Basic Umbrella Kit

Dear Folks: I'm looking for a basic, portable lighting kit that won't bankrupt me. I see some kits advertised on Amazon but since I don't know anything about studio lighting, I'm not confident I'll do the right thing. I've already made a mistake with a mis-advertised scanner.

Any suggestions?

Do you have any lights or do you want to use your flash?

This would give you every thing you need to use with two hot shoe flashes except the remote trigger

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/403789-REG/Photogenic_926621_Two_Umbrella_and_Stand.html

Kathy Rappaport said:

Do you have any lights or do you want to use your flash?

This would give you every thing you need to use with two hot shoe flashes except the remote trigger

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/403789-REG/Photogenic_926621_Two_Umbrella_and_Stand.html

Click to expand...

Thanks, Kathy. Do you know what kind of bulbs these come with?

Kathy Rappaport said:

Do you have any lights or do you want to use your flash?

This would give you every thing you need to use with two hot shoe flashes except the remote trigger

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/403789-REG/Photogenic_926621_Two_Umbrella_and_Stand.html

Click to expand...

Kathy,

That's a great option. Add to that a 3rd flash or or some other trigger and that's a pretty good system. I like the fact that black cover on the umbrellas is removable as this allows one to "shoot-through", for a softer light. The height of the stands is up to 8 ft which is a bit limiting but not a deal buster.

The value of this idea is likely predicated onalready owning shoe mount flash heads for one's camera! You might also consider a scrim to shade from harsh sunlight as otherwise, these lights may not be able to overwhelm outside mid day high contrast lighting.

Asher

I have 3 550 Ex Heads for my Canon suystem and one STE2 to set them off. Now I've added a 580 EXII to this and also bought a cheap shoe mount with a built in flash synch trigger for an ancient 540 EX which otherwise won't work with the other flashes. I use these while I'm planning to buy a new high powered lighting system. However it works!

The drawback is needing a large box of AA batteries.

Flash System

I use three flashes - two with umbrellas and one on camera with a Stofen or other diffuser for an easy fill/portable light system. For batteries, I have moved to using Enloop rechargeables available from Costco. They are a bargain and work well. I did a whole shoot using these lights at a preschool because I was concerned about using my other heavier lights around a bunch of active little ones and yes, they knocked over a light stand playing - no one hurt and no damage as there would have been with my Profoto monoblocks.