Request advice for quality home portrait lighting in tight space...

[koolman]

Hi,

I would like to step up my portrait photography - and maybe even have a little home photography business.

I have a limited space (my living room - about 20 square meters) and would like to purchase quality, small, lighting for portraits. The whole setup needs to be totally collapsible, and easy to setup /dismantle - so I can pull it out, do my thing, and put it away. I was thinking of LEDS on stands ? Can anyone guide me here to some kind of kit ?
Any feedback is appreciated.

[koolman]

Any help would be appreciated

[dmosier]

You could try a Photo Basics kit off of Amazon. They aren't the most pro lights ever made but they sure would look like they were to someone getting their portraits taken.

They have small 3 light kits like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Basics-403-uLite-3-Light/dp/B0028K2TWM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=35FY3WZK3YHTR&coliid=IIYY0GWGL52QV

That's probably one of the cheapest 3 light kits I've seen. They also have some strobe kits that cost a little more. I have no idea how bright any of their lights are as I've never worked with them.

[picturesbyme]

I use something similar to this except 2 lights have 5 bulbs and they can be turned on independently. (srry, had no time to search for it) The whole thing fits in a midsize bag.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Linco-Studio-3-Color-Muslin-Backdrops-Video-Light-Lighting-Boom-Kit-New-CK008-/271117155808?pt=US_Photography_Background_Material&hash=item3f1fd77de0

On ebay you can find tons of these kits. I bought mine over a yr ago and had no probs, the stands are good quality w/springs. Obviously if you want to spend more you can find way better ones and now I might wold go for leds but they did/do the job so far..

http://youpic.com/#!/user/AtlanticPicture

[Canada]

Check out the westcott apollo softbox. Its awesome for tight spaces and folds up nicely.

[crasher8]

Strobist has many kits available

http://mpex.com/strobist/strobist-kits.html

[TrumpetPower!]

It's hard to go worng with AlienBees....

b&

[danjwark]

I have found many of the ebay stands are of poor quality. I bought a set for a project and was very disappointed. They were rather flimsy and tipped over easily especially if using a soft box or umbrella. I ended up getting much better ones locally for not much more cost. They are much more sturdy. The last thing you want is for your lights to come crashing down.

As for lighting, I am in a similar situation with not a large space. I originally tried with some ebay monolights but the output control on them is terrible. I have switched to using speedlites and life is much easier. They are very portable and have plenty of power in a small space. Continuous lights might be easier for some situations but are more difficult to control the individual output. Just my 2 cents...

[ablearcher]

Another vote for alienbees. No idea what your budget is though. One thing you will need to remember when buying your lights is how you are going to control them. Controlling light in a tight space can be challenging. Speedlights can also be a cheaper option but keep in mind recycle time. Might be a pain for longer sessions. I would stay away from continuous lights. Just my 2c

[picturesbyme]

something like this could be useful too.
umbrella and softbox in one, but I would buy it locally. no more stuff from China for me...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261073491658?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

[RickSpringfield]

If you can swing it ... I would buy the pieces you need separately and start by having a plan on paper - Which matches how you plan to light the scene 'most' of the time.  I second the motion to stay away from continuous lighting because for portrait your going to need to work harder to control it.

Some considerations:
 - Living Rooms have windows, and windows add ambient natural light ... Where you setup could really impact the look of the pics
 - Make sure you buy a rigid backdrop support just in case you need to shade the window light with heavy muslin (or layered)
 - Big Octabanks and Strip Banks with egg crates make for nice portraits (umbrella's maybe not so much in the house ... always some stray light there)
 - Don't forget the reflectors and flags and clamps and lightstands (air cushioned please)
 - Also, C-stands work great and if you get the collapsible turtle bases they can tuck away (very sturdy, but wicked heavy)
 - Apple Boxes or Sitting Props (standing gets old, and old people really dont like sitting on the floor)
 - A wireless or cable shutter release
 - Flashy Sync Things (Pocket Wizard, SkyPorts, or cables ... whatever your budget can afford)
 - A box of fine chocolates for your significant other and a thank you card
 - A 12pk of Gum or Mints for you (because photographers with bad breath = yuck)

You could get away with lots less ... and plenty more ... but whatever you do, make sure you get the chocolates, card, and gum!

Best of luck to you   Post Pics when done please!

[awinphoto]

It's hard to go worng with AlienBees....

b&

+1  Solid flashes

[Halfrack]

Look at the strobist kits and think about what Rick wrote.  Depending on your intent, doing studio strobes can be a happy ending, but what if you want to take your show in the road?  What is your current strobe situation - as in do you have any?  A few Nissin Di622 mk2 with stands and umbrellas is a good start - cheap wireless triggers or eTTL if your body can do the ir control.  Keep in mind there's lots of things you can do for cheap that work amazing.

For fun, check out http://diyphotography.net/the-diy-strip-light

[agierke]

it really depends greatly on what kind of shots you want to do. studio photography can be much worse than available light photography in terms of acquiring gear because once you start there are a million different gadgets out there for specific looks or effects.

are you looking to do multiple light setups against muslin backgrounds or more stylized lighting against seemless or use the natural space of your home for more of an environmental look? many different directions you can take that would make you want to adjust your gear package.

without knowing any of that...i can simply suggest that you look at getting 2 Alien Bee Heads, a Softbox or two of different sizes (highly dependent upon what you want to shoot), and 2 quality convertible umbrellas (dont cheap out on umbrellas...they are already inexpensive compared to other photo gear so just get the best...they'll still be cheap relatively).

work with that stuff and then you should quickly start to realize where your holes are and what purchases you will need to make next. i definitely wouldn't go all in on a bunch of stuff if you don't know what you are doing or what you need yet.

[Neeneko]

I would actually argue that in this case, one can go wrong with AlienBees.

I love their stuff, it is what I usually use, but if space is tight they can make life difficult, esp if you want to play with setups.

For tight spaces I second the Strobist stuff.  It is small, provides more then enough light (even the B400s are overkill), are easy to move around, and rather importantly can be clamped onto many surfaces with very little footprint.