studio equipment

[brighteyesphotos]

Ok, I got some extra cash to play with. Tell me, what would be a good basic studio lighting set up to have? I've been looking through ebay for kits but I don't want to get the wrong stuff. Mind you, I don't have THAT much cash. I have about $400-500 I can spend on this. What would you demand the kit to have? Softboxes or umbrellas? 2 or 3 lights? Stuff for wireless flash or no? And I want this to be light enough for me to take on location since I don't have a studio space other than my freezing and messy back room (Tony can verify the cold room).

 

[Digital Matt]

On a budget, I would recommend this kit:

http://alienbees.com/beginner.html

Add to that a 36" or bigger silver/white reflector, and you can take beautiful portraits. As far as taking it on location, it's very easy to pack up and transport, but you'll need power available. Portable power packs add to the cost. Alien Bees makes one, but I found one that is a bit cheaper and works.

http://www.innovatronix.com/cgi-bin...ductid=323&categoryname=Products and Services

 

[craig]

I am not sure of the work that you are trying to produce or your shooting style. Generally you can get away with a lot by shooting with two lights and tons of diffusion and gobos. I would go with strobes for portraits and tungsten if you shoot still life. I would not worry about the weight. Carrying heavy gear is a small price to pay for the amount of light that it puts out.