# Need advice on home studio equipment



## Barb King (Jul 25, 2019)

Hi all,

I would love advice from you all on what to buy for a home portrait studio. I do have some money to spend, but what I don't have is a good natural light source or a lot of space. (I'm in a small, dark, one bedroom apartment.) I have a pro camera set up and have had decent success selling portraits of people and animals I've taken outdoors, but I'd love to be able to create some high quality commercial photos indoors when the sun is down or it's raining out. I'd like your advice on a good set up with lighting and backdrop, which would 1. ) provide what I need to take professional looking photos indoors, 2.) be complete in itself without any natural light and 3.) be somewhat portable, so I could easily put it away when I wasn't using it to save space.

Any ideas? Your advice is much appreciated!

Barb


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## Designer (Jul 25, 2019)

Hi, Barb

Consider your largest (longest) room to serve as your studio.  You absolutely need space between your camera and your subject.  You can purchase rolls of seamless paper is a variety of colors for a backdrop.  Never mind the holding apparatus, you won't have any room to spare.  Hang the paper on the back wall.  It comes in various widths, so mount your lens and figure out if you can do single head and shoulder portraits.  Purchase the paper wider than what you can get in your frame.

Purchase a couple of studio strobes and modifiers such as white umbrellas or softboxes and stands.  You can find kits like that for not a lot of money.  Avoid continuous lighting because it is simply not enough light for a reasonable shutter speed.

Of course, you will need a tripod for you camera and a cable shutter release.  Also, get a set of radio-frequency (RF) triggers to fire the strobes.  Typically, studio strobes have a light sensor and can be fired in "slave mode", so you'll need only one receiver, as the other strobes will fire when the first one does.

That should get you started.


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## smoke665 (Jul 25, 2019)

First you need to decide what you're going to shoot. There's a lot of difference in space requirements between head shots and full body. Generally you will need at least a 20' room. (Between back drop and lens.) for 1 or 2 subjects at a time, to keep subjects 5-8' off the back ground, and enough distance so a telephoto type portrait lens can be used. If you're doing full body ideally you'll need 12-14' ceilings for proper hair, and back lighting on a standing 6' tall person, and the room needs to be however wide you think you'll need. For small groups 2-6 people, it's best to have at least a 10-15' wide room. 

Once you have you have what you plan to shoot and the space required, you can then work on lighting. If you're only doing head shots, you can get acceptable results from one light with a large softbox, and a reflector. If you have white walls/ceiling, they can also be used as giant reflectors.


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## tirediron (Jul 25, 2019)

Define, "Have some money to spend".  You could do this for a <$1000 by buying Godox/Flashpoint, or you could spend well north of $10,000 using Profoto or Broncolour.  @smoke665 pretty much nailed it with the space requirements.  If your apartment is small, I would expect anything more than a single-person headshot to be a bit of challenge, so more detail on what you intend to shoot would help as well.


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## Barb King (Jul 25, 2019)

Designer said:


> Hi, Barb
> 
> Consider your largest (longest) room to serve as your studio.  You absolutely need space between your camera and your subject.  You can purchase rolls of seamless paper is a variety of colors for a backdrop.  Never mind the holding apparatus, you won't have any room to spare.  Hang the paper on the back wall.  It comes in various widths, so mount your lens and figure out if you can do single head and shoulder portraits.  Purchase the paper wider than what you can get in your frame.
> 
> ...



This is great info! Thank you so much! I didn't realize the value of a strobe over continuous. Very helpful!


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## Barb King (Jul 25, 2019)

smoke665 said:


> First you need to decide what you're going to shoot. There's a lot of difference in space requirements between head shots and full body. Generally you will need at least a 20' room. (Between back drop and lens.) for 1 or 2 subjects at a time, to keep subjects 5-8' off the back ground, and enough distance so a telephoto type portrait lens can be used. If you're doing full body ideally you'll need 12-14' ceilings for proper hair, and back lighting on a standing 6' tall person, and the room needs to be however wide you think you'll need. For small groups 2-6 people, it's best to have at least a 10-15' wide room.
> 
> Once you have you have what you plan to shoot and the space required, you can then work on lighting. If you're only doing head shots, you can get acceptable results from one light with a large softbox, and a reflector. If you have white walls/ceiling, they can also be used as giant reflectors.



Excellent advice. I do have a long room I can use. This is very helpful. Thank you!!


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## Barb King (Jul 25, 2019)

tirediron said:


> Define, "Have some money to spend".  You could do this for a <$1000 by buying Godox/Flashpoint, or you could spend well north of $10,000 using Profoto or Broncolour.  @smoke665 pretty much nailed it with the space requirements.  If your apartment is small, I would expect anything more than a single-person headshot to be a bit of challenge, so more detail on what you intend to shoot would help as well.



Ha, I am definitely in the <$1000 space. I will look up Godox/Flashpoint. I am hoping to do head and shoulder portraits, maybe photos of objects... and maybe pictures of my dog wearing a sombrero.  Thank you for the ideas!


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## smoke665 (Jul 25, 2019)

Barb King said:


> tirediron said:
> 
> 
> > Define, "Have some money to spend".  You could do this for a <$1000 by buying Godox/Flashpoint, or you could spend well north of $10,000 using Profoto or Broncolour.  @smoke665 pretty much nailed it with the space requirements.  If your apartment is small, I would expect anything more than a single-person headshot to be a bit of challenge, so more detail on what you intend to shoot would help as well.
> ...



Based on the above I would suggest starting with one quality light that you can build on. You can do perfectly acceptable one light setups with a reflector. https://petapixel.com/2018/01/23/take-great-portraits-one-studio-light/ Don't fall into the buy cheap upfront trap, only to find it doesn't work for you as your skill level increases. Quality built lights and other equipment will last you a lifetime if taken care of. I use Paul Buff Paul C. Buff, Inc. | Professional Photographic Lighting because they are a local company with excellent customer service, and great equipment. You can also find good deals on used equipment out there. If you stick with the better names it will serve you well.


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## JBPhotog (Jul 25, 2019)

You also may want to consider light modifiers that can take grids, this is a major advantage to control light spill in small spaces. Softboxes, deep parabolic modifiers and metal reflectors from a number of brands are able to do this, umbrellas not so much. Black flags either made from black foam core or duvetyne are also valuable in cutting spill, you'll need grip equipment to hold these.


