Studio Lights

[h.r.ford]

Ok so I am tired of trying to take picture of my son with about 5 lamps all around him and thoroughly confusing the auto white balance on the camera. I want to buy a set of cheap but usalbe studio lights. I've found these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....30045957009&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1 and I'm wondering if they will do what I need. I'm not going to be using these for anything professional. I just want them to slave off my on board flash and light my son up with some sort of consistency (I've got to take some decent Xmas pictures) So please help. Someone anyone...

 

[Ally]

seem ok, Arkady is really the man to talk too.

 

[Arkady]

They'll be alright for the occasional family-snap+ (as opposed to just family-snap-), but there's a reason that pro and semi-pro set-ups cost around £1,000 for a three-light kit. I doubt the consistensy on those heads is all that good, meaning you won't have as much control as you'd like - they also appear to be fixed output - you really need the flash output to be adjustable as what you don't want is all of your lights throwing out the same amount of light.
There are many, many books on the subject of studio lighting and it's too massive a subject to delve into properly on this forum (I'd be here all day...), but have a look in your local bookshop or look online for something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Studio-Flash-Technique-Tinsley/dp/1899456007/sr=8-2/qid=1162896473/ref=sr_1_2/203-5471797-5813547?ie=UTF8&s=books
before you splash out on any kit.