Another question for my in home studio: I am to be point of installing LED lamps in the suspended ceiling in my new studio. I will mostly shooting with natural light near the windows...

OriginalCyn Loc: Connecticut

I am to be point of installing LED lamps in the suspended ceiling in my new studio. I will mostly shooting with natural light near the windows or with strobes. My question is, should I be concerned with the color temperature of the ceiling lights? They will mostly be used when I'm not shooting but how can I be sure...I mean I may want them on at certain times. Somewhere I've read they should be 5000k, but I'm not finding consistent information. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks!

tramsey Loc: Texas

That's a good question. I putting in a studio to. I'm not quite that far but soon so I'm going to stick around and see what happens.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Original - May I suggest that you send a PM to UHH User Name "BurkPhoto". He has run his own studio for many years and tends to be a technical sort of gent. Smart & practical. He'd be a good source on studio-related issues of this sort.
Good luck. /Ralph

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

For ambient lighting, use 6 Watt 3000K LEDs, 50 Watt Halogen equivalent. Make sure they are dimmable, and that your Electrician is aware that you are dimming LEDs, and make sure the fixture will take an LED bulb. SORAA is a good brand, but there is a lot of pricing choices. Also, make sure the fixtures are made for LED bulbs, or there could be overheating issues, which will shorten the life.

OriginalCyn Loc: Connecticut

tramsey wrote:

That's a good question. I putting in a studio to. I'm not quite that far but soon so I'm going to stick around and see what happens.

Thanks T. Keep an eye on this thread.

OriginalCyn Loc: Connecticut

rjaywallace wrote:

Original - May I suggest that you send a PM to UHH User Name "BurkPhoto". He has run his own studio for many years and tends to be a technical sort of gent. Smart & practical. He'd be a good source on studio-related issues of this sort.
Good luck. /Ralph

Thank you Ralph. I just PM'd him.

PhotoJoe55

OriginalCyn wrote:

I am to be point of installing LED lamps in the suspended ceiling in my new studio. I will mostly shooting with natural light near the windows or with strobes. My question is, should I be concerned with the color temperature of the ceiling lights? They will mostly be used when I'm not shooting but how can I be sure...I mean I may want them on at certain times. Somewhere I've read they should be 5000k, but I'm not finding consistent information. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks!

If these LED's are to be installed for permanent use, and you want exact color temperature, you can finish the installation then rent a Color Meter for a few days. They are still very expensive to buy, (even used ones!) but the rental fees won't be bad just for a few days. Try Adorama, Samy's, Lensrentals.com or one of their competitors

jim quist Loc: Missouri

It won't matter if you use strobes.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

Though I cant answer your question, here is a video on LED studio lights and how to make them. If you watch the whole video it may answer your question, ( I haven't watched all of it yet)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vprmR3dYC-I

wolfman

OriginalCyn wrote:

I am to be point of installing LED lamps in the suspended ceiling in my new studio. I will mostly shooting with natural light near the windows or with strobes. My question is, should I be concerned with the color temperature of the ceiling lights? They will mostly be used when I'm not shooting but how can I be sure...I mean I may want them on at certain times. Somewhere I've read they should be 5000k, but I'm not finding consistent information. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks!

I'm not sure why you would want them on while your shooting. Do your strobes have modeling lights? If they do, you won't need lights on to focus or compose, and certainly not when shooting with window light.
I use this to set a custom white balance:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?N=0&gclid=CKiIyeDEnM8CFYM9gQodSZIDlA&c3api=4680%2C115270850459%2Cphotovision%2Ce&InitialSearch=yes&Ntt=Photovision

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

PhotoJoe55 wrote:

If these LED's are to be installed for permanent use, and you want exact color temperature, you can finish the installation then rent a Color Meter for a few days. They are still very expensive to buy, (even used ones!) but the rental fees won't be bad just for a few days. Try Adorama, Samy's, Lensrentals.com or one of their competitors

Virtually every modern DSLR has a very good built in "color temperature meter". Shoot a quality grey card using Auto White Balance. Or if accuracy isn't important, and it probably is not, just shoot almost anything that is relatively white.

Then process the RAW file with a good converter that displays hue and temperature. You only need accuracy as opposed to relative values if you have to order a set of lights without current access to what it has to match, and when neither can be adjusted. If the point is to measure and adjust, measure the one first and regardless of what it measures adjust the other to be the same. For example strobes are supposed to be about 5600K and good ones will be. If they measure 5300K or 5800K makes no difference. Adjust the LED lights to be the same. Note that most strobes change color at different power settings (speedlights are more blue at lower power and studio strobes become warmer at lower power). Ideally one would adjust LED lights on a case by case basis if the lights are adjustable.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

jim quist wrote:

It won't matter if you use strobes.

I agree, unless you have spotlights up there the strobes will overpower ANY light. I always turn off all my lights so they don't interfere with my modeling lights which are more than bright enough to add illumination and easily for focus. My modeling lights alone are 200 watts each at full power!
I always do a test shot with no strobes to see how much ambient light I'm getting, and mostly the tests are black.
Sure, install as daylight balanced as you can but I certainly would not spend a lot of money on it.
They're mostly used to set-up, take down and clean-up.
I'm sure the most anal will go crazy though!! Good luck
SS

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

rgrenaderphoto wrote:

For ambient lighting, use 6 Watt 3000K LEDs, 50 Watt Halogen equivalent. Make sure they are dimmable, and that your Electrician is aware that you are dimming LEDs, and make sure the fixture will take an LED bulb. SORAA is a good brand, but there is a lot of pricing choices. Also, make sure the fixtures are made for LED bulbs, or there could be overheating issues, which will shorten the life.

Question: why 3000K instead of 5000-5500K? I know 3000 is close to incandescent or warm halogen lights, and I certainly prefer that color temp for my home lighting, but since your strobes and your natural sunlight is close to 5600K, wouldn't it be more consistent to keep all the lights in your studio at the same temp (assuming that the light from the LEDs contributes in any way to the total light illuminating your subject). Not disagreeing, just curious as to why. Thanks in advance for any information.

Gifted One Loc: S. E. Idaho

Again may I point you to do a White Balance with every session. I is amazing how we have a shift and with blended light that changes. It is better to get correct in camera than just , oh well catch it in post. Earlier this month I was with a teaching pro that reinforced what I already had been doing. Sorry to sound like a broken record, but it's important and thanks for asking.

J. R.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

OriginalCyn wrote:

I am to be point of installing LED lamps in the suspended ceiling in my new studio. I will mostly shooting with natural light near the windows or with strobes. My question is, should I be concerned with the color temperature of the ceiling lights? They will mostly be used when I'm not shooting but how can I be sure...I mean I may want them on at certain times. Somewhere I've read they should be 5000k, but I'm not finding consistent information. Any help will be appreciated! Thanks!

Probably not, unless they over power your strobes
I did 90% of my studio work with the lights on and never had a problem.