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## Barb King (Jul 25, 2019)

smoke665 said:


> Barb King said:
> 
> 
> > tirediron said:
> ...



Awesome. Thank you again!


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## Barb King (Jul 25, 2019)

JBPhotog said:


> You also may want to consider light modifiers that can take grids, this is a major advantage to control light spill in small spaces. Softboxes, deep parabolic modifiers and metal reflectors from a number of brands are able to do this, umbrellas not so much. Black flags either made from black foam core or duvetyne are also valuable in cutting spill, you'll need grip equipment to hold these.



I will keep this in mind and do some research on it. This is all new info for me. Thank you!


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## Derrel (Jul 25, 2019)

This is a very exciting time in studio oriented electronic flash. On the used market you can buy really inexpensive Speedotron  equipment for very little money. I have only bought A handful of new lighting equipment pieces since 1986. I would estimate that the price savings on used Speedotron
equipment  knock the cost down about 80% lower than buying new.

  These days one does not need a lot of flash power. Digital has allowed us to work at ISO levels as high as 400 or higher with good quality. Back in the 1980s we were shooting 25 and 64 and 100 ISO films to get the same quality as we know can get with 100,200?or 400.

I am a believer in using a 4-light set up much of the time and my preference would be to have four identical100  to 150 Watt-second flashes. For many uses 400 Watt-seconds is too much power and you end up using light  dialed down much of the time.

In the last five years there have been some significant advances in affordable monolight design, and in triggering and synchronizing the flashes with the camera shutter.

This is a very wide field, and information is hard to come by. I would suggest reading the Strobist blog for a month or so so that you have a little bit better understanding of what you  might actually need. He has a pretty good idea of one  kit using portable electronic flashes, as well as a kit based around when he calls "big lights",which are studio strobes.


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## Derrel (Jul 25, 2019)

Many lighting kits are being sold today with three lights, two umbrellas, and three light stands. It is my feeling that this is not reallyall that you need. I feel that in order to do The greatest number of Lighting set ups you need a handful of other accessories. First of all you need lights that use the same accessories,  so purchasing lights which are identical means that various accessories will fit on all of the light units.

I think you should have a 10° grid,A 20° grid, and the 35°. You can purchase these most commonly in the 7 inch size meaning you will have lights that I have what are called 7 inch grid reflectors. Speedotron makes clip-on  frosted mylar diffusers, and when a grid and a diffuser are combined it makes it very easy to create small pools of accent light, even in very tight quarters.

 I personally think that is a good idea to have a barn door set.

I believe that if you  add a grid set, and a barn door set that you will be able to achieve many more types of lighting then if you were limited to only basic modifiers like umbrellas and soft boxes.

While many grid reflectors are made in the 7 inch size, there are also larger reflectors available, such as 10 or 11,16, and 20 and 22 inches. I personally  like the 11 inch size which is a common Speedotron Size. The very largest sizes like the 20 Inch can be covered with a clear or frosted front diffusing panel and give a very crisp light reminiscent of old Hollywood, with sharp shadows.

 There are quite a lot of inexpensive made in China umbrellas and soft boxes available from eBay and Amazon. I personally like 30 inch to 43 inch umbrellas and have a fondness for the 24 in x 24 inch soft boxes  which are sold now for as little as $35.

One thing to note with big umbrellas: they throw a large swath of light, and sometimes it is difficult to tell what you are doing. When using smaller umbrellas like 30 inch,I think that it is easier to determine where exactly lights should be positioned.


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## Derrel (Jul 25, 2019)

Back around 2005 and 2006 I was purchasing a lot of secondhand Speedotron gear on eBay by the time I quit buying lighting gear, I had a huge system of both Brown Line and Black Line Power supplies and flash heads.at one time I had 24 total light heads and six or seven power supplies, ranging from 200 W seconds up to 2400 Watt-seconds.  I had at least one of each type of brown line flash Head, and three types of black line heads. In brown line the M-11 style flash  uses the same accessories as the black line  units,and so I would consider it to be the best of the brown line flash heads. 

The vast majority of brown line power supplies made over the past 40 years will allow you to use four flash units.

I have been a speedo brown line owner since 1986,and bought my first black Line gear around the year 2000.
Over the past 30 years electronic flash has moved away from the box and cable system and toward the self-contained monolight systems.

The advantage of mono lights is that they are self-contained and you can bring just one if you need just one. The advantage of box and cable system is that the power packs are available in different sizes from basically 400 to 2400 Watt-seconds,and individual light heads are relatively small, light in weight,and affordable. If you would like to have four lights,on the secondhand market you can probably buy a Speedotron Brown line light kit for under 300 bucks. If on the other hand you want new Mono lights it will cost you from $125-$250 each.

The difference is quite significant when it comes to needing powerful lights. For example the Speedotron D604 Power supply sells for around $150 on the used market, and most M 11 let units have a 1000 W second maximum bulb , so for around $250 total you can go out and buy a used D604 power supply in the used M 11 light for very little money. If however you need a 600 W second one the light you're probably looking at 500 bucks or so.

 Another advantage of the box and cable system is a need for only one wall outlet to run 4 to 6 lights. This becomes a real issue when you're on location.

More modern flash systems have a whole host of high tech features such as high-speed synchronization 1/10 of a stop light output Control and so on. The real secret is if you need 1/10th of a stop More or less light,then just move the light stand a very short Distance.

In modern  monolight flashe,I have been recommending the flashpoint brand sold by Adorama for several years now. In the last five years the Godox brand has become very popular, and there are several people here who have invested in it. 

There are positives and negatives to both box and cable systems and to self contained mono lights


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## Derrel (Jul 25, 2019)

If there is anything that I would suggest that you buy it is a 30 inch or so soft box with a recessed face and a fabric egg crate or grid. This is an extremely useful type of light and even the 24 inch size is very useful in close quarters

I used to shoot studio portraiture five days a week in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We used two identical deep dish 16 inch parabolic reflectors  with mylar diffuser material on the front;a variable focusing background light ; and ain the custom-designed overhead hair light called "the skylighter".

Today I think I would probably go with two identical 24 inch-square soft boxes, since these adapt well to almost any brand of lights

 If you look at manyvideos on YouTube you will see people using 60 and 72 inch light modifiers, but I do not recommend this size for use in apartments: lights of this size are just so big ,and with 8 foot high ceilings, lights bigger than about 43 inches are a royal pain in the butt.

