Home Studio Kit?

Jase

Jase

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I'm planning on converting my garage into a small home studio very shortly.

Almost all of my photography has been outdoors landscape etc but now I have the oportunity to have a small home studio I think its a good time to buy some lighting and learn how to use it.

I'll use it from everything from still life, portrait/fashion, products etc so I need advise on the best kit to get starting off.

I'm not sure of a budget, I tend to overspend most of the time so if I can avoid that and say budget of £2000, please let me know if I'm way off, lol

Thanks!
 
mike weeks said:
Can I suggest that first you learn how to use it and then buy. £2K will buy you plenty of gear

Mike
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Good suggestion but I need something to be able to learn how to use it properly. I don't know anyone with any equiment I can loan so I need to buy some. The £2K was a rough guess, if I can get a kit that will do what I need in a small studio for much less then even better!
 
How high is the garage roof?

If you're planning on full height portraits and your roof is only 7ft, most of your budget will go on a new roof and then some budget lighting.
 
Phil V said:
How high is the garage roof?

If you're planning on full height portraits and your roof is only 7ft, most of your budget will go on a new roof and then some budget lighting.
Click to expand...

Not measured it but would guess about 12-15 feet
 
Jase said:
Not measured it but would guess about 12-15 feet
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In that case...

Book a course, it'll make much more sense than spending a fortune and trying to self learn.

I like the analogy of lights / modifiers with cameras / lenses.

Newbies think spending hundreds on the 'best' lights and then only having enough for a softbox and some overpriced brollies is a good starting point.

But a selection of different modifiers, bits of black card and blu tac will make a better investment.

The best advice though, I nicked off @Garry Edwards 'there's only one sun' so you only need one light, other lights, reflectors etc are there to do a specific job, not to compete with the key-light
 
Jase said:
Good suggestion but I need something to be able to learn how to use it properly. I don't know anyone with any equiment I can loan so I need to buy some. The £2K was a rough guess, if I can get a kit that will do what I need in a small studio for much less then even better!
Click to expand...

Best place to look is the photography show, you can ask more questions about more kit than anywhere else but if you can not wait until then I echo Phil's advice - learn to light with one light well and every other light is a bonus

Mike
 
Phil V said:
In that case...

Book a course, it'll make much more sense than spending a fortune and trying to self learn.

I like the analogy of lights / modifiers with cameras / lenses.

Newbies think spending hundreds on the 'best' lights and then only having enough for a softbox and some overpriced brollies is a good starting point.

But a selection of different modifiers, bits of black card and blu tac will make a better investment.

The best advice though, I nicked off @Garry Edwards 'there's only one sun' so you only need one light, other lights, reflectors etc are there to do a specific job, not to compete with the key-light
Click to expand...

I will book a course as I agree that is a great place to start, I'd like to think I know some of the basics but not a lot! I've been on a one day course before but at the time I did not have the space to get the gear to put any of it into practice. I've got a few idea for things I want to do and have done some planning with set.a.light 3D but I want to get it done properly.

Booking a course at the moment is very difficult for me as I am on call every day/night/weekend until some time into next year (and yeah that does suck....)

I was hoping someone would say something like the Elinchrom 3 set head kit or something like that is a good starting point.


mike weeks said:
Best place to look is the photography show, you can ask more questions about more kit than anywhere else but if you can not wait until then I echo Phil's advice - learn to light with one light well and every other light is a bonus

Mike
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I been going to that show for many years and already have tickets for the 2017 show :) Actually some of the stuff I want to do is with one light as I want a rembrandt style which I like.
 
The cheapest flashes are a waste of money, and make life difficult for photographers becasue of their limitations and inconsistencies.
The most expensive brands are overkill for nearly everyone, and are a bit like buying a Ferrari to go to the supermarket in, and that's assuming that the Ferrari is even a decent car, so go mid range.

Portrait photography doesn't need much in the way of equipment, although you'll need a minimum of 4 flash heads if you want to produce white background shots. A big softbox (which you seem to have the height for) an umbrella and a beauty dish will give you plenty of scope.
Product photography isn't much more demanding, And uses the same equipment. You'll also need a boom arm, and almost certainly one or two different honeycombs, which fit to the standard reflectors on your flashes.
Fashion photography basically requires (the way I do it anyway) a pair of strip softboxes with honeycombs, as well as a beauty dish and/or a softbox, and an umbrella. I take hundreds of shots in quick succession, which means ultra fast recycling, and I take the shots with the subject moving on the spot, which means a flash that freezes movement, and our SuperFast Flash heads make light work of both of those requirements.

