Oh, boy - what have I started?

[ThurlFan]

Just ordered this off Amazon. Over half off, and DD will be needing senior pictures in a couple years anyway so I guess I have time to practice.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TY7SCW/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

Wish me luck!

 

[photo_chick]

I have a version of that type of kit that uses tungsten bulbs. It's a solid starting point. My only advice is to get brighter bulbs (the brightest your light is rated for), you're gonna need them. You can diffuse too much light but you can't make dim light brighter.

 

[ThurlFan]

Thanks for the tip on bulbs. I'm sure I'll be back with questions after I get a chance to play with it a bit.

 

[My2Girls66]

Thats a great deal!
I paid $300 for a similar kit without the backdrop stand and muslins quite a few years ago. I ended up buying a stand and a black sheet and a white sheet- $400+ for what you got for $134.

 

[theduck619]

Great find

 

[pkondz]

Just ordered this off Amazon. Over half off, and DD will be needing senior pictures in a couple years anyway so I guess I have time to practice.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TY7SCW/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

Wish me luck!

What! Are you nuts? You bought that?!? Well, because of your post... So did I!! I've been waiting for a kit like this to go on sale and along comes you and your post! I guess we'll be learning about studio lighting together!

 

[ThurlFan]

I guess we'll be learning about studio lighting together!

Excellent. I've gotten pretty good at shooting sports and candids, but I'm an utter n00b at this. Will be a fun adventure

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Any opinions yet?

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

Great deal holy cow! I'd like to see how you like it as well, I'm trying to learn portraiture as well as how to generally take pleasing photographs lol

 

[LordAthens]

Just a heads up, Scott Kelby has a great book called "Light it, Shoot it, Retouch it" that focuses on studio lighting. Easily one of my favorite photography books. The layout of the book and the way he shows how the shots are created is far better than any other book on studio lighting / strobe use that I have ever read. I used a similar kit to the one you bought with a few other books and never really got the results I wanted. I recently upgraded to strobes and Kelby's book and I'm getting MUCH better shots. I attribute a little bit of it to the strobes, (hot lights can only get so bright) but much more of it to Kelby's help and a lot more practice.

Also, your daughter, unless she is a REALLY good sport, is likely to hate you soon. You're going to have her sit there and pose for hours, while you play with settings, moving lights, etc. My girlfriend is not usually thrilled when I bring the strobes out. I found taking her out to a nice dinner afterward helps a lot :-D

Enjoy your new setup! It's an entirely different ballgame!

 

[BillyBuff]

You can also change how bright or how dark the way u want by adjusting your aperture/shutter speed/and ISO....aka high key & low key images

 

[ThurlFan]

Thanks for the book tip, LordAthens I will try to check it out.

I haven't really had much free time to play with it although I put it all together the day after it came to make sure nothing was broken. DD and her BF had winter formal the next day so I took some quick shots without the slightest clue what I was doing.

One thing I will say is that the backdrops that came with this kit are VERY thin. I had to clamp a blanket onto the back of the black backdrop when taking the formal pics, because there was reflection off a framed photo shining through the backdrop from behind.

Otherwise I'm satisfied with this as a beginner kit.

 

[Pooh2]

Hope you do not mind if I follow your thread.
I just got this kit http://www.amazon.com/Interfit-Phot...BI2E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327092784&sr=8-1 plus a backdrop frame and as well as black and white muslins all for $300. The seller had the receipt for over $700 new a few months ago from our local Hunts so it was a hard deal to pass up! But I am totally clueless as to where to start!