the great advice. I thought everyone was at MF and I was the only one who had to stay home. So, in response to some of the posts; 1. I only have the one 580EX flash. My wife surprised me with a 5D for Christmas so equipment budget is kind of shot. And since I have not started making any money off my photography, still looking for a way to do that, I have to treat this as more or less a hobby, granted , an expensive hobby. 2. I do have a lumiquest flash mounted softbox that I have not really worked with much yet. Probably would give a softer more even light than the bounce cap. I also built a skrim out of PVC pipe and ripe stock nylon but have not shot through it with the flash yet. In addition, I built a 15" x 15" softbox out of foam board which I attached to an old tripod and can stick the flash in there. so, my intention is to try each of these to see what type of results I get. 3. I think I will order some gels from B&H. I want to get a hotshoe adapter from them anyway so I can shoot off camera a little easier than with the cheap-o remote I have now which only lets me do adjustments manually. I read on The Strobist, that if I cut the cord I can add ethernet adapters to each end and extend the cord with ethernet cables. 4. Next project is to make a boom mounted hairlight out of PCV pipe. 5. I really need either a very patient model or a manequin as my wife and kids are revolting and Grumpy is getting....well...grumpy.