I think that over the last 10 years there has been way too much emphasis is placed upon the size of the light, with many people recommending 60 inch umbrellas as the starting size, and I do not think that that is the way to go. I think you'll find it is much easier to set up and use 30 inch, or 32 inch, or 43 inch umbrellas, and 24 and 30 inch soft boxes. My largest soft box is currently 48" x 60 inches, and it is a huge pain in the ass in many situations. At times yes is worth it, but many times I find myself using a single 43 inch umbrella and a large 42"x 72" white panel reflector.

I remember ordering two 24x24 inch soft boxes from eBay about 12 years ago.  I was amazed at how useful they were, even though people had said they were far too small for most   portraiture, I was immediately taken by How smal and easy to work with they were.   The unit that had the removable fabric egg crate or grid was by far my favorite


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## ac12 (Jul 25, 2019)

I like the "strobist" idea to starting out.
You can do both studio/home or on site work with the same gear, and you are not dependent on an AC outlet.

But, IMHO, for a beginner, not being able to see the shadows as you do your setup makes it harder to learn.
Continuous lighting (CL) also lets you see the shadows.
The problem with CL is the amount of light is comparatively low.  Requiring longer exposures, which is OK for still life, but harder for portrature.​A studio strobe with a modelling light lets you see the shadows.

I agree totally about the BIG umbrella being a PiA to deal with in a small apartment.  Not only are they big and clumsy, but they can be difficult for your client to walk into the shooting area.  Get a smaller one 33 and/or 43 inches.

I agree about a small soft box.  10 years ago, umbrellas were the defacto standard for a beginner, because softboxes were so expensive.  The Chinese manufacturers have made soft boxes sooo much more affordable to a new shooter, than soft boxes were 10 years ago.   So a beginner should seriously consider a softbox.

Tip.  Look for easy assemble/setup softboxes, which are designed like an umbrella.  The older boxes, like what I have, are a PiA to assemble and disassemble, so that almost becomes a reason for NOT using them.​
Power is something that you have to be careful of.
Multiple monolights will pull power at the same time, and could pop the circuit breaker.
Put 3 units that draw 10 amps surge, and you will pop the breaker.
Check the specs of the monolight, to see how much current it draws.
See if you have more than one circuit that you can plug into.​A pack unit only has a single power draw, so may/will not draw as much current as multiple monolights.

One disadvantage of a pack unit is the cables that run from the pack to the heads.
Do NOT step on them, and be careful not to trip on them.

Another disadvantage of the older packs is that you can't dial them down as much as you can the modern monolights.
I can dial most of my packs down 2 stops, some of the monolights let you dial down 10 stops.

Like @Derrel , I built my studio kit by getting used Speedotrons.  If you shop well, you can get a 400ws brownline with 3 heads for less than $300.


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## smoke665 (Jul 25, 2019)

Speedotrons are like tanks, they just keep going. I saw a complete setup, powerpack, 4 light heads, cables, stands, bag, everything go for $75 at auction last year. That $75 set will likely still be going when I'm gone. However the very things that make them so durable are also the things that are making them obsolete. 

I primarily use 1,2,3, and 4 light setups. With moonlights, and a wireless controller half the size of a cigarette pack, I can control all the lights as groups, or individually, adjust power individually or by groups, turn lights on/off, turn modeling lights on off, and save an unlimited number of lighting setups that can be recalled with the touch of a button. All wireless, without leaving my spot behind the camera. 

As to power draw I've run up to 6 lights on a 20 amp circuit and never tripped a breaker. Small stand mount power packs are available for most of the major brands if you want to keep the floor totally clean.


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## ac12 (Jul 25, 2019)

And they also make battery powered monolights, so with the wireless control you can have a cable-free setup, with nothing to trip on.  

For the AC monolights, yes you need to read the specs to make sure that you can run multiple heads on a circuit.  
It would stink to buy a set of lights, then find out multiple lights will pop the breaker.
Although if the high current surge is short enough, even if you exceed the breaker's rating, it won't pop.


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## smoke665 (Jul 25, 2019)

@ac12 Buff lists the average amp draw for all models at 6 amps, but there's a lot of variables including what power level you're using. I had a long discussion with them on this, because I wanted to use a 2000 watt inverter for outside use. When it was all said and done the actual draw in use was well under 3 amps. I suspect it's actually lower still because with the battery pack they recommend keeping the lights to under 3600 ws total, but say it will support more with a longer recycle time.


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## tirediron (Jul 25, 2019)

Another vote for Speedotron; I've got packs from 200 to 1600 w/s and somewhere in the dozen - dozen-and-a-half heads of various styles.  Bought used, this stuff is cheap like Borscht, and it's top quality, all-metal, lasts forever.  I've yet to have a flashtube fail other than through damage which was my fault.  My favorite thing though (and I know I've said this many times here), if you need parts, have problems, questions, etc, you call the 1-800 number and a REAL PERSON answers the 'phone and helps you!!


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## Derrel (Jul 26, 2019)

Speedo's brown line has several very easy to understand lighting ratios that are very easy to use in almost all portrait and wedding situation. I have been using the speedotron System for about 33 years now, but I have experience with other systems such as Norman, Dynalite, Photogenic, and a little bit of white ligtning,and Sunpak MS 4000, and JTL my latest flas acquisition a few years ago was the Elinchrom ELB 400, A new high-tech battery powered high-sync (sic) flash,  with incredible digital control and power variability, as well as offering amazing high speed shutter synchronization and bright outdoor light. 

Years ago we had the Calumet Photographic company and their amazing catalog,which was a great resource since they sold virtually all the brands of Flash systems. Unfortunately Calumet went out of business a few years ago.



