Dirt cheap lighting solutions?

[Shane N]

I'm going to give you a quick background before I ask the question I have, bear with me :). I recently switched my cable company billing to use my bank account as I chopped up a credit card. They ended up billing me on both accounts. I noticed the credit card charge first and made an immediate payment. When I noticed that they charged it to my bank account as well, I asked them to refund the double charge to my bank account as I already had the credit balance at zero. Instead, they refunded it to the credit card. Grr. So I ended up having a credit of around $180 on the credit card.

Is it possible to get a small scale studio setup on a budget of $180? We're talking 1-2 backdrops, 1-2 flashes, umbrella/softbox + whatever else is needed. I'm doubtful, but I'd like to hear your thoughts :). I am shooting a 5 year old Canon Digital Rebel.

If you don't think it is possible, what items would you put together in what you would feel is the cheapest studio that is acceptable for playing around with taking shots of your kids and family members? I've done a ton of reading here, and I've collected a dozen or so links, but some posts were quite outdated.

Go :)

[Rock31]

You can do it, may want to save a few more pennies though.

Yongnuo YN640 flash I believe is around $50
Can get Yongnuo triggers or another Ebay brand trigger.

Impact umbrella and stand will be around ~$50 maybe cheaper if you search around Ebay for one umbrella and stand w/ bracket.

Can use black + white bedsheet for a background.

Many DIY options around if you search for reflectors, foamcore, backdrop stands.

[russ_hillis]

I've seen some of this stuff on Gadget Infinity and I've also wondered if it's worth a try or not. Being a hobbyist I'm not quite ready to spring for the "good" stuff myself.

[Shane N]

You can do it, may want to save a few more pennies though.

The flash you mentioned was one I had actually bookmarked :)

Regarding the quote above, which parts would you recommend saving a few more pennies for? Better flash? Or are you referring to actual backdrops instead of bedsheets? :)

Thanks for the help so far

[Austin.Manny]

1x Yongnuo YN-460 flash, $50
1x Yongnuo RF-602 wireless trigger set, $40
1x This stand (http://www.photographerswarehouse.com/detail.aspx?ID=2867), $10
1x Impact Umbrella Swivel, $15
1x Westcott 43" reversible umbrella @ $25

Total: $140 + Shipping. :)

[Rock31]

1x Yongnuo YN-460 flash, $50
1x Yongnuo RF-602 wireless trigger set, $40
1x This stand (http://www.photographerswarehouse.com/detail.aspx?ID=2867), $10
1x Impact Umbrella Swivel, $15
1x Westcott 43" reversible umbrella @ $25

Total: $140 + Shipping. :)

That definitely works, I was trying to outline better but many sites are blocked at work so I was unable to do a full search on the separate pieces.

The few pennies saved would be for backdrops rather than bedsheets, or if you wanted a softbox rather than umbrella since you mentioned a softbox. You can get decent size seamless for $25 if you have a store you can pickup at rather than ship.

[artyH]

How are the moderately priced flashes by Sunpack and Sigma? Are they any good?

[Austin.Manny]

I have the Sunpak 383 and I love it, but I don't see anything it can do that the YN's can, other than 360 degree swivel if the YN can't do that.

[Shane N]

1x Yongnuo YN-460 flash, $50
1x Yongnuo RF-602 wireless trigger set, $40
1x This stand (http://www.photographerswarehouse.com/detail.aspx?ID=2867), $10
1x Impact Umbrella Swivel, $15
1x Westcott 43" reversible umbrella @ $25

Total: $140 + Shipping. :)

Nice! Out of all of those, any in particular considered the weakest link? IE: If I ended up wanting to spend a little more, what would be the first thing to upgrade?

Either way, your reply is awesome and exactly what I was looking for! :)

[dave kadolph]

I would go something like this:

http://cowboystudio.com/product/c07/p0702-22.php

I bought a few of the 110 watt second versions for dirt cheap on craigslist--they work remarkably well for a casual user.

Small studio and wireless triggers--save your money--the cable and slave works well IMHO.

[Curtis N]

Find a big, north-facing window, a dark sheet for a backdrop and a white sheet to reflect the window light for fill.

Take pictures.

Save the rest of your money and wait until you can afford quality gear that will last you a while.

If you buy cheap first, you will ultimately buy twice. I speak from experience in that regard.

[russ_hillis]

Find a big, north-facing window, a dark sheet for a backdrop and a white sheet to reflect the window light for fill.

Take pictures.