On the knowledge side, please click on the link in my signature that takes you to our Learning Centre - over 200 tutorials on lighting. Some will be directly relevant, some less so, but is about creating the right shadows in the right places and the principles of lighting apply to just about every type of subject


mike weeks said:
Best place to look is the photography show, you can ask more questions about more kit than anywhere else but if you can not wait until then I echo Phil's advice - learn to light with one light well and every other light is a bonus

Mike
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On many stands though you'll struggle to find anyone who knows anywhere near as much as they pretend to.
 
Phil V said:
If you want a simple recommendation, Lencarta do some great kits and and @Garry Edwards provides fantastic after and pre sales advice for them.
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Thanks, just had a look on their site and seems like a good place to start.

mike weeks said:
Even Rembrandt style of lighting can benefit from more than one light

Mike
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That was my point, it's all very well saying learn to light with one light but before very long you want or need another which is why I was looking for a kit to start with.

andrewc said:
and plenty of tutorials on their website...
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Thanks
 
Garry Edwards said:
The cheapest flashes are a waste of money, and make life difficult for photographers becasue of their limitations and inconsistencies.
The most expensive brands are overkill for nearly everyone, and are a bit like buying a Ferrari to go to the supermarket in, and that's assuming that the Ferrari is even a decent car, so go mid range.

Portrait photography doesn't need much in the way of equipment, although you'll need a minimum of 4 flash heads if you want to produce white background shots. A big softbox (which you seem to have the height for) an umbrella and a beauty dish will give you plenty of scope.
Product photography isn't much more demanding, And uses the same equipment. You'll also need a boom arm, and almost certainly one or two different honeycombs, which fit to the standard reflectors on your flashes.
Fashion photography basically requires (the way I do it anyway) a pair of strip softboxes with honeycombs, as well as a beauty dish and/or a softbox, and an umbrella. I take hundreds of shots in quick succession, which means ultra fast recycling, and I take the shots with the subject moving on the spot, which means a flash that freezes movement, and our SuperFast Flash heads make light work of both of those requirements.

On the knowledge side, please click on the link in my signature that takes you to our Learning Centre - over 200 tutorials on lighting. Some will be directly relevant, some less so, but is about creating the right shadows in the right places and the principles of lighting apply to just about every type of subject
Click to expand...

I think you understood what I was getting at I didn't want to buy cheap (buy cheap buy twice) but equally I didn't want to do what I normally do and buy stuff that is overkill.

I'll take a good look at the website later but it looks exactly what I need... thank you! I'll be in touch :)
 
I really hate to say this but no matter what you buy now you will probably replace in 2-3 years anyway as your demands from the kit will change as you develop your style. Modifiers are the most expensive part of the kit & for most people they are either Bowens S mount or Elinchrom.

Decide which 'format you want to go with & work from there.
 
I've been mulling this over, and notwithstanding what @Diving Pete said about it only being a start...

With your budget I'd be tempted by some super fasts, they're great fun, and will ensure that it's not the gear that's limiting you.
 
Jase said:
I need something to be able to learn how to use it properly. I don't know anyone with any equipment I can loan
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This issue is a real problem when learning, esp for people on a tight budget who cannot afford many of the courses due to expense - the course eats into your kit buying money, so sometimes the only financial way is to research very carefully and buy kit with caution and learn from what you have bought.

As I say to everyone, B and H Photo videos on YouTube are a great place to learn for free - every subject covered by a load of big name teachers.

What I found very helpful was a facebook group local to my town (maybe camera clubs do similar if you research them and check out the club event programs). The facebook group was of local amateur photographers who would get together once per month and co-ordinate with models and makeup artists. The photographers would rent the local village hall one day at the weekend and everyone would pitch in with studio heads, speedlights, makeup and posing. The makeup and models all got free shots for their portfolios (make sure you use model release forms). I hadno experience of lighting and no lighting kit, so I used to go early and help them set up all their backdrops, lightstands etc and help break it down and pack it at the end of the day. You can learn so much from just chatting to people in 'downtime' - so much useful stuff from the makeup artists, so much to learn about how to treat models well (so many teat them like objects). The people who brought lighting were excited by and proud of their kit and were so keen to share info about it and teach others how to use it and place lights etc.

