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First lighting kit?

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The Tracksuit Barber

The Tracksuit Barber

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Posted this question over at the lighting forum but hope to hear from this side as well. Thanks in advance!

I am going to be doing my first portraiture work, particularly boudoir, next week and I am in need of some advice. To begin, I currently have a Sony a77, CZ 24-70 2.8, Sony SAL 70-300 (pretty sure this one is staying in the bag), HVL-f43am plus other accessories that I use for night photography.

My question is whether it is better to use static light (tungsten or fluorescent) or to have strobes hooked up with some pocket wizards?

What would be some of your recommendations? If anything, I'm looking to spend around the $300-$400 range, plus or minus $50 each way. Would you recommend buying those ready kits from B&H for like $300 or would it be better to build my own?
 
Honestly? You don't know enough to buy anything sophisticated. Lighting's much more involved than opening a box of lights and then banging away. Constant lighting of any sort would allow you to see the effect before shooting but direct light and boudoir are at odds with one another due to heat. LED banks would be cooler but they're expensive. It's ALL expensive.

Maybe you could rent some lighting this time around. Or shoot in a room with natural window light. It takes years to get comfortable with studio lighting. Maybe go to www.strobist.com and research a set up.

good luck! Lighting's tough.
 
Hulamike said:
Hulamike wrote:

Honestly? You don't know enough to buy anything sophisticated. Lighting's much more involved than opening a box of lights and then banging away. Constant lighting of any sort would allow you to see the effect before shooting but direct light and boudoir are at odds with one another due to heat. LED banks would be cooler but they're expensive. It's ALL expensive.

Maybe you could rent some lighting this time around. Or shoot in a room with natural window light. It takes years to get comfortable with studio lighting. Maybe go to www.strobist.com and research a set up.

good luck! Lighting's tough.
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Let's put it this way, I don't know a lot but I do know a little. I have worked with off camera flash a bit, I've done some lightbox work for some of my food photography, so I know a little bit about lighting.

Plus, I've been looking to get into portraiture work for a while and would like something decent to start off with. I prefer to spend a little extra on quality than buy junk and be forced to re-buy something else.

I considered renting equipment but having only 1 day off and a very busy work week (chef), I don't have the time to go running around to the post office
 
Then buy two or three Alien Bees or SB900s, a couple of umbrellas, light stands, pocket wizards and get on with it. Should only cost you about $1800 or so. If you're that experienced, why are you asking beginner questions here?
 
IMHO the best investment in lighting gear would not emit any physical light but rather enlighten your mind as to how, what, why and when different lighting gear that actually does produce physical light might be needed and used to create photographic images.

Check out your local library for "Light, Science and Magic" and countless other books on photographic lighting and the use of a incident light meter. A simple youtube search on "portrait photography" will yield countless results on different equipment and techniques that can be used to further your understanding.
 
... Hey, good luck with that! I'm sure you will figure it all out in seven days, minus purchase and delivery time, and make awesum photos.

In fact, your timeframe seems really reasonable because lighting is so damn easy any idiot can do it. I remember a photography instructor telling me that I needed to practice for years to get good at my craft - I always suspected they were full of beans!

Obviously you want to crowd your one week learning experience with the kit that contains the highest amount of lights and soft boxes and other bits of equipment. The more the better!

Or, get one light and learn it - either way you'll be 100% successful!
 
HEY! Thanks for all the helpful tips guys! You've been a great help! I've learned a lot from all the suggestions!

Assholes... Hope you've gotten help like this the first time you started. You don't even know who or what I'm actually trying to do. I'm using my girlfriend for these sessions to learn this craft and not just jumping in head first like others do for paid events.

Nevertheless, appreciate your time.
 
The guy above has the best idea really. Start with one light and modifyer.

You own a hot shoe strobe For your DSLR? Then buy a starter umbrella kit from B&H. You'll get a 30" umbrella, knuckle, light stand. The stand is solid, I use them myself. Should cost around $100. Set your strobe to manual in the umbrella experimenting with output from 1/16 power to 1/4 more than likely. If you can't afford Pocket Wizards or the like, you'll need to hardware the strobe to camera ith a cord. Another 40-50 bucks. The umbrella will give you nice, soft, broad light. Play with position and use the WAG method, joe McNalleys favorite approach to lighting. Stands for Wild Ass Guess. His books on hot shoe lighting are informative and fun to read. I recommend Hot Shoe Diaries.
 
