Lights?

[AshleeIRenee]

I'm looking to have a "mini" studio in my basement and I'm wodering what kind of lighting would be the best...besides natural of course. Is a softbox the best way to go and also have an external flash? I will mostly be doing portrait photography. Thanks!

[Rentham]

How "mini" are we talking? Assuming your space is small, you can get away with a simple hotshoe flash used off camera. I'd paint the walls a darker shade of grey to minimize the uncontrolled bounce. Every modifier has its place, but in your situation a softbox with a recessed front is probably best. That will help you control spill and direct the light. An umbrella would be a light bomb in a small basement space.

[zona5101]

I would agree, a softbox will give you greater control over direction and spill. With a single light and a reflector you can obtain some excellent lighting.
So your choices are flash or constant light. Flash can be studio strobes or shoe mounted portable flash. The second is less expensive and less powerful but in a small space will be adequate. You'll need a way to trigger the flash.
If you go constant light the biggest issue is light output. Most inexpensive kits have pretty low wattage and even in a small space struggle to get you decent shutter/fstops. The 45w bulbs aren't going to cut it...look for 150-250w output. Nice thing about constant light is you don't need to trigger them and it is pretty much WYSIWYG lighting.
You'll need a light stand, a swivel light stand clamp, a speed ring for the soft box, the flash or constant light and a softbox, plus the reflector and a trigger if you go flash.

[Doug Sundseth]

Depending on how low-budget you want to go (and how mini the studio is), you might want to hang a white sheet on one wall and bounce your flash off it. In a small studio, this will give you a look similar to a softbox, but in less space and cheaper. It won't give a great deal of flexibility, though, so it's unlikely to be a permanent solution.

[scootermcq]

Or, something like this:
FLASH STROBE MONOLIGHT 800WS (400x2) SOFTBOX STAND PKG | eBay

For the price of 1 speedlight, it Is two studio stobes that equal about 4 speedights each in output with octaboxes, stands, wireless triggers & bag to get you started. The lights are bowens mount, so as you grow you can easily & economically change modifers.

[Rentham]

I'd be worried about not being able to dial down strobes enough in a small space.

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by Rentham

I'd be worried about not being able to dial down strobes enough in a small space.

Using 2 of those lights, I shot this:



In this size room:



If memory serves me correctly, I was around f8-11 ISO200

[Rentham]

Originally Posted by scootermcq

I was around f8-11 ISO200

Was that at the low end of their power?

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by Rentham

Was that at the low end of their power?

Yeah, they were dialed down to to about 1/16th power

[scootermcq]

Aw crap... here are the ones I was looking for.....

My "baby" studio:



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