Adding a third studio strobe ....

I have two Bowens Gemini 500w strobes which i use (generally) with an umbrella and a soft-box.
I am looking to add a third unit for backlight or background light .... should i invest in a strobe with the same power output, or could i save some cash and buy a less powerful unit, maybe even a different manufacturer ?
I am also close to purchasing a wireless firing system, but i know very little about these units .... can anyone help with any advice, spec and cost please ?
many thanks in anticipation,
cheers,
david

I use a two strobe system and would love to move to a three set-up too.
I guess I would go for equal power at max but with a power adjustment.
My question would be is there an economical boom available to support the third strobe? I want to do hair-lighting from directly above and behind the subject, all my stands at the moment are straight up so the #3 light has to be off to one side, out of shot.
I've just rescued a Pringles tube and will experiment with a home-made snoot with an battery powered old flash, seen some good samples of it in use, the big prob ls how to hold the flash in position.

A third strobe can usually be of lower output. A hairlight usually is of lower power, and if you needed the 500W for a background light then you could use the smaller strobe for a fill light. But I would recommend sticking with the same brand of strobe so that the color temp of the light is consistent.

chtgrubbs wrote in post #2328516
A third strobe can usually be of lower output. A hairlight usually is of lower power, and if you needed the 500W for a background light then you could use the smaller strobe for a fill light. But I would recommend sticking with the same brand of strobe so that the color temp of the light is consistent.

For a heavy duty boom arm, try here: ttp://www.photodeals.c​o.uk/home.php?cat=10

They also do a low-priced 47" octagonal box as well.

My bet is you could get the same thing on ebay, but I suppose it depends on where you live, and what the delivery costs are. I have allways found this company to be good.

As for another strobe, I would certainly recommend going for the same manufacturer, although if you only ever want to use as background/hairlight, one of lesser power should be OK - but, it's like anything else connected with this photography lark, can you never say never?

MaxZoom wrote in post #2327798
...I've just rescued a Pringles tube and will experiment with a home-made snoot with an battery powered old flash, seen some good samples of it in use, the big prob ls how to hold the flash in position.

... or, you could have a look at the low-cost hairlight cones (aka snoots) from www.studioflash.co.uk - again, I highly recommend them - and they support this forum with their advertising.

TJ

top replies .... thank you all very much ... cheers, d