# Studio lighting



## sgtgacop (Jan 30, 2014)

Does anyone have a recommendation for a beginners studio lighting kit.  I am definitely not a professional but would like to be able to set up something at the house just to play around with .


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## Crickett (Jan 30, 2014)

This is the set I have. 
http://fjwestcott.com/product/strobelite-3-light-kit

I bought them used a while back from another member on here. They have worked well for me.


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## BERN (Jan 30, 2014)

*strobist*

My suggestion is that you visit David Hobby's blog. 

strobist.blogspot.com/

He goes into great depth about how to get really good results with manual shoe mounted flash. That is what I have done. I bought inexpensive stands and modifiers and 6 canon 540EZ flashes. You can trigger them in a number of inexpensive ways. I have about $200 into the flashes and another $100 in stands/umbrellas and softboxes. This gives me control of each flash from 1/1 to 1/128 power (although I don't have the raw power that Crickett's setup has). If I get more serious I want to get some Ailen Bees by Paul C. Buff.

There are a ton of professionals lighting shoe mount strobes. You will be impressed with David Hobby's results. Also look up Zack Arias. He is based in atlanta and works with nikon flashes and expensive profoto stuff.


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## sgtgacop (Jan 30, 2014)

Thanks for the info guys.


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## BERN (Jan 31, 2014)

I wouldn't mind keeping this discussion going since this is something I have been interested in for a couple of years.

Crickett, what are you using your strobes for? Are you doing portraits and are you selling them? I have done a wedding, portraits of my family, and just artistic stuff for myself. 

How are you synching these? Cords or radio triggers? I am thinking that I'd like to upgrade my triggers to phottix or pocket wizards before I upgrade my lights. I am pretty much buying wescott modifiers and decent stands so the heads will go right where my shoe mounts are now. 

I have been using cowboy studio and midwest photo exchange for most of my equipment. Ebay for the flashes.


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## Crickett (Jan 31, 2014)

Hey Bern

I've used mine for portraits mostly. I have not made a profession out of it. Mostly just done shots for friends of mine & shots of my kids. 

I really hope Briarpatch(Jimmy) will chime in on this if he gets time. He has been kinda a mentor for me. He is very knowledgable on studio photography. I've been slacking on my part since we moved & I now home school both of my kids. Not a lot of time to setup my lights & play around with them. Where we live at now I don't really have the space to set up my lights either. 

I do know one thing that Jimmy has stressed to me is to get a decent light meter. I still have not purchased one! Most of my shots have really been trial & error. 

I am syncing mine with a cord. I had looked into the pocket wizards but just like the light meter I have not purchased it yet. 

Oh & for my background I just bought a cheap black sheet from walmart. It works fine but after you've done a # of shots with it you kinda get tired of seeing the same background. 

Here's the link to my Flickr page. You can see the shots that I've done using the studio lights. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christyharris/


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## BERN (Jan 31, 2014)

I can't see your flickr page from work. I'll check that out this evening. 

I have been watching the David Hobby video series "Lighting in Layers". He has a light meter but never uses it. He says that if you shoot enough that you can pretty much dial in your lighting manually.This what I do. When you think about it you are usually inside, outside with sun or outside with clouds. Clearly there are a lot of variables with light to subject distance, etc. I saw somewhere an exercise where you go out and take one exposure with a guess and then work on getting the fewest shots to dial it in using aperature,SS or ISO. The goal is to get to proper exposure in 3 shots or less. Where i am now I usually take 4 or 5. The beauty of digital is that this only costs time.

For example, I shot some portraits for my work Christmas party with the decorated tree and a blown out white backdrop. I used two 42" shoot through umbrellas, one for key and one for fill. I found the exposure that would give a good key light and let the tree lights show up as well, then I dialed down the fill until the proportion looked ok, then I dialed up the light on the background until it was blowing it out to pure white but still gave me a good recycle time. My wife stood in for all these shots and it took me about 3 or 4 minutes. Then I was set up for groups of up to 8 people or so. 

All of that being said, I really want to get a meter. As much for a learning tool as anything.


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## Sea dawg1978 (Jan 31, 2014)

This is something that I have thought about getting into myself. Would it be cheaper to get a couple of speedlites with umbrellas and soft boxes rather than strobes? Also I have a 430 exII that I can use with my 60d wirelessly, if I were to get a cheaper flash would I still be able to set my 430 as the master and have the other as a slave even if its not a canon flash without having to get the flash triggers?


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## Crickett (Jan 31, 2014)

I also have the 430EXII flash but have never used it off camera. As for it being cheaper to use the flashes I don't really know  ........I bought my lights used for around $250. I really only use 2 of the 3 lights for most of my shots that I've done.


