Lighting for home, location and outside portraits.

[miraroadvolfire]

I keep asking question only to find myself mixed up with trying to take everything in about lighting. I keep practicing in my basement so I can take some cool pictures of our members in the volunteer fire department I belong for the past 15 years. I want to make sure when we take them that they are not them boring old in uniform ones you always see on the wall...lol

I am very close to having it the way I want them to look with just the use of work lights and am picking up a lot about the way light works a long the way.

But what I am looking for is lighting to take portraits in homes, locations and outside. I am looking at a 47" octabox with grid and a beauty dish with sock and grid. Will these do for what I want to start with. Also being a hockey coach, school bus driver and taxi driver I have talked to a lot of people and I mean a lot that would love to have me take portraits for them and will wait until I catch on to using lights and the settings on my D5000 which is going good thanks to this site and a lot of reading.

In order to start could people take a look at this site below and build me something I could use for what I am wanting to do as far as portraits. Also two other things I will need is a trigger system and a good lens for taking these type of portraits.

Here is the site below but if you know of anywhere else in Canada then this site please let me know..............

Lets see what can be put together...........

Thank you and now I have to start reading again...lol

Lighting web site

[zona5101]

Are you thinking monoblocks or speedlights?

[miraroadvolfire]

lights


Which is better.

[zona5101]

they each have their advantages and disadvantages.
If you want an octobox and a beauty dish you are probably going to need decent power so a monolight (or a power pack and lights a la Speedotron/Norman/Balcar). Advantage: Power Disadvantage: Cost and portability.

Why do you want an octobox and a beauty dish rather than a softbox and/or an umbrella (or any of a variety of other light modifiers)?