Equipment to light backdrop

ravindram · Oct 18, 2011

I am getting into studio lighting and i was curious on what equipment to start off with. I basically just want to do seamless white background portraits (full body, half body, head). From what I've read just 1 flash wont do. I currently have a nikon SB-700 with a 28 inch apollo softbox . I was looking at this cheap kit to illuminate the background: Amazon.com: CowboyStudio 2800 Watt Continuous Lighting Kit with 14 Daylight bulbs, Softbox, Case and Light Stands for Video, Photography and Photo Studio: Camera & Photo

Is there anything else that i would need to make this setup work? If you guys can recommend any better equipment that will get the job done please let me know.

KmH · Oct 18, 2011

Check this out: I've moved the blog –> zackarias.com/blog » White Seamless Tutorial :: Part 1 :: Gear & Space

Oh...Little, if any, of Cowboy Studio gear is worth the money.

Village Idiot · Oct 19, 2011

And continuous may not be bright enough to expose the background as white.

ravindram · Oct 19, 2011

what would you guys recommend to expose the background properly. Again, i want to keep the costs as low as possible. Thanks for the help so far

Derrel · Oct 19, 2011

Well, a 28 inch Apollo is a VERY small, narrow-angle light source for full-bopdy shooting unless you have 25 feet to back it off from the subject...in which case, it's going to be about as hard a source as a bare SB-700 flash. SERIOUSLY.

You know, something has recently come to my attention from Westcott, the makers of the Apollo, and that is the Spiderlite TD5. Not so much for the lights, but for the 4-pack of lightbulb-based slave flashes for $119.

Westcott -Studio Strobe 5 Pack (120V)
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(1 reviews)

B&H# WESS5 Mfr# 4202

Price: $119.95

The Westcott 5 Pack: 3 Studio Strobes, 1 Master Strobe and Modeling Lamp.
Use these strobes, when the tungsten or fluorescent lights for the TD3 or TD5 fixture just aren't enough. Each strobe has a built-in slave, and Guide Number of 72. Each has a flash duration of 1/1000 second, 5800° Kelvin. The modeling light is 50 watts, 120 volts.