Frank,
As I said, if you or anyone else has questions about lighting
don't hesitate to ask. Lighting is everything in photography!
Light Tents and Light Cones do have their place, for some subjects.
You must remember that these are packaged lighting units and offer
little control over the quality of light. Can these subjects be better
represented by proper studio lighting techniques? Absolutely.
What these units do also is eliminate the need to learn how to light.
There are many cases where a packaged lighting kit will not be able
to correctly solve the problems involved. And at that point the user
doesn't have the knowledge to modify the lighting style to meet the
needs of the subject.
Let me give you a brief primer on commercial photography, where
it has been and where it is now. In the old days 6-7 years ago, before
digital really took hold. The client say Steves batteries, would come to
the photographer with a project, lets say a battery shot for Wallgreens.
The photographer would set up, light, and deliver transparency film to
the client for drumscanning, page placement, and eventually press.
The photographer would deliver high quality, correctly lit shots, that
reproduce well on press.
Recently the trend is not to hire the professional to do this work.
Why hire a pro who will charge big bucks, when Bob down in accounting
just got a really nice digital camera? Of course the side that is forgotten
in this cost cutting venture is the quality of the final image. More and
more we hear the phrase "we can fix it in photoshop". And this has been
the solution to work being poorly shot by folks who don't know how to light.
If you pick up just about any publication, and also have one from 6 or 7 years
ago. It is quite obvious that the quality of the photography has declined.
Clients reproducing sales sheets or brochures will spend the money for the
very best paper, inks, lamination, UV coatings etc.... but will cheap out
on the content of the piece by using inferior photography. Fortunately
in the commercial world we have seen this trend begin to reverse itself.
Clients are coming to the realization that the caliber of the photography
they have been using is not where it was in days gone by.
It is not that the camera's being used are inferior, although quite often
they are. ( but that is a whole different topic ) But the lighting has degraded
by the inexperienced suppliers of photography, who are known to use the
phrase "Good enough"
So to sum up, let me quote one of the professors of photography that I
had when I was in college. "A chimpanzee can be taught to use a camera,
and come up with some pretty good shots. But a chimp cannot learn how
to control light. A photographer can." Lighting is the key!
Can packaged lighting solutions do the job? Sometimes, but learning to
correctly light the subject will improve your shots immensely.
So if any one has questions about lighting, don't hesitate to ask. Sorry
if I ranted, but...... JMHO.
Cheers,
Robin
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