I need lighting advice for in home studio

01/17/2007 11:21:17 PM · #1

Hi everyone !!! I'm converting a room into a portrait studio and want to buy proper lighting, but have no idea where to start.. This is going to be used for friends & family so the most expensive material is not needed, nor do I want to buy crap, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

ps.. This website is addictive and so inspiring.. Thanks to everyone who's brave enough to put their art on here to be judged.

fotomann_forever

01/18/2007 12:09:14 AM · #2

About how big is this room and what kind of budget are you looking at? Oh and welcome to DPC... may I be first to greet you :-)

Message edited by author 2007-01-18 00:13:10.

01/18/2007 12:42:50 AM · #3

Thank you for the welcome.. The room is 10 x 10.. No window's.. So, no natural light options at all.. I've been going through all the previous forums & have found some links to a few websites that offer packages, but I still would like specific advice on which lights to buy. Budget = $400 or less.. I'm begining a digital photgraphy class next Tuesday at my local jc, but I'm not sure if it's going to cover this topic, so I appreciate your time & help. Thanks again !!!

fotomann_forever

01/18/2007 01:05:28 AM · #4

OK, this one is a good set. I use the 160 w/s version that will run you right over $430 delivered, but these are plenty.

Impact 2 light set

You're also going to need a hot shoe adapter to hook strobes to your D80.

Message edited by author 2007-01-18 01:07:26.

01/18/2007 02:22:59 AM · #5

personally I'd recommend getting an sb-800 and an sb600. They will work great for friends and family portraits and will give you more flexibility.

IMO using Nikon's CLS is easier than the studio lighting set up as well.

Shot with 1 sb800 and 2 sb600s.

01/18/2007 03:33:40 AM · #6

I just got an sb 600 for xmas & was terrified once I opened the manual.. So, I haven't even began to play with it yet.. It's shocking to me that a flash can do as many things as this can do, so I need to set aside time each day to get into it.. How did you use the sb 800 plus 2 sb 600's for that shot.. I read people referring to using one as a master & the other as a slave.. Is that how you're doing that.

Peleng 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye MC In M42 Mount

01/18/2007 11:59:16 AM · #7

Originally posted by kandykarml:

yea, and it's really easy to do. The sb800 has a menu to put it into commander mode. The sb600 has a menu to put into slave mode. The sb800 then wirelessly tells the sb600 when to fire and at what power.

As far as set up goes I have a 45" silver umbrella I picked up with stand for under $100 from Adorama. I bought some cheap $6 tripods from Big-Lots to put them on and I set them up just like I would studio strobes. At the end of the day I can throw them in my camera bag. They work great and are easy to set up for both indoor and outdoor shots.

Check out The Strobist for excelent info on using flash for studio strobes and much more.

Now with all that said I will add that studio strobes do definitely have their place. They are more powerful and have a faster recycle time. If you're going to be taking shots professionally and will be needing to use your lights hours on end then get actual studio lights. If you're looking to do some occasional to fairly frequent studio work and would like more versatility then I'd recommend the flashes.

Prof_Fate

01/18/2007 12:15:42 PM · #8

The options are on-camera flash units, monolights or pack units. FOr cost reasons, skip pack units.

On camera flash units (SB600, SB800) have advantages - very portable, battery powered, eTTL (or iTTL in nikon-speak i think) and can be fired wirelessly. The disadvantage may be cost, they're battery powered, and modifiers are limited (softboxes, umbrellas, grids, etc) and low power compared to most studio lights.

studio strobes of the monolight variety (alien bees, JTL, Interfit Stellar, etc) are gonna run you $400-700 for a pair with stands, some kind of modifiers (umbrellas or small softboxes, etc). You get real studio lights that you can do a lot with and get all kinds of modifiers for them. They'll take up more space than SB units, but will work all day and night and not need recharged. You will need a light meter and will want in short order wireless trigger system. But you won't outgrow these lights. If you get the smaller Speedlights and like portraiture and more you'll outgrow them in short order

Matthew

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

01/18/2007 12:27:13 PM · #9

One big advantage of strobes is the presence of a modelling light, especially in an otherwise windowless room.

01/18/2007 12:28:08 PM · #10

Originally posted by legalbeagle:

One big advantage of strobes is the presence of a modelling light, especially in an otherwise windowless room.

the sb800 has a modeling light (crappy as it may be ;) )

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

01/18/2007 01:53:13 PM · #11

hmmmmmmmmmmm... decisions, decisions !!!! I guess I need to just make one..lol. All are great points & going with either option has it's advantages, so I just need to figure out which will work better for me in the long run.. Thank you so much for the information..

fotomann_forever

01/18/2007 02:05:34 PM · #12

Most people that go the flash units route eventually outgrow that setup. You can't beat even the less-powerful strobes for light output. Not to mention that is is just less expensive in the long run to go straight to studio strobes.

Spork99

OM System OM-1

01/18/2007 02:31:09 PM · #13

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

FOr cost reasons, skip pack units.

Why?

While a pack setup maybe marginally more expensive initially, makes it less expensive to add additional lights later.

quiet_observation

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/18/2007 02:47:38 PM · #14

nova

Canon EOS-6D

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM

01/18/2007 03:00:46 PM · #15

I've been happy with Alien Bees strobes. For a 10X10 room I think you will do fine with a single light for the time being. I priced for you a 400w strobe, the heavy duty light stand, and a 48" shoot-thru umbrella for about $330 including shipping. You could save $20 by getting the standard lightstand although it is pretty light weight, and another $10 or so by getting a smaller umbrella.

Their strobes are pretty highly regarded for the money, while their accessories (stand, umbrellas etc) are often criticized for being too expensive. If you need to absolutely maximize every dollar spent, you might consider buying the accesories elsewhere. I myself prefer to buy things from a single supplier.

Also that room size is pretty tight in my relatively uninformed opinion. I doubt you'll be able to utilize any more than a couple of lights in that space. That's why I think you might start with just the one light to get you going.

Although it didn't score well, I used a single alien bee strobe for the recent b/w portrait challenge, just to give you an idea of what it can do. Best of luck, Ray

//www.alienbees.com