Save the rest of your money and wait until you can afford quality gear that will last you a while.

If you buy cheap first, you will ultimately buy twice. I speak from experience in that regard.


Well there is the issue of $200 vs $2000. We all know we're going to buy crap, but I have to keep in mind 2 things. 1st it's a hobby for me and 2nd if I find I don't like studio photography I can swallow a $200 loss a lot easier than $2000. Besides $2000 is enough to buy me my first f2.8L ;)

[Curtis N]

if I find I don't like studio photography I can swallow a $200 loss a lot easier than $2000.Trust me, you'll like it more if you spend the $2,000. And if you spend $10,000 you'll absolutely love it!
;)

[tnguyen600]

I just ordered this: Cowboy (http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photo-Studio-Monolight-Lighting/dp/B002GDV0MQ/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258478978&sr=8-32) Many said to stay away from Cowboy, but honestly, for the money and for what I'm doing, I think it's worth a try. They have some bad reviews but they also have a bunch of good ones. I'm no pro nor do I intent to go pro. This is just something that I do for fun and I could live with spending $400 on a lighting kit. There's no way I could justify spending a couple thousand on a lighting kit that I'll use maybe a few times throughout the year.

In your case, where you're taking pictures of your family members and what not, I think Cowboy lighting is something worth looking at. I picked up dirt cheap radio triggers through them as well.

[Shane N]

Find a big, north-facing window, a dark sheet for a backdrop and a white sheet to reflect the window light for fill.

Take pictures.

Save the rest of your money and wait until you can afford quality gear that will last you a while.

If you buy cheap first, you will ultimately buy twice. I speak from experience in that regard.

I see your logic, and I tell several people that in my line of work. However, for me, I'm just simply not going to buy $1k+ worth of lighting equipment off the bat. If I don't start cheap with this, I simply won't buy anything at all. If I start small (ie: cheap), and notice that I can take significantly better photos with the cheap gear than with no gear, then yes, I will likely spend more. And what is $200 lost compared to spending $2,000 on much better gear? To me, the $200 is the bait on the hook. If the hook is empty, I won't bite, but if there is bait on the hook, I'm likely to bite on and follow it for the ride :)

Others might not have the same outlook, but that is my story and I'm sticking to it :)

Thanks for the input though!

[MeNiS]

^ i totally agree. i just recently purchase some yongnuo rf-602's to get my hands dirty with off-camera flash. the set only cost me about $55... so it's much easier to swallow than spending hundreds on PW's. if it wasn't for cheaper alternative, then i don't think i would have went for it.

it's your $ and budget..... so don't buy something fancy and expensive just so you can "try it out". it's usually true that you'll upgrade to the better stuff later on, but for now.... stick with what you can afford or willing to pay.

[-AP-]

I just ordered this: Cowboy (http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photo-Studio-Monolight-Lighting/dp/B002GDV0MQ/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258478978&sr=8-32) Many said to stay away from Cowboy, but honestly, for the money and for what I'm doing, I think it's worth a try. They have some bad reviews but they also have a bunch of good ones. I'm no pro nor do I intent to go pro. This is just something that I do for fun and I could live with spending $400 on a lighting kit. There's no way I could justify spending a couple thousand on a lighting kit that I'll use maybe a few times throughout the year.

In your case, where you're taking pictures of your family members and what not, I think Cowboy lighting is something worth looking at. I picked up dirt cheap radio triggers through them as well.

How did this work out for you??

[tnguyen600]

The only problem that I had was that the input socket for the wireless trigger popped out of place. I notified them and they sent me a new monolight. Other than that, everything is working out great. In the e-mail, they said that all I had to do was send back the "damaged" one. I asked them about whether or not they would pay for the shipping since it wasn't my fault that it popped out of place. They never got back to me.

I purchased a two light kit. I now have three. lol

[-AP-]

Thanks..!!

[vincewchan]

1x Yongnuo YN-460 flash, $50
1x Yongnuo RF-602 wireless trigger set, $40
1x This stand (http://www.photographerswarehouse.com/detail.aspx?ID=2867), $10
1x Impact Umbrella Swivel, $15
1x Westcott 43" reversible umbrella @ $25

Total: $140 + Shipping. :)


Nice! Out of all of those, any in particular considered the weakest link? IE: If I ended up wanting to spend a little more, what would be the first thing to upgrade?

Either way, your reply is awesome and exactly what I was looking for! :)

The Light stand would be my 1st suggestion for upgrade.