What is available light? 23warm up. After using a color meter to determine the color
balance, Joe found that the Canon EOS 20D used for sessions
with the Spiderlite produced better results when set in
Auto White Balance mode. The fl uorescent lamps provide
smooth, continuous light, so all of his exposures were made
with the camera set in Program mode. By looking at each image
fi le’s histogram (see Chapter 2), he used the EOS 20D’s
Exposure Compensation feature to gradually increase exposure
in one-third stop increments to make sure exposure was
balanced.Out of the past: fi lm noir
Joe does a lot of test shoots with new and inexperienced models.
Big lightbanks and the constant popping of electronic fl ash units
can often distract the model. The Sunpak (www.tocad.com)
DigiLite 600 Flat Panel is a cold “hot light,” and creates the kind
of working environment that helps the model relax. The DigiLite
is solidly built and easy to move around if your lightstand has
casters. The DigiLite 600 uses fl uorescent tubes that are bal-
anced for daylight and do a good job of emulating the real
thing.The slim profi le and daylight color
balance of Sunpak’s DigiLite 600
make it ideal for use as a main
light for location photography.
Here Joe photographs Ashley Rae
using the DigiLite 600 as a main
light with window light as fi ll.
Joe often uses the DigiLite 600 as a main light or sometimes
as a beauty light placed below the model’s face and in ways
he formerly used a refl ector back in the old fi lm days to
create the kind of look that requires the least amount of
gear possible. There are some who shoot with available
light, but what they really mean is “every light we have
available.” He hates to schlep all that stuff. That’s why
the Sunpaks work so well for his “shoot and scoot” style of
photography.