What should I invest in

[debbiedrew]

<p>I want to try some portrait photography and am looking for lighting - I don't want to spend alot in case it is not my forte - I have seen some sets from Cowboy Studio online that are reasonable - is it better to buy one of these and try it out and then invest in good lighting.<br>

Also for a beginner is continuous lighting or monolights better, and softboxes vs umbrellas. Most of my work will be done indoors for now.<br>

Or if anyone can suggest some reasonable lighting to start with - budget under $400 for now<br>

Thanks<br>

Debbie</p>

<p> </p>

[george_ghio]

<p>The last time I looked natural light was still good value. White and gold reflectors can be made or bought.</p>

<p>This should allow you to decide if portraits are your thing. </p>

<p>If you really want to spend your money then 3 or 4 speedlights and some creative thinking about reflectors and modifiers will allow you to decide and leave you with the speedlights for more creative outdoor shooting.</p>

[fotografz]

<p>To evaluate portrait lighting and whether it is what you want to do will require two basic things IMO.</p>

<p>To know what is possible with good lighting requires ... good lighting. At least lighting that provides access to suitable modifiers for the task at hand. </p>

<p>To know it well enough, requires some time and patience. There is no magic bullet.</p>

<p>A couple of Paul C. Buff strobes will do the trick, and if it isn't your cup of tea after giving yourself enough time to learn lighting and what is possible, then you can sell them ... they are quite popular so hold their value to some degree. If you want to step up your game after that, there are more extensive systems that provide unlimited possibilities. </p>

<p> </p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>This question is asked about once a week here and my answer is always the same. If you want to try portrait lighting and done want to spend more than a few hundred dollars, go over to <a href="http://www.strobist.com">www.strobist.com</a> and read through the Lighting 101 section. No, speedlights can't do everything studio strobes can do, but in the right hands they can do most of it, and it's a lot cheaper than buying monolights. No, you don't want continuous lighting for reasons that have been gone through over and over here. Start with umbrellas, they are easier and cheaper than softboxes when you're getting started.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Q. "...for a beginner is continuous lighting or monolights better, and softboxes vs umbrellas."<br /> A. Flash of any sort - either monolights or speedlights, and softboxes every time.<br /> Speedlights won't give you a modelling light though, and that might be a big disadvantage while trying to learn lighting. But if you have a good "feel" for light already, then you may find modelling lights superfluous. Also a reasonable flashmeter would be a good thing to have with any type of strobe lighting.</p>

<p>Light is just light, and cheap studio strobes are capable of giving results almost identical to the most expensive ones. What you're paying extra for is reliability, power, versatility, build-quality and convenience. If you don't mind the inconvenience when a loose-fitting mains plug falls out or when the modelling lamp starts melting the thin plastic case and you can't get a softbox to stay on the head, then go for the cheapest option.</p>

<p>PS. Re: Umbrella v softbox - <a href="http://jph-photography.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/softbox-umbrellas-from-steve-kaeser.html">things like this </a>can be got dirt cheap and give you the convenience of an umbrella with the light control of a softbox. I'd look no further.</p>

[nathansanborn]

Rodeo Joe,

 

Just curious on the reasoning for "softboxes every time"

[GerrySiegel]

<p>Under $400 sounds to me like a wicked number to get any half decent kind of set up. I would look hard for a place that can rent you some gear for a week to experiment,it would be worth it I think. Unless you have some speedlights already, your budget will be gobbled up fast. Used is a possibility. For light control a <strong>Photek</strong> Speedlighter gives the versatility of a large umbrella and a softbox diffusion panel too.(PS: If a budget light declares 50 watt modeling light, be careful on that buy. Me, I can barely see effect in any diffuser with a light 3 times that illumination....)</p>

[fotografz]

<p>Debora, consider this ... start simply with one studio type mono-light strobe with modifier as the key directional light source, and an on-camera TTL speed-light for fill ... and use bounce cards to augment. First modifier consideration should be a big softbox as previously suggested. Umbrellas are harder to control the light, and control is the objective of using lighting. </p>

<p>The advantage of this simple system is you will learn the basics and can add from there. Unlike continuous lighting, this can also go portable where there is no AC power available by adding a lithium battery to drive the strobe.</p>

<p> </p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<blockquote>Just curious on the reasoning for "softboxes every time"</blockquote>

<p>- Because softboxes don't spill light everywhere like a typical umbrella. Umbrellas are generally inefficient too, since the ubiquitous white shoot-through loses half the light either to unwanted reflection or unwanted transmission. That lost light has to go somewhere, and it usually bounces around the studio diluting any mood or drama you've tried to build with the key light.<br>

The level of diffusion of a softbox can also be changed (on most designs) by removing the inner diffuser panel, and for highly reflective subjects a square or rectangular evenly-lit reflection is usually more acceptable than a spoked octagonal one. So for those reasons I'd go with softboxes over umbrellas as a diffused lightsource every time. However, the umbrella style softboxes I linked to are a good compromise where price, storage space and setup/knockdown time are at a premium.</p>

[the_mongrel_cat]

<p>education. go on a day or two day course, run by somebody who does the style that you want to work in. learn how they do it and what they use. then your question will answer itself.</p>