Ok guys im new i need help!

Im new to photography and instead of dropping 500 bucks for a decent light set i tried this out of my garage... heres my setup
500Watt Hotlight
3x3 PVC Square with a doubled white sheet inside.
Black Velvet background as recommended.
and my tripod

But when i try the same setting as people tell me to my shutter is so slow anything that moves blurs. im in AV mode...

Please help me.
I want to practice portraiture before investing in it...

If you could tell me what i should do. whether its changing my setup or mode or setting PLEASE HELP

Try using a tripod, a faster lens at a larger aperture, boost the ISO, move the light closer to the subject, make a more efficient modifier... or none at all... Soft light is overrated.

Or just get some decent lighting gear.

Thenicky wrote in post #5689258
3x3 PVC Square with a doubled white sheet inside.

If you used a standard doubled white bed sheet, you are blocking way too much light. Go to the fabric store and get some white sheer fabric. You want to diffuse the light, not black it.

Jarrad- What do you mean soft light is overrated? and i have been using a tripod but for lets say my kitten likes to move alot and it was VERY slow for her i know i shouldnt be shooting kittens but its good practice...
Hommedars- Thanks, but it seems 500watts of light would be way to much or way to bright for the subject. atleast it seems that way... but thats why i asked... now with a 500watt light and sheer instead how far should this light be away from my subject and guesstimating what settings would you say i need... thanks guys appreciate the input...

I highly suggest you read either Light: Science and Magic or The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography or both. In the long run they'll save you a lot of time and money.

Soft light seems to be what all beginners are after. Maybe because it's easy. Anyway, I think it's overrated. Shadows are your friends.

500watts for continuous light isn't very much and Probably too hot and annoying for any subject considering how close it'd have to be in order to get a reasonable shutter speed. Practice with static subjects that can't be cooked.

Jarrad is right. The only way to really learn about light is to experiment. With digital, it costs nothing to set it up and try every possible combination to see what happens. Use the light meter built into the camera to guide your exposure. With continuous lights, it's just like shooting outdoors.

Experiment. Set up a chair a some ball or container for a subject and go crazy:

- shoot without diffusion
- bounce the light
- diffuse with 1 or more sheer sheets
- etc. etc.

The exposure info will be stored in the EXIF data, so it is easy to review when you look at the images.

You say you're shooting in AV mode. What aperture are you set at?

We can't see the light you see. If the person isn't in the room with you, they can't have much of an idea of what settings you should have.

Umm im shooting at 4.5 all the way to 9.0 and i messed around with my iso's i still cant get it... i dont know what to do its so frustrating... half the time the things i shooot have a orange tint to it... and the other half of the time its a off set or too under or over exposed its si frustrating i wanna sell my camera haha not really but that mad

Maybe you need to set a custom White Balance to allow for the quartz lamp and material you are using as your diffuser.

Another possiblity is the color of the lamp light may be changing due to a voltage drop somewhere nearby like an AC unit or fridge coming on/off. A heavy load such as that could drop the voltage and cause the color shift. One time you shoot and its OK, next time the AC is running and the voltage is lower. Its a possibility but not the only one. W/O some example photos its gonna be tough to diagnose the problem.

Another possibility is mixed light. If you have more than one light source (even ambient) getting the color temperature right can be near impossible. As said, examples would really help us out.

Post and example?

will do im at work so next time you see this thread active chec for some pics...