Lighting from places like ebay, b&q etc..

[AboutLee]

So tonight i did but of a photo shoot at home and the standard light wasn't bright enough, and i thought the flash spoilt the pictures. So could you really make your own lighting, by buying like some photography umbrellas, and such things like spot lamps etc..?

If so what sort of watt bulb would be needed? Or maybe recommend a light set or something? Could something like this work: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flexible-...ighting_Lamps_Lighting_SM&hash=item2c5f698e47

Im also thinking of continue lighting. And DIY lighting!

 

[amyl0359]

i dont know anything about DIY lighting but i got a 3 strobe set off ebay for about £150 including delivery it came with 3 stands, 3 lights (including bulbs and all attatchments), a barn door, 2 umberellas and 2 softboxes and it all packs down and comes in a travel bag i love it as im a beginner. If its money your trying to save on you could get a similar package with just 1 light and just get a softbox it will probably be half the price of the one i got hope this helps and if you want any more details about the product i got just message me good luck

 

[HappySnappy1977]

i dont know anything about DIY lighting but i got a 3 strobe set off ebay for about £150 including delivery it came with 3 stands, 3 lights (including bulbs and all attatchments), a barn door, 2 umberellas and 2 softboxes and it all packs down and comes in a travel bag i love it as im a beginner. If its money your trying to save on you could get a similar package with just 1 light and just get a softbox it will probably be half the price of the one i got hope this helps and if you want any more details about the product i got just message me good luck

I have just gone down this road and received it all yesterday. It looks ok and once I get my backdrop (another eBay special ) I'll get some pics and post them up on my other thread about this subject.

I think as long as your understanding that any DIY package of eBay cheapie you get will have issues with colour temperatures etc but simply look on it as a starter package then you'll be fine. Buy it, learn with it and sell it on!

 

[adamgasson]

A DIY setup will lack the power of a studio flash setup but it is doable. The main thing to consider are the bulbs. Ideally you'd want daylight balanced ones (which cost quite a bit). Also bear in mind they'll get pretty hot quite quickly. Also adding light modifiers may be an issue.

IMHO if I'd saved all the money I'd spent trying to do things on the cheap I could've just bought a good studio setup to start with. Equipment is better now than it ever has been, but you still sacrifice a lot for saving that money.

 

[AboutLee]

i dont know anything about DIY lighting but i got a 3 strobe set off ebay for about £150 including delivery it came with 3 stands, 3 lights (including bulbs and all attatchments), a barn door, 2 umberellas and 2 softboxes and it all packs down and comes in a travel bag i love it as im a beginner. If its money your trying to save on you could get a similar package with just 1 light and just get a softbox it will probably be half the price of the one i got hope this helps and if you want any more details about the product i got just message me good luck

Ill contact you now and see how things are with it.

I have just gone down this road and received it all yesterday. It looks ok and once I get my backdrop (another eBay special ) I'll get some pics and post them up on my other thread about this subject.

I think as long as your understanding that any DIY package of eBay cheapie you get will have issues with colour temperatures etc but simply look on it as a starter package then you'll be fine. Buy it, learn with it and sell it on!

Is it continue light? Or they just flash when you clicky cam?

A DIY setup will lack the power of a studio flash setup but it is doable. The main thing to consider are the bulbs. Ideally you'd want daylight balanced ones (which cost quite a bit). Also bear in mind they'll get pretty hot quite quickly. Also adding light modifiers may be an issue.

IMHO if I'd saved all the money I'd spent trying to do things on the cheap I could've just bought a good studio setup to start with. Equipment is better now than it ever has been, but you still sacrifice a lot for saving that money.

Thats true, but im just starting out and i don't wish to fork out a ton of money just yet

 

[specialman]

You need to think about how you want to light. Do you want a real mixture of soft and hard light? Do you just want to fill a room with light to help you shoot easier?

The latter is the easiest to do - just bounce a hotshoe flash off ceiling/walls and you have more light and you'll get pretty decent exposures inside, perfect for family shooting etc. Thing is, because you're not creating directional light so to speak, things can look evenly lit but a bit flat and boring. But you get s lot of keepers....

An off-camera lighting rig allows you to control light better using modifiers like softboxes and grids, but you need to invest in equipment that will be consistent on a shot-by-shot basis (i.e. no change in WB between flasheads, equal power amounts). The cheap sets are fine for basic stuff, although they lack overall quality, but you may quickly find that they can't provide you with what you want; that could be down to inconsistent power, not enough adjustability of power, no modelling light to help focussing, lack of additional modifiers....

A single flashgun on a remote trigger, accompanied by either a small softbox (12 to 24" in size) and/or a reflector disk is as good a starting place as any and you can do that with a stand for under £100.....

 

[AboutLee]

I would just like enough light to not use my flash on my camera. I may have to take a look at some such lights and see what i can find.

Do you have any suggestions?

 

[specialman]

It's one of those difficult questions....

I'm a lover if speedlights, as they're easy to set up, compact and portable. But they only have so much power, enough for indoors but not lighting massive spaces.

An on-camera flashy bounced to the ceiling is how I do most of the shots of family events, sometimes sticking an additional flashy in a corner to spice things up

 

[P1LFC]

For 'snapshots' I use a canon speedlight with a Gary Fong diffuser (tuppaware thingy). Spreads the light beautifully.