Lighting your work area

[hooterville75]

What is the proper way to significantly light your work area ? I have a desk lamp that I use for head on light and then I have a clamp light that I have clamped to the top of my desk shining right down on my work area. Alot of time I get glares and feel I could better light my work area. I turned the clamp light around to shine on my newly built work bench that is unused at this point and it seemed to light that bench up alot better then the current lighting I have set up. Is there a proper way to light the work area ? If so what type of lights should I use and where should I position them in my work area ? Thanks in advance for any advice or info pretaining to this.

 

[MrNatural]

Im interested in knowing more about this myself, as I constantly struggle with proper lighting, I have a standard ceiling light probably 80 watts or so plus decent high watt desk lamp, but I find I constantly have to adjust it to find the right lighting for what im working on.

Another factor I deal with is that I'm not at a permanent residence quite yet so spending the time and money for immaculate lighting is just not exactly feasible

 

[WebbyNZ]

Ditto

I have a couple of desk lamps that off flexible but far from ideal lighting, and a clip on lamp for the spray booth.
I was eyeing up the smaller fluro tubes at the local auto parts store, does anyone have any experience with these sorts of things?
http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online-store/products/Calibre-LED-Light-12-24V-Interior.aspx?pid=192475#Cross

 

[Black Sheep 1]

Well, I use two of these:
http://www.amazon.com/OttLite-T81G5T-Shade-VisionSaver-18-Watt/dp/B001GPGTL2/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1360564409&sr=8-11&keywords=Ottlite

And they work well.
I also have one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/110V-Illuminated-Magnifier-Desk-Lamp/dp/B0038R7WOY/ref=sr_1_10?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1360564548&sr=1-10&keywords=desk+lamp+with+magnifier

But lately I find that just one of these lights up the whole workbench really bright.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Julius-Studio-Lighting-Photo-Light-2100W-Softbox-Boom-Stnad-Lighting-Kits-JSK112-/150796040149?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231c24f7d5

 

[hooterville75]

Good lord BS1 option 3 is out of the question as Im not trying to light up a porn shop to make a video ha ha. $310 is out of my ball park. Option 2 seems a bit more up my ally so I may look into getting a few of these. Dont like the style of Option 1 so Im game for #2. Assuming you position it right over your work area and let it drain down on you ? Could possibly clamp the clamp lights I have to the side from a distance and let them shine from the sides as they seem to work better from a distance. Thanks for the info my friend.

 

[spud]

lol, that is too extreme and there is cheaper ways of doing it. BS1 but if you have teh kit already by all means there is noting wrong with it

i have a Canopy over my desk with a Light in it i also have a bright desk lamp, look at scotts setup that kinda what i have,

cost me about €20

 

[Black Sheep 1]

lol, that is too extreme and there is cheaper ways of doing it. BS1 but if you have teh kit already by all means there is noting wrong with it

i have a Canopy over my desk with a Light in it i also have a bright desk lamp, look at scotts setup that kinda what i have,

cost me about €20

Of course there's nothing wrong withg it.
Having this rig I have no problems with lighting my set.
You think this is expensive?
You should've seen the light setup I used to have when I had the photo studio, $20,000.00 in lights alone.

I've always believed in having the right equipment for the job.
Some people just try too hard to beat the pro equipment or cut corners, typically ending in spending more time money and effort.

Hooterville: I don't know what your work area looks like but you could go with something like this:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202968125/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=shop+light&storeId=10051

You can adjust the hight of the lights over your ares.
Make sure you get Daylight Balanced light tubes for that so you can see your colors correctly when painting.

 

[spud]

its expensive just to light a model Area, having 20g in lighting for studio work is in a different category to lighting a bench.

