Not sure what to buy..

I need to up my lighting game/quality and I'm not sure what to look for. I currently have a DIY light box that just doesn't cut it anymore and I want to get better at shooting product style photos, like in the example link I post below.

To give you an example of what I'm after, this guy is one of my photography heroes: https://www.instagram.​com/tyalexanderphotogr​aphy/

His lighting is always on point and I want to try and emulate his results as best I can. Since my subjects are always fairly small (watches), doing something desk top or similar would be cool but I can adjust if needed.

I currently shoot a 50D and have a 100mm 2.8 macro and a 24mm 2.8 EF-s for lenses.

I'm very inexperienced when it comes to the jargon of lighting so please explain things like I'm 5 years old. In my mind I would like to find something with continuous lighting and a diffuser of some sort. I know what a soft box is but I'm unsure if that's the ideal solution and if it is, what size I should look for? Links to an actual product would be awesome if you have a suggestion.

Thank you in advance for any and all advice!

Since this is a photo forum, here's an example of an image I've taken in my house with somewhat random lighting so you can see what my current results are vs what I'm after.

Try starting here. There’s a lot of good information.

https://strobist.blogs​pot.com/

AngelofDepth wrote in post #19186289
Try starting here. There’s a lot of good information.

https://strobist.blogs​pot.com/

Thank you very much, looks like a great place to start!

Basics

1. 'large' is 'softer light' source than 'small'
   
2. 'large' is relative to subject size
   
3. 'large' becomes 'small' when far enough from the subject

5x7" softbox is 'large' if 7" away from the subject, and starts to become 'small' when it is about 21" away from the subject


16x20" softbox is 'large' if 20" from the subject, and starts to become 'small' when it is about 60" away from the subject


36" x 48" softbox is 'large' if 48" from the subject, and starts to become 'small' when it is about 150" away from the subject

• a 5x7" softbox only 7" away from the subject, that light is just as 'large' and just as 'soft' as
  
• a 16x20" softbox which is 20" way from the subject, and that light is just as 'large' and just as 'soft' as
  
• a 36x48" softbox which is 48" away from the subject.
  

Wilt wrote in post #19186692
Basics

Thanks a lot for that Wilt, that's really helpful. This makes me think I need a larger "studio" than my 10x10 office. Or I need to get smaller softboxes. lol With my intended subject of watches, I'm going to want softer lighting due to all the reflective surfaces like the watch case and the crystal. I clearly need to move the softboxes further away if I want that softer light!

Everybody (myself included) wants a bigger space. But there's lots of people shooting in smaller spaces. I'd suggest searching on Youtube for videos such as "Photo studio 10x10", "Shooting in a small photo Studio" or something like that and you'll get some ideas of what you can do pretty quick. Here's a random one for example.

https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=_DoyIdremeU

If you need a bigger space at times maybe rent a space. Google your area for photo studios that rent time out. You're outside of Seattle so I would imagine there are some around.