# What kind of lighting / diffusers would be good for furniture like this?



## alexwa (Apr 11, 2017)

Hi. I make furniture and want to get a little more serious about photographing & selling it. I have a Panasonic GH4 and a 20 mm F/1.7 lens and a tripod. Does anyone have any lighting / lens / equipment recommendations for me? I'll attach a picture of a wooden stool I made and another couple of professional images I like the look of for reference. I would love my setup to have some versatility and maybe even be useful for video too. Thanks so much. alex

*Please do not post images to which you do not hold rights.  You may post links.*


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## tirediron (Apr 12, 2017)

Pretty much anything, really.  I would use medium (24x36) softboxes, for something this size, umbrellas would work well, as would brolly-boxes.  2-3 inexpensive Flashpoint monolights from Adorama in the 250 w/s range, some stands and triggers and you're in business.


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## alexwa (Apr 12, 2017)

tirediron said:


> Pretty much anything, really.  I would use medium (24x36) softboxes, for something this size, umbrellas would work well, as would brolly-boxes.  2-3 inexpensive Flashpoint monolights from Adorama in the 250 w/s range, some stands and triggers and you're in business.



...So you think I could get photos like these:

Handcrafted Furniture By Denis Milovanov | OEN

or these from the setup you mentioned?

All Products

Thank you!


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## tirediron (Apr 12, 2017)

The equipment is capable of producing those results; you may need to spend some time learning and practicing.


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## alexwa (Apr 12, 2017)

Ok amazing. Thanks so much for your help. Means a lot!


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## table1349 (Apr 12, 2017)

Get this and read it.  Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: 9780415719407: Amazon.com: Books


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## tirediron (Apr 12, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Get this and read it.  Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: 9780415719407: Amazon.com: Books


aka, "The Bible"


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## alexwa (Apr 14, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Get this and read it.  Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: 9780415719407: Amazon.com: Books



Thank you! What a great recommendation!!


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## alexwa (Apr 14, 2017)

tirediron said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > Get this and read it.  Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: 9780415719407: Amazon.com: Books
> ...


Will buy! Thanks!


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## table1349 (Apr 14, 2017)

tirediron said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > Get this and read it.  Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: 9780415719407: Amazon.com: Books
> ...



*BLASPHEMER!!!!!*

There is more to the bible than one little book.  There is the *Old Testament*
The Camera 
The Negative 
The Print 

Then there is the *New Testament*
Understanding Exposure, 
Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: 
Lest we forget the Book of Psalms: Strobist

I only pray that Nicéphore Niépce, sitting up there on his bitumen throne does not smite thee for your words with a visit of his two arch angels, Louis Daguerre and William Henry Fox Talbot.   For they would surely cause a plague of dust on your sensors, skew all your horizontals, infect you with HDR disease and give you severe uncontrollable GAS.


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## alexwa (Apr 14, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> tirediron said:
> 
> 
> > gryphonslair99 said:
> ...


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## Derrel (Apr 14, 2017)

Photos like these    Handcrafted Furniture By Denis Milovanov | OEN

could be shot using a 30 x 40 inch window screen frame covered with tracing paper or a couple thicknesses of frosted mylar fabric or Tuff-Spun, and one, 150 Watt-second studio type electronic flash unit, shot through the diffusion panel. THESE use a single, decently soft light source, and it looks like no fill lighting.

This is rugged,simple handcrafted wood furniture, and it could be lighted with just ONE light source. You could make the modifier with PVC pipe, and thin, semi-transluscent white sewing store fabric, like white rip-stop nylon, clipped to the PVC frame. The stand could be propped in place, or held in place with a second foot-piece, or propped up next to a tall stool,etc. The monolight could be fired through the diuffusing fabric, by having the flash held up on a light stand at the desired height, and at the desired distance from the diffusing screen. This was once referred to as "*scrim lighting*", and it is very versatile.


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## alexwa (Apr 15, 2017)

Derrel said:


> Photos like these    Handcrafted Furniture By Denis Milovanov | OEN
> 
> could be shot using a 30 x 40 inch window screen frame covered with tracing paper or a couple thicknesses of frosted mylar fabric or Tuff-Spun, and one, 150 Watt-second studio type electronic flash unit, shot through the diffusion panel. THESE use a single, decently soft light source, and it looks like no fill lighting.
> 
> This is rugged,simple handcrafted wood furniture, and it could be lighted with just ONE light source. You could make the modifier with PVC pipe, and thin, semi-transluscent white sewing store fabric, like white rip-stop nylon, clipped to the PVC frame. The stand could be propped in place, or held in place with a second foot-piece, or propped up next to a tall stool,etc. The monolight could be fired through the diuffusing fabric, by having the flash held up on a light stand at the desired height, and at the desired distance from the diffusing screen. This was once referred to as "*scrim lighting*", and it is very versatile.



Thank you so much. This is really fantastic advice. I'm may just to build a 'scrim' I think...


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