 

[wyoroy]

I'll just pick some from my money tree......how much you need

 

[hooterville75]

BS1 that would work really well kind of as a universal light for hanging in the middle of my entire work area and the price is right for the product you receive. If you go to my you tube channel and watch my two lonely videos I have to this point in the shi double t y quality they are it will show you my work area. I have a main desk and then I have one work bench that I just built that branches off the left side of my desk which is 31" high, 6 ft long, and 2 ft wide. I'm going to build another work bench identical to the other I just built that I have one coming off the right side as well. My work area will be in a U format. Right now I just have a regular small desk lamp with a bendy neck, a regular clamp light that clamps onto the top of my desk with the round dome you screw the light bulb into and then I have another tiny side clamp light that I can clamp to the side of my desk if I need light direct from the side in a little area.

I really like that last heavy duty light you can hang which I could hang in the middle of my work area, then go with two of the other lights that were second in the three first options you sent for each side of my desk that I could also take to either bench on each side if needed and then the clamp light I have for right down in the middle. Thanks for all the suggestions I really appreciate your info and availability of lights that exist that would do the job.

I was just wondering originally if there was a "proper method" of lighting a work area or if its all trial and error for what works for who. I didn't know you were into photography. Id love to get into photography with high school athletics but I just cant afford the money a DSLR cost let alone the lenses you need to do a proper job. My buddy does that and he has spent more on Lenses through the years then I've spent on cars when I first started driving ha ha. Interesting hobby of its own. But hey if you have those big big lights more par to ya man. Use em if ya got em heck yea. That would be overkill for me though even if I did have one of those because its way too big for my little work area. Its little but big enough to get the job done. I have a corner of my basement and then another area that holds my spray booth and a sink. I'm on my last attempt at videos before I set out and buy a new set up sooner or later. I'm going to try one here this week with my daughters ipad and if it doesn't work then I'm going to have to get a new recorder set up or find a way to learn a editing software to be able to edit my videos crappy quality. I just done get why the videos I do look crystal clear in any program I play them in but when I upload them to you tube there HORRIBLE. Sorry for the novel everyone ha ha.

 

[Black Sheep 1]

I don't think it's much of a "method" but more of a choice of lighting that matters.
The most important factor, for me at least, is color balance.
Daylight balanced fl tubes will allow you to see the paint is its true color and not a different hue caused by different color temperature on you light source.
In the end, you use what works for you.

 

[spud]

I have to agree on the shade of lighting. It's a pain in the ass to fine daylight tubes over here tough

 

[the Baron]

I have a 100w incandescent in a fixture directly above my bench, and then I use adjustable desk lamps (draftsman's lamps?), with 60w incandescents installed, to light the area immediately in front of me on the bench. I have holes drilled into my bench's frame, so I can move those adjustables as necessary. I also have a couple of old desktop lamps handy, like an old gooseneck lamp, if I want even more light.

 

[arohk]

I useone of those lights with the magnifing glass in it I can move it toany direction to give the best light possible.

 

[dkev]

I have an arm desk lamp. Not bad. I need to get a bigger one to mount on the table and can swing better. However, I have serious LED bulb in it. Puts out 850 lumens with very little heat.

 

[spud]

This is what i use and its pretty good, but i would like a daylight bulb for the tube.

 

[Black Sheep 1]

This is what i use and its pretty good, but i would like a daylight bulb for the tube.

Spud, this one might work for you.

 

[Black Sheep 1]

This is what i use and its pretty good, but i would like a daylight bulb for the tube.

Spud, this one might work for you.

I think it would help if I add a link...duh!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052OT64K/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[spud]

that is a fine looking lamp, i will have a look and see if i can get it in an amazon in Europe. thanks for that link BS1

 

[hooterville75]

This is what i use and its pretty good, but i would like a daylight bulb for the tube.

Spud, this one might work for you.

I think it would help if I add a link...duh!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052OT64K/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wish I could afford something like that. I now just figured out this evening that I need to find a different lighting scenario for my spray booth as while painting the flat black pieces of the 68 Corvette Roadster that Im building the way the light was shining on the parts it appeared that some of the parts still needed paint and were bare or lighter when in fact it was just the way the light was shining on them. The pieces were in fact fully covered its just the way the light was shining on them it appeared they needed more paint. Time to experiment with the light on the spray booth to see if I can get the light I currently have to work.