Only speedlights for a still life suffice?

[LearnerAlways]

Hello all,

I am an amateur in the studio and still light photography and am keen to learn it and give it a try. I own a Nikon D5100 entry level DSLR.

My concern is regarding strobe v/s speedlight.
Should buying the speed-lights suffice for still life photography or an existence of a strobe is a must?

Also what is the minimum number of lights recommended for a still life photography?

My budget is around 20,000 Rupees which can be extended to 25,000/-. (USD 400-450)

Could some one also recommend me the appropriate speedlights/strobe kits which will fit into my budget and would solve the purpose well.

Regards,
Deepti

 

[Bristolian]

Deepti, firstly welcome to TP

I do ocassional still life and small product photography - generally at home - and only ever use speedlights for that. I have access to a studio and strobes but don't feel the need to use them. You can get great results if you can make or buy a light tent.

 

[Garry Edwards]

Still life photography is one of the most technically demanding genres there is, so although speedlights have a definite role to play (especially useful for lighting very small areas very precisely) it is far, far easier with studio flashes, they can be used with literally any kind of light shaping tool, and its shaping the light that makes the difference.

Of course, if you're only going to use a light tent then it doesn't matter - but light tents and still life photography don't really belong in the same sentence

 

[LearnerAlways]

Steve, My pleasure to join this forum.

Thank you Steve and Garry for reply.
I will have to google what a tent means in 'light tent'.

Steve,
Could you please suggest me some good and cheap speedlites for nikon D5100. And how many should i buy to build up a studio? Also as there are strobe light kits, are there any speedlight kits that provide the speedlites along with the backdrop and tripod, etc?
Please suggest me some as i am yet to do my part of the research into this.
Also is getting the "Yongnuo" speedlites or some of the inexpensive ones a wise idea since i m just a beginner.


Garry,
I am concerned about the budget and was of the idea that three strobes along with the other equipment like backdrop/tripod will cost me more than my budget.
So i had decided to go for the speedlites instead.
Please correct me if i am mistaken about the idea that the strobe kit will be costlier than the speedlite kit (speedlites and tripod/stand, backdrop, etc.)
Also, could you suggest me some equipment (strobe flash kit) which you think would fall in my budget and is decent to start off as a beginner. I've also read and been suggested by some people that there might be some compatibility issues with the strobes and their parts if later need be to purchase them. So i should go for the strobe flash lights whose parts are easily available.
Could you please suggest me something of that kind.

Thanks in advance

Regards,
Deepti
India

 

[Garry Edwards]

Deepti,

Traditionally, light tents were Tepee-style tents, suspended from a bit of string in the centre and with access slits in the sides. The item is placed inside, the camera lens is poked through one of the slits and the light is shone on the walls, made of white cotton or similar.This diffused the light, creating soft, shadowless lighting.

This design is now virtually extinct and has been replaced by cubes like this one - same principle, but using translucent plastic and introducing sharp corners. These are popular with beginners and with Ebay sellers but it is very difficult to produce creative lighting with them simply because there is no lighting control.

Studio flash has a lot of benefits, including modelling lamps (continuous lights that don't affect the photo but which give a good indication of shadow intensity, direction etc. If you were in the UK I could suggest several makes, but frankly I don't know what is available in your country or how much they cost.

On the question of compatibility, there are many different fittings and they are not compatible with each other, but the most popular by far is Bowens S-fit, which is now almost universal, and this is followed by Elinchrom. Elinchrom lights are in fact made in India and I believe that they are available locally, perhaps sold under the name of the factory that actually makes them. Personally I would avoid any fittings other than these.