Paterson Daylight Fluorescent Studio Light Kit:
Winter can herald some dramatic photography. Misty mornings, long shadows, snow and ice, diffused sunlight all add interest. I’ve taken some of my best shots in winter. But short days, dull grey skies and inclement weather; mean opportunities for outdoor photography can be few and far between.
Fortunately this doesn’t mean you have to put your favourite pastime on hold until the spring. Moving photography indoors produces its own challenges and creative opportunities.
Many DSLRs now come with a built in flash and it is surprising what results can be achieved with the simplest of setups. This can be extended by the use of one of the many clip-on light modifiers that are available or by investing in a good external flash gun. However if you really want to get creative, some sort of studio lighting should be considered.
Studio lighting is dominated by flash, otherwise known as strobe lighting. A huge range is available from single-head hobbyist kits to full professional systems. Studio flash is extremely versatile, tried and trusted method of lighting. The flash output can be adjusted on most units to produce the correct exposure and the desired effect. As the flash works by providing a short burst of intense light, a modelling lamp is included within the head to provide an approximation of how the final image will look. With flash however the expense doesn’t stop with the purchase of the flash heads and stands. In addition, you will also need, trigger cables or a radio flash trigger unit and a decent flash meter for calculating the correct exposure. To this can be added various light modifiers; soft boxes, barn doors, reflectors, snoots etc.
In recent years a number of manufacturers have produced continuous lighting systems as an alternative to flash/ strobe. Continuous lighting differs from flash in that, wait for it, the light produced is continuous! Continuous lighting has a number of advantages over flash systems. For a start the setup is much simpler. There is no need for trigger cables and the camera’s built in metering system can be used to set exposures; so no expensive flash meters are required. Also because the light you see is exactly what the camera will record you can instantly see the modelling effect as you move the light source. So continuous lighting should be much easier to setup and use than flash, at least that is the theory…..
THE TEST
The subject of this test is the Paterson Fluorescent Studio Daylight, 2 head Reflector Kit. Paterson is a brand name I have been familiar with since I started photography but, until now, I have always associated them with darkroom equipment and the iconic Benbo tripod. They are a British manufacturer, a rarity these days and that in itself is worth a cheer!
A large cardboard box was delivered to my home. Inside the box were two cardboard sleeves containing the lighting stands. Underneath the stands was a large padded carry case. The case is well made from durable material and contains the two lamp holders, power cables, two florescent bulbs and two large reflectors.
So that I didn’t look a complete fool on the day of the photo shoot I decided to practice assembling the kit in the comfort of my own living room. The instructions included with the kit were fairly minimal but one of the great features of this kit is its simplicity. The well made telescopic lighting stands are easy to put up and adjust to the desired height. A nice touch, on what is essentially an entry level kit, is that each section of the stand is damped. So when you adjust the stand, complete with lamp holder, bulb and reflector, everything glides gently into place reducing potential damage to the delicate lamps,
The lamp holders clamp easily in place at the top of the stands. The two large fluorescent bulbs are quite something; they are reminiscent of domestic energy saving bulbs but are over a foot (OK if you insist 30cm) in length. The supplied lamps are 135 Watts but are approximately 5 times brighter than an equivalent tungsten bulb in watts. They are all daylight balanced to 5400K. A word of caution, the lamps are quite delicate so require careful handling, but are easy to fit as they simply screw into the light holder.
Everything now assembled; it was time to switch on. I was not prepared for the intense light that was produced, especially in the confines of my front room. Neither was I prepared for the cobwebs which were lurking in the corners of the room, but the less said about them the better…
Patterson light kits come supplied either with soft boxes or reflectors. The kit I was testing was a reflector kit. A full set of light modifiers are available as optional accessories including soft boxes, reflectors, barn doors, snoots and umbrellas. Each modifier is easily attached to the lamp holder by its bayonet fitting, but as I was to find out when I tried to attach one of the reflectors, you have to attach them before you attach the lamp! The lamps also need sufficient time to cool down before removing them.
THE PHOTO SHOOT
Having familiarised myself with the kit, I was ready for my first assignment. Not afraid of a challenge I decided to jump straight into the deep end and tackle the most difficult subject first, some promotional shots for a local gym. Gyms are not the easiest of subjects at the best of times, let alone for testing new equipment. There are problems of mixed natural and artificial light sources; numerous mirrors causing unwanted reflections; whitewashed walls and ceilings, which cause the light to bounce all over the place.
I set up the equipment in a corner of the gym and took a few test shots. When using a flash system I would use a flash meter to set the correct exposure and adjust the output of the key light and the fill light accordingly. However this permanent lighting system provides no adjustment for output. A number of lower wattage lamps are available for the same purpose, but were not included in the test kit. So the only way to control the intensity of the light was to move the whole light either further or closer to the subject, or to bounce the light off the ceilings, walls or from a reflector.
Happily because this is permanent lighting every adjustment can be seen through the viewfinder or screen in live view. Also because you are using the cameras TTL metering, the camera will automatically adjust the exposure. One of the benefits of these systems over flash is that you can use the full range of your camera’s shutter speeds; you are not limited to the flash sync speed. However the shutter speed is limited by the speed of the lens in use. Unfortunately most kit zoom lenses that come with DSLRs are quite slow, with the widest aperture you can expect typically being around f5.6. The output from the fluorescent lamps are no match for the short intense burst of light found in flash systems so you will either have to invest in a fast zoom as used by professionals or buy a less expensive prime lens if yo want full creative control. A 50mm prime lens is ideal for this application and is relatively inexpensive. On an APS-C cropped senor DSLR a 50mm lens will typically give a 35mm equivalent of between 75 and 80mm, which is ideal as a portrait lens. But is the speed of these lenses which are important here as they are a lot faster than the average zoom with apertures of f1.8, f1.4 and even f1.2! For this assignment I used both my standard zoom and a 50mm 1.8 prime lens.
Whilst there are many instruction books and manuals on how to use studio flash; there is very little written on permanent lighting systems so it was very much trial and error. The beauty of current digital technology is that you can check and recheck each shot until you find the right combination. I had allowed 2 hours for the shoot and by the end I was achieving some very acceptable results as can be seen from the images reproduced here.
VERDICT
Flash is the established studio lighting system and it will remain so for sometime to come. However even basic kits can be expensive and it can take the novice a long time to master. Permanent lighting systems such as the Paterson Fluorescent lighting kit provide an easy and fun introduction to studio lighting; you learn by doing and can immediately see the result through your viewfinder. The kit on test was very easy to set up and with a bit of trial an error, good results were available straight out of the box. The Paterson system is very well put together and is manufactured here in the UK (hurrah!). The equipment on test was the basic kit but used in conjunction with the optional light modifiers available, there is a huge potential for permanent lighting and your camera doesn’t have to languish in its case until the spring!
Model credits – Thanks to Laura and Anthony of Runner Bean Health and Fitness Studio Upper Rissington; Ruth, Alex and Grace Morris; Michael Laughton and Amy Hanna for your patience.
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