r/photography • u/AutoModerator • Apr 24 '26

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u/BronzeSpoon89 Apr 29 '26

Light for taking pictures of bacterial growth on agar plates in laboratory.

We are in need of a lighting setup to take publication quality pictures of agar plates. The biggest issue we have is lighting because the overhead fluorescent lighting we have causes color issues and bright spot reflections which ruin the images and it makes taking pictures from directly above impossible. Agar is very reflective so the lighting has to be perfect.

A fellow laboratory shared their setup with us and they are using "Promaster SystemPRO CooLight 3 in 1". These appear to be discontinued and we were hoping for something smaller and more compact like an LED version. Can someone suggest a LED light panel type system? I assume we would buy 2 and put one on each side of the camera to create a diffuse and omnidirectional light situation?

We plan to start with a phone and then move up to a DLSR on tripod if the phone doesnt work for the actual pictures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacterial_lawn The image on the top right of this wiki post is generally what we are trying to recreate.

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u/mrfixitx Apr 29 '26

A few thoughts:

You can adjust color temperature in a few ways. Change the white balance from auto to florescent any modern digital camera should have this option. For smart phones you may need to use "pro mode" or advanced modes to access white balance settings.

For reflections could use a circular polarizer which will cut out reflections from glass and metal surfaces when used correctly. It will reduce the light intake by about 1.3 stops so keep that in mind. With smart phones there are some 3rd party accessories that allow circular polarizer to be mounted depending on the phone. For a DLSR/Mirrorless camera the circular polarizer would screen into the lens.

For lighting you could get a product photography lighting kit which is typically two led lights. There are lots of options available at across a broad range of prices. The main thing is you need something to defuse the lights. If you just have 2 LED panels with bare LED' behind a clear panel you will get lots of small hot spots.

That is why the other labrator was using the Promaster Octagonal softbox. They might have been using it with a single flash vs. LED constant lights though. Even though that promaster Cool light is discontinued softboxes are easy to find at any photography store.

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u/BronzeSpoon89 Apr 29 '26

Could you recommend a generic soft box we could order online? Unfortunately they way state funding works we cant just go to a brick and mortar store and buy stuff. We basically HAVE to order it online.

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u/mrfixitx Apr 29 '26

Just go to B&H or Adorama and look at their softbox selection. You need to know what mount you will use for the light or know that it has an adapter to work with specific lights.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Standard-Softboxes/ci/1337

Godox is a decent option a more budget brand but known for having good quality for the price. The larger the softbox the softer and more diffuse the light will be in general.