Strobe Question

[Naicidrac]

Hello all,
basically I need more light for my photos. I am getting more and more involved in photography and I need help buying a stobe setup. I am just like most of us and am on a budget, I just cant spend $5000 on a light set up. I am looking for mainly battery, but it would be nice to be able to plug into AC if they can work both ways. I just wanted to get a little advice as to which kind and where to start. I buy most of my gear at BH.

Thanks,
Naicidrac

 

[Big Mike]

What type of shooting are you doing?

 

[Naicidrac]

on location of people mainly. I would like to light up something as big as a car, but that can come later. I shoot Nikon and have two SB600s, but I have to put them prety close to the subject to get some good light and just want more light.

 

[Village Idiot]

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Other than getting more speed lights and using those, you're probably going to have to get strobes and a battery pack. Something cheap like the Alien Bees would run you about $1200 for just three lights and a battery. That's not counting accessories.

 

[JerryPH]

I am at 3 strobes (2 SB-600s and an SB-800) and can light up most rooms or an area of about 12-15 feet wide with this setup alone. That is at F/5.6 and ISO 400 and using reflective (bounce, not shoot through) umbrellas.

I feel as if you are talking 1-2 people and not getting enough light with 2 SB-600s? Without umbrellas, I would be blasting 2-4 people with your setup but light quality would drop some.

 

[tsaraleksi]

A couple of Alienbees would probably be your best bet, if you combine it with some radio triggers of some sort. The flexibility you can get from big strobes is a big advantage over smaller hotshoe strobes.

 

[Village Idiot]

A couple of Alienbees would probably be your best bet, if you combine it with some radio triggers of some sort. The flexibility you can get from big strobes is a big advantage over smaller hotshoe strobes.

Small strobes have more flexibility. Large strobes have more power.

I mean, Joe McNally did a shot of the guy changing the light bulb all the way at the top of the empire state building (I believe it was that building). You couldn't very well get a set of Profoto strobes up there.