Light Box
I use a home-made light box for shooting slides, which holds 6 light bulbs. In the past I have always used photo floods for the bulbs (250W, 3200K) since I could color-correct with either tungsten film or a blue filter. My last batch of bulbs burned out last week, though, so I had to make a decision as to whether or not I wanted to continue using photo floods, or switch to compact fluorescent bulbs. I decided a few months ago that I
was no longer going to work with film, since most galleries and juried
exhibitions will now accept digital image submissions, and finding
someone local to process slides in a timely and affordable manner is
near impossible. I was planning on keeping film as an option for some
of my best customers, though, as long as they were willing to pay for
the extra hassle. However that option would require me to keep photo floods.There are 3 issues with the photo floods: price, longevity and heat.
Photo floods cost $8-10 per bulb, which is really expensive for how long they last. To get the most accurate color in your photos, the bulbs must burn at the right temperature (3200K for the bulbs I use). They are rated to burn at that temperature for only about 8 hours. After that the color starts to change, and you may not get accurate color. It's not a problem with digital cameras, since you can adjust the white balance, but with film it's an issue. That said, I typically use them well past their 8 hour rating, but their total life span can still be measured in hours.
The other big problem is the amount of heat they put off. Six 250 watt bulbs are really hot to work around, especially when shooting small pieces like jewelry where I'm right under the box. It's very uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous- get too close and I'll get burned.
After thinking about it all week, I decided that the photo floods and film are no longer worth the price and hassle. Anyone who still wants film slides will have to have them made from digitals. So I went to Menards this morning and picked up six 100 Watt equivalent CF bulbs, daylight color, for $16! What an amazing price! And they'll probably last for a decade or more since they're only used a few hours a week.
I put them in the light box and took some sample shots, and I'm very happy with the results. They are not as bright as the photofloods, which makes for less glare on shiny pots, and there's very little heat coming down on me. While they are supposed to be daylight corrected, I find that I still have to set a custom white balance on my camera, but that's no big deal. I had to do that with the old bulbs anyway. I'm really going to enjoy using the new bulbs!
Platter photographed with new CF bulbs
Photo floods cost $8-10 per bulb, which is really expensive for how long they last. To get the most accurate color in your photos, the bulbs must burn at the right temperature (3200K for the bulbs I use). They are rated to burn at that temperature for only about 8 hours. After that the color starts to change, and you may not get accurate color. It's not a problem with digital cameras, since you can adjust the white balance, but with film it's an issue. That said, I typically use them well past their 8 hour rating, but their total life span can still be measured in hours.
The other big problem is the amount of heat they put off. Six 250 watt bulbs are really hot to work around, especially when shooting small pieces like jewelry where I'm right under the box. It's very uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous- get too close and I'll get burned.
After thinking about it all week, I decided that the photo floods and film are no longer worth the price and hassle. Anyone who still wants film slides will have to have them made from digitals. So I went to Menards this morning and picked up six 100 Watt equivalent CF bulbs, daylight color, for $16! What an amazing price! And they'll probably last for a decade or more since they're only used a few hours a week.
I put them in the light box and took some sample shots, and I'm very happy with the results. They are not as bright as the photofloods, which makes for less glare on shiny pots, and there's very little heat coming down on me. While they are supposed to be daylight corrected, I find that I still have to set a custom white balance on my camera, but that's no big deal. I had to do that with the old bulbs anyway. I'm really going to enjoy using the new bulbs!
Platter photographed with new CF bulbs
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