Welcome to “Lighting Gear Week”
This past weekend I was talking to my Peachpit Press Editor, Ted Waitt, and he was asking for my advice about getting some new camera gear. The next thing he wanted to get into was lighting and he wanted to know what his options were. After talking for a few minutes, Ted said, “Ya know, you really ought to do something like that for your blog, where you recommend different lighting set-ups for people with different budgets and needs.”
I thought it was a great idea, and well, here we are: Welcome to my first “Lighting Gear Week.” Each day this week, I’ll be sharing my recommendations for different set-ups and budgets, just as if a friend had asked me what they should get. Here we go:
Day 1: Wedding/Portrait Location Lighting Setup (on a Budget)
I would tell a friend to start by getting a hot shoe flash (one that has the ability to “bounce” flash, and the ability to work in wireless mode, which is important since many of today’s DSLRs, like most of the Canon and Nikons, support wireless off camera hot shoe flash).
I think these hot shoe flash units are ideal for wedding and/or event photographers, or photographers who do on-location portraits. The key benefits are:
- Low cost
- Small Size
- Portability
- Flexibility
To do this right, I would tell a friend they’re going to need these four things:
- The shoe mount flash unit itself
- A lightweight portable light stand
- An adapter so they can mount their flash on that lightstand
- Some kind of diffuser to soften and spread the light from their flash
Now, here’s the specifics:
(1) Flash Unit:
OTHER: If you don’t have a Nikon or Canon camera, sell that first, then we’ll talk about flashes. (kidding. Kind of). If you have another DSLR, take a look at the Metz flashes, like a 58 AF-1 flashes. They run in the $360 to $399 range.
(2) Lightstand
(3) Hot Shoe Adapter/Swivel for the Lightstand
(4) A Diffuser to Spread and Soften The Light
THE BOTTOMLINE COST
So, your whole kit; flash, stand, swivel umbrella/flash adapter, and the umbrella itself, would run about $375 for Nikon users, or $475 for Canon users (Note: if you’re a Canon user, to use your flash off the camera [which is what you want to be able to do during portrait shoots for formal bride shots], you’ll also need to buy either Canon’s wireless ST-E2 transmitter for $210, or a sync cord to connect your camera to your flash on the stand, so figure on another $70, for that. Don’t shoot the messenger).
A FRIEND WITH CASH
If my friend said he didn’t mind paying a little more for some better gear, I’d still have him/her get the same exact flash units (Nikon or Canon), so that doesn’t change, but you could buy higher quality accessories like a Westcott umbrella (and spring for the 43″ model at only $10 more), and a Bogen/Manfrotto 3361 light stand (around $69), and maybe a nicer umbrella swivel (like the Lumedyne, for around $40).
Well, that’s it for Day 1, and our super “Budget” location shoot kit. Tomorrow we’ll take it up a notch, and see what we’d do if my friend had a little more cash, and wanted more flexibility, and the next level of lighting control.