My honest advice would be to go used to buy this specific system :the Speedotron D402 A 400 Watt-second, four outlet power pack with two channels,  and offering you symmetrical power distribution or asymmetrical power distribution. Not a whole lot of micro adjustability, but that is not necessary and neither are the ability to recall a whole bunch of power settings. My advice would be to get a used set from eBay that features to him two M11 lights,at least, and two other types of flash heads,so one power generator, and four individual flash heads 

 I have used power packs from 200 to 2400 Watt-seconds, and I honestly believe that for the majority of portrait situations today the Brown Line D402 is pretty close to ideal and there are thousands of these units that have been made since the early 1970s, and relatively new units that have been made as recently as this year. This is a time-tested and well proven moderate power flash generator. The power output options with one flash, two flashes, three flashes,or fourflashes and five flashes are easily learned, and are based upon well known principles of lighting ratios, and this is an easy power pack for use in front of white, gray,or black backgrounds. The system has multiple types of flash heads including very small and light/heads designed for use inside of umbrellas. Imagine being able to go to eBay and to pick up an MW3U for $30!! this is a medium wattage Flash head(400 W second maximum power limit in its stock configuration) with a permanently attached 5.5 inch diameter metal reflector, and it uses a very bright 100 Watt quartz-halogen modeling lamp so it is easy to focus with, and the U stands for umbrella.

The brown line has an MW3 which   Does not have the built-in umbrella mount and which uses a much less bright 25 W night light type incandescent bulb, the kind that looks kind of like a candle.

 The brown line also has the M90 light unit, which is a "universal light". It is useful for a lot of things and can be used with umbrellas or as a main light of its own.  The M90  Comes with a built-in non-interchangeable 8 1/2 inch reflector, and uses three inexpensive 25 to 35 Watt incandescent bulbs, so it can be aimed directly at people without blinding them.

The nicest and most expensive light for this system is the M11, which uses interchangeable reflectors in 7 inch, 11 inch, 16 inch,or 20 inch. The company makes a full line of accessory modifiers for all of the sizes of reflectors, and there are also 20 and 22 inch so called "beauty dish" metal reflectors. The M 11 light comes stock with a very bright 150 W quartz halogen Modeling lamp. I have recently found some very low power 1950s style heavy duty truck turn signal  bulbs which can also be used when you want a very dim modeling light.

There is one accessory that I feel is really useful and that is the "Y cable" or "splitter cable". This  cable allows you to add a fifth outlet to a four-outlet pack, and importantly as well it cuts in half the power output of any light connected to it.  The D402  and the very tiny (discontinued) D202 two-outlet pack   Are my favorites. The addition of the splitter cable gives you an additional outlet! Unlike many newer brands, Speedotron light output is pretty high for each model number. What Speedotron calls400 watt seconds, many newer companies would refer to as 1000 or 1200 in terms of model number. This is pretty common in the flash industry. For example The fairly low priced Flashpoint 320M costs more than $100 less than the Alien Bee 800, and actually Puts out more light than the Alien Bee 400 or 800 models. So you really have to be careful when comparing flashes strictly by their model number.

 In my opinion it is nice to have two flashes or three flashes or four flashes, and it is ideal to have 5 to 6.this is where box and cable systems become much less expensive than mama lights sent him on the light contains the electricity storage capacitors in each and every flash head.  With the box and cable system. The charging and capacitors are shared and each flash is little more than a flash tube, and a modeling light. Some Monolight flashes weigh as much as 7 pounds each whereas a typical flash head for a box and cable system weighs from 2 pounds to 3 1/2 pounds. Yes, it is rare to need five flashes but there are some situations in which having five units makes things much easier on you, and with a box and cable system extra flash heads typically cost less money than they do for a monolight.

 Yes, you can do some nice portraits with just one light and a reflector, but it is really nice to be able to do a fill light and to dispense with a reflector,or to have a second or third light to apply to the background.if I were just starting out I would buy three or four identical lights. You do not need A  tremendous amount of flash power these days...100 W seconds Per light is plenty, and 150 W seconds is fine too


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## Derrel (Jul 26, 2019)

It's very easy to get confused in a new area like this. As I mentioned above, I think it would be a very good idea for you to read The Strobist  blog for about a month, and possibly do some Internet research into various studio flash options. 

 I think it is important that you understand the concept of "mount "as it relates to studio flash. It's a lot like lens mount. Each brand has its own Quick connecting reflectors and accessories. If there is anything that is close to a generic it would be the Bowens S type mount.  Accessories like grid reflectors, barn door sets, Snoots, and speed ring mounting rings for soft boxes are all Based upon individual mounts.


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## Original katomi (Jul 26, 2019)

Early in the thread it was meantioned not to get a stand for your backdrops you may want to look at 
J brackets to mount on the wall and a pole to go through the role hang from the j,s then you can hang the backdrop from that .  Hope this helps


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## smoke665 (Jul 26, 2019)

Moving away from the light debate, one thing that hasn't been mentioned much, in a small home studio is the availability of built in reflectors/backdrops. White or light gray walls, ceilings, and floors can be used as giant reflectors to provide soft light for illumination, from either the ambient light from a window or bouncing a strobe off of them. Have a colored wall? Bouncing light off of it will reflect the color onto your subject the same as if you used a gel on your light. 

For head and shoulders shots you don't really need a backdrop, any wall will do, so long as you can move the subject away from it. A white wall can be made any shade from solid white to solid black to any shade of gray in between by dropping the reflected light in relation to the reflected light of the subject. A reflected difference of roughly 4 stops will turn a white wall a perfect black. By increasing the reflected light you can turn a black wall white. Add a gel on your light and you can make any hue under the rainbow. Put your subject flat against a white wall, light them from the front, and you have a high key shot, any shadows will be hidden behind them.  The nice thing about a wall is you'll never have to steam out the wrinkles. Have some nice drapes? They can also be used. 

If head and shoulders is all you'll be doing, and you just have to have a backdrop, you might consider one of these.  
Studio Essentials Pop-Up Background Kit (5 x 6.5', Gray) they come in various sizes, aren't overly expensive and can be used on location easily. The downside is that when you collapse them you will get wrinkles that need to be steamed out. Which brings me to another valuable piece of studio equipment, a steamer. If you don't have one, get one. They aren't expensive, and can come in handy for not only backdrops, but a client with wrinkled clothing.


