Can you build a Portrait Lighting Kit for $500?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 พ.ย. 2022
- A new series where I explore a type of lighting and a budget, can we make it work?
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KIts from this video:
$485 Godox Kit: amzn.to/3zZU9T4
$498 Neewer Kit and Background System
Neewer kit - amzn.to/3hrOHlu
Backdrop - amzn.to/3fLNFR5
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📱 SOCIAL:
👓 DANIEL: / danielnortonphotographer
/ danielnorton
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👓 DANIELS GEAR
📸 CAMERA
Nikon Z6II: bit.ly/33bZWrP
Nikon Z6: bit.ly/ONESLOTJR
Nikon Z 24-70 f4 Lens: bit.ly/nIk24704
Nikon Z 85mm 1.8: bit.ly/3zX0zBc
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S Lens: bit.ly/3tsMPwM
⚡️ LIGHTING - FLASH
Profoto Air Remote Nikon: bit.ly/PFAIRNK
Profoto B1x: bit.ly/ProB1X
Profoto B10: bit.ly/3zWTG2M
Profoto A10: bit.ly/3zWgLCV
Chimera Super pro X Lightbank, XS, Shallow, Silver - bit.ly/CMSPSXS
Chimera Pro II Softbox: bit.ly/CHiP2S
Profoto 1x1.3’RFI Softbox: bit.ly/PFRFI113
Profoto 3’ Octa Softbox: bit.ly/PFRFIO3
Profoto 1x3 Strip OCF Softbox: bit.ly/pf1x3ocf
Profoto 2x3 Softbox: bit.ly/3GuhMEN
Profoto Magnum Reflector: bit.ly/PMgnR
Profoto Beauty Dish (silver): bit.ly/3I4J3hh
Grid for Profoto Beauty Dish: bit.ly/33e5q5l
💡 LIGHTING - CONSTANT
Dedolight 200w HMI kit: bit.ly/3FvuAcB
Dedolight Turbo Series DLED7 90W Bi-Color Focusing LED: bit.ly/3fpOPxM
Dedolight Iris: bit.ly/3I3TC45
Dedolight 150 tungsten kit with projector: bit.ly/3K9sse5
Dedolight Projection Attachment: bit.ly/3Fx46HA
Dedolight 400 HMI Kit: bit.ly/31XcQsO
Savage Rainbow Ringlight: bit.ly/SARRL
Nanlight Pavotube 6C: bit.ly/3mRCDdc
🪜 STUDIO GRIP AND SUPPORT
Manfrotto 055 Tripod: bit.ly/2PDOkqr
Manfrotto Hydrostatic Ball Head: bit.ly/MHSBH
V Flat: bit.ly/3Kc6bfJ
Halo Compact Reflector: bit.ly/3riwpoj
Matthews C- Stand: bit.ly/MTCstandC
Magic Finger: bit.ly/magfinger
Large Manfrotto Stand: bit.ly/3rfWQuN
Duvetyne: bit.ly/TheDuve
👨🏻💻 TETHERING
MacBook Pro: bit.ly/321OHS4
Tether Tools USB-C to USB-C: bit.ly/3rhV4t4
🎥 VIDEO PRODUCTION
Nikon Z6: bit.ly/ONESLOTJR
Nikon Z 24-70 f4 Lens: bit.ly/nIk24704
Nikon Z50 Mirrorless Camera with NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR Lens: bit.ly/3Fuwo5J
Rode Microphones Wireless GO II Compact Microphone System with 2x Transmitters and 1x Receiver: bit.ly/3KnPBtB
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" M1 Chip, Wi-Fi, 256GB, Space Gray, Mid 2021: bit.ly/33c1sKt
Atomos Ninja V recorder: bit.ly/3ttLPc2
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#dnphoto #lightingbasics #danielnortonphotographer
Daniel...you are the best. Pitching your tent where folks need to be. So much you can do photographically without a tremendous amount of gear. Nice job.
I started out with a single AD200 (non pro). A few shoots later, income from using that allowed me a second AD200 and an AD-B2 bridge. Half a summer later (and lots of softboxes and beautydishes along the way), I added an AD600BM.
One little point I would add is that the strobes use a Bowens mount so that a photographer can easily grow light modifiers collection and be able to use them with upgraded strobes down the road. The Bowens mount seems to be the defacto mount for speed rings and reflectors.
The craziest thing is, I really dislike using STROBE lol. I prefer the lighting to be constant, and then I adjust what I want in camera. Don't know how or why I fell into shooting like that but, it is what it is lol. Your video was pretty cool.. I saw some things that had my interest lol. Never bought a lighting kit, always just had assistants that had em, might be time to get my own tho.
My studio is all godox & everything I have cost less than a grand , strobes, stands, softboxes etc
The sk400II kit is quality. The one thing to be aware of is that it only goes down to 1/16 power. Kits of ms300/200 might be a better spot. Alternatively, getting the sk400II kit could be supplemented with ms lights later on.
Although I have spent more than the $500 targeted in this video, I did research and ended up going the GODOX route for a number of reasons. Once particularly good feature is that the camera transmitter can control studio strobes and their Speedlight line simultaneously . You can also get a receiver than allows one to use Canon speedlights with the GODOX units. Although not ideal, or as fancy as PROFOTO, for the price point they get the job done, in a smallish studio. And they seem to have a reasonable upgrade path, One can upgrade from their AC powered lights, to the battery powered lights, without having to get a new transmitter. Like all eqpt, one has to learn how to work with it, but given some determination, I believe it's a viable route for those of us on a limited budget.
Hello Daniel. Weeks ago I spoke with a former student from the university where I taught, she was interested in starting with portrait photography with the intention of charging for it, so she asked me for advice on what to buy to start with and I told her with one or two godox flashes, a stand, an octabox and with that I had to start. Once they had clients, they could grow as a team but without losing the essence that much can be done with less. Greetings and thank you very much for sharing your knowledge, they are very valuable. Greetings from Mexico, Mexico.
Get the 485.00 Godox. They put out good equipment. Thanks Daniel.
IDK, I got two Godox TT685 flashes (about $110 each), an umbrella ($20), a smaller 24" softbox (square pop-up model, for maybe $30), and a 32" Godox/Glow Octabox (for about $70) and two light stands (not very heavy duty, maybe $35 each) and a flash trigger ($60) and it's been working great. Of course this was about 4 years ago and I have since added more equipment to this, but for $470 basically (not including tax) I had a decent 2-light setup. Of coourse the TT685 is not strong enough to overpower the sun and it's recycle time is slower (maybe 1-2 seconds), but I still use most of this kit today (I've since added their AD200 Pro and an AD400 Pro, and a few other light modifiers). Let's not forget I also bought a 5 -in-1 diffuer/reflector... maybe $25 if remember correctly, so yes, if you're willing to buy some basic stuff (perhaps not top of the line of course) you certainly can build a decent lighting kit (basic, at that) for $500 or less. (All the prices I listed were new at the time, by the way, and this was before COVID.) But for even less, you could build a single-light kit for maybe around $300, and you can do a lot with one light, one modifier (and maybe a reflector or diffuser as well). Plus, people forget you can use things like cheap foam core board that you buy at WalMart for a few dollars for cheap reflectors to bounce light back or absorb light so you don't have to buy the expensive stuff. I have a few white foam boards (and black ones) around that cost me maybe $20 total but they have been lifesavers at times, and they are cheap, so if they get destroyed, it's not a problem.
Godox has the advantage that the wireless system, which the SKxxx uses, is cross compatible across almost all Godox flashes, speedlights and strobes. I sometimes use SK strobes along with ADxxx speedlights. You'l only need 1 remote. And Godox is great value all over.
Good information on the bag. Definitely will keep that in mind. Thanks.
I would go opposite.
I had to do this recently with $300 , lol…and I couldn’t decided on what so I ended up getting Britex on eBay for $60 They are kinda weird and not very bright…lol…
Hi Daniel, after watching a lot of your Adorama live sessions, I bought two Godox TT685 flashes, trigger, Bowens mount brackets, a Phot-R octabox, an umbrella and two stands for roughly $500 (prices might have increased since then). While the flashes are not as powerful, I only have limited space to work and therefore never have to fire the flashes at 100%. The freedom of battery powered lights is such a benefit - I'm not sure I would decide otherwise.
Great video Daniel. I too was on a budget starting out in my endeavor to learn flash photography. Godox/Flashpoint are good quality low price strobes. That is the system I have adopted. Flashpoint strobes are Adorama branded Godox strobes. Both are interchangeable. I have a Godox AD200 strobe, Flashpoint hotshoe flash and a Flashpoint Xpro transmitter. The transmitter controls both flashes.
I used 3 yn560lll’s and a 560 transmitter for years. In the bedroom space I use for portraits, it was plenty of power. $60 for stands leaves $170 for modifiers. I used the Godox 120cm umbrella softbox $52 for a key, $60 glow 1/4’ strip-box as a separation light, and no name speed lights grid for the background light. I know there’s a focus on larger studio strobes, but starting out, you can get a lot done with speed lights.
After following many of the pros including you here in YT, I bought the xplor600 manual and 1 speed light as well, I've been doing all my photography gigs with those 2 lights, corporate event, boudoir, commercial photography, headshots and fashion, around a year ago I bought a second manual speedlight, and two weeks ago I bought my second xplor600 manual, now with 2 strobes and 2 manual speedlights I know I can be more creative, my advice will be start lower with manual lights but good ones, I went with the xplor600 over the Godox AD600 which is the same light because I know that adorama gives me more confidence as to better quality control, also the light at adorama comes with a 7inch reflector and a bag and that makes all the difference to me, since I'm not US based, so all has to be shipped and I can't afford defective gear because the shipping to my place is not that cheap.
I wish you had done this a few years ago . I spent almost that much on just one light with a shoot through umbrella.
Additionally I’ll point out something about the sk400II that I found ‘frustrating’. I ordered one off of Amazon. The Amazon godox version DOES NOT come with the standard reflector. The flashpoint version DOES. If all the photographer is using is softboxes… no big deal. I like using umbrellas. So it was a bigger deal. It’d be one thing if it was easy to buy a $15 reflector separately. But it’s not. Most of the Bowen’s mount godox reflectors have the umbrella holes in the wrong place.