While I lived in the US and started this blog, I have been slowly working on my photography skills, part of that is the lighting I use to take photo’s for this blog.  I was lucky enough early on to get some pointers from Dave Talyor who at that time and most likely still does was taking photo’s for War Games Illustrated (Along with everything else he does).  While at a Battle Front hosted Flames of War GT, I got to get some tips, stuff to get me going.  So very handy and I have slowly been progressing in my ability’s. But I was finding that unless I go into photoshop all my images were just a little too dark, this is where the lighting comes in.

So I went shopping.

This is what I sent for, something nice and simple to get me started, It was about $30USD

This light box has severed me well, but I do find some of the images are still too dark, and It really relies on making sure that everything is in the right spot, it can get a bit fiddly. but it is still really good. It packs up to basically nothing, and is light weight and portable.

The only real problem I have had is that lights have a US plug and the globes are  Halogen types that run off 110 volts.  I have a step up/down transformer so really has not been a big problem just means it isn’t quite so small to store.   Then I dropped one of the lights, the light was on and well I broke the globe.

I now have two choices, get a new bight LED Globe and also replace the plug, as any globe that I get here in Aus will be 240V.  Or, I get new lights.

New lights it is, I started out looking for exact replacements, I could get a whole new setup for about $40AUD it would be a 2nd light box though.  Or I could expand and grow a little bit, I am going to grow and expand a little, I would like to do more Battle reports on the bog with some really nice photo’s that means more lighting and better lights.

I looked at studio lighting, some can get very expensive very fast, and I would have to find a space for all those lights, so I put this onto a slow grow, so I can also improve my skills with the new equipment.

These are still continues lights, all the flash lights I will look at if I go further,   this will give me more light on the small subjects and also enable to to get good lighting on a 6 x 4 table this will mean I can get some nice photos of games being played.   It comes in a carry bag so I can pack it all away and will be transportable.

I think I will have to invest in a screen to behind some of the tables etc that I take photo’s on, I will also have to invest in a model rail back drop something that wont look out of place with some Napoleonic or Ancients or moderns, my hunt for that will start soon.

I am pretty excited to get hold of new kit, hopefully I will be able to produce a far better quality photo.

As my Lighting and Photography skills grow I can then maybe reach out and do other things and expand the types of lighting for things like Video blog a game, or stream it to twitch.  The possibilities are all out there for me.

I will be using this setup at a Tournament I am running in July, I will take some really good hi Res photos of everybody’s army (well at least those that would like to have some really good hi-res photo’s at least).  I might even try to do Battle Report some of the games going on if we can work it so that nobody has to dodge the lighting or camera.

I am now off to play with my new lights.  But something does jump out at me, that I might have gone overboard.