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## JoeW (Jul 26, 2019)

You've gotten some fantastic advice on the technology.  Let me offer some additional "non-tech" details.  
1.  Insurance--get some.  Or add this to your homeowners insurance.  If you do a lot of business, you're advertising to the world "expensive, easy to fence, camera equipment and gear are inside this house."
2.  Parking.  I assume you're in a suburban neighborhood.  Many subjects will show up in 1 car.  Others will show up in 4 or 6 (for a family photo all members coming from different locations).
3.  Shelving and storage.  You'll want to have a number of basic props (champagne flutes, good fake flowers, some lace, some fabric) that you can use as props in a shot or an inexperienced subject can hold (so they have something to do with their hands other than make a fist).  
4.  Seating.  For instance, seating that I've found works well for one person (with say a spouse standing next to them) is a drummer's stool.  Adjusts height easily, comfortable to sit on, no back that distracts.
5.  Minimize reflective objectives in your shooting space.  It's natural to want to hang up examples of your work framed.  Or maybe have a range of items (made of metal) up and around the studio.  Or some metal chairs.  Or metal shelving.  The more reflective objects you've got in the studio, the more post-production work you'll have to do cloning out that small bit of light on a cheek or forehead.
6.  Also, just my personal preference but I've used stands to hold backdrops or seamless paper.  The setup I've found works the best IMO is to suspend your paper form the ceiling.  That means that if your wall is a good neutral color and you want to use that instead of the paper, you simply roll up the paper (rather than have to move the stand).  Plus you can have 3-4 rolls of paper suspended and quickly move from one to another to create different looks or moods.
7.  Wardrobe/changing space.  Some of your subjects (say, an actor wanting head shots), will want to change clothes.  Or a cosplay shoot with multiple costumes.  If you don't have a bathroom with good lighting (no glare) and a makeup mirror and light in there, you'll at least need a changing screen with provisions for people to hang clothes or outfits.  So they show up in street clothes and then change in to their tux or evening gown.


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## Barb King (Jul 26, 2019)

Derrel said:


> If there is anything that I would suggest that you buy it is a 30 inch or so soft box with a recessed face and a fabric egg crate or grid. This is an extremely useful type of light and even the 24 inch size is very useful in close quarters
> 
> I used to shoot studio portraiture five days a week in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We used two identical deep dish 16 inch parabolic reflectors  with mylar diffuser material on the front;a variable focusing background light ; and ain the custom-designed overhead hair light called "the skylighter".
> 
> ...




Derrel - thank you so much for all your detailed thoughts. I am learning a lot. Much appreciated!


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## Barb King (Jul 26, 2019)

Thanks everyone! This is awesome, helpful information. Now I at least know where to start.


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## adamhiram (Jul 26, 2019)

Depending on how serious you want to take this and how much you want to spend, there is a pretty economical route you can take as well with speed lights.  You won't get the same power or cycle time, nor the useful modeling lights, but you can still get a very functional kit that is both budget friendly and extremely portable/storable.  I went this route figuring I would upgrade to bigger studio strobes later, but as someone who doesn't make a living with photography, haven't really found the need yet.  There are definitely limitations to this approach, but I found it to be an economical way to learn that still works in the real world.

My sample kit:

Godox TT-600 / Flashpoint Zoom R2 manual flash: $65 each, pretty reliable, and sufficient power for most small to medium sized modifiers.  Uses AA batteries or just pickup some rechargeables.
Godox X-Pro / Flashpoint R2 Pro wireless flash trigger: $69 for a wireless remote for all of your flashes, allows you to set flash power remotely for each group, and will also work with their bigger strobes.  Just make sure to get the right model for your camera brand.
Umbrellas: Very useful for studio work, great for learning, extremely portable, and very inexpensive.  I have a few of these 45" convertible umbrellas from Westcott, but you can get Adorama's store brand for half the price, or even cheaper if you shop around.
Cheap softboxes: If you plan on sticking with speed lights, these Glow quick softboxes work pretty well and are extremely portable.You'll need an S-type bracket to mount your flash, but they seem to include those in this kit even though it's supposed to be sold separately.  They don't control light spill that well, but you can pickup a Godox grid that fits it pretty well, since they are the OEM.
Collapsible softboxes: I can't leave my equipment setup while not in use, so portability/storability was a high priority for me.  I started using Glow EZ Lock Quick softboxes, and they seem to be built very well, with nice quality of light, and collapse just like umbrellas.  They have rectangular ones, octoboxes, and various other shapes and sizes.  These will work with any strobes, but just be aware that this is where I started hitting the limits of what I can do with speed lights.  I typically raise my ISO to 400 to get 2 extra stops of light when using these.  They have a deflector plate and double diffusion, plus include an optional grid - great for soft light and controlling spill, but you lose a lot of light the more layers you use.  These come with a Bowens mount, which will fit on the S-type adaptors listed above.
Hopefully this helps fill in recommendations for the lower end of the spectrum and gives you some additional options to consider and a better understanding of the pros and cons of speed lights vs. studio strobes.  I wouldn't open a professional studio using speed lights and those ultra-cheap softboxes, but they are very usable and extremely portable for learning or hobbyist use.


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## Designer (Jul 26, 2019)

Barb King said:


> Thanks everyone! This is awesome, helpful information. Now I at least know where to start.


Now that you have something to think about, why not be more specific about your future choices? 

What size is your room?  What lighting is there?  What color are the walls and ceiling?  What lenses do you plan to use?  etc.

If you come across any specific deals, please post a link so we can see what you're looking at.  We already have your budget, but some items may be more critical than others.  For instance; if you can't afford a couple of gridded softboxes right now, you can make or improvise using very inexpensive materials.  Many of our members have made reflectors, scrims, diffusers, and similar, using common household materials.  Spend your money where it counts, and save money where you can.


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## Barb King (Jul 26, 2019)

Designer said:


> Barb King said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks everyone! This is awesome, helpful information. Now I at least know where to start.
> ...



Will do! I have a lovely brick wall background and a plain light gray wall. The 12 ft. ceilings are white. The room is very long--easily long enough for this project. But the lighting is only some small decorative lamps, nothing overhead. There is one window, but the only light is from a narrow alley, which is useless, so I'll be using a blackout shade for shoots. I will likely use my Nikon with an 85mm 1.8 or a 50mm 1.4. After I process all this great information and make a purchase, I will update with the gear I chose and some sample shots!


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## Barb King (Jul 26, 2019)

adamhiram said:


> Depending on how serious you want to take this and how much you want to spend, there is a pretty economical route you can take as well with speed lights.  You won't get the same power or cycle time, nor the useful modeling lights, but you can still get a very functional kit that is both budget friendly and extremely portable/storable.  I went this route figuring I would upgrade to bigger studio strobes later, but as someone who doesn't make a living with photography, haven't really found the need yet.  There are definitely limitations to this approach, but I found it to be an economical way to learn that still works in the real world.
> 
> My sample kit:
> 
> ...



