This would be awesome if it were possible... but the more I research this the harder I find it to believe. But all of your guys' extreme confidence is reassuring at least.
WTF? What research?? Anyone who has *ever* used a softbox *knows* that this is it's main reason for existence, to give a large swath of soft diffused light, just like the effects of a window streaming into a room! On top of that, it is controllable, where as one cannot normally change the position of a window or the sun's angle, one can EASILY change the position of a softbox!
I don't think you understand my question... can man made light be used to replace natural light?
No, *you* are not getting it. In how many ways do you want us to answer "YES!"... and in how many ways do you want us to say "... AND MORE!"?
This is a great start, but I went through a lot of those pictures and only saw a few that I thought were nice looking pictures, and they used a combination of natural light and man made light.
It's called photography, not "let's make every picture look the same".

BTW, interesting that you got through over 288,000 pictures in a single evening. I am sure there are more than a couple there that do it... for some reason, you are just being stubborn about it... and I know why, yet you refuse to address the situation... get your GIRLFRIEND on here and let her ask herself!
but thinking about it rationally how can humans recreate the effects of something as awesome as the sun? I'm starting to believe that the reason why natural light photographers pictures look different than studio pictures is because they cannot be reproduced identically in the studio. Or perhaps they can be, but its not worth the cost??
You are really stuck on a treadmill on the fast track to nowhere. You do not use a studio to do landscape shots. One does not use a garbage truck to win NASCAR races. You need to sit down and define your goals, friend. Do you want to shoot landscapes or do you want to shoot portraiture?
Are you talking studio lighting or not? If you are talking studio lighting, don't be introducing garbage trucks into NASCAR races.
Really... get your GF here, if she is a photographer, and understands lighting, she will have a MUCH stronger comprehension of the basics (we at least presume that someone that wants to open a studio *does* have that minimum skill set!).
At this point, I feel like I am banging my head into a wall trying to talk A-B-Cs of lighting to someone that is clueless, and it is frustrating.
On to the next thread.