(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best desk lamps

Okay. So my wordy suggestions taken from my recent purchases or wish list.

If he doesn't have a great desk light then I can fully recommend (Lightblade 1500S by Lumiy.)[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFYJIHC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WS1aAbSE23Y3H]
I bought it because I wanted something that folded up and traveled easy. As I like to go paint at friend's houses. In that same vein. Mini porcelain well pallette is what I use in my travel kit. And the Jack Richeson 22 Well Porcelain Palette is what I keep on my table.

Since he has an airbrush already. If he doesn't have a good mask that filters particles, then get him a mask and make him use it. My wife doesn't let me airbrush without one. I'm not sure on the best quality but I use a N100 standard filter mask.

He'd probably love to get exactly the paints he has on his mental wish list. But I'll tell you that's a risky purchase. While the main paints are all great. He just may not want to pick up the paints you buy.

If he likes painting minis just for so they look really nice on the shelf. Then he would probably be thrilled to receive a high quality miniature. My favorite makers are Scale 75, Nocturna, Black Sun, and Nuts Planet. I'll update this later with links to their US based stores if I can find them. But you can find many of their selections and many more at http://www.figone.fr/en/

A note about scale. If something says it's 75mm or 54mm or 35mm, etc. If you stood a ruler up that many mm is about how tall you'd expect the mini to be. Not exactly. But it'll give you an idea of how big the item you're order is. I know looking at the photos they have for products gives no sense of scale many times.

Me personally. If I was getting a Xmas gift. I'd he most excited to receive a completely unexpected gorgeous miniature to paint. The other stuff is great. But for me stuff I "need" for mini painting is added to this long mental list. But a mini that wasn't even on my radar, it'd be great because I hadn't mentally budgeted for it already.

If you have any questions just let me know.

For my quick-n-dirty photographs, I basically have three of these lights, withe results like this.

I have a more complex setup, involving four of these screwed into four of these, with a couple of these for pinspots and some other lights to go along with all of them. The problem is, I don't have a free table upon which to set them all up along with the light box...

Ahem.

As I was saying, the main feature of all of these lights (save for the pinspots) is that they've got adjustable intensity. In the case of your picture, that'd mean less intense overhead lighting, which would make the front lighting look stronger. One thing you might do is tape some kleenex or toilet paper to the overhead light... that'll diffuse it AND dim it so it won't appear so stark. edit: I just realized that's a cellphone... another option might be trying to display a white webpage.

Ditto with the front-lighting cellphone. The lantern is the most powerful thing in the room, but it's got a diffusing shade on it already!

Shadows aren't bad things... one of my favorite photos from r/animefigures recently was this one, which is nothing BUT light and shadow contrasting... but they can be distracting if not overly intentional.

Also if you can, raise your front lighting a bit. The human eye finds "horizontal" light to be weird since we don't usually see things illuminated that way.

Back in the 1930s, a man named Stanley McCandless wrote a book entitled A Method of Lighting the Stage, which went into depth on how he believed lighting for the theatre should be done. He came up with using two lights in front of the actor, offset 45 degrees in either direction from the centerline of the actor's nose, and elevated an equal amount. There would be a third light above the actor at a steep angle.

The resulting light plot looked like this,, wiht the stage result looking like this. This is something that the human eye takes to be "normal"... and, whether you were aware you were doing it or not, you've nearly replicated the McCandless Method, which is still the basic tool of lighting design for the stage. Put some soup cans or something under each front light, play around with the results! There's no rule saying you have to do it McCandless' way, either... it's just a great place to start from.

I really like what you're doing here already, by the way! I'm just... I'm just a guy who never got his master's degree in stage lighting design, and has a little bit of info to pass along that might help make things better, is all. Feel free to ignore me!

ps: I know it's a pain to do, but if you can figure out a way to not use the figma stands, that'd be a huge improvement! I do wish Good Smile would come up with some better idea for a stand...

I LOVE these dvd storage cubes

these are probably the best thing ever for storage. they come in other colors i just couldn't finfd on amazon.

and use these with them. again come in multiple colors. Both the shelf and bins are cheaper at like walmart and kmart, the bins are like $2 a piece and i got the shelf for $35.

and then these water speakers

and this awesome light projector

i like these salt lamps which help clean the air and give a nice relaxing lighting

and this because everyone should have a lucky elephant in their room

thsee pillows

i have this wall art and love it, but it's not purple or black.

but this is purple

maybe this

and then i think you should go to kirklands and buy lots because kirklands is the best store ever.

and wall sconces

This one. Cease all further discussion.