Perfect--thank you!


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## JoeW (Jul 26, 2019)

Barb King said:


> Designer said:
> 
> 
> > Barb King said:
> ...


First, an update is always appreciated.  People offer opinions or advice and then....silence.  Finding out what worked, what you decided to do, what advice bombed--it's always a learning experience for those that post claiming to know best (and maybe finding out that we didn't).

Second, don't blow off that window.  Maybe you won't get good natural light.  But I've seen some portraits where a shooter used a speed light with a trigger and a gel to create the look of a setting sun coming through the window.

Third, a brick wall is nice as a specific background.  But also beware--it will likely create a faint reddish tint on your white backdrop.  Test to see how much of a difference this makes--you can correct upfront with white balance.  But you want to know this BEFORE you shoot 100 exposures and then discover every fricking one has a light pink tint to that white shirt your executive is wearing.


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## Barb King (Jul 26, 2019)

JoeW said:


> Barb King said:
> 
> 
> > Designer said:
> ...



Thanks for the tips! I love the idea of using the window for an interesting effect. I will definitely update once I've gotten something in place!


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## Designer (Jul 26, 2019)

Barb King said:


> Will do! I have a lovely brick wall background and a plain light gray wall. The 12 ft. ceilings are white. The room is very long--easily long enough for this project. But the lighting is only some small decorative lamps, nothing overhead. There is one window, but the only light is from a narrow alley, which is useless, so I'll be using a blackout shade for shoots. I will likely use my Nikon with an 85mm 1.8 or a 50mm 1.4. After I process all this great information and make a purchase, I will update with the gear I chose and some sample shots!


If that plain light gray wall is at one end, then I'd say use that.  FYI; light gray can be any color you wish, by manipulating your light, and your aperture.  You can "gel" your background light with any color you want, and gels are not expensive.  And, of course, it can be any value from white to black, just by careful use of light.

The 12-foot white ceiling is very good!   You can use that for a nice overall light simply by pointing one or two lights upward to reflect off the ceiling.  Same principle as using a nearby white wall. 

Having only a few table lamps makes it easy; just turn them off when shooting.  At any rate; you don't want to mix lighting colors, as it will create problems in trying to achieve white balance in post.  Your studio strobes will (should) have modeling lights that you just sort of leave on during the session.  That's enough light to keep people safe walking around the room with the lights off.

If at any time in the future you wish to mimic window light, you can do that with a gridded softbox.  The grid simply straightens out the light so it appears to come from only one direction.  You don't actually get a "grid" on your subject by using a grid right on the softbox.  If you want to experiment further, make (or buy) some "gobo"s that mimic window muntins or venetian shades, for instance. 

I am anxious to see some sample shots taken in your setup.  I hope the 85mm f/1.8 lens will work for you, as that would be my first choice.  That underscores the reason for choosing a long-ish room whenever possible.


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## Derrel (Jul 26, 2019)

Here is a bit of practical advice: your fill-in light should be right next to you and your camera. Your main or key light, it is called both, should be somewhere to your left and go to the right. People subconsciously prefer lighting that comes from left  of the camera and puts the shadows on the right hand side of their picture. This is a subtle but important difference that shows itself in greater sales.

One idea is to use roller base stands for your main and fill in lights. One of the most important things to do is to make sure that the lighting throws catchlights into the eyes of the subject.
 If people have dark inky black eyes with no sparkle, they tend not to like the pictures very much. If people have bright lively eyes,they tend to like the pictures. As far as a sure-fire winner,
there is one lighting pattern that is typically reliable and it is called "modified loop lighting". Look into it. Again,one of the most important things is to set your main light at the right height so that it causes catchlights in the subject's eyes. You also want the shadow of the nose not to touch the upper lip. This means that you must adjust the main light height and not just leave it at one height.

Again let me restate it :your fill light should be right next to the camera, and pointing straight ahead. Your main or key light should come in at an angle of 20 degrees to 40° to the subject, depending upon the desired effect. What you do not want to do is to position two lights at 45° to the subject, thus creating what is called competing main lights. This is a great way to light so as to cancel shadows on flat copy artwork, but it looks like crap On People.


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## Derrel (Jul 26, 2019)

let me advise you one thing that is really useful and worth it's weight in studio photography is a really good C stand with the roller base, so that your main light is easy to move, through an arc.

One of the biggest advantages of studio lighting is the preview that you get from the modeling lamps. The more experience a person has, the more they can "light by position." I believe that beginners to studio lighting benefit tremendously,tremendously,from the ability to preview lighting effects by way of the built-in modeling lamps that are found in studio flash units.


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## Soocom1 (Jul 26, 2019)

I have been very reluctant to say anything on this thread, but ill put in two cents worth: 

Because your working digital, review every shot and log the things you see. Aperture, shutter,(or speed if mirrorless, ISO settings, distance to subject, etc.) 
This will help you get an accurate accounting of the various aspects and peculiarities of the camera and lighting. 

It was a huge struggle for me back in the day (film, pre-digital) and had to wait to see the results. This is why i stayed away from portraiture because it caused such a headache when the photos came back with odd colors. 

You have a huge advantage in the work today with digital, and don't hesitate to ask and post pictures. The help here is invaluable.


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## JBPhotog (Jul 26, 2019)

Although you have heard some very good suggestions, remember to find your own creative outlet with portraits. There are some simple lighting scenarios but they all have an element of flexibility. The key to ask yourself is "does the portrait mimic your pre visualization of the subject"? Lots can be done in post but the bones should be in the camera.


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## Barb King (Jul 27, 2019)

To anyone following this thread... I have a follow up question! I was looking at getting 3 strobe monolights (with modeling lights). If I wanted to take photos of water splashing (so, using  a super-high shutter speed), how fancy/expensive would I need to get with the monolight? What product specifications would I need to look for to make sure the strobe would fire with a super high shutter speed? Thanks in advance to anyone who has an answer!!


