New to studio photography, want to buy a couple of lights... advice please?

[DRamsay7S]

Hello

I am relatively new to studio photography; I have purchased a pop up backdrop and I have a digital SLR that is a couple of years old (Canon EOS 300D) but for my requirements it's adequate! I would love a more up to date one but can't justify it just yet! :)

Anyway, I am mostly taking photographs of children and babies, although will do some adult/family portraits as well. I don't have a very large budget and am just looking for a couple of lights to start out with. I don't have a huge amount of storage space so they would need to be packed up between uses.

I am just looking for a little bit of experienced advice to tell me what to get! I've looked at tons of softboxes and umbrella combos but I just don't know what's best for what I need, so any advice is greatfully received! :D


Also - I am looking for a suitable flash gun, what sort of thing should I look for?


I'm sorry, I know I sound totally clueless and well, I am, I guess. I've been taking photos for ages and have been using my backdrop for a few months now but I've been resorting to photoshop to remove a LOT of shadows, and it's very very time consuming!! :(

Thank you in advance for any advice!


Donna

[Psychobiker]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=138912

In there is 'What Studio Lighting'. Read that, should clear a few questions.

[DRamsay7S]

Thank you! Off to have a read now! :)

[DRamsay7S]

Wow, a lot of really helpful advice, I'm going to love browsing this forum!!

One problem - I live in the UK, and most of the links to good lighting companies are based in the USA.... any suggestions here? I could of course go the eBay way, and it IS an option, but then again... the budget buy may not last as long as a slightly higher priced set of lights. :-/

[gonzogolf]

Not to sound like a snob here, but most of the links people post to ebay lights are for really terrible kits. I'm not sure what it does to your budget but focus on getting one decent light, stand and modifier (convertible umbrella). Buy quality from a vendor and you can always build your set over time. I know the alien bee folks ship to europe, look also at the genesis lights.

[Motofreak429]

PROFOTO. it will last you forever. and i think there cheaper in Europe

if thats out of your Legue. get Alienbees.

[DRamsay7S]

Thanks, I'm very wary of eBay as well. :( I'm sure a few of the kits are decent but most of them probably won't be, and since I'm already a bit out of my depth I don't want to be scared off completely by a rubbish kit. Alienbees do look quite expensive from what I've seen though - mind you the site I saw them on is so overwhelming - where on Earth do I start??

[DRamsay7S]

ooooh have found a beginner kit on Alienbees site that isn't actually TOO expensive, it's just one light & stand & brolly, but it's a start?! Wonder if I could persuade my darling hubby???? :)

[Psychobiker]

Also I think Alienbees are 110V only

[dtsang]

personally i would look into either one or two flashes. i am biased towards nikon flashes, even tho i shoot canon. the older nikon sb flashes (24,25,26,28) should be readily available and rather inexpensive. if you would prefer on camera, you could go for a 430ex for just a tad more.

you would probably want to look into a quality set of flash triggers if you are doing commercial work. most will say pocketwizards, but alien bee cybersyncs are rather reliable as well.

http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ is a great beginners resource.

[gonzogolf]

Thanks, I'm very wary of eBay as well. :( I'm sure a few of the kits are decent but most of them probably won't be, and since I'm already a bit out of my depth I don't want to be scared off completely by a rubbish kit. Alienbees do look quite expensive from what I've seen though - mind you the site I saw them on is so overwhelming - where on Earth do I start??
You can only get the alien bees from the manufacturer. www.alienbees.com They ship direct to europe although I dont know what the shipping and duty tack on. Although bees might seem pricey, they're ultimately cheaper than a new canon speedlight so its all relative I guess.

[Motofreak429]

dont get Speedlights if your doing studio work. in fact dont get speedlights at all. there exspensive for somthing you cant really expand on. there a waste of time.

[DRamsay7S]

Thanks all, you're all so helpful without being horrible :D I've had bad experiences with photography forums in the past :) I've found it really really helpful reading through loads of the links and FAQ threads :D

[gonzogolf]

ooooh have found a beginner kit on Alienbees site that isn't actually TOO expensive, it's just one light & stand & brolly, but it's a start?! Wonder if I could persuade my darling hubby???? :)

You can do wonderful things with a single alien bee (or other strobe for that matter). Dont be afraid to build your kit one part at a time.

Here is a thread dedicated to single strobe work

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=412392

[Psychobiker]

dont get Speedlights if your doing studio work. in fact dont get speedlights at all. there exspensive for somthing you cant really expand on. there a waste of time.

Yes, of course. David Hobby knows nothing. Everyone (ask Phamster esp.) obviously can't light with speedlites.

Noooo noooo.

Studio work, of course they don't make sense. But to be on the move? Priceless.
That said, if you're in the studio permanently...then of course AC strobes are the way.