Considering its height and horizontal offset from the base, it's almost like it was meant to stick a vise under. The design, at least for my height and desk setup, also means I get minimal glare from the lamp when I'm tying with my vise directly underneath it, giving my flies a very "showroom" effect, instead of the typical spot/floodlight effect full of shadows from a single-point light source coming in at an angle.

I've got one on my tying desk, but since my tying desk sticks out into the middle of my office, it helps provide some ambient lighting to the office when I've got the room lights dimmed at night. The switchable color temperatures and dim settings that remember where they were for each color temp are nice too in that regard. The four settings are "reading", "study", "relax", and "sleep", which are a bright but natural mix of mostly cool with a touch of warm (I use this 99% of the time when tying), full cool (kind of jarring to work under, very clinical in nature), mostly warm with a touch of cool (I almost never use this), and full warm (which I usually have cranked to lowest dim and use as an ambient light when I'm not tying). For reference, I also run entirely daylight temperature CFLs and LEDs in my house with the exception of my nightstand light.

The USB port is handy too, because who likes dead phone batteries?

Awesome, yeah no worries about the lighting. If you're painting by that lighting without a desk lamp, I strongly recommend picking up one of these magnifying lamps (about $20). It really helps when doing detail, will save your eyes a lot of strain, and can be easily adjusted to give pretty good lighting for pictures. Anyways happy painting (feel free to message with any questions)!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EW1ZNC/ref=cm_sw_r_taa_XPuFybAJG3AB6

It does man. Reference no lighting , Reference lighting . It looks crisp af in 1080 too. This is my lighting setup two cheap desk lamps covered in baking paper.

Edit: Watched your latest vid. I noticed you do alot of full face-cam cuts like you said. Additional lighting will bring up the quality of the camera, but with deep zooms you will still get a somewhat pixelated picture, but not as bad as you have now. If you want crisp zoom ins, you'd be looking at a dedicated DSLR camera, possibly through a capture card if you want syncs to be easy, with additional lighting (additional lighting is a must), Regardless, i'd just get some cheapo lamps see if it brings up the quality if not start looking at dedicated cameras.

Two of these behind the monitor would be the way to go with if your strapped for space, just remember to put in high luminosity bulbs, l.e.d's get pretty high in luminosity and don't push out too much heat.

I'll second this. It's important to have good lighting so you can see that the print is going ok. Using a light on a flexible neck works pretty good because you can focus the light where you want - this one works great and its $14.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078V2Q9BZ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do yourself a favor and pick up one of these:

OttLite L139AB Task Lamp with Swivel Base in Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00070PA8U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_d7UKzbVVMF8X4

Pure white light will be your friend. You're off to a really good start. Did you use a primer for the mini prior to painting? If not, I would suggest you do so. The end result is a smoother basecoat and nicer finish. Otherwise great job so far. Keep us updated!

I got this one from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XC5KNB6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

I'm very happy with it. It's quite bright, and I like that you can change the color temp which is useful when painting.

I adore my Koncept Z-bar lamp. You can see pictures of it in action here and here. It has a touch strip for brightness that lets me choose from a lot of different levels of brightness. I change the brightness more often than I ever though I would.

I have a gen three which is on the price size: http://www.amazon.com/Koncept-Tech-AR3000-C-SIL-DSK-ZBar-Desk/dp/B005ZW85KA/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1341700321&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=koncept+z-bar+gen+3

The Gen 2's are supposed to be ok: http://www.amazon.com/Z-Bar-Power-Lamp--Metallic-Generation/dp/B000U6DW5E/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1341700321&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=koncept+z-bar+gen+3

I think this is both weird and cool. ;)

Feel free to surprise me if I win. Thank you for the contest! :D

I absolutely love this desk lamp. The light is full spectrum so it looks really nice, definitely worth the price!!

I realized all my nice color records were basically just black at night so I found this cool little light that is the perfect size, it pretty much only lights up the record (the red light in the background is a different thing, but also cool, they have them at home depot, it changes colors if you want it to). I figured I'd share, here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078V2Q9BZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fYQRBb2MXVZYV

I just got a Koncept Z-Bar LED desk lamp (cool light) and It. Is. Amazing. Definitely an investment but it's so versatile that I felt good about spending so much on a lamp!

