Has anyone ever???

[saranicolephotography]

I wanna start a dirt cheap in home studio... has anyone ever used plain 1000 watt halogen work lights to light a studio? How did it work for you? would you recomened it? Just looking to shoot family and friends and ect.

[mbellot]

You would be amazed at how little actual light those things put out.

To add insult to injury they manage to put out tons of heat, which in a small area can bring the temperature up quite a bit. Thats probably why they're called "hot" lights.

On the plus side, they are (pretty much) what you see is what you get lighting, so learning ratios and the different lighting types is easier. The problem with trying ratios is you need lots of space since dimming halogens really effects the temperature of the light they put out.

So... Whats "dirt cheap"? (Everyone's definition is different)

You can probably get a couple manual flashes (Curtis should be along shortly to extoll the virtues of the Sunpak 383) and have a reasonable setup for around $200.

Or you can get a cheap "strobe" kit off ebay for $200 to $300.



Personally (FWIW) I bought a cheapo strobe kit on ebay. Total cost was just under $200 for a pair of 160 w/s strobes with small/medium (20x30) softboxes and a radio trigger. Its one step above junk, but for the amount of use it gets (not much) it was worth the price. If/when I get serious about lighting I'll save up for "real' strobes.

[wazmunstr]

for some reason noone ever on this forum mentions adorama budget studio kit (i may need to do a review so it could be recognized). i have one (second one coming very soon) and it works amazingly. its the most simple basic beginner monolight but works great! it has 2 settings, and optical sensor for wireless. i love it. want to see how good it is? check out my portfolio in my sig. :)

oh, its 60 bucks for one monolight. or you can buy a kit with 2, 2 umbrellas, 2 stands, and a case for about 200. you can do ALOT with two lights. hell look at what i did with only one. :)

[mbellot]

Waz: Sounds interesting, but did I read correctly that the strobes only have two output settings (full and half I assume)?

[cosworth]

My studio lights (not cheap) use $10 bulbs that last 6 hours tops. The halogen lights last a TON longer than this and if it is not summer can actually heat the place just fine. Use them to fill shadows, bounce light etc.

I always use a combination of lights and strobes.

[hlcowan]

I am NOT anyone to take advice from as far as lighting (but I'm working on it!), but I have used my husband's shop light for a "glamour party" for my daughter's 13th birthday, and it didn't work out too poorly. You can see the photos here

https://www.hlcphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/2938464#158609225

There are some hot spots, and I'm not thrilled with the shadows... but for using what I had on hand (and no flash on my camera - just my Sigma 1.4 set to 1.4 through 2.8 - depending on the shot...) it wasn't too bad.

However, I did just purchase a great (IMHO) beginners strobe set from Canoga Camera. They have two different sets - a two light set, and a three light set - for $299 or $399 respectively. You can dial down the power from full to 1/8th, and they work great. You can find the set here:
http://www.canogacameras.com/detail.aspx?ID=37927
"RPS Studio SB-160 Monolite 480ws Photography Lighting Kit with 3 ea. Strobes, Light Stands, Umbrellas, 1- Remote Trigger, 1-Case;Mfr. #: RS-SB/SLK3;Canoga #: 73102
Our Price: $399.94
I hope that helps?
Heather

[cosworth]

Oh yeah, you'll definitely need to white balance your shots properly. In a static studio you can create a custom white balance and just switch to it in studio.

[Needsnow]

I went with 2 continuous lights, stands & unbrellas. They are 250 W reading lights by GE. I have cheapo stands and unbrellas. They work really, really well and cost $115 for the pair. I just used them at my husband's office this week to take a picture of 14 men and what I like about the continuous lights, is that you can tell where the shadows are and make adjustments. Let me know if you want more information.

[Curtis N]

If you're just having fun, learning about light, taking shots of family & friends, then go for the halogens. You can always use them out in the garage after you figure out how woefully inadequate and dreadfully hot they can be.

If you're serious about doing studio work, you'll eventually want some serious studio strobes. This thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=207339) will give you some insights on the comparison.