Flash Question

[mbstyles]

Hello this is my first post. I have a question on studio flashes. I am looking to pick up some studio flashes and I was curious as to how I should approach this. If money is not an issue should I do the following: Pick up 3 1000w flashes, or 3 various ones, ie. 250, 500, 1000.

Primarily what I am looking to do is studio portrait work to include full body. The reason I am aiming for 3 1000w units is because they can be stepped down to serve as a 250 or 500w unit, however a lower powered unit cannot be brought up. Am I right in this thinking. Granted most of the time I do not think I would have need for 3 1000w units but if I do a bigger scene the power is there, unlike if i had smaller units.

Can anyone give any feedback to my thinking. I might be wrong in this and would love to hear some input. Please keep in mind when responding that this isnt about the economic approach merely the technicalities of it.

 

[KmH]

Main, fill, hair, rim, kicker, a couple for the backdrop. That's 7 lights. I'd consider getting a couple more, just in case (backup).

But you're right, the fill, rim, hair, kicker lights don't need to be as powerful as the main and background lights, because of lighting ratios.

Will you ever want/need to use the lights outdoors on location? If so, 1000 w/s may not be enough power.

 

[Big Mike]

It really depends how you shoot & where you shoot. Outdoors, you may need a lot of power to compete with the natural light. Indoors, is a small space, you may want to use lower powered lights so that you don't have to use a tiny aperture.

Having more power is, of course, a nice option to have, but check how many stops you can turn the light down...especially if you will be shooting in a tight space.

If you have no experience with studio lighting, you may want to ease into this and just get one light. Many photographers will tell you that they successfully learned with one light or that they wish they had started out with only one.
If you do want to buy the whole kit, I'd suggest 4 lights. Main, fill and then two for background (bright field) or hair/kicker/accent/background (dark field).

You will also want to consider the modifiers you will want. Umbrellas are useful and cheap, but I prefer softboxes because they control the light better. You may want grids, barn doors, snoots etc. to help aim & shape your lights.

Of course, you'll need stands, maybe cases etc.

You might also consider a pack & head system (assuming we have been talking about monolights so far).