Studios

stokecity_m

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Chris
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i'd been having a look around at lighting backgrounds etc and they don't come cheap.

So i was wondering to get fairly good portrait shots, what would be needed - apart from a camera :P
 
To be honest, you just need a bit of light, a bit of practice and a willingness to experiment.

There's plenty to be done with just natural light

http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=2&w=all&q=portrait+natural+light&m=text

Although studio lights / flash do introduce control.

Most of the portraits on my Flickr stream are with a couple of hot shoe flashes (details are in the photo notes). I've now moved up to a more powerful Safari setup, but the hotshoe guns have served me well for a few years.
 
If you're just starting out, you can do a heck of a lot with just one light and a reflector. Two lights will keep you pretty busy, and three lights is about all you ever need for regular stuff.

Plenty of two light kits around for £200-400. Plus a background support and a couple of rolls of background paper. Plus a flash meter. £500 should get you well sorted.

Edit: make that £600 with a flash meter, not essential but makes life so much easier with more than one light, and you will learn more about lighting balance and ratios by using it.
 
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