[vivala1210]

you should check out the calumet genesis 200 kit. this person made a review on them.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=741886

[DRamsay7S]

Thanks for the link, gonzogolf, will spend some quality me-time looking through those later!!! :)

[DRamsay7S]

you should check out the calumet genesis 200 kit. this person made a review on them.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=741886

Thanks! I was looking at some Genesis ones yesterday, too... can't justify a full kit right now but might be able to get a single light/stand/brolly set...... will read the review when I'm back later... must go do some housework for now lol!! :rolleyes::lol:

[Motofreak429]

Yes, of course. David Hobby knows nothing. Everyone (ask Phamster esp.) obviously can't light with speedlites.

Noooo noooo.

Studio work, of course they don't make sense. But to be on the move? Priceless.
That said, if you're in the studio permanently...then of course AC strobes are the way.

im sorry, i didnt mean to offend you or any other on this fourm. but ive been working in the professional photography world as a first assistant for fashion and many other things, and i am still YET to find a photographer using speedlights. Although they are good and cheaper way to shoot, and yes there portability is like nothing. i think if your really want expand, and learn and get a professional look. you would get AC lights if your on a budget, or get Packed Lights if you have money to spend

just my 2 cents

[gonzogolf]

Probably not the best place to debate the strobist approach versus portable monolights. while both Motofreak and psychobiker have valid points I think its important to remember that both approaches can make wonderful photos. And it doesnt have to be an either/or situation as many of us have hybrid kits. I also think we have to remember that there is a nice mixture of professionals and serious (and not so serious) amateurs on here, while the pro may disdain budget solutions as insufficient, the amateur see's the pro setup as overkill. Lets all maintain a little perspective.

[Psychobiker]

im sorry, i didnt mean to offend you or any other on this fourm. but ive been working in the professional photography world as a first assistant for fashion and many other things, and i am still YET to find a photographer using speedlights. Although they are good and cheaper way to shoot, and yes there portability is like nothing. i think if your really want expand, and learn and get a professional look. you would get AC lights if your on a budget, or get Packed Lights if you have money to spend

just my 2 cents

No offense taken - my apologies for the sarcasm in the reply.
I'd be 100% behind you there. 1100% actually!
I'd buy them hands down if I had a studio (read: if I could actually take photos :( ) - alienbees would be a pretty damn good mix between the cost of strobist kits and full-blown Elinchrom and..(the name escapes me now...but they're expensive. Studiomaster?)

To the OP : if you can find a set of lights that are expandable (packs + heads?!) then you'll be able to build as you go along.


EDIT : motofreak + psychobiker....is it something about being on two wheels that caused the similar names?! Even freeride, pedal-powered :D

[Motofreak429]

No offense taken - my apologies for the sarcasm in the reply.
I'd be 100% behind you there. 1100% actually!
I'd buy them hands down if I had a studio (read: if I could actually take photos :( ) - alienbees would be a pretty damn good mix between the cost of strobist kits and full-blown Elinchrom and..(the name escapes me now...but they're expensive. Studiomaster?)

To the OP : if you can find a set of lights that are expandable (packs + heads?!) then you'll be able to build as you go along.


EDIT : motofreak + psychobiker....is it something about being on two wheels that caused the similar names?! Even freeride, pedal-powered :D

i think the name your looking for is Profoto??

and no pedals.. takes too much effort. i race desert.

[Zansho]

There's certainly nothing wrong with speedlights - I've taken plenty of good portraits and headshots just using those. That being said, I do prefer studio light setups when I CAN feasibly use them - there are times when portability and space is more critical than having the power there.

If you have the space for them, studio lights will work wonderfully. There are a lot of great lights out there - Calumet Genesis Lights are great beginner kits, the previously mentioned Alien Bees are nice too, Profoto, while an amazing piece of gear, are usually prohibitively expensive for MOST starting photographers. I rarely see anyone with Profoto kits nowadays - and while I love their consistency and their features, I use Speedotron Black Lines for my studio work. If you look around on ebay, most can be found for about $600.00 or so, with the pack and a couple of heads - and their modifiers are awesome, most notably their beauty dishes. They were the industry standard before Profoto made their presence known.

Again, you really have to ask yourself what's important to you. Need to save space and be versatile and portable? The strobist approach might work just fine for you. Need power and willing to sacrifice portability? The studio lights will work better than a speedlight setup.

For my weddings, I basically carry around what's listed in my sig - I love my Norman 200B's (they're an inexpensive way to get into a hybrid setup) and my Quantum, but the Quantum cost me a pretty penny. I bought what was important to me though.

[Motofreak429]

profoto is EVERYYYY WERE!!!! every rental house its the industry standard

but yes i agree $10,000 JUST! for a Pack is just a WIII bit out of my price range. lol

[Zansho]

Well, sure, industry standard for fashion photographers, yes. Commerical photographers, sure. But wedding photographers? That's the crowd I generally run with (sports shooters sometimes too) and I've yet to see a wedding photog break out a Profoto Pack with the heads. Price point, they can't really justify the overhead costs.

I spent $450.00 for my Speedotron Black Line setup with another $250 on modifiers (used) and speedrings, and bought some C-stands (used) for another $300.00. Roughly about 1k in light setup, and I was ready to go.

Here's a photo of my setup, if your curious:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3480/3922831973_859d51277c_b.jpg