Koncept AR3000-C-SIL-DSK Z-Bar LED Desk Lamp, Cool Light, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ZW85KA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8gg-BbN7QWMFA

Good question, and it pains me a bit that I have a small box of unused tools that were purchased when I began. I'm sure I missed a few things, but here you go:

• Lamp I love this thing, and it's silly how much it improved my craft.
  
• Utility knife (Stanley) with many replacement blades. I flip then toss these frequently.
  
• Shovel knife
  
• Beveler
  
• Burnishers
  
• Microfiber clothes
  
• Granite block
  
• Stitching pony (handmade and based upon http://www.instructables.com/id/3rd-Hand-Leather-Stitching-Clamp/)
  
• Awl
  
• Diamond Awl
  
• Wing Divider
  
• Pliers
  
• Craft scissors
  
• Thread snips
  
• Bone folder
  
• Mallet
  
• Cobbler hammer
  
• Ruler
  
• Cutting mat
  
• Detail brushes
  
• Needles
  
• Tokonole
  
• Glue
  
• Glue brushes
  
• 50/50 neatsfoot oil and beeswax (double-boiled)
  
• Heat gun
  
• Ritza Tiger thread
  
• Chisels I use these as pricking irons because they leave a massive hole
  
• Dremel
  
• Bulldog clips
  
  If links weren't provided then I already had the item.

I suggest you get a gooseneck lamp like this; http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Harbor-TL-TB-170-BK3L-Flexible-Black/dp/B002SDNSF6/ref=sr_1_4?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1420660173&sr=1-4

Then get an LED grow bulb like this;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161341639491?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Then you can germinate indoors away from the cold windows. You quite possibly may be able to grow some of the herb plants to a harvesting size just using the lights.

Also a heatmat like the following will help raise the soil temps;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heat-Sprout-Seedling-Seed-Heat-Mat-Sprouting-Propagation-Germination-4-Sizes-/231013932987?pt=US_Hydroponics&var=&hash=item35c980dfbb

I'm looking for suggestions for a light that would be suitable for taking photos of small items, like model cars (1:18 size or so) or other collectibles, like coins.

So perhaps something like a desk lamp? I'd prefer the lighting to be more even and less of a spotlight, if that makes sense, and LED appeals to me more than incandescent or a traditional bulb.

I found this that seems like it may do the trick.

Would that be a good idea, or should I look into something else?

I'm not completely opposed to a light box, but there are so many options out there just on Amazon that I have no idea what I would even buy.

Thanks in advance.

I purchased this about a year ago and it's still my favorite hobby pick up! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00112VEA6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I cannot stress enough how nice it is to have a high quality light that you can move around without knocking stuff over lol.

OK this makes so much more sense now. id still suggest going with a light (maybe a higher quality one than one from Walmart). The higher quality light have adjustment settings so that you can adjust how much or how little effort you want to put in when moving the arms around. I think that might neatly solve your problem without breaking the bank too much. This or this would both be good options and the tension is adjustable where you need it. and both are at good price points as well.

I actually could really go for a desk lamp. My last lamp just bit the dust on me, and having a new one would help seeing in the dark and all that. :)

Thanks for the contest.

If in the window itself would be too cold (I don't have personal experience with that), near the window plus a fairly basic grow light should work. I started some basic seeds in late September in Houston (so much warmer than you). Some are in a south facing window, and growing quite slowly. Some are a few feet away from the same window, but with a grow light over them for... about as long as we'd have sunlight in June (hours per day of light/dark). The ones under the grow light are growing beautifully.

I'm using this light in this stand. They're not actually the best pairing - the light is bigger than the stand housing, so it sticks out a bit. It all works fine, it just doesn't look good. For me, it's in a room where I don't really see it unless I'm directly tending the plants, so I don't mind, and it's cheap. Note also: The 100W on the light is it claiming to be equivalent to a 100W incandescent bulb. It's actually drawing around 23, 24W, which is how I can put it in that "maximum 40W" stand and be fine. This is much weaker than many "proper" grow lights, but since I'm using it to supplement a south facing window (rather than independently) it seems to work quite well for me.

They need to be relatively close to be effective as far as I've read but it's worth it. It doesn't have to be elaborate just a bulb like this (you want it to be 6500k) and a desk lamp or clamp light .

I have two of these and I love them. (1 for travel, 1 for home station). Good light, different filters, really adjustable head.

