Lighting Studio

Lighting Studio Information

What is in the studio as of the Fall, 2012

-3 Florescent Lights with lighting box (Digital Media) 

-3 Calumet Electronic Strobes (Photo Area) with Stands, Umbrellas, soft box) along with portable (Location case)

-1 Portable lighting Flag with Stand

-1 Sekonic Light Meter 

-1-Color Card Checker

-1 Grey Card

-Variety of Clamps, knuckles, clips, flash brackets

-1 Pack of Gels, 1 Pack of Light Diffusers

-3 Portable Alien Bee Lights with stands, umbrellas

-2 Novotran Strobes with Stands and Power Box

-1 Tripod  (remains in the studio)

-1 Backdrop mounted to the West Wall

-1 Portable Backdrop 

-3 Moveable walls (3 white sides, 2 with magnetic paint underneath, 3 raw wall sides)

-1 Flat files with 10 Drawers

-2 Apple computers with Lightroom/Photoshop

-2 Epson 3880 Archival Pigment Ink Printers

-1 Daylight Balanced viewing box

-Variety of power and extension cords

-Variety of chairs, pedestals, tables

-Variety of replacement bulbs, parts

Policies for using the lighting studio

-This is a multi use space. Please clean up after yourself. Items left in the studio without prior permission will be placed in the hall or recycled.

-While there can be a grey between work for hire and educational purposes, the lighting studios is specifically for educational use for fine arts students, staff, and faculty. Commercial work related to marketing, outright profit, advertising, etc. are not acceptable uses of the studio.

-Unless enrolled in an intermediate/advanced photo class, You will need to get permission from your instructor to use the room. You will also need to have an orientation training. Students not enrolled in a photo class access to the studio is determined on a case by case scenario. Student access is not guaranteed. 

-If something gets broken or for example a bulb goes out, please let Dennis DeHart or one of the lab assistant know: dennis.dehart@wsu.edu. Breaking something and not letting someone know is not acceptable. 

Technical Notes

Documenting 2-d Work

2-d work generally requires even lighting. Use the moveable wall with the magnetic paint to quickly place your work up with magnets. Make sure you have enough light. Usually using two lights equal distance apart and slightly to the side is the best way to evenly light your print.

Notes for Documenting Performance or Installation

Performance is dependent on context. Hence you should probably think about the space/lighting in theatrical terms. Refer to the diagram below for a basic place to start.

Notes for 3-D Work

Photographing 3-d work is dependent on the object. For example, reflective glass will have many more issues then objects made of wood. Generally, using a 3 point lighting setup will add volume and depth to your object. Refer to the diagram below for a good starting point. 

5 Tips for better Photograph

1. Shoot in RAW file format
2. Use Adobe RGB Color Space
3. Correctly expose for highlights. It is nearly impossible to recover blown out highlights
4. Bracket your exposures (under and over expose) so as to a variety of exposures to choose from.
5. When possible, use a  lens with focal lengths that will best complement your subject. For example, wide angle lens tend to distort objects and are not the best lens for documenting 2-d work. On the inverse, a wide angle lens may be the best choice for documenting performances and installations.