Recommendations for affordable lighting...

I've recently gotten into shooting boudoir photos and I'm not really experienced with indoor shoots nor do I have an indoor studio. I DO have a well lit spare room in my house but I want to purchase some sort of lighting in the case that it's not sunny and the natural light just isn't enough. Can anyone please give me some recommendations for the most affordable tpype of lighting equipment I could possible get. Thank you.

Well, Dancin' - You're lucky to have a spare room with good lighting from the windows ... especially for boudoir photography which really comes alive when using silky, soft light. You can use tungsten or halogen lighting for accent lights in many cases which provides a warmth in sections of your photos that's hard to duplicate artificially in post-processing, but I'd recommend using strobe/studio lights that incorporate modeling lamps (so you can see your highlights & shadows when arranging them) for the most flexibility without heat buildup in the room. It's very important to control your light and shadows for boudoir shots, while avoiding overexposed highlights so I just don't think you can beat a large softbox - or combination of large and medium softboxes for your application. That means two studio lights, with softboxes (best case) or brolly/shoot-thru umbrellas (2nd choice) for my recommendation.

So here's an example setup for you with approximate costs: Elinchrom D-lite 200 kit here: B&H Photo D-Lite 200 Kit. At $760 you get two studio lights with softboxes, stands, modeling lamps, cords, etc. You're literally ready to shoot right out of the box with this kit and the quality from Elinchrom is top-notch. Purchase a 5-in-1 reflector such as this: B&H Photo Reflectors for $25 to add highlights or fill shadows and you have a setup that can be used 24/7 regardless of the window lighting outside.

But to be honest, that's pretty expensive though you didn't indicate a budget. Alternatively, you can have similar results for less expense by purchasing an economical Calumet Genesis 200 kit here: Calumet Photo Genesis 200 Kit for just $320. You get similar 200-watt second lights, great stands, shoot-thru umbrellas, cords, modeling lamps ... the works at half the price of the D-lites. The difference is that while shoot-thru umbrellas are nice for many situations, they just don't give you the same level of control and direction as a softbox will. So purchase inexpensive softboxes such as a Westcott, Amvona or Opus between $100-200 and put them on your Genesis lights instead of the included umbrellas. A larger softbox such as 36"x48" for your "main" light, and a smaller one such as 16"-24" for your fill is a great combination. (I recently bought an Opus 36"x48" for just $109.) Finally, add that small reflector to your package again, which can act like a 3rd light if positioned correctly to reflect your other lights ... and you're now ready with an effective 3-light system (one's a reflector) at around $500 total cost ... $300 less than the D-lite solution. And the added benefit going this route is you now have options for large groups, portraiture, or Boudoir photography by switching between umbrellas, reflector dishes that came with your Genesis lights, and the new softboxes. Great, huh?

But do you absolutely need two flash heads? Not necessarily. You might be able to do much of your desired lighting with a single studio light and reflector, which lowers your startup costs to about $300 for the lone Genesis 200, Softbox, and Reflector. "That ain't bad" as they say, but I don't think you could realistically expect outstanding shots with much less equipment than that. It's debateable of course, but this route would certainly get you in the right direction for indoor/studio shooting. That's my two-cents.

Here's a couple example images I took a couple months ago with two Genesis 200 lights. They aren't boudoir, but will give you an idea what these lights can do. Both were shot with a Genesis 200 "Main" light up and to camera left. The second Genesis 200 was just to my right shoulder about camera height and powered down to just help fill the shadows. Hope this helps your idea-factory along.

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I really appreciate you taking the time to write that lengthy reply, very informative.

Incidentally - my examples had the 36"x48" softbox for main light, but just dish reflector for fill. 2 separate lights were used for the background.

Do you have a flash unit? If not, that should be your first investment. You probably want something that you can swivel so the Canon 580 EX (II) or maybe a Sigma 530 Super. Investment range is $250 - $450. It only gets more expensive from there for quality light

You could always pick up a halogen work light or two from Home Depot (500 W) and then manually adjust the white balance. Since these lights are always on (non-flash) your room will get warm quickly.

It would be easier if we knew your camera type and budget.