I hate facebook generally, but I suggest you search it for Groups in your area - not just photography, but also makeup and modelling people who can link you to helpful photographic groups. Most areas seem to have some kind of meet in real life social event attached to such groups as well.

The good thing is, you also learn what you do not want to invest in photographically or on a personal level, which is as useful as knowing what you do want.
 
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Phil V said:
I've been mulling this over, and notwithstanding what @Diving Pete said about it only being a start...

With your budget I'd be tempted by some super fasts, they're great fun, and will ensure that it's not the gear that's limiting you.
Click to expand...


I would look at this kit, the latest spec from Godox, Lencarta Superfasts are the previous version http://shop.photomart.co.uk/lightin.../godox-qt-ii-600-studio-2-flash-head-kit.html if you want to use that budget and because they have the Godox X1 trigger system built in they have compatability with a vast range of lighting also supplied under other names.

Mike
 
Phil V said:
I've been mulling this over, and notwithstanding what @Diving Pete said about it only being a start...

With your budget I'd be tempted by some super fasts, they're great fun, and will ensure that it's not the gear that's limiting you.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking that, and thanks again for your advice.

MidnightUK said:
I hate facebook generally, but I suggest you search it for Groups in your area - not just photography, but also makeup and modelling people who can link you to helpful photographic groups. Most areas seem to have some kind of meet in real life social event attached to such groups as well.

The good thing is, you also learn what you do not want to invest in photographically or on a personal level, which is as useful as knowing what you do want.
Click to expand...

I actually go to a camera club (when I can).. they haven't done this since I've been there but great idea

mike weeks said:
I would look at this kit, the latest spec from Godox, Lencarta Superfasts are the previous version http://shop.photomart.co.uk/lightin.../godox-qt-ii-600-studio-2-flash-head-kit.html if you want to use that budget and because they have the Godox X1 trigger system built in they have compatability with a vast range of lighting also supplied under other names.

Mike
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Thanks :)
 
You'll see it said all over the place that you should start with one light and a single modifier and master that before going any further. I'm finally beginning to understand why but I needed to experiment with more elaborate setups before the penny dropped.

Anyway.. I'm prone to be over-elaborate but I've made a list of things I wouldn't be without.. your needs may differ:
  • 3 heads, but I could mainly replace one of them with a flashgun.
  • Small softbox
  • Quality boom arm
  • 2 x Stripboxes + grids
  • Standard dish reflectors + a variety of grids
  • A few snoots - but you can bodge these if need be
  • Cinefoil
  • Lots of big metal clamps
  • Duck tape
  • V flats - black on one side, white on the other
  • White / silver reflector & decent reflector holder
  • Triggers + decent batteries
  • A variety of stands - extra high, low-level and 'normal' height
Optional extras:
  • Large reflective / shoot-through convertible brolly
  • Small silver brollies
  • Small white brollies
  • Large white beauty dish, grid & sock
  • Large softbox & grid
  • Small silver beauty dish
  • Extra diffusers / silk frames, e.g. tracing paper or the inner from a 5 in 1 reflector - especially useful for product stuff
  • Lightweight boom arm for dangling things off, esp for product stuff
  • Backgrounds & stands
  • Black stage velvet for getting things properly black
  • Gloss black / white acrylic for bases for product stuff
  • Light (flash) meter
  • Tethering cable & software
  • Small mirrors - useful for product stuff
  • Gels
  • Blu Tac
  • Superfast IGBT lights
  • Silver & gold card - for drink photography
  • Another few heads
  • A variety of widgets for attaching things to other things - flashguns, flags, whatever.
Then there's more specialist stuff.. ring flashes, Fresnels, focusing spots, projectors, parabolic reflectors, fog machines and the like.
 
