Reply To: I wanted to charge $ until I found your site…

[cameraclicker]

I know I need more light sources but hesitate to purchase because I’m not sure what to get / learn.  I like the idea of boxes that area always lit.  Maybe you all can give advice in this direction.   I use my speed light off camera and manual settings for now.

Movies need continuous lights.  Still photos don’t.  You can still use continuous lights but they are not as bright as strobes; usually they are not as bright as Speedlights.  Continuous lights are, however, bright enough that they bother my eyes when I am playing model.  So my preference is strobes.  If I am where there are roads, sidewalks, and electrical outlets, I like studio strobes.  The instant there are no electrical outlets or I have to carry something, I like Speedlights, instead!  Speedlights are not as powerful, don’t have real modeling lights, and they need batteries, but they don’t weigh much, can flash a couple of hundred times on a fresh set of batteries, and some of the modern rechargeable batteries are pretty good.  Sometimes you can control them with light but I prefer radios.  You can get umbrellas and softboxes, and the stands are lighter for Speedlights than for studio strobes.   If you need more power you can put a couple or more together in an umbrella or softbox.  Of course, a Nikon speedlight probably costs about as much as a studio strobe.  I haven’t used any recent versions but some people say there are lights by non-major brands that are good, or good for the price.

Umbrellas spill a lot of light.  Softboxes spill less.  Grids and snoots limit light even more but are not large light sources so the light is harsher.  A beauty dish with a grid might be a solution in a really small space if you wanted to keep light off the backdrop.  You can also get a grid for some softboxes.

If you are in a major centre, there is probably a good camera store that can demo the different lighting options for you, and help to figure out what will work best in your situation.

If you can get to where no one in your area can take photos as well as you can, you can rise above the cheap photography providers.  That’s worth doing even if it is just for your own family memories.