Just about to blow the big wad....

[SeanH]

.......$1750 bucks (shipped) for the Alien Bee's " Busy Bee" set up. I have done some studio stuff ( at a very advanced level) in High School, and now I want to give it a try again. Now I will tell you that I'm the type that doesn't like to mess around when I buy something, I hate getting something only to find I need more, so I normally buy the biggest and best.
My question is........Is this just total overkill for a garage studio, or will I just be able to handle anything I want to do without buying extra's later?

Here's the link to the kit....
http://www.alienbees.com/busy.html

[robertwgross]

Let me ask the obvious question here.

What are you trying to accomplish with your garage studio?

---Bob Gross---

[SeanH]

Let me ask the obvious question here.

What are you trying to accomplish with your garage studio?

---Bob Gross---

Well I honestly don't have any real "goals" with it, I'm just gonna play it by ear as I go. Right now it's just baby & wife shot's, and I plan on shooting head shots for my real estate clients for their marketing material..............and of course I have the goal of getting the wife to let me shot her nude......LOL. Other than that it will just be a toy, but I'm sure it will branch into more as I go. But to give you maybe what your asking.......No I don't really plan on making money with it, I just what to be able to do top quality work.......whatever that might be.

[pierrot]

A nice but expensive toy? ;)

[robertwgross]

A nice but expensive toy? ;)

It sounds like Sean wants to have a nice but expensive learning tool. That's OK.

Suppose Sean learns studio lighting with it for three months, and has all of the basics mastered. Then what?

---Bob Gross---

[Rob612]

A nice but expensive toy? ;)

Despite the fact that some of us make a living out of this (not me) I guess that the rest of the forum members have a lot of expensive toys. I've heard somewhere that the real difference between a man and a boy is the price of the toys :D So, lets play and have fun !

[Longwatcher]

Lets see...
you can get a backlight hood, more softboxes, vagabond, wireless remote, a 5th or 6th AB light, more honeycombs, a snoot, some barn doors, forgot some more lightstands. Then there is the better lenses, better camera, backdrops, props...
It is never ends...my savings account, my poor savings account and where is my fire extinguisher for my credit card. :) 8) :o

Seriously that setup should cover between 90% and 95% of all studio situations, all the remainder are situation dependent and there is almost no way to guess what you need ahead of time. That setup pretty much works for me (except I have the vagabond and two fo the ABs are 1600).

[deedas]

Despite the fact that some of us make a living out of this (not me) I guess that the rest of the forum members have a lot of expensive toys. I've heard somewhere that the real difference between a man and a boy is the price of the toys :D So, lets play and have fun !


Yeah, I've noticed as the years go by, my toys have gotten progressively more expensive. I can't begin to imagine what I'll be buying next year when I get a promotion. 1Ds mark III and all L glass? :eek:

[mjordan]

Just because you spent a lot of money doesn't mean you spent it wisely. I don't think any of us can decide for you if what you bought was what you needed or not. If you bought stuff that you could use in a full size studio, that doesn't mean it's going to work in a low ceiling half full garage. Nor does it mean you will have bought the right add ons.

So, you tell us in a month or two if you think you spend your money wisely. Show us your work then and we'll see if we agree with you. ;)

Have fun.

Mike