Posted by Joe Rogers on September 19, 2014 at 10:30 AM
I will be in Moab in a couple of weeks and would like to try some light painting at Arches Natl Park. Could anyone give me some suggestions as to a good light to use that is powerful enough. Also, I am trying not to break the bank if possible.
Thanks Joe Rogers
Posted by Doug Koepsel on September 19, 2014 at 10:53 AM
Joe, the Brinkman Dual Xenon rechargeable was recommended before by David Kingham. I picked on up from Amazon, but feel a diffuser in front would help in some situations as the light beam was not uniform.
Posted by Jared Warren on September 19, 2014 at 1:49 PM
I've also used the Brinkman Dual Xenon and like its warm color on sandstone. A diffuser helps for more uniformity, or bounce it off one of those gold reflectors often used for portraits. Sometimes even just lighting up the rock around/below/behind you (out of frame) gives just enough reflected glow for what you need. Have fun!
Posted by Grant Collier on September 19, 2014 at 4:16 PM
If you'll be there in two weeks, it will be close to a full moon, so you wouldn't really need a flashlight. The stars will also be obscured by the moon. For light painting, you're better off going around a new moon (a crescent moon can also be good at night if you want the moon to illuminate the scene).
Unfortunately, they stopped making the Brinkman so it's going to be hard to find. You don't really need all that powerful of a light for light painting, unless you're trying to paint really distant objects (which is hard to do well anyway). I personally use the LED Lenser P7 LED Flashlight since it has adjustable focus, so you don't need a diffuser. It costs about $35. It puts out a blue light, so you'll need to adjust the colors in post-processing or put a color filter in front of it. For this, you can buy the Roscolux Swatchbook on BHPhotoVideo.com for just $2.50.
The EagleTac D25C Clicky Neutral White and EagleTac G25C2 MKII Neutral White put out a fairly warm light and cost about $75 and $110. You'll likely need a diffuser with them. You can cut out part of a 1-gallon water bottle and place it over the light if you don't want to buy a diffuser.
The least expensive option I've seen recommended is the Luminar Work 69286 Rechargeable Spotlight from HarborFreight.com for just $12. It puts out a warm light, but you'll need to use it with a diffuser. It also isn't dimmable, so it isn't ideal and won't work too well with close objects.
Posted by Joe Rogers on September 19, 2014 at 5:01 PM
I want to thank everyone for your responses and excellent advice...this is my first real outing for this type work and it will serves as a great learning experience I can tell.
Discussion
4 repliesThanks Joe Rogers
Unfortunately, they stopped making the Brinkman so it's going to be hard to find. You don't really need all that powerful of a light for light painting, unless you're trying to paint really distant objects (which is hard to do well anyway). I personally use the LED Lenser P7 LED Flashlight since it has adjustable focus, so you don't need a diffuser. It costs about $35. It puts out a blue light, so you'll need to adjust the colors in post-processing or put a color filter in front of it. For this, you can buy the Roscolux Swatchbook on BHPhotoVideo.com for just $2.50.
The EagleTac D25C Clicky Neutral White and EagleTac G25C2 MKII Neutral White put out a fairly warm light and cost about $75 and $110. You'll likely need a diffuser with them. You can cut out part of a 1-gallon water bottle and place it over the light if you don't want to buy a diffuser.
The least expensive option I've seen recommended is the Luminar Work 69286 Rechargeable Spotlight from HarborFreight.com for just $12. It puts out a warm light, but you'll need to use it with a diffuser. It also isn't dimmable, so it isn't ideal and won't work too well with close objects.