Much will depend on where you want to start. The odd portrait and product photography can be done with a reasonable amount of kit, once you mention the word fashion then Simons list above would cover most of that. Best to start modestly and build from there.
 
mike weeks said:
I would look at this kit, the latest spec from Godox, Lencarta Superfasts are the previous version http://shop.photomart.co.uk/lightin.../godox-qt-ii-600-studio-2-flash-head-kit.html if you want to use that budget and because they have the Godox X1 trigger system built in they have compatability with a vast range of lighting also supplied under other names.

Mike
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Mike, it might be an idea to point out that you work for Photomart on a part time/occasional basis...
We've looked at this version, it has absolutely nothing to offer studio photographers, other than a pretty LCD screen. It does have even shorter flash durations, but these are achieved at the expense of wildly variable colour temperature. And it's very expensive, and I think I'm right in saying that Photomart pricing is plus VAT..
We must be mad, with our 3 year warranty. We have one competitor whose warranty doesn't cover wear and tear, and we have another, offering a nominal 3 year warranty that is in fact limited to the warranty that the actual manufacturer offers, which in the case of Godox goods is just one year from date of despatch from the Godox factory...
How is it that the public can buy expensive equipment without reading the terms of the warranty offered?
juggler said:
You'll see it said all over the place that you should start with one light and a single modifier and master that before going any further. I'm finally beginning to understand why but I needed to experiment with more elaborate setups before the penny dropped.

Anyway.. I'm prone to be over-elaborate but I've made a list of things I wouldn't be without.. your needs may differ:
  • 3 heads, but I could mainly replace one of them with a flashgun.
  • Small softbox
  • Quality boom arm
  • 2 x Stripboxes + grids
  • Standard dish reflectors + a variety of grids
  • A few snoots - but you can bodge these if need be
  • Cinefoil
  • Lots of big metal clamps
  • Duck tape
  • V flats - black on one side, white on the other
  • White / silver reflector & decent reflector holder
  • Triggers + decent batteries
  • A variety of stands - extra high, low-level and 'normal' height
Optional extras:
  • Large reflective / shoot-through convertible brolly
  • Small silver brollies
  • Small white brollies
  • Large white beauty dish, grid & sock
  • Large softbox & grid
  • Small silver beauty dish
  • Extra diffusers / silk frames, e.g. tracing paper or the inner from a 5 in 1 reflector - especially useful for product stuff
  • Lightweight boom arm for dangling things off, esp for product stuff
  • Backgrounds & stands
  • Black stage velvet for getting things properly black
  • Gloss black / white acrylic for bases for product stuff
  • Light (flash) meter
  • Tethering cable & software
  • Small mirrors - useful for product stuff
  • Gels
  • Blu Tac
  • Superfast IGBT lights
  • Silver & gold card - for drink photography
  • Another few heads
  • A variety of widgets for attaching things to other things - flashguns, flags, whatever.
Then there's more specialist stuff.. ring flashes, Fresnels, focusing spots, projectors, parabolic reflectors, fog machines and the like.
Click to expand...
Pretty much my own list, but you know a lot of the bits and pieces are just found items, or items designed for different purposes. A lot of the bits and pieces that I have, for example mirror surfaces, I just get from Ebay at silly cheap prices.

It very often depends on exactly what you're doing, not only in terms of what you need to be able to do, but also in terms of presentation. For product photography for example, you need all sorts of odd bits and pieces but they don't need to look nice, but for portrait photography you need things to look tidy and 'professional'.

Personally I have the attitude that I will always buy the right gear for the job (I will neither buy junk nor pay too much) but I will never buy anything until there is a proven business need for it, so I think that the name of the game is to buy the obvious essentials and then build on that later.
 
Jase said:
to buy some lighting and learn how to use it
Click to expand...

Bloody'll you guys - all thumping your chests with kit overkill (no offence intended) if you ask me for someone who's stated that they're looking to buy some lighting and learn how to use it!

Baby steps... start with one light, one modifier (personally, I'd go for a softbox that can take grids) and a reflector. A good place to start. You'll be amazed at what you can learn to create with that. Save yourself some of that £2000 for when you've mastered step 1.

Just my opinion...
 
