Studio lighting,first purchase...help!

[Algarve Images]

It was the first time i had ever set foot in a studio back in the UK at the end of last year, have not been in a studio since, but obviously need more experience and will have to bite the bullet and invest in a starter system. Elinchrom was used in the studio and recommended by the course tutor (2 day portrait course) was wondering if anyone could contribute ideas for everything i need for a basic setup, i have access to a reasonably sized room which i can work from and my budget is around £1400. My current equipment consists of a Nikon D3, 24-70mm, 70-300mm VR, light meter, SB900 for fill flash and a wonky old tripod that definitely needs replacing lol
Warm regards,
Gary

[Big Mike]

What will you be shooting mostly?

A basic portrait set up might be 4 lights; Main, Fill, background & hair. I like softboxes better than umbrellas, so I'd suggest at least one large softbox for the main. Fill could be either but a softbox is still preferable. For the hair light you might want a strip box or small softbox...or maybe something to constrain the light, barn doors or grids etc. Same thing for the background light...just something to constrain the light. I have a 'shovel' that I use and it works well.

Of course you will need stands. Heavy duty air cushioned stands are great but can be expensive. If you buy good ones, they should last a lifetime though.

What you are thinking about for background/backdrops? You may want a background stand (two stands and a bar) or maybe just a wall mounted bar. Maybe a curtain system. You could go with musiln backdrops or seamless paper (roll) or maybe something more creative.

I've heard good things about the Elinchrom D-Lite system, as entry level studio lights.

[Algarve Images]

I have looked at the Elinchrom D-lights and they seem good value, i talked to the salesman at a UK Nikon store and they can ship to Spain for a reasonable cost, but did recommend the 500 watt system as i might need the xtra power, can always turn it down, but on the D-lights i'm a bit limited.
4 lights is a bit beyond my budget now, so will have to compromise, backdrop i can source here from Gibraltar which is less than an hours drive so it's all coming together slowly. "air cushioned stands"..... don't know yet, may be i can make a gantry of some type and hang them from the ceiling avoiding trailing wires as i would like to photograph kids and they do run around the place tripping and trip over wires etc, thanks for the input Mike, i'll eventually get a piccy up of the finished project, could be a couple of months off...
refards,
Gary

ps... the one below is from my a course i did back in the UK

[skydog]

I've read good things about Elinchrom D-lights. Alien Bees are also an options at less cost. http://www.alienbees.com/flash.html

[Tareq]

Hensel is a good brand, i have them and i am so happy with the quality
Profoto is a big name, wish to have Profoto lights but to my budget i think Hensel and Elinchrom are more affordable maybe, and went with Hensel.

[Algarve Images]

Thanks Tareq, i eventually i went with Elinchrom,
they should arrive in around a week or so..
regards,
gary

[Tareq]

Originally Posted by Algarve Images

Thanks Tareq, i eventually i went with Elinchrom,
they should arrive in around a week or so..
regards,
gary

Congrats!
you will love them, so we are waiting your works

[AFrazier]

I can shoot at F/22 using 180 Watts per channel. 500 Watts, though nice (and what I eventually upgraded to), is not necessarily necessary.
A good system is a minimum of three strobes, two soft boxes, two umbrellas, a backdrop stand, seamless paper (or muslin cloth if you don't mind ironing out 180 sq. feet of wrinkles).
Check out Jensen Best. They have good prices on start-up kits. In particular:

http://www.jensenbest.com/d180_lighting_kit_p/2114.htm

That's a three-light kit, complete with stands, backdrops, radio triggers, reflectors, and so on. Considering your budget, you could buy two of those kits and have quite the setup.

[Algarve Images]

Originally Posted by AFrazier

I can shoot at F/22 using 180 Watts per channel. 500 Watts, though nice (and what I eventually upgraded to), is not necessarily necessary.
A good system is a minimum of three strobes, two soft boxes, two umbrellas, a backdrop stand, seamless paper (or muslin cloth if you don't mind ironing out 180 sq. feet of wrinkles).
Check out Jensen Best. They have good prices on start-up kits. In particular:

http://www.jensenbest.com/d180_lighting_kit_p/2114.htm

That's a three-light kit, complete with stands, backdrops, radio triggers, reflectors, and so on. Considering your budget, you could buy two of those kits and have quite the setup.

__________________________________________________________________

Thanks AFrazier,
that kit looks really good, if i'd seen it earlier i may have gone for that as there is quite a comprehensive selection included, however i did order the elinchroms so must go that way now....as ever i jump in at the deep end, did the same thing with my cam and it took me ages to figure out the D3 coming from an entry level canon, still i have plenty of time to learn in my spare hours, i love some of your studio shots, your lighting is innovating, i'm always experimenting with stuff at the moment frantically scouring the web for video tutorials on lighting technique.... i'll get there eventually,
regards,
Gary