First Dance Lighting?

[Casual77]

I've done about ten gigs now over the past few months and the lights I've got have served me well and been appropriate to the parties I've done.... But, I haven't done a wedding gig yet. It's looking likely that I will be doing my first on the 25th July and it has got me thinking what lighting I would use for the first dance. Having thought about it I'm not sure anything I've got would really fit the bill.

So, can anyone suggest any reasonably priced lighting units that work well for first dances?

[Imagine]

I've done about ten gigs now over the past few months and the lights I've got have served me well and been appropriate to the parties I've done.... But, I haven't done a wedding gig yet. It's looking likely that I will be doing my first on the 25th July and it has got me thinking what lighting I would use for the first dance. Having thought about it I'm not sure anything I've got would really fit the bill.

So, can anyone suggest any reasonably priced lighting units that work well for first dances?

Let's start at the beginning then

What lighting are you currently using? Can it be made to run on a static colour at all?
The most important thing I've found is to speak to the B&G, and probably more importantly the photographer (they don't normally like a lot of dots and it's one of the most important photos they do..)

For my part, I use an Equinox booth dressed in white with a starcloth underneath which is set to static during the first dance, two aluminium podiums which are uplit to the B&G's preference of colour (again static). These have on top my pair of Spherions (the only "dots" I use for the first dance) and if needed, a little colour wash from some LED PAR's - that's literally it.

A big NO-NO is smoke/haze - it makes the TOG's flash act as a filter unless you've got a really good quality TOG there. If not, 9 times out of 10 they'll have their flash bounce back off the haze and no photos.

Once the first dance is over, it's obviously open season for everything to flash and spin as normal

[Casual77]

Let's start at the beginning then

What lighting are you currently using? Can it be made to run on a static colour at all?
The most important thing I've found is to speak to the B&G, and probably more importantly the photographer (they don't normally like a lot of dots and it's one of the most important photos they do..)

For my part, I use an Equinox booth dressed in white with a starcloth underneath which is set to static during the first dance, two aluminium podiums which are uplit to the B&G's preference of colour (again static). These have on top my pair of Spherions (the only "dots" I use for the first dance) and if needed, a little colour wash from some LED PAR's - that's literally it.

A big NO-NO is smoke/haze - it makes the TOG's flash act as a filter unless you've got a really good quality TOG there. If not, 9 times out of 10 they'll have their flash bounce back off the haze and no photos.

Once the first dance is over, it's obviously open season for everything to flash and spin as normal

'Flashing', 'Spinning' and 'dotty' describes the bulk of my lights in fairness and I realise I need something a bit more sedate. I've got an Equinox MegaBar and a pair of adj tri pars which will do static colour but I haven't used either on gigs yet because they seem a bit uninspiring. Besides them I've got Chauvet GigBars, Chauvet Mini Kintas, Acme 25 Spins, Chauvet 4play, Chauvet Swarm 5fx, adj inno pocket spots, Acme butterfly quads, Kam 3d laser, adj freq5 strobe.... Which are all good in their own ways for birthday gigs but not subtle and classy enough for that first dance moment (unless there are settings that would be suitable that I don't know about?)

Should I have something that will act as a slow moving spotlight? Some kind of gobo projector maybe?

[Casual77]

I've thought about buying a pair of Sperions but the cost of the truss plinths have put me off that idea because it seems that they will cost more than the lights.

[Nakatomi]

I've thought about buying a pair of Sperions but the cost of the truss plinths have put me off that idea because it seems that they will cost more than the lights.

There's more than one way to mount a Spherion... atop a speaker, from a clamp on a speaker stand, on the top of a tripod...

[funkymook]

There's more than one way to mount a Spherion... atop a speaker, from a clamp on a speaker stand, on the top of a tripod...

and hanging down from a T-bar, one on each end, that’s how I do mine when not using the plinths.

[Pe7e]

A big NO-NO is smoke/haze - it makes the TOG's flash act as a filter unless you've got a really good quality TOG there. If not, 9 times out of 10 they'll have their flash bounce back off the haze and no photos.

Apologies for asking what could well be a dumb question, but what is a 'TOG'?

[Sapphire Disco]

I use this in static bright white light setting.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/cameo_multi...ing_bundle.htm

[Casual77]

I use this in static bright white light setting.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/cameo_multi...ing_bundle.htm

Is a static bright white light enough on its own in your opinion? I would have thought that there would need to be something else to provide a bit of gentle movement.

[Sapphire Disco]

Is a static bright white light enough on its own in your opinion? I would have thought that there would need to be something else to provide a bit of gentle movement.

I have found recently picky photographers who have asked me to switch off all my lights including deck stand but they are happy with the white PARS and if they are on the dance floor it lights the brides dress nicely and of course the useful thing about that light is it will give you any colour chases , strobes etc for later on throughout the night , don't use the stand much normally bolt it on my top overhead with 3 lighting fixtures hanging below.