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## JBPhotog (Jul 27, 2019)

The most important specification that counts is flash duration, look for something in the 1/10,000 plus range. This issue with very short flash duration is essentially limited output or in other words, usable f-stop. Speedlights have typically dominated this arena in the past, with very fast flash duration but they are quite limited with output. That has changed recently with the advent of economical monobloc strobes such as Godox line.

One should look at what they want to achieve, where they believe light placement should be, camera f-stop required  and those such factors. This will help to determine if speedlights would work of if you require strobes with higher output while maintaining very short flash duration.


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## tirediron (Jul 27, 2019)

Actually, you don't need to go terribly expensive; you just need to look for something with a short flash duration.  You don't need a lot of light, just short flash; try Godox speedlights.


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## Barb King (Jul 27, 2019)

Thanks Tirediron and JBPhotog for your quick responses!


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## Derrel (Jul 27, 2019)

Most people who do water drop photography have settled up on speed lights, since these typically have very Short flash durations

   The best flash units for people work might very well not be very good at water drop photography. My preference for water drop work would be a speed light costing less than $100, but my preference  as far as a flash unit for people photography would be much more concerned with the modeling light  and the accessories  available.

I really think that you should decide upon a portrait photography lighting set up, and then just buy a speed light.  One thing that many people have found extremely useful in water drop photography is to purchase a trigger/timer that allows adjustment of when the flash and camera fires. A water drop is only really cool-looking for a few milliseconds, and sophisticated triggering is how the vast majority of experts get their incredible  drop photos.


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## Designer (Jul 27, 2019)

Barb King said:


> What product specifications would I need to look for to make sure the strobe would fire with a super high shutter speed?


The good news is; you don't need to be concerned with the shutter speed at all.  Even if your shutter is open for 1/60 of a second, the flash determines the exposure.  

There is something else to be concerned about, and that is the flash color consistency.  For portraiture, you need a flash that produces a white light even at somewhat reduced power.  That is; at 1/32 power or so.  You don't want the flash to become a different color just because you set the power down a bit.  This is very important for portraiture, but hardly of any concern with water droplet photography.


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## Derrel (Jul 27, 2019)

Consistency of flash color temperature is something that used to be a big problem, apparently, with cheap Monolights. I say apparently because I have never owned any cheap studio flash units  that were affected by this issue.

 As I understand it this issue has mostly been done away with,but it was never really a big problem at all with higher-end flash units such as those manufactured by Speedotron,or by Norman , or by Photogenic.

 As I mentioned above, I have been using Speedotron Brown line powerpacks and flash  heads since 1986, and I have never noticed a marked shift in color temperature when going from high power to lower power flash settings.

What little Mono llight experience I have was with units that did not show any noticeable change in color temperature between high power settings and low power output levels.

I think that today this issue has for the most part been rectified,at least in the better-made units that cost $100 or more.


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## Designer (Jul 27, 2019)

Derrel said:


> Consistency of flash color temperature is something that used to be a big problem, apparently, with cheap Monolights. ...
> 
> I think that today this issue has for the most part been rectified,at least in the better-made units that cost $100 or more.


I added that note because I do have a cheap monolight that does change color a bit when I decrease the power.  Only one, and never again.


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## Barb King (Jul 28, 2019)

Hi to anyone following this thread! A few people asked that I report what equipment I decided on, so I thought I'd do that. I'll post test shots once everything arrives. Thanks again to everyone who offered advice; it really helped me figure out where to start researching. I chose:

1 Godox TT600 Speedlight - Because it's portable and has HSS, so I can use it in case I need a super high shutter speed for f1.4 shots or objects in motion, or if I'm on the move.
1 Godox Xpro-N TTL Wireless Flash Trigger - Necessary to take advantage of the HSS and control all the lights.
2 Godox SK300II Studio Strobe - So I'll have 3 total lights to play with. I chose the same brand as the TT600 for compatibility with the controller.
 -- These are not portable, and they do not support HSS. The TT600 will have to be used for all my outdoor and high speed shots.
 -- But these have 150W modeling lights! And a Bowens mount for compatibility.
2 Stands for the Studio Strobes
3 - Bowens mount Softboxes 24 x 36
1 - Soft honeycomb grid
1 Bowens mount converter for the TT600
1 Gray backdrop, 6 x 9, and mounting station (I researched how to turn gray background into black or white or any other color--I'm excited to try this!)
1 Conical snoot (also Bowens mount) and color filters for fun.

Shockingly, all of this added up to be only around $500. And I feel like I have some good quality, powerful equipment that will allow me to experiment and explore many possibilities.

It'll take a few days for everything to arrive (and for me to learn how to use it), but I will come back with some sample pix.

Thanks again to everyone for weighing in! This forum is so nice. I'm excited!

Barb


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## Derrel (Jul 28, 2019)

I hope very much that you enjoy your new equipment and that you are able to make some very fine photos with it.

I just did a quick bit of research into the Godox SK 300ii lights.yeah those look like pretty good lights and for $109 each with the built-in wireless receiver, you got a pretty good deal. I noticed that the lights offer 40 different power levels from full power to 1/16 power, which is really nice for extreme fine-tuning of your light level. Simpler lights used to go Full power, half power, Quarter power, 1/8 power, and 1/16 power which as you can see is only five different power output levels.

I think you'll probably find the gray is a good background color,and you can probably "lift it up" to pure white by lighting the main subject with about 1/4 power light, and by firing the other SK 300 at the background at roughly somewhere between full and 3/4 power


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## smoke665 (Jul 28, 2019)

Barb King said:


> (I researched how to turn gray background into black or white or any other color--I'm excited to try this!)



I don't remember seeing anything about you having a light meter that reads both Reflective and Incident. You can set your lights by guess but, it's a whole lot easier and faster with a meter.

Turning an 18% gray background black or white involves adjusting light on the background so the "reflected" meter reading goes up or down. It takes 4 stops either way. If you're interested I compiled a chart from the Dean Collins Chromozones method. You can down load a PDF copy of it here Dean Collins Chromo Chart.pdf

For example using the center grayed column if your "reflected" reading from the background reads f/11 for 18% gray, then adjust your background light to get a "reflected" reading of f/16 for a 36% gray background or a "reflected" reading of  f/8 for a 9% gray background.

Where this becomes a problem is if you have ambient light or spill from other lights on the background. That's part of the reason for the separation between the subject and the background.