Lumiy Desk Lamp

I would definitely recommend installing something in the ceiling since you have the option. Otherwise I'd recommend perhaps finding a new desk lamp. Perhaps something like this that can clamp to the desk and be adjusted as needed?

TaoTronics TT-DL16 Stylish Metal... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EJJDD10?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Best decision I have ever made and can’t believe how I could paint without it. It has 5 color temperatures to choose from and let’s you adjust brightness.

Yes! They're amazing and dimmable
Link : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZFL133/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CCLMDbNNKKA3E

I picked up a LSF-150 and I love it. Pricey but well worth it for the overall lighting it provides.

Third time mama, here:

I got a little desk lamp - $20 online. It HAS to be a touch lamp so it doesn't click, it's nice to have a dimmer , and mine even switches from warm to cool colors. It has a flexible neck so I can aim it at the wall, the diaper changing table, etc. Nothing fancy and it can be used forever - I avoid cutesy nursery stuff that will have to be swtiched out when kiddo gets older. Anything I can buy now that will go with them when they move out is a win, in my book. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XC5KNB6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also found online ($5 for 3) outlet covers that have little nightlights at the bottom of them, so they point at the floor, and they have light sensors in them so they turn off during the day. Those are nice for that walk through the house from your room to baby's room, and maybe one in baby's room, too. They aren't available on amazon anymore, but they were from AIDA and called the Outlet Wall Plate with LED Nightlights.

>LED appeals to me more than incandescent or a traditional bulb.

Why exactly?

>I found this that seems like it may do the trick.
>
>Would that be a good idea, or should I look into something else?

I'd look for a higher CRI if you're going with an LED.

> I'm not completely opposed to a light box

Are you talking about a softbox that the light goes into and shines light outside of the box onto the subject? Or are you talking about a light tent that the subject goes into and the light(s) shine onto it from outside of the box?

Light modifiers are really a separate consideration from bulb type. A light tent is going to generally get you the most even, omnidirectional light, followed by the softbox, followed by just using the light bare.

Hmmm I have picked up several over the years. But this one from Amazon is very similar to one of the ones I have at my station.

amazon swing arm LED desk lamp

But you can just as easily pick up a standard run of the mill swing arm lamp and pop in a True Color Bulb in it.

-d

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002SDNSF6?cache=0e6153b13ecafe7e51e879390fa1ace8&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1414047267&sr=8-2#ref=mp_s_a_1_2

That is all you need, you can find them everywhere... just make sure to get the right wattage or you will burn up (it burns bright). You can point it straight at you or like at your chest... it spreads so it will work either way

Customers who liked that lamp also liked this lamp.

$60 on Amazon .... nice lamp! There are some cheaper alternate models that would be fine too
https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Lighting-Charging-Favorite-Function/dp/B01EJJDD10/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1498178514&sr=8-6&keywords=taotronics+lamp

As soon as I read "burlesque," this popped to mind: https://smile.amazon.com/Christmas-Story-inch-Replica-NECA/dp/B0000C6ECF A huge classic, lol. Not quite fantasy-ish, so I'll do some diggin'!

It’s this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01M0G4AK1?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd&th=1

Works great!

I recommend that you have at least one of these: http://www.amazon.com/SE-MZ101B-Helping-Hands-Magnifying/dp/B000RB38X8/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1398110354&sr=8-7&keywords=magnifying+glass

And/or one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Carson-DeskBrite-Illuminated-Magnifier-LM-20/dp/B003EW1ZNC/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1398110385&sr=8-18&keywords=magnifying+glass

Also, you should have a cheap digital camera to take pictures of customer equipment with. Don't forget to get a decent air compressor so that you don't have to buy canned air. Set the pressure on the compressor to no more than 60 PSI. You will also need a good shop vac to go with the compressor. It will keep dust from flying into your work environment as you clean customer equipment.

I put most of my potted plants outside for the summer and the ones that would freeze to death, I bring inside to 'overwinter'. Some of them stay green all winter and others go dormant losing all their leaves. The plant you're looking at is tropical so I doubt it goes dormant.

You can get a small bag of potting mix at walmart or a hardware store. I've never found one that wasn't better after adding sand to it. I buy big bags of washed play sand at the hardware store. You can probably find a small bag in the fish section of the pet department that would work fine. You'll see the difference it makes when you add it to the potting mix.

Here is an example of a swing arm lamp that has both a desktop base and a clamp for table edges. $20 is not a bad price.

