Need advice regarding lighting kit

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Lilbear

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So im looking into setting up a studio at home. I would like to start doing some children and family photography and some dog photography.
I am going to admit i have very little knowledge about lighting so obviously i need to get more clued up about those things and then practise practise practise.
I was going to get this lighting kit which is a softbox and a umbrella http://www.lencarta.com/studio-ligh...sh-studio-flash-lighting-kit-softbox-umbrella

But is 400Ws enough? Or should i go for 600Ws and why?

Also will i really need the umbrella or should i get 2 softboxes instead?

Or will i need even more lighting than that?

Any advice is much appreciated!!!!!!
 
400Ws is plenty for normal home studio use. On the very rare occasions when you may feel you need more, just increase your camera ISO a bit.
A twin umbrella kit is the cheapest option, but a kit with 1 umbrella and 1 softbox is generally better because it's more versatile. 2 softboxes takes away from that versatility.

A twin head kit is ideal for most people, but you will need more (twice as much) if you want to shoot against a blown white background, and will need more for some very specialised subjects, e.g. still life. The best advice I can give though is to get a 2 head kit, learn how to use it and then but extra lights only if there is a proven need for them.
 
Garry Edwards said:
400Ws is plenty for normal home studio use. On the very rare occasions when you may feel you need more, just increase your camera ISO a bit.
A twin umbrella kit is the cheapest option, but a kit with 1 umbrella and 1 softbox is generally better because it's more versatile. 2 softboxes takes away from that versatility.

A twin head kit is ideal for most people, but you will need more (twice as much) if you want to shoot against a blown white background, and will need more for some very specialised subjects, e.g. still life. The best advice I can give though is to get a 2 head kit, learn how to use it and then but extra lights only if there is a proven need for them.
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Just spent 3 days on a trade stand being asked exactly the same question a number of times and gave exactly the same answer each time.

Mike
 
I was going to get a white and black background. Does that mean i will not get good results on the white background with the 2 kit lighting and i will need more?
 
Lilbear said:
I was going to get a white and black background. Does that mean i will not get good results on the white background with the 2 kit lighting and i will need more?
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Yes it does. When shooting on a white background, the background becomes a separate subject that needs separate lighting. Some people say that just one light on the background will do but I'm not clever enough to do that, and use a minimum of 2 lights on the background.
 
So i would need like 2 umbrellas and 1 softbox to make it work or what kind of set up would u suggest to get good results?
 
Lilbear said:
So i would need like 2 umbrellas and 1 softbox to make it work or what kind of set up would u suggest to get good results?
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How much space do you have?
 
I am going to use our dining room so its about 3.6m x 3.8m ... just a rough guess though. The background i was going to buy is 2m wide if that helps.
 
Lilbear said:
So i would need like 2 umbrellas and 1 softbox to make it work or what kind of set up would u suggest to get good results?
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It all depends on the look that you are trying to achieve. As Garry suggests, 3-4 lights are 'better' as they give you more options and lighting styles. But if you are creative, you can get away with less i.e clever positioning of large white reflective panels made from polystyrene. It also depends on your lighting mods. A single large softbox can throw out a lot of soft light too.
 
As above, but be careful about a 'large' softbox - softboxes are typically used high, and ordinary living rooms have low ceilings. Also, softboxes look much bigger and take up a lot more space in a small room than they do on a webpage or a large studio.

My personal advice? Get a 2 head kit and learn how to get the best out of it. You can always add to what you have later, if you really feel the need for white background shots - which will be difficult in a small space.
Once you've got your kit, use just a single light at first, it's an easier learning experience, and you'll see small changes to the lighting and posing more easily too.
 
Thanks for all the advice, very helpful !!! I am going to go for the 2 kit or 3 kit lighting, just need to make a decision and see what my budget is once i get all the other stuff like backgrounds etc
 
If I was being honest, I'd say forget the backgrounds (for now), and buy one decent light and a reflector (or buy a 2 head kit and keep the 2nd light in it's box)

Cheap backgrounds, clumsy posing and 3 studio lights will give you awful photographs. Learn to light with a single light, and just a simple uncluttered background (a small spot in the house) which will give you all you need to create great photo's (once you've cracked posing, communication and use of the single light). Starting with too many technical variables will mean you can't concentrate on the really important issue - communicating with your subject.
 
Would the 600w 2 lighting kit be too much for a home studio? Are the elitepro lights more for larger studios?
 
600ws is overkill for the space you intend to use them in. You could get away with 250ws. You can always add more lights later if you ever feel the need. Personally, I'd save the extra for mods. I have 2 500s and they're enough to light a sizeable function hall.
 
TimSandhu said:
600ws is overkill for the space you intend to use them in. You could get away with 250ws. You can always add more lights later if you ever feel the need. Personally, I'd save the extra for mods. I have 2 500s and they're enough to light a sizeable function hall.
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It's probably 2x 300w heads sold as a 600ws kit so it'd be fine.

Lilbear said:
Would the 600w 2 lighting kit be too much for a home studio? Are the elitepro lights more for larger studios?
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For a small environment/modifiers you would be fine with something as low as 200w or less but technically the important thing is not its maximum output but how much you can adjust its output. Without getting into too much detail you shouldn't really have a problem with those models.
 
Lilbear said:
Would the 600w 2 lighting kit be too much for a home studio? Are the elitepro lights more for larger studios?
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It is in fact 2 x 300Ws heads,.
In performance terms, faster recycling at any given power setting than the SmartFlash, and has half a stop more power, which doesn't matter.
The main difference really though is that it looks prettier than the SmartFlash.
You can manage with the SmartFlash, but the extra power won't be a problem..
 
But i can adjust the power of the elitepro, right? I wouldnt have to use the whole 300w per light if not needed?
Sorry for all the questions, i just dont know much about lighting yet and want to make sure i make the right decision.
 
Lilbear said:
But i can adjust the power of the elitepro, right? I wouldnt have to use the whole 300w per light if not needed?
Sorry for all the questions, i just dont know much about lighting yet and want to make sure i make the right decision.
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Yes, you can adjust the power anywhere from full power (300Ws) to 1/32nd power (9.4Ws)
 
Great, cant go wrong with the 600w kit then i suppose ☺
Thank u for all the advice again !!!
 
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