How to: Power Supply for Outdoor Shoot?

[ErnieR]

Originally Posted by smtalha

hmm

ok so using an inverter is not a good idea to power ur lighting equipment.

Sorry, I forgot I was going to say something about this. The inverter isn't the problem, it's the battery. You need a battery designed for this type of load. If you have the right kind of battery it's a very good solution that is fairly versatile.

[JonScott]

Originally Posted by monkeykoder

Not to argue but I lived in a house where the main power was a small bank of car batteries (2 of them) and it lasted pretty darned well. We'd get 4+ hours of TV+lights for the hose off of that setup (using the same inverter pictured actually.

Deep cycle batteries. Not starting batteries.

[BobEdens]

OK I'm late joining this discussion but I think EVERYONE has missed an important detail.

You are shooting outdoors, when?

You only need to shine enough light on the model to compensate for the back light.

This was shot with ONE sb600 powered by four double A's

[monkeykoder]

Originally Posted by JonScott

Deep cycle batteries. Not starting batteries.

We got a considerable amount of time off of tractor batteries (I'm pretty sure they're not deep-cycle) but you're right for really good performance we did eventually switch to deep cycle.

[JoeZasada]

continuous lighting will drain batteries much quicker than strobes so you might want to use a generator.

you would need a fairly large inverter to power 800W as well as a fairly large battery supply or engine alternator

make sure you use a good surge protector though

[David_L_Brown]

I use a Samlex 600W pure sine wave inverter purchased from Fry's Electronics for $199 to power my Norman P2000D pack. Yes, that's a 2000 watt pack. I cut up a pair of jumper cables to wire it directly to my car battery. It works nice assuming you can park your car next to the shoot location. Otherwise a deep cycle marine type battery ($70 from Walmart) will do the job just fine. Enough juice to shoot all day. I eventually plan on going this route anyway for better portability. Here's a picture I found of a setup that I am going to copy. I don't remember where I found the photo and it may have even come from someone on here.





And of course, here's a picture done with my current car-dependent setup shooting through a Westcott Apollo 50" softbox.





If you are still looking for other choices then I recommend lighting gear that runs on its own batteries. Anything from on-camera flashes running on AA's (about 50WS typical) to 1200WS Profoto packs with built-in batteries. Besides my setup above I also own a couple of the Quantum Qflash X lights that are powered by Quantum's own QPAQ. They are each 400WS and here's a couple more photos.


This one is bounced into a silver 42" umbrella and is just able to match (but not overpower) the sun at a distance of about 4 feet at full power.





This one is with no modifier. Just the little 5 inch reflector that comes with the flash. It is at half power and about 8 feet away. The shadow you see on the ground is from the sun.





The important thing you need to remember when deciding on your own individual power requirements is how much you are going to modify the light. Adding a beauty dish will require more power. An umbrella kicks it up another notch and a softbox is the proverbial fat guy at the buffet.

Hope this helps, David.

[smtalha]

Originally Posted by David_L_Brown

I use a Samlex 600W pure sine wave inverter purchased from Fry's Electronics for $199 to power my Norman P2000D pack. Yes, that's a 2000 watt pack. I cut up a pair of jumper cables to wire it directly to my car battery. It works nice assuming you can park your car next to the shoot location. Otherwise a deep cycle marine type battery ($70 from Walmart) will do the job just fine. Enough juice to shoot all day. I eventually plan on going this route anyway for better portability. Here's a picture I found of a setup that I am going to copy. I don't remember where I found the photo and it may have even come from someone on here.





And of course, here's a picture done with my current car-dependent setup shooting through a Westcott Apollo 50" softbox.





If you are still looking for other choices then I recommend lighting gear that runs on its own batteries. Anything from on-camera flashes running on AA's (about 50WS typical) to 1200WS Profoto packs with built-in batteries. Besides my setup above I also own a couple of the Quantum Qflash X lights that are powered by Quantum's own QPAQ. They are each 400WS and here's a couple more photos.


This one is bounced into a silver 42" umbrella and is just able to match (but not overpower) the sun at a distance of about 4 feet at full power.





This one is with no modifier. Just the little 5 inch reflector that comes with the flash. It is at half power and about 8 feet away. The shadow you see on the ground is from the sun.





The important thing you need to remember when deciding on your own individual power requirements is how much you are going to modify the light. Adding a beauty dish will require more power. An umbrella kicks it up another notch and a softbox is the proverbial fat guy at the buffet.

Hope this helps, David.

hi again guys, thanks to all for ur response. sorry for my late reply as i was away for some time.

David, i like the stuff you'ev shown me! this looks small and economical. and the kind of photoshos you've shown me, well that is the kind of photoshoot i was thinking of doing.

reflector well that is the best tool to use outdoors i agree, ut im based in london and the weather here is not always nice and bright. u guys r lucky u lot are based in the states