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## JoeW (Jul 28, 2019)

It's been a while since I've priced stuff like this but I'm kind of stunned you got all of that for $500.  Good shopping.


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## Bytesmiths (Jul 30, 2019)

Barb King said:


> I'd like your advice on a good set up with lighting and backdrop, which would 1. ) provide what I need to take professional looking photos indoors, 2.) be complete in itself without any natural light and 3.) be somewhat portable, so I could easily put it away when I wasn't using it to save space.


I'm a big fan of pack-and-head systems, which can be had quite cheaply these days. I've seen complete 4-head Speedotron Brownline systems, with stands and umbrellas, for $400 on evilBay.

The disadvantage is they are less portable than so-called "moonlights," which each plug in separately. But they are generally more powerful, and you can "dial down" the whole pack, instead of going around to each moonlight when you want to change the total output.

The advantage of used Speedotrons is that they are pretty indestructible, unlike newer stuff that has a lot of plastic that shatters into a hundred pieces the first time a stand goes over. It also means there are some real bargains on beat-up-looking, but still serviceable, equipment.

As for backdrops, how handy are you? Electrical conduit or even plastic PVC pipe can be easily fashioned into stands, and if you have a sewing machine, you can get rems and blems from fabric stores at a steep discount and cut and hem them to the size you want. Another approach that I use (that will require something heavier than PVC) is inexpensive roll paper, which you then unroll as needed for a backdrop, and then recycle or fireplace when soiled.


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## Barb King (Jul 31, 2019)

smoke665 said:


> Barb King said:
> 
> 
> > (I researched how to turn gray background into black or white or any other color--I'm excited to try this!)
> ...




Smoke665, thanks for your comment! Do you have any recommendations on light meters, by chance?


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## adamhiram (Jul 31, 2019)

Barb King said:


> Do you have any recommendations on light meters, by chance?


The one I see recommended most often, and the one I use, is the Sekonic L-308S-U.  There are a couple variants, but this basic light meter will meet your needs for most studio work.  They sell for about $200 new, and can be found for around $100-150 used.


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## tirediron (Jul 31, 2019)

Pretty much any modern, digital flash meter will be absolutely fine.  Sekonic is the current 'go-to' brand (Mostly because AFAIK, no one else is making hand-held meters any more).  I wouldn't bother buying a new one; find a used one on Craig's List or similar.  I have several.  My favorite is my old, but 100% reliable Minolta Flash V.  I also like my Sekonic L-785 because it will trigger my Pocket Wizard flash triggers.  I also have a Luna Pro F which is a deadly accurate meter, but older and analogue, so maybe not as sexy?  If you are buying a second hand meter, make sure it uses an AA battery; many of them used expensive and/or oddball batteries such as the 'N', 'A' or hard to find button cells.


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## smoke665 (Jul 31, 2019)

Barb King said:


> smoke665 said:
> 
> 
> > Barb King said:
> ...



Sekonic meters are a good choice the L308 is a straight forward si mple meter Sekonic L-308X-U Flashmate Light Meter  you can find them used for half the price. The only downside of this meter is it doesnt have the ability to dial in exposure compensation. The older 308's didn't have aperture or shutter priority modes, but the newer ones do I believe. 

The L478 integrates with pocket wizard. Sekonic LiteMaster Pro L-478DR-U Light Meter for PocketWizard System  and like the ones up from the 308 have some nice extra features.

Whatever you get it's wise to get one that uses standard batteries like Sekonic


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## Barb King (Jul 31, 2019)

Thanks for the recs!


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## JBPhotog (Jul 31, 2019)

One nice feature of the L-478 when doing flash mixed with ambient is that it shows percentage of flash vs ambient. This is nice when doing natural light with flash fill, in 10% increments.


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## Bytesmiths (Jul 31, 2019)

tirediron said:


> Pretty much any modern, digital meter will be absolutely fine.


Keep in mind that you want a _flash_ meter, which is different than an "ordinary" meter.


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## tirediron (Aug 1, 2019)

Bytesmiths said:


> tirediron said:
> 
> 
> > Pretty much any modern, digital *flash* meter will be absolutely fine.
> ...


Good point, thank-you!


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## adamhiram (Aug 1, 2019)

JBPhotog said:


> One nice feature of the L-478 when doing flash mixed with ambient is that it shows percentage of flash vs ambient. This is nice when doing natural light with flash fill, in 10% increments.


Wow, that sounds like a pretty cool feature.  I'm curious if it's something that is actually useful though, especially for a 50% price increase over the lower end model.  For example, if I am using mixed light I will typically get the ambient exposure by eye or using the camera's internal metering, then use the flash meter to figure out the fill flash power.  I suppose it's nice to know how much of the subject is lit boy ambient light, perhaps to figure out if you need to correct for any color casts, but ultimately I don't know that I care that much what that mix is.  Are there other reasons this information is useful?


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## JBPhotog (Aug 1, 2019)

I tend to look at flash meters with the “buy once, cry once” concept. A couple of years ago my venerable Minolta Flashmeter III got replaced after 35+ years service due to a few slide levers breaking off. So when replacing it I’d rather spend a bit more for features that come in handy since I may own it for a few decades or more.

The percent flash to ambient is very useful, especially if one is looking to determine ratios of ambient and flash fill. Helpful if one is relying on ambient to do some of the work illuminating the subject and then using flash to do the rest, percentages tell you just how much the flash is influencing it. Check this site, Fill-Flash Tutorial

The L-478 also lets you install camera profiles for more accurate dynamic range exposures, important if one uses ISO to get ambient since DR diminishes as ISO increases. It displays visual references to show you clipped shadows and highlights.

And of course one can get models that sync with other triggers, a Godox model may be coming, mine is Pocket Wizard compatible since Godox wasn’t on the scene when I bought it.


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## Barb King (Aug 5, 2019)

Hi to those following the thread! I said I'd post my first test shots, so here are a few. I can't believe how many possibilities there are with only 3 lights. I was able to shoot at ISO 64 indoors basically in the dark. Unbelievable. Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who weighed in and helped me figure out what to buy. It's a whole new world for me.

Here's one photo of my dog and three of my fave gargoyle, all using the same gray background. I cloned out some fabric wrinkles and the edge of one of the strobes, but otherwise, these are pretty much straight out of the camera. 

Thanks again!
Barb


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