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[just42]

Hi!

I'm just getting started doing some private boudoir photography in my own home with my significant other. I'm not looking to turn this into a business and I'm not going to be sharing images or putting them in a portfolio or anything like that.

That said, I'm interested in getting a basic home studio set up. Literally all I have now are some lamps in the house and what sun makes it through the closed blinds (all our windows face the street and my lady isn't keen on having the neighbors see her in her lingerie).

The trouble is, I'm having a really hard time figuring out what to get. I'd like to get a three-light set: key, fill, and hair lights. But I've got some questions...

- Should all three be softboxes for the kind of photography I'm doing, or should I go with some combination of softbox, umbrella, etc?

- I'm heavily leaning toward strobes over continuous lighting. Any thoughts on that?

- I can't make heads or tails of the watt/second rating. Obviously bigger is potentially better, but this article (An Introduction to Studio Lighting Equipment - photo.net) seems to blow a hole in that idea. Do I need at least 300ws or is less than that acceptable for what I want to do?

- I don't have the kind of budget that allows me to spend much more than $500 max. That probably seems very restrictive. These guys are cheap (http://www.cowboystudio.com/index.php), but then I've heard that they're probably also junk. Anyone had good/bad experience with their equipment? What are the reputable manufacturers out there that I should be looking into? Alien Bees has a very good reputation it seems, but their prices are out of my available range.

Any help would be very much appreciated. I've read a bunch of stuff but my head is spinning right now.

[natek313]

Originally Posted by just42

Any help would be very much appreciated. I've read a bunch of stuff but my head is spinning right now.

Haha. I know that feeling; trust me.

Originally Posted by just42

Should all three be softboxes for the kind of photography I'm doing, or should I go with some combination of softbox, umbrella, etc?

They don't have to be the same. You can use a combination, but, since you're on a budget, I'd probably just go with convertible umbrellas (i.e., umbrellas you can shoot through and bounce off of) for now. Softboxes generally tend to be more expensive than umbrellas. I use "Impact" umbrellas, and I have been very pleased with the results I've been getting.

Originally Posted by just42

I'm heavily leaning toward strobes over continuous lighting. Any thoughts on that?

Personally, I went with flash lighting. Continuous lighting is nice because you see the results before taking the shot, but a con (a big one, in my opinion) is that they run very hot, which will be very uncomfortable for you and your significant other.

Originally Posted by just42

I can't make heads or tails of the watt/second rating. Obviously bigger is potentially better, but this article (An Introduction to Studio Lighting Equipment - photo.net) seems to blow a hole in that idea. Do I need at least 300ws or is less than that acceptable for what I want to do?

I wouldn't worry too much about the Watt-seconds (Ws) rating. Generally speaking, the higher the Ws rating, the more powerful the flash unit. However, a member on here, SusanH1970, uses one AlienBees B400 unit (lowest Ws rated light by AlienBees; 160 true Ws; 400 effective Ws) with a reflector, and she gets great results. Before getting a second flash unit, I only had my Speedlite 430EX II and a reflector, but I was getting good results with it.

The bottom line is that I think, for whatever it's worth, 300 Ws would be more than enough.

Originally Posted by just42

I don't have the kind of budget that allows me to spend much more than $500 max. That probably seems very restrictive. These guys are cheap (CowboyStudio Photography Lighting Equipment | Studio Accessories), but then I've heard that they're probably also junk. Anyone had good/bad experience with their equipment? What are the reputable manufacturers out there that I should be looking into? Alien Bees has a very good reputation it seems, but their prices are out of my available range.

If $500 is your budget, then you can pretty much write off getting any studio lights (i.e., something like AlienBees). I would recommend going "strobist." Purchase hot shoe flashes and radio triggers. At the risk of suffering more information overload, take a look at this site.

Going that route, and depending on what you buy, you could probably get the flashes for around $300 and use the remaining money for radio triggers, light stands, flash/umbrella brackets, and umbrellas. You may want to seriously consider getting flash units that have a built-in optical slave. That will allow you to trigger the flash optically, and you won't have to spend money on a receiver to trigger it.

I haven't heard anything about CowboyStudio, but I did a quick search and found this. Check out the posts by "Don Kondra." He links to this as well, which is another option. Just remember, you usually get what you pay for.

I hope this helps, and I can assure you there will be head-spinning to come. Haha.

EDIT: Actually, after doing a little bit more research, I would recommend avoiding the CowboyStudio lighting equipment.

[zona5101]

Great reply Nate.
The link to the kit with the Sunpack flashes (or any equvilent model that allows manual control like vivitar 283/285 etc) would be a good bet. Besides the stands, flashes, triggers and all in the photo...probably want to get some gels for the flash. Bedroom stuff looks more interesting when it has moody, intersecting fields of colored light. Color light can also hide a bit more like slight variations in skin tone etc. White light tends to be very honest and less moody. Good luck and have fun!

[Benji]

I have never bought any of those little cheap studio flash units from Cowboy, but I have bought about 10 of them from another supplier. I think all of them are made by one manufacturer in China and then imported to the USA then several American companies (like Cowboy) print up labels with their name on them attach them to the units and sell them as "their" equipment. I have never had any problems with them, and I would buy more of them if I needed to. HOWEVER, the units I own are the smallest units they sell and are not very powerful. They make great hair lights and kicker lights but probably not a good choice as a main or fill light. I'm not sure how well their large powerful units perform.

My suggestion is to buy used equipment on ebay or at your local camera store. I have four Bowens flash units that are 20+ years old and still perform flawlessly. I have eight Photogenic Studiomaster Twos that are 30+ years old and perform flawlessly. I have over the last three or four years bought about six used units on ebay and EVERY one has performed perfectly (still are too!) I would not be afraid of used stuff if it comes from a reputable dealer or person. In fact the last time I bought two of the Studiomaster units on ebay, I told the guy I would pick them up rather than him shipping them (they are VERY heavy) as I was going to be within 20 miles of him on a business trip in three weeks. He agreed and I met him at a gas station off the interstate. Not only did I get the two units that I bought and paid for, he threw in two softboxes, an extension cord, and a bunch of other stuff that fit these units only and would be of no use to him!

Benji

[just42]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It's been very helpful. I definitely have a better idea of what I'm going to do here. It's also good to hear that used equipment from a reputable manufacturer is likely to work out just fine.