Pot prices vary greatly. Dollar stores around here sometimes have 6 inch pots with built in trays. A nice ceramic pot should be less than $5 and a plastic one should be about $2. I sometimes use large yogurt containers with a few holes in the bottom as temporary pots or to place in fancy pots that I don't want to fill directly with dirt.

Most regular stores and even some discount stores are way over priced on pots. Sometimes ceramic trays aren't too bad though. I often use frozen dinner trays for beneath my pots...the rectangular black ones look nicer in my opinion.

As for timers, simpler is better. If you shop around you might find it for around $5 so this price isn't out of line.

You may need to repot eventually. It's unlikely to be necessary for at least a couple of years though.

Hey I found one on amazon the other day, it's helped A LOT. It has a plug and also the options for batteries. Hope it fits what you want!

This is what I bought

I use an OttLite, been using it for about a year and a half now and it's great.

LED desk lamp. Just bought this bad boy, all around awesome. It has a USB port so you can charge your phone or w/e on it.

https://www.amazon.com/Fugetek-FT-L798-Exclusive-Recessed-Charging/dp/B01M0G4AK1/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1501710549&sr=8-4&keywords=led+desk+lamp

Chairs are super tricky, I would recommend trying them out before buying. The next chair I get will probably be an ergohuman style chair. ( Something with an aggressive lumbar and a headrest which is lacking in most chairs )

Any normal looking chair with robust padding is probably a 'safe' choice though. Just stay away from barely padded fake leather chairs. Padding is really the most important factor if you're going in blind.

I have a cheap swing-arm lamp - $20 - with a - $4 - clamp-on mechanism for my desk. That and a bright white, high lumen bulb will work very well for $30~. A friend has a more robust version, which is basically a giant hinged arm with built-in, color-changing LED bulbs. That's much more impressive but is > $100.

Examples:

https://www.amazon.com/Globe-Electric-Multi-Joint-Finish-56963/dp/B00HX2EVPS

https://www.amazon.com/Architect-Dimmable-Eye-Care-Technology-Adjustable/dp/B01N07P618

https://www.amazon.com/BYB-Architect-Eye-care-Drafting-Brightness/dp/B014KQE6RW

Safe: ( aside from the cancer )

https://www.amazon.com/Office-Star-Intensity-Ergonomic-Synchro/dp/B00752SXS2

Probebly not safe:

https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Furniture-Mid-Back-Leather-Swivel/dp/B0049FWN5M

It's on sale, got it today, Happy with it so far.

I know it a weird piece. But i feel like this would've went well with the leg lamo from a Christmas story if you sat it on top.


https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Story-inch-Replica-NECA/dp/B0000C6ECF

True "magnifying" requires more than one lens, something like a loupe or clip-on magnifiers. I know these are clunky, and it's why dentists pay a couple thousand to make custom "telescope" glasses with their prescription ground in.

More practically, bringing work close to your eyes has the effect of magnifying, since anything that is closer "subtends a larger angle" ie makes the image on your retina bigger.

At age 30 you should be able to hold things close and keep them in focus. Later on you can't focus as well, so to keep the same effect ("relative distance magnification") you will need a reduced power in your glasses to hold things closer, something we do with bifocals. In a pinch, you could get a drastic amount of this relative distance mag by taking your glasses off and holding your work at 12 cm.

The most practical suggestion might be a table magnifier for your work area.

I use this 6500k LED clip light paired with a WiFi outlet timer for some of my baby streps and other little flowers and it seems to do the trick. I didn't want ugly blurple lights in my living rooms, so I tried this as an experiment. My phone's light meter reads at 500-700 footcandles about 8 inches away, but the fact that some of the leaves show some sunburn makes me think the light is waaaaaay higher than the readings I'm getting, so could potentially be used for a succulent which usually need 2000-3000 fc I think, especially if it's already getting some light from another source like a window. This is the only picture I have that even sort of shows the distance I have the light over the plants. I think I paid $15 for the light and $20 for 2 outlet timers.

In my experience I've found that having an adjustable light works better than tipping overhead. The overhead helps too, but I went with something like this to supplement what got blocked by the shadows of my hands

You should get him something to show your appreciation. Because you know he's going to send you one.