Garry Edwards said:
Mike, it might be an idea to point out that you work for Photomart on a part time/occasional basis...
We've looked at this version, it has absolutely nothing to offer studio photographers, other than a pretty LCD screen. It does have even shorter flash durations, but these are achieved at the expense of wildly variable colour temperature. And it's very expensive, and I think I'm right in saying that Photomart pricing is plus VAT.
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I make no secret of it Garry, normally I would link to the Flashhavoc site as that is independent

As I said it is part of a system, a very large system which is perfect for the type of photography I do, 1 trigger and every size of flash I need - worth looking at is this http://flashhavoc.com/godox-flash-system-overview/

It actually has 2 modes like a number of other manufacturers, a stable colour mode and a speed mode

  • Flash Duration (T.1) – 1/316s – 1/28948s (in Speed Mode)
  • Color Temperature – 5600K +/- 200K (in Stable Color Mode)
Yes Photomart is pus VAT, and they make that clear on their site and whilst this unit is not the cheapest light it by a long way not the dearest that gets talked about in this section

Have a read of http://flashhavoc.com/flashpoint-rapid-600-now-available/ - this is the Adorama badged unit which may be very slightly different to the Godox QT600II but gives most of the info

Mike
 
sunnyside_up said:
Bloody'll you guys - all thumping your chests with kit overkill (no offence intended) if you ask me for someone who's stated that they're looking to buy some lighting and learn how to use it!

Baby steps... start with one light, one modifier (personally, I'd go for a softbox that can take grids) and a reflector. A good place to start. You'll be amazed at what you can learn to create with that. Save yourself some of that £2000 for when you've mastered step 1.

Just my opinion...
Click to expand...

Which is why I said

mike weeks said:
Can I suggest that first you learn how to use it and then buy. £2K will buy you plenty of gear
Click to expand...

It does however make sense to buy a kit with 2 or 3 lights as you normally make a good saving and just because you have 2 or 3 lights does not mean you need to use them all.

Mike
 
mike weeks said:
Which is why I said



It does however make sense to buy a kit with 2 or 3 lights as you normally make a good saving and just because you have 2 or 3 lights does not mean you need to use them all.

Mike
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Sorry, didn't see your message. A simple 'What @mike weeks says' would have sufficed.
 
sunnyside_up said:
Bloody'll you guys - all thumping your chests with kit overkill (no offence intended) if you ask me for someone who's stated that they're looking to buy some lighting and learn how to use it!

Baby steps... start with one light, one modifier (personally, I'd go for a softbox that can take grids) and a reflector. A good place to start. You'll be amazed at what you can learn to create with that. Save yourself some of that £2000 for when you've mastered step 1.

Just my opinion...
Click to expand...

Yeah, my reply prob'ly wasn't that helpful for a beginner... but if he _is_ determined to spend £2k then I can help, it's always fun spending other people's money :)
 
Jase said:
I actually go to a camera club (when I can).. they haven't done this since I've been there but great idea
Click to expand...

I gave up on them after going to or researching my local ones as they were obsessed with sitting around criticising photos instead of actually learning new things. I sometimes wonder how much they actually enable newer photographers to get stuck in a rut before they have even explored photography much. i am sure there are better clubs in other locations though. The facebook group I found were very much up and at it in going out the house/club and trying new things out in real life.
 
juggler said:
I'm prone to be over-elaborate but I've made a list of things I wouldn't be without.. your needs may differ:
Click to expand...

That is such a handy list.

"my reply probably wasn't that helpful for a beginner..."
Not sure that is true. There is other advice about what to start with, however the OP may wish to hold back some of the budget for later purchases if some of you list might cover future needs. There is nothing more disappointing than blowing any budget and then finding you cannot fulfil your project (any project) as you have no finance left in reserve for an unexpected need.

Only thing I would add is that a softbox can always be made 'smaller' with drapes or cinefoil, but cannot be made bigger, so maybe dont start with a very small one, something medium might be more flexible?
 
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MidnightUK said:
That is such a handy list.

"my reply probably wasn't that helpful for a beginner..."
Not sure that is true. There is other advice about what to start with, however the OP may wish to hold back some of the budget for later purchases if some of you list might cover future needs. There is nothing more disappointing than blowing any budget and then finding you cannot fulfil your project (any project) as you have no finance left in reserve for an unexpected need.

