Hey all, got a quick question in regards to shooting in studio with strobes. We recently switched to strobe lights after using hot lights for years. However, we are having issues with focusing since the light in the studio is really low because the lights are off. Will the strobes out power any other standard light in the studio so we can get a decent focus? For equipment we are using 2 alien bee 800, 1 alien bee 400. We are using one of the 800s for the modling lamp at high power with now flash and the 400 and other 800 for the front flash. Thanks
Studio Question
- Thread starter shrekfx
- Start date
No, the strobes simply flash or provide modeling lights, there is no extra mechanism for focus. Yours must be some unusual situation, because the modeling lights are more than plenty for focusing with my Alienbees. No notion of a problem ever occurred to me. 
If ISO 100 or 200, and around f/8, and max shutter sync speed, the picture is black with 150 watt modeling lights alone (safe, no problem with them on).
Are you sure it is not a focus sensor problem, not being aligned on the subject?
If modeling light intensity is a real problem for focus (which frankly I can't imagine), you could put a speedlight in the hot shoe, aimed up at lowest possible power level, and its red focus assist light should be sufficient. It is even less light than the modeling light though?
If ISO 100 or 200, and around f/8, and max shutter sync speed, the picture is black with 150 watt modeling lights alone (safe, no problem with them on).
Are you sure it is not a focus sensor problem, not being aligned on the subject?
If modeling light intensity is a real problem for focus (which frankly I can't imagine), you could put a speedlight in the hot shoe, aimed up at lowest possible power level, and its red focus assist light should be sufficient. It is even less light than the modeling light though?
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The quickest way to tell how much contribution the room lights will have is to use your flashmeter and determine the exposure you would have with just your room lights. If that contribution is at least 2 stops below what you have for your strobes you should be fine. One thing you need to be aware of is possible color contamination. Your strobes are most likely 5000 - 5500 degrees Kelvin. Tungsten, fluroescent, etc, even if their contribution is small to the overall exposure, can still taint the overall color temperature of the image and sometimes it can be a pain to remove it without throwing the colors of everything off at the same time.
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