Lighting
is the key to successful studio photography.
Digital photography sometimes requires twice
the power that a traditional picture would have required. As the
new generation of digital cameras come out, the hunger for light
power calms down somewhat.
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Bulbman
lamps
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An
option for digital photography is using fluorescent lights. Videssence
is the most popular for television studios. Balcar is the lighting
seen most often in professional camera studios, especially at trade
shows both in Germany and in the USA.
If
you are still learning how to do lighting there are a variety of
good books that we will review shortly. You can always check the
index, which lists such reviews under B for book reviews.
Since
photography lights can explode it is not a wise investment to get
cheap lamps from dubious sources. The easiest way to get safe lights
is to go to a reputable source. Besides, this way you can find all
the lamps you need in one place. The source for lamps that we recommend
is Bulbman, www.bulbman.com.
BulbMan
has grown over the years. I get the impression they are the largest
supplier of professional photography and projection lamps in the
country. I would guess they carry many other kinds of lights as
well.
TIP
==>
Bulbs can explode unexpectedly, so it is best to have a screen on
the front of your lights.
TIP
==>
Do not use the bulbs too long, the color temperature will decline
and your pictures will not turn out properly colored.
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| Comparison
of two raw lamps |
Holding
the lamp by the glass part is B A D. Your finger oil will cause
premature failure. Always use (non-slip) paper or cloth to hold
a lamp (except on the bottom as here). Be sure your lamps are shielded.
Occasionally lamps do explode, sending liquid hot molten glass and
metal fragments all over the place.
Lamps
come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Do not exceed the specifications
of the fixture you are using. Use heavy duty extension cords.
The
Lowel lights that we used, DP and Totalights,
did not produce any irregularities on the digital image that we
could detect with the naked eye. But Dedolights, of the kind operating
from their own transformer, did produce appreciable defects in the
digital images, though not every lamp and not every time.
Electric
fans, copiers, or any motor, even if far away in the same building,
produced distortions of the digital image. This is a polite way
of saying that the pictures were totally ruined. Normal UPS
units are not sufficient to solve this problem. We have our computer
system and our digital system both on a normal UPS unit.
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Close
up of different Bulbman lamps
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One
of the few companies which makes the kind of constant voltage power
conditioner line protection that you need is Sola. Sola is highly
recommended. We look forward to testing their equipment and have
already posted two reviews elsewhere in the FLAAR system of web
sites.
Telephone
800-648-1163 Fax: 800-548-6216 fax if you are facing from a foreign
country 775-788-5657
E-mail: bulbman@mindspring.com
Customer Service: service@bulbman.com
So
the next time you need a lamp for your photo lights, now you know
where to turn, namely Bulbman
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