Tired Of Getting Pics At JCPenney!! Help with lights!!

lol..sorry for the title, but I just recently spent $30 on pictures at JCPenney which I feel could have gone towards purchasing a set of studio lights!! Can anyone recommend affordable studio lights for a beginner? Would I be better off buying a set of flashes? I know the flashes or studio lights might be well over $30, but without having to worry about getting there permission to make copies and being able to edit my own images..I feel it's well worth it! My budget I guess would be anywhere from $300-$500. Not much, but it's all I would really like to spend at the moment.

Thanks!

http://www.mpex.com/pa​ge.htm?PG=Strobist%20K​its
http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …g-student-off-camera.html

^^ All you need to know!

WOW! Thanks for all the info.! I really like the prices from mpex ..as long as it says "For: Rebel Series" I shouldn't have to worry about any voltage or compatability issues, correct?

Thanks again!

I'm also thinking about picking up a Sunpak 383..very inexpensive and provide good results!

Of course alot of ppl are doing really nice stuff with one light or two.

Could also check out the Alienbees and the calumet genesis 2 200w/s kit

Decent beginner strobes

sean

another bump for Alien Bees, Go to there site read and also check there forms. You can't go wrong