Forums > Photography Talk > 3000K and 5200K lights in one set up?

Photographer

Bill Tracy Photography

Posts: 2322

Montague, New Jersey, US

I'm looking into getting a set of strobes to either add to, or replace my hot light soft boxes.  My concern is that the strobes or 5200k and the hot lights are 3000k. Can these be used together? Now that I have been thinking about it, I would think not, but I figured I would ask here.

Sep 20 05 09:07 am Link

Photographer

joe duerr

Posts: 4227

Santa Ana, California, US

Are you shooting digital or film?

Sep 20 05 09:09 am Link

Photographer

Bill Tracy Photography

Posts: 2322

Montague, New Jersey, US

Digital - thanks, I forgot to mention that.

Sep 20 05 09:11 am Link

Photographer

joe duerr

Posts: 4227

Santa Ana, California, US

Mixing lights with digital is not a problem if you wb every time you change your lights.

Sep 20 05 09:15 am Link

Photographer

Bill Tracy Photography

Posts: 2322

Montague, New Jersey, US

But I mean can I use them simultaniously in a shoot?  For instance I wanted to use the hot lights as a backdrop fill and the strobes for main lights.

Sep 20 05 09:17 am Link

Photographer

joe duerr

Posts: 4227

Santa Ana, California, US

Not a problem at all with digital. A lot more complicated with film.

Sep 20 05 10:24 am Link

Photographer

Bill Tracy Photography

Posts: 2322

Montague, New Jersey, US

Ok cool - thanks!

Sep 20 05 10:36 am Link

Photographer

joe duerr

Posts: 4227

Santa Ana, California, US

A lot of people tend to make things more complicated than they really are. I remember a story that illustrates that really well. You ask someone if they have ever seen the birds flying south when they form a vee in the sky. Then ask if they have noticed that one side is always longer than the other and ask them if they know why. When they have no answer you simply state, "because there are more birds on that side".
If you use different lights for background, subject, hair or fill so long as you wb on the subject the color shift in background, hair etc will not even be noticeable. My solution with these kind of questions is always try it. Never take anyone else's word for anything that you can just try yourself.
Another story is a good example of what I mean.
A mans wife is fixing a ham for dinner and she first cuts both ends of the ham off. The husband says, "Why are you doing that?". Wife says, "because that is the way mom did it". So husband call mom and asks her why she cut off both ends of the ham before roasting. He got the same reply from mom. Husband now calls Grandma and asks why cut off both ends of the ham before roasting and Grandma says, "so that it will fit in the pan."
So don't take anyone's word for something that you can try yourself.

Sep 20 05 10:46 am Link

Photographer

Bill Tracy Photography

Posts: 2322

Montague, New Jersey, US

LOL! - Great stories and advice.

Hopefully I won't have to sell my hotlights in order to afford my new strobes.
I'm looking at Alien Bees, and even though they are supposedly the cheaper ones on the market, I'm on a tight budget - LOL!
Thanks,

Bill

Sep 20 05 10:52 am Link