Only thing I would add is that a softbox can always be made 'smaller' with drapes or cinefoil, but cannot be made bigger, so maybe dont start with a very small one, something medium might be more flexible?
Click to expand...

My points were really
(a) a lot of the useful stuff isn't the lights and conventional modifiers so much as the bodge-it kit - clamps, tape, reflectors, flats, cinefoil and the like.
(b) there are an awful lot of things you could buy but it's pretty much impossible to work it all out in advance. Acquiring as the need arises is a good bet.

..and if you've got room for a v flat of some sort then you can make a light source as large as you like from a standard dish reflector.
 
I have the chance to buy a couple of Bowens Gemini GM500R together with stands, reflectors etc, carry case.

Are these any good?? anything to look out for buying used?
 
Jase said:
I have the chance to buy a couple of Bowens Gemini GM500R together with stands, reflectors etc, carry case.

Are these any good?? anything to look out for buying used?
Click to expand...
It's a basic workhorse, a bit outdated, with an expensive but not great radio trigger system, and it isn't fan cooled - but well worth buying if the price is right, these lights have a good reputation for reliability
 
Garry Edwards said:
It's a basic workhorse, a bit outdated, with an expensive but not great radio trigger system, and it isn't fan cooled - but well worth buying if the price is right, these lights have a good reputation for reliability
Click to expand...

Thanks that's what I thought may be the case. Price is £400 with one flash being triggered by the offer (only 1 card whatever that means) is that reasonable?
 
I do a lot of home studio stuff and I started out with a two head lencarta kit and have added to it along the way. It's great fun and you should shoot as much as you can!
 
Jase said:
Thanks that's what I thought may be the case. Price is £400 with one flash being triggered by the offer (only 1 card whatever that means) is that reasonable?
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It's about what you would pay for something similar from us, but new and with full remote control/triggering, for example this one, which unfortunately is out of stock https://www.lencarta.com/elitepro-2-umbrella-twin-head-kit-600w. I can't say whether that is too much or not as I don't know how much these things normally go for.
I'm interpreting what you've said as only one flash has the required Pulsar radio trigger card, which means that only the other one will be fired remotely, the one with no card will have to act as a slave, which works most of the time. If you do buy it though, make sure that it comes with the Pulsar transmitter, which fits into your camera hotshoe - not cheap if you end up buying it separately.
 
Jase said:
Thanks that's what I thought may be the case. Price is £400 with one flash being triggered by the offer (only 1 card whatever that means) is that reasonable?
Click to expand...
It's a 'reasonable' price for the kit, but you can buy new with a warranty for less, it's the difference between a 10 year old focus or a brand new Kia.

The Kia will have more bells and whistles and a rock solid warranty, but the Focus was a 'better' car than a Kia in its time, but with no CD player and no warranty I'd give it a miss.

Ultimately it's your garage you're filling though.
 
Garry Edwards said:
It's about what you would pay for something similar from us, but new and with full remote control/triggering, for example this one, which unfortunately is out of stock https://www.lencarta.com/elitepro-2-umbrella-twin-head-kit-600w. I can't say whether that is too much or not as I don't know how much these things normally go for.
I'm interpreting what you've said as only one flash has the required Pulsar radio trigger card, which means that only the other one will be fired remotely, the one with no card will have to act as a slave, which works most of the time. If you do buy it though, make sure that it comes with the Pulsar transmitter, which fits into your camera hotshoe - not cheap if you end up buying it separately.
Click to expand...


Phil V said:
It's a 'reasonable' price for the kit, but you can buy new with a warranty for less, it's the difference between a 10 year old focus or a brand new Kia.

The Kia will have more bells and whistles and a rock solid warranty, but the Focus was a 'better' car than a Kia in its time, but with no CD player and no warranty I'd give it a miss.
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Thanks both, I'm going to give it a miss and go for new.
 
Jase said:
Thanks both, I'm going to give it a miss and go for new.
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The Lencarta Smartflash, whilst not as powerful is plenty of power for home studio* use.

I'd go for a nice bunch of modifiers and a good boom arm with the cheaper heads, it'll give a great selection of toys.

*Unless your home is Chatsworth and you're wanting front to back sharpness on large format.
 
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