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## sgtgacop (Jan 31, 2014)

Crickett said:


> Hey Bern
> 
> I've used mine for portraits mostly. I have not made a profession out of it. Mostly just done shots for friends of mine & shots of my kids.
> 
> ...




I checked out you Flicker acct.  Great shots, but it looks like some one is having a little to much fun diving over the patrol car.  No No:


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## Crickett (Jan 31, 2014)

sgtgacop said:


> I checked out you Flicker acct.  Great shots, but it looks like some one is having a little to much fun diving over the patrol car.  No No:



Thank you! 

Ha ha....that was at Jeep Fest 2012! It's a yearly fundraising event held in Pickens County! Did you see the guy in the red shirt watching? That's the Sheriff! The patrol car being crushed was actually my husband's Uncle's patrol car!


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## BERN (Jan 31, 2014)

Very nice shots on your Flickr page. Looks like you are having a lot of fun with those lights!


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## sgtgacop (Jan 31, 2014)

Crickett said:


> Thank you!
> 
> Ha ha....that was at Jeep Fest 2012! It's a yearly fundraising event held in Pickens County! Did you see the guy in the red shirt watching? That's the Sheriff! The patrol car being crushed was actually my husband's Uncle's patrol car!



Well since it was a fundraiser i guess it's ok.


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## Crickett (Feb 1, 2014)

BERN said:


> Very nice shots on your Flickr page. Looks like you are having a lot of fun with those lights!



I'm sure the exposures in those are not perfect but I liked the results. 

Also, I am still learning & understanding lighting ratios.


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## BERN (Feb 1, 2014)

I think personal taste is what it is all about. The ratios look pretty good. It is easy to over think it.

It looks like you are doing what i am doing. Using family and friends as guinea pigs until you gain your confidence. Setting the light ratios when you have a lot of time is fun. I have had a couple of instances where I felt like I was under pressure. The fun then didn't come until I was looking at everything in lightroom. I have decided that it is a lot like playing a musical instrument. Practice and practice until I have a "feel" for where I want things to be.


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## pdsniper (Feb 3, 2014)

you’re going to be shocked at the detail you will get with Studio lights 
I was amazed the first time I used mine, this is a picture I did for my buddy at NightForce Scopes after I learned how to use them


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## BERN (Feb 3, 2014)

Nice. Care to share what kind of heads and modifiers you are using?


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## pdsniper (Feb 3, 2014)

Im using White Lightning 5000 with umbrellas


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## BriarPatch99 (Feb 3, 2014)

I have three of these ... http://www.photogenic.com/item/84/183/pl500drc-500-ws-solair/  ... I bought these as kits ... I use a 36"x48" softbox on one as the "main" ... I use another with a 60" umbrella as my "fill" light... I may add another if needed ...

I use two of these as background/hair lights with a set of barn doors ... http://www.photogenic.com/item/25/176/akc160-160-ws-ac-power/

I am guilty of using three Canon flash ... a 580EX, a 550EX & a 430EX using ratios ... on location from time to time..  the 580 on camera ... the 550 & 430 on light stands ...

I use a Minolta IVF light meter ...

KEH right in Atlanta, GA is a good place to find good used lighting/equipment ... B & H Photo also offers some good used lights/equipment ...

Thanks for the kudos Cricket!


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## BERN (Feb 3, 2014)

pdsniper said:


> Im using White Lightning 5000 with umbrellas



Nice. I am a Paul C buff fan. Like your photo, I just simply see consistently good results with his equipment.

Some day...


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## BERN (Feb 3, 2014)

BriarPatch99 said:


> I have three of these ... http://www.photogenic.com/item/84/183/pl500drc-500-ws-solair/  ... I bought these as kits ... I use a 36"x48" softbox on one as the "main" ... I use another with a 60" umbrella as my "fill" light... I may add another if needed ...
> 
> I use two of these as background/hair lights with a set of barn doors ... http://www.photogenic.com/item/25/176/akc160-160-ws-ac-power/
> 
> ...


 
I am curious. Are you using a ttl trigger system when you use the canon flashes? I'm using Chinese triggers right now. Most of what I have read suggests you don't need it. Some people swear by it. I just bought a 580. The rest of mine are all manual.


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## BriarPatch99 (Feb 3, 2014)

The built in Canon (uses coded flashes of light) ... the 580 & 550 both can act as "master" ... the 430 as a slave only... I place the 580 on camera ... the 550 & or the 430 as a slave on two light weight light stands...  as long as the  sensor can read the master all is well ...  has to be line of sight though... E-TTL


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## BERN (Feb 4, 2014)

So if you use the in-camera fec you are affecting all 3 lights at the same time? Or can you change the ratio?


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## BriarPatch99 (Feb 4, 2014)

You can control the ratio while using FEC... as far as I know only the Canon will work with each other ...  this link explains it better than I can...   http://super.nova.org/DPR/Canon/MultiCanon/


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