new flash or lights?

[stefanie33]

Need some added indoor lighting & I can't decide between a new bigger flash or actual lights....any suggestions?

 

[Big Mike]

Can you give us more information that that?

 

[Village Idiot]

What are "actual lights"?

 

[IgsEMT]

What do you have now? What are you shooting? What brand of gear are you using? What are you looking to get out? Is portability important?

If you wonder why ALL of the above Qs are important there here it goes:
When I'm shooting my kids running around at home, I put a flash on camera and bounce that sucker all over the walls.
When I'm doing a small event (about 60 ppl) it'll be my on-camera and a quantum. If the room is bigger then I'll add another AB.
When events are bit bigger, then I'll probably use both of my ABs, along with quantum and on-camera.
Some weddings that I shoot, during preceremony portraits, I'll setup 4 lights (two umbrellas for the subject(s) and two backlights).
You need to supply more 411 '

 

[stefanie33]

By actual lights, I mean umbrella & back lights... I shoot with a canon 1000D...will be shooting indoors with a backdrop...i've always prefered natural light, but wanted to give lights a try... For now, I use my built in flash and add flash fill on edit if needed....

 

[o hey tyler]

What do you mean by "back lights?" Are you talking about continuous lights, or flashes?

Also, all light is natural light. The only difference is, some of it is strobed light, and some of it is continuous or incidental light.

 

[Village Idiot]

By actual lights, I mean umbrella & back lights... I shoot with a canon 1000D...will be shooting indoors with a backdrop...i've always prefered natural light, but wanted to give lights a try... For now, I use my built in flash and add flash fill on edit if needed....

An umbrella is only a modifier. Back lights can be speedlights, monolights, pack and head lights, hot lights, incandescent lights, flourescent lights, the sun, a window, or whatever.

Lights - Sources that emit photons.

Flashes - (in relation to photography) light sources than emit a quick pulse of light. (interchangable with strobe)

Strobes - light sources than emit a quick pulse of light. (interchangable with flash)

Speed light / speed lite / hot shoe flash - Small flash that sits in a camera's hot shoe and will fire when triggered by the camera. Can be fired off camera like a more portable version of a monolight or pack and head system. Generally provide much less power that the afore mentioned types of light.

Mono light - flash that is generally larger and heavier with the power source build into the same housing at the bulbs.

Pack and head system - a system that consist of a power pack that is separate from the flash housing and connects via cables. Heads share overall power of the pack and are generally only adjustable in certain increments and ratios.

Continuous light - a light source that emits a continuous light. A light bulb is a continuous source. Generally requires much more power to provide anywhere near as much power as a flash/strobe.

Modifiers - objects that modify the shape, color, or quality of a light source. These can be umbrellas, soft boxes, grids, snoots, gels, colored bottles, tissues paper, carboard boxes, etc..

 

[Derrel]

Look at the Adorama Flashpoint 320M monolights. Best value per dollar spent on studio flash lighting. Got to the Adorama web site. You'll find them. THREE studio lights is a good number to begin with.

 

[mhbethea]

I was looking at the monflash ad are they good lights

 

[stefanie33]

Wow...villageidiot, you know your stuff...i've mostly done outdoor photography and just purchased a backdrop kit...I will def check into.the adorama....thank you!