Sure you can! I don’t recommend it. The number one reasons are heat and fire. You’re going to be having somebody that doesn’t know how to shoot in a strobe light environment, and they’re going to shoot 40 photos–that’s 40 flashes–in five to six minutes. Strobe lights–that’s a lot of abuse, and when they go, they actually go because of heat, and they fuse to the assembly so now you have the risk of fire. The strobe has failed. Your studio is shut down while you have to order a new strobe light.
So, to answer your question, you can add a strobe absolutely to our studio. We have a dealer group in Minnesota that does a great job with strobes, but they have a professional photographer training their staff. They have five or six of our studios, and every one of them has strobes. They have a strobe above the cloth. They have strobes mounted into the overhang.
I don’t recommend it. It’s too difficult. The light is too soft. Look at photos shot in a soft light environment. They look fake. That’s exactly what strobes will do.
To answer your question, I don’t recommend strobes, but hey, this is your studio. Do anything you want.
FAQ
Can I use strobe lights in a 360Booth®?
Yes, it’s your studio, but 360Booth doesn’t recommend it.
Why doesn't 360Booth recommend strobes?
A typical shoot means dozens of flashes in a few minutes, which creates heat and failure risk, and a failed strobe can shut the studio down until it’s replaced. Strobes also produce soft light that can make cars look fake, and they work best with a trained professional photographer.
Do your lights in your existing space, or around the space, or in your building need to be turned off during shooting?
There are a couple of ways to handle that. First of all, I evaluate your space. I will make recommendations on what lights have to be turned off or removed. Usually, I focus strictly on above the cloth top. In some cases, you’ll only see that in other people’s booths or studios because they don’t have a cloth top to shield the lights reflecting on the top of the car.
So, to answer your questions, you don’t have to shut them all off. I don’t want you to do that. It’s a hazard, for one, but the ones directly above the cylinder of the studio, yes. We would like those turned off. They’re not the right color temperature, and they will cause issues inside the studio.
FAQ
Do I need to turn off other lights when shooting in a 360Booth®?
Not all of them. Only the lights directly above the studio should be turned off, because their color temperature can cause issues inside.
How does 360Booth prevent overhead light reflections on the car?
The studio’s cloth top shields the vehicle from overhead lights reflecting on its roof.
Let’s talk about professional photography. There are tons of guys out there claiming to be professional photographers. That’s great news. All of them want to turn our cloth top into a softbox. They’re over-engineering it.
I’m not a fan of the softbox. One, you don’t have a trained photographer to shoot in that environment. Two, it’s a very filtered light and makes your cars look fake. That’s the worst thing you can do in an environment–to let your customers think they’re using a file photo. Our solution has very bright, very cool LED lights–cool in temperature. We have a domed, engineered diffuser over the top of them that filter out the light so that it doesn’t create shadows. It doesn’t create a softbox environment.
Can you turn this into a softbox? Hey, it’s your studio. Do as you may. Would I recommend it? No.
FAQ
Does the 360Booth® use softbox lighting?
No. 360Booth uses bright, cool-temperature LED lights with domed, engineered diffusers that reduce shadows without creating a softbox environment.
Why doesn't 360Booth recommend a softbox?
Jay Smithweck says heavily filtered softbox light can make cars look fake, like stock photos, and it takes a trained photographer to shoot well in that environment.
Probably the coolest thing over the past six years is that I have reached only the one-percenters of the car industry who really are wanting to take their business to the next level with better photos. It’s so much fun.
The question is, “I’ve looked at your specs, Jay, and I don’t have the 11 feet of minimum clearance. Your studio is at 10 feet. I only have 10 feet of clearance. Can you help? What can you do?”
Great news. Right now, we do not charge to customize your studio at all. We have made them smaller; we’ve made them bigger, and we’ve definitely made them shorter at no cost to you.
So, thank you for doing the due diligence of measuring your space. I love it when you guys send me the photos with the dimensions of length, width, and height of it. I want to get a better idea of what I’m looking into when I visit.
But, to answer your question, if you don’t have the height, when I visit, I properly measure for placement, and we will chop your studio down. It will not affect the photos, and I will not charge you for that.
FAQ
What if my ceiling is too low for a 360Booth®?
360Booth can cut the studio down to fit your space after measuring it, and says this doesn’t affect the photos.
Does it cost extra to shorten the studio?
At the time of this post, 360Booth said it wasn’t charging for size customization. Confirm current pricing with 360Booth.
What should I send before the visit?
Photos of the space with its length, width and height help 360Booth plan the visit.