Here's a link

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078V2Q9BZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It lights up the 1 gallon jar nicely and has a few settings. I've only had it for a few days though, so I can't speak on performance with the water sprite I have floating in there yet.

we bought it at some local electornics store, but it's a led lamp, something like this basically:

https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Care-Dimmable-JolyJoy-Architect-Reading/dp/B07KGNNT5L/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=large+led+desk+lamp&qid=1561986290&s=gateway&sr=8-18

I use this lamp: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EJJDD10/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_EorMBbYR764DQ - the variable color temp and brightness are on point!

This lamp for those interested

Hey! Thanks!

Phive CL-1 LED Architect Desk Lamp/Clamp Lamp, Metal Swing Arm Dimmable Task Lamp (Touch Control, Eye-Care Technology, Memory Function, Highly Adjusta https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N07P618/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_JRdqG5Yh1JdZx

Never done me any wrong, 9/10 recommend! 9 cause it’s not RGB haha

I shopped around forever to find the right light for tying. I went through three floor lamps and a couple of those cheap clip on LED lights over the years. Picked this up from Amazon a few weeks ago and have been very pleased. Sturdy, adjustable, and the light is just right for my eyes. No magnification, but I got my very first pair of reading glasses and that has made all the difference.

I've actually got one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EW1ZNC/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

It works well enough.

Monitor: Dell AW3418DW

Keyboard: Vortex Race 3

Mouse: Logitech G703

Karlby + Alex drawers combination

Lamp from Amazon

Furniture legs to raise up height of the desk

SKADIS Utility board from IKEA

PC:

NZXT H200, i7-8700k, X52 Kraken, 18GB 3200Mhz Trident Z RGB Ram, Evga 2080Ti, 650W PSU

Pictures of PC here

Logitech z33 2.1 Speakers

I’m currently working on my budget for my comeback. If anyone has a desktop Christmas Story Leg Lamp they want to offload for cheap.

Swing Arm Lamp, LED Desk Lamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KGNNT5L?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

LED: https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Gooseneck-Control-Brightness-levels/dp/B00XC5KNB6/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1473249011&sr=1-1

Here is the one I just bought for the same purpose; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078V2Q9BZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Here is how it looks;. http://imgur.com/gallery/4jRDNuD

You think that's expensive? Check out the original design that these seem to based off of.

Use a goose neck lamp similar to this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Designs-LD1003-BLK-Basic-Flexible/dp/B00CM5SBSO/ref=sr_1_2?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1457067092&sr=1-2&keywords=gooseneck+lamp

I'm currently using this lamp. It's decent but you can't put it on a timer because it requires a touch to turn it on. So I'll probably make my own mini LED strip and put an Arduino ramp up/ramp down timer on it.

It is this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZFL133/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cTGDDb9HWKY9Q

Z-Bar. It built with LEDs, will actually last for L in BIFL.
http://www.amazon.com/Z-Bar-Power-Lamp--Metallic-Generation/dp/B000U6DW5E

It’s this one. https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-TT-DL16-Brightness-Official-Licensing/dp/B01EJJDD10

https://www.amazon.com/Architect-Dimmable-Technology-Adjustable-Workbench/dp/B071ZFL133

I don't care what anyone says, lighting is important. It's second only to sound as the two biggest and easiest to fix flaws that damn near every streamer has issues with.

The good news is that you don't need to go overboard with professional lights. You can get the Neewer lighting kits for under $50 and, if you watch for sales, you can get it as cheap as $35. It comes with three lights and two umbrella diffusers meant for three point lighting set-ups.

But you don't even need to go that far really. If you're streaming from a couch, you'll do better with a kit. But if you're streaming from your desk, you can get away with using a couple of cheap desk lamps with CFL bulbs in them, one acting as a key and the other acting as a back. You can use the monitor light as your fill. You can probably find lamps like that cheaper from Walmart or the Dollar Store, honestly, but the link is more to give you an idea.

Whatever you do, do not just use your room's overhead light. It can create issues with backlighting and some really harsh shadows across your face. Also, make sure to put shades or curtains over all your windows in order to block out sunlight. The light through a window can change a lot in as little as an hour just as the sun moves, let along changing weather conditions. It can cause you headaches trying to light yourself if you've got that sort of inconsistent light screwing things up every time you set up.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CM5SBSO/ref=twister_B00CTA38YE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Not joking. Start very simple and learn as you go. Single point direct lighting (no diffusing through a softbox or umbrella) will teach you a lot about intensity, shadows, glare, etc.

Then maybe move up to a pair of softboxes with single bulbs. After that you could get into gels or reflectors to add colour or change the colour temperature of the light.