Portable lighting

fredjclaus

Seems when I try to promote my event photography, I am getting more and more studio portrait work. Trouble is, I do nature portraits right now. Can someone suggest some inexpensive portable studio strobe kits? I was looking for something that works via slaves, but will consider something that plugs directly into the camera. What brands should I be looking at?

ziggy53

Are you thinking monolights or speedlights or packs or ...?

"Portable" can mean a lot of different things to different people.

fredjclaus

I was actually thinking Studio Strobes bounced off of or through an umbrella or softbox. Right now I have a one light set up that I use to take pictures of my kids. It consists of a Vivitar 283 mounted on a light stand bounced off an umbrella. That works ok for small kids, but when I get a call for large groups or couples, it doesn't work all that great.

ziggy53

I use two of the FlashPoint II model 1820A (900 WS) monolights and they provide enough power for double-diffused large softboxes (36" x 36") as well as large (60") umbrellas. I have even used them outdoors where they had to compete with sunlight and they worked well. I have used them in very high humidity without issue.

They are not terribly heavy and seem durable enough. Good consistency and repeatability. Standard daylight tubes. They work well with the inexpensive "Cactus" 16 channel RF slaves. They also have optical slaves built-in, which I like for more controlled circumstances. Field replaceable flash tubes and 250 W modeling light is standard.

They do use a proprietary mount for the speed ring, although you can apparently get adapters to go to Photoflex and then Profoto and Studio SP/Lowel Omni system attachments. They accept standard umbrella stems.

Available accessories are not plentiful but have been sufficient for my needs (barndoors, 40 degree grid, softbox, umbrellas, snoot.)

I believe our Pathfinder also uses FlashPoint monolights.

Alien Bee monolights are another "value" studio flash and have a tremendous following.

JohnBiggs

Alien Bees +1. They have built in optical slaves, come with pc cables, and have radio slaves as an option.

These days though I travel light so I'm using all speedlights with alienbees radio slaves. Works great for me.

Manfr3d

fredjclaus wrote:

I was actually thinking Studio Strobes bounced off of or through an umbrella or softbox. Right now I have a one light set up that I use to take pictures of my kids. It consists of a Vivitar 283 mounted on a light stand bounced off an umbrella. That works ok for small kids, but when I get a call for large groups or couples, it doesn't work all that great.

You can always add a 2nd vivitar+lightstand+shoot through umbrella.
There is defenitly a way to get great groupshots with two regular
flashguns: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/05/on-assignment-two-speedlight-group-shot.html

Saves money, weight and you don't need a power plug. On the downside
the flash output is less than with studio strobes and you won't have a
modeling light.

Here is another example:http://photoworkx.freundepb.de/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/nextgen-gallery/nggshow.php?pid=5255&width=550&height=&mode=

fredjclaus

The second Vivitar stand is something worth looking into. I'm taking all the suggestions here and researching the lights. Alien Bees are the lights my mentor used before she passed away.

I'm still learning studio lighting as it's been many many years since I last used them. Is there a difference in the quality of a photograph shot with studio strobes verses some Daylight balanced CFL bulbs in a continuous light system?

ziggy53

fredjclaus wrote:

... Is there a difference in the quality of a photograph shot with studio strobes verses some Daylight balanced CFL bulbs in a continuous light system?

Using flash lighting yields larger eye pupils, which most folks find more flattering in a portrait.

Daylight balanced compact fluorescent are OK now for objects that don't require tight color balance, but I don't think they are quite ready for most portraiture or other applications which require more subtle and accurate tonality. The reason is that inexpensive daylight balanced compact fluorescent phosphors are still not a complete continuous spectra.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lights#Phosphors_and_the_spectrum_of_emitted_light

Compare this to a true daylight spectra:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight#Life_on_Earth

Compact fluorescent lights also have a flicker rate to contend with, although the newer units based on electronic ballasts are a high enough rate that it is pretty much a non-issue in most cases.

I would reserve fluorescent lights to certain product lighting, rim/hair lights and possibly background lighting where color accuracy is not normally a problem.

BTW, I keep forgetting to mention that compact fluorescent lights are difficult to modulate or control the output. It's typically all or nothing, with scrims and diffusers and barn doors as typical modulators, but no where near the flexibility of most monolights.

fredjclaus

Thanks for that information. I'll take a look at the links you sent, and I guess I'll continue to research the options. If anyone has any other suggestions or brand names to look at please let me know. I hope to be purchasing the kit by mid-September if not sooner. I want to buy the right one the first time so I am doing my research.

Manfr3d

If you are interested in going the strobist way, here are some sites with very good information on technique and equipment:

Small Lighting Kit Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWoTte_z3pk&feature=channel_page

Strobist website - Ton's of information on off camera lighting (esp. in the Bootcamp and On Assignment section)

Strobist flickr group - Plenty of equipment discussions and photos with lighting setup descriptions.

Art Scott

fredjclaus wrote:

Thanks for that information. I'll take a look at the links you sent, and I guess I'll continue to research the options. If anyone has any other suggestions or brand names to look at please let me know. I hope to be purchasing the kit by mid-September if not sooner. I want to buy the right one the first time so I am doing my research.

As my mentor told me......buy the highest wattage you think you will possibly need even if it means onoly starting with 2 strobes rather than 4 or more.....reason is pretty simple......if you are doing a shoot and you ahve several different types/watages of strobes and one goes belly up then you ahve to match with a replcesment.....ifthey are all he same brand, model and wattage you do not have to pay close atention to where that light goes....it will replace your main, fill,hair, back ande background lights as well............

Also if you buy the highest wattage you can afford then you can almopst gaurantee that you'll always have planety of light or too much....but if too much you can dial it down.....if you're at 100% and need another 30% you cannot dial it up.........

So buy largest mostest wattage you can afford.