I've been chatting back and forth with Zach about the pros/cons of his lighting system and with his input I set off to find something that would resolve some of the limitations he experienced. One of the expressed cons was that the light would not go low enough to do the rockers without setting the user on the ground to have the proper reflective angle. Well with that in mind I found this little gem
This light stand has a toe stud on which a dual AC bulb flash light can be set up. For $13 shipped (since I have Amazon prime) could I go wrong?? It is definitely not meant to have a heavy load on it and its footprint is definitely not the most stable but does it do the work? Absolutely......
Now I am going to share some ugly iPhone pics. Bare in mind that I was in the process of polishing this Mercedes S550 (in preparation for coating) and wanted to share my input (and set up) with Zach, so I snapped a couple of unprofessional pics and sent him those pics in the "raw". Before someone mentions it, I KNOW that I still have a lot of greasy polishing residue on the panel, so no flaming necessary!!! I also have to point out that Lowes only had two LED floods, so I could not show the full set up with 4 lights.
ALL the pictures were taken from sitting on my little HF work stool. As you can see, the lights cover the whole door including the rockers without having to lay on the ground. To get the lowest portion of the rocker I have to sit on the floor and the light was just right (angled a little up and close to the panel)
At its maximum height the center of the light is at 44", at the lowest level of the telescopic arm the center of the bulb is at 21.5", and on the foot stud the center of the bulb is at 8". Being that the lights are LED, you can have the light right next to your head and right close to the panel without fears of drying the product or overheating the panel.
One thing to note, the closer your lights are to the panel the more effective lumens you have (basic light engineering). I did find that the lights were a little lacking in power (being used to 1000w work lights <---- affectionately called my "Hell lights") but the LEDs definitely cast a better light, and shows a LOT of defects which I would have to rely on bringing the car in the sun to inspect. I am kinda glad I only bought 2 LEDs at this time (since Lowes only had 2) because I have another light source coming in (kept secret for the time being)
Anyway, you don't have to take my word for it but if you were to ask me if I like my set up....... well my answer would have to be "Seriously, if Zach lived any closer I would have to kiss him for helping me with my lighting set up".
Now I chose to improve on his original idea (based on his feedback) but my research expanded to different light sources and other lighting set up. As a sneak peak into my next update I will leave you with this picture
This is the best and most versatile boom light set up I have found (and if you know me, you know I am ridiculously analytical I am about research), and although I spent upwards of $75 for it, I would have spent double that if I knew what I know now. If the light source I have coming in is as good as I am predicting it will be, we may have a serious lighting project for amateur and professional.
Stay tuned!!!
Here is the link to the background light stand:
2 Studs back light stand