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Just remembered that the B&H deal was $130 for TWO umbrellas, stands, knuckles. If you have two strobes this is the way to go. If not, they probably have a good pice on a single light stand setup.
 
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Hulamike said:
Hulamike wrote:

Just remembered that the B&H deal was $130 for TWO umbrellas, stands, knuckles. If you have two strobes this is the way to go. If not, they probably have a good pice on a single light stand setup.
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One of my first purchases was the two light stand kit from B&H. I quickly found they were to short, not air cushioned and I replaced the umbrellas as being to small.

Hence the suggestion to the OP to read up, study and learn what they might want and why they want it FIRST before plunking down CHCa$h on stuff that may get used for a months, weeks or (worse case) days or hours before deciding its not really what is need.

The general recommendations in the lighting forum tend to go 3-4 different routes (depending on budget and desired flexibility+end results):

1. Purchase very cheap hot shoe flashes with manual power control, equally cheap triggers along with a decent light meter and 1-2 umbrella kit.

2. Outfit yourself with your Camera branded (hot shoe) flash units (or cheap aftermarket replacements) and learn to use the iTTL/eTTL (or other) wireless system built into your camera (you can also toss in 'smart' iTTL/eTTL radio triggers if you really want to). (still need the light meter+2 umbrella kit)

3. Go the 'Paul Buff' Alienbee studio monolight kit route. (still need the light meter)

4. Get a 'name brand' studio monolight starter kit. (still need the light meter)
 
mbloof said:
mbloof said:
Hulamike wrote:

Just remembered that the B&H deal was $130 for TWO umbrellas, stands, knuckles. If you have two strobes this is the way to go. If not, they probably have a good pice on a single light stand setup.
Click to expand...
One of my first purchases was the two light stand kit from B&H. I quickly found they were to short, not air cushioned and I replaced the umbrellas as being to small.

Hence the suggestion to the OP to read up, study and learn what they might want and why they want it FIRST before plunking down CHCa$h on stuff that may get used for a months, weeks or (worse case) days or hours before deciding its not really what is need.

The general recommendations in the lighting forum tend to go 3-4 different routes (depending on budget and desired flexibility+end results):

1. Purchase very cheap hot shoe flashes with manual power control, equally cheap triggers along with a decent light meter and 1-2 umbrella kit.

2. Outfit yourself with your Camera branded (hot shoe) flash units (or cheap aftermarket replacements) and learn to use the iTTL/eTTL (or other) wireless system built into your camera (you can also toss in 'smart' iTTL/eTTL radio triggers if you really want to). (still need the light meter+2 umbrella kit)

3. Go the 'Paul Buff' Alienbee studio monolight kit route. (still need the light meter)

4. Get a 'name brand' studio monolight starter kit. (still need the light meter)
Click to expand...
 
The Tracksuit Barber said:
ChefAlex wrote:

So would you recommend a 1 light at up or a 2 light kit?
Click to expand...
Much can be done with a single light even if it is stuck "on camera" if you have a rotating+tilting flash head and have surfaces to "bounce" the light off of.

I agree with most that recommend learning what can be done with a single light FIRST before purchasing more lights as then you'd have a basis to make decisions on what to purchase.

The "strobist" website mentioned in the lighting forum (yes, many of us read+interact with more than one forum @ DPR) is a great place to start. "Salior Blue" offered you a ton of great suggestions. (the topic comes up so frequently there that he and others have put together mini-FAQ's on the subject to cut+paste in rather than to constantly type out suggestions).

If you already own two speedlights with manual power level control then getting a two light stand+umbrella kit along with the 1-TX+ 2-RX units should be less than $200.

You may find that 6-6.5' is about as tall as you'll need with a standard 8' high ceiling and 32" umbrellas. I do recommend getting 'air cushioned' light stands, they are a bit more expensive but you'll save yourself from the near heart attack while watching your flash unit+modifier seemingly come 'crashing down' when mindlessly adjusting the height one day.

You may luck out like I did and have a local camera store that carries used photographic equipment - I picked up a decent used incident light meter for just $70.

The recommended reading+studying was/is not intended to be unhelpful rather its important to educate yourself as to what can be done with different things BEFORE purchasing them and formulating a PLAN as which items might work best in which situations so your not wasting time and money on items that you'll later regret purchasing.

As an example, I have 2x580EX2's and 1x430EX2. I almost never use the 430 but it was the first flash I bought. The stands for my 1st '2 light kit' were nether air cushioned or tall enough for a few outdoor shoots I had, to heavy to carry around for location work and not heavy duty enough for mono-lights with/without large softboxes. (try to prop a 6' octobox+monolight up 6-7' in the air and you get the idea). Presently I own 3 different tripods. (two cost as much or more than your 2-light kit budget)

Many of these were poor not well thought out purchasing decisions that needlessly cost me in the long run. Hence, its important to educate yourself, have a plan and spend wisely.

Unless of course you have very deep pockets. ;)

--

(insert brag sheet here)
A sampling of my images are in my DPR gallery
Technologist @ Large
- Mark0
 
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The Tracksuit Barber said:
ChefAlex wrote:

HEY! Thanks for all the helpful tips guys! You've been a great help! I've learned a lot from all the suggestions!

Assholes... Hope you've gotten help like this the first time you started. You don't even know who or what I'm actually trying to do. I'm using my girlfriend for these sessions to learn this craft and not just jumping in head first like others do for paid events.
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Some of us had the courtesy to educate ourselves using books and magazines (in the bad days before the Internet) before we started wasting other people's time with questions that has already been asked and answered countless times on this forum.
The Tracksuit Barber said:
Nevertheless, appreciate your time.
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I don't believe you do. If you did appreciate other people's time, you would study the matter before asking a questions as open as the OP.

When someone writes a book, they take a lot of time and effort to help others. Whenever someone buys that book they pay the author a small amount for his trouble. When somebody asks a question here, many helpful people will do their best to help for free, but if the question is silly enough, they will lose patience and tell the person asking off.

If you don't like the answers you get, you either figure you asked the wrong question or start showing a bad attitude. Which response would you prefer yourself - and which would be the most productive?
 
Klaus dk said:
Klaus dk said:
ChefAlex wrote:

HEY! Thanks for all the helpful tips guys! You've been a great help! I've learned a lot from all the suggestions!

Assholes... Hope you've gotten help like this the first time you started. You don't even know who or what I'm actually trying to do. I'm using my girlfriend for these sessions to learn this craft and not just jumping in head first like others do for paid events.
Click to expand...
Some of us had the courtesy to educate ourselves using books and magazines (in the bad days before the Internet) before we started wasting other people's time with questions that has already been asked and answered countless times on this forum.
Klaus dk said:
Nevertheless, appreciate your time.
Click to expand...
I don't believe you do. If you did appreciate other people's time, you would study the matter before asking a questions as open as the OP.

When someone writes a book, they take a lot of time and effort to help others. Whenever someone buys that book they pay the author a small amount for his trouble. When somebody asks a question here, many helpful people will do their best to help for free, but if the question is silly enough, they will lose patience and tell the person asking off.

If you don't like the answers you get, you either figure you asked the wrong question or start showing a bad attitude. Which response would you prefer yourself - and which would be the most productive?
Click to expand...
Really... It's not a matter of not getting to educate myself, which I constantly do, it was just that I don't have the time to go out and buy books. I work 65+ hours a week and I looked to the forum which is usually very helpful with people who are novices at a particular field, mine being studio lighting.

It's more out of convenience and if people don't want to help, they could simply ignore the post and move on instead of giving bs answers.
 
The Tracksuit Barber said:
ChefAlex wrote:

!

Assholes...
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You can say my name, don't be afraid...
The Tracksuit Barber said:
Hope you've gotten help like this the first time you started.
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No, because I have never in my life asked such a rediculous question or been so lazy as not to do any research beforehand. Gee, if only there were some way, maybe with a computer, that we could access a wealth of free information on various topics such as photography... Like a giant 'web' of information or something...
The Tracksuit Barber said:
You don't even know who or what I'm actually trying to do.
Click to expand...
No, I do. I know everything.
The Tracksuit Barber said:
I'm using my girlfriend for these sessions to learn this craft and not just jumping in head first like others do for paid events.
Click to expand...
In one week, and you're going to be fine. This stuff is super easy. I could teach you in a day. Probably less.

But not until you stop calling people assholes and relax and at least pretend you are willing to try and learn something, even though you're not. That's not a likely thing though...
The Tracksuit Barber said:
Nevertheless, appreciate your time.
Click to expand...
No you do not so stop lying. Don't be shy and welcome to the forum. You really should stop calling people assholes though, makes you seem like one.
 
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Easy chef! You did seem to confuse some of us unnecessarily at first. But a few of us came back to offer advice. Be thankful. You know, personality counts for a lot in photography. just sayin...
 
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