starter studio lighting kit

My wife has taken an interest in photography after our studio session of our newborn girl by a professional photographer who works out of her home. She has signed up for a intro to photography class at the community college which begins after the new year. Right now she is just tinkering with my Canon xti which I plan on upgrading for her to the Canon t3i for a xmas gift. But I would like to get her some umbrella lighting for her to take better pictures while capturing our daughter in a basement studio she plans to setup. I am looking to spend no more than $250 (not sure if that is enough for a decent starter setup) but thought I would get some input on what to or not to buy. Thanks.

I bought this Cowboy Studio , bought a roll of seamless paper from B&H, and made a stand out of PVC, works great.


DSC_0208-1 by SDMF_Rebel, on Flickr

I bought some Alien Bees found HERE. They are more than adequate for my needs.

Thanks for the input so far. The budget is expanding as multiple people are contributing on this for her Christmas gift.

I am going to set her up with a two strobe light setup rather than continuous lighting to get her something to grow into.

I plan on getting a Cybersync (P. Buff) transmitter and two receivers.

Now the question is, what power lights to get when using two strobes?

I am looking at this set:
http://www.cowboystudio.com/product/c04/p0402-11.php

The buff cyber syncs are good stuff. I'd suggest since the budget has expanded look hard at a couple of the Buff alien B's. As far as power the buff 400's are a good starting point. They're 160ws rated if I remember correctly and that's plenty for a small starter studio. More power is not always better with strobes. If money gets tight I'd shift some money around and buy the cheapo Chinese remote triggers and put it towards the AlienB's. Just my .02 on that.

As to the cowboy strobe kit I'd be a little leary of parts and support as well as durability. The Buffs are a known and well respected product.

Would I be better off just to start her off with one strobe and build on later to get a buff strobe and have better quality stuff off the bat?

Kinda depends on what she wants to do with her photography. If you want to take things a different route you can always go with speed lights (flashes like you'd mount on the hotshoe of a camera. For around $300 you can get 3 speedlights and the Chinese remotes to run them AND some shootthru umbrellas. That's a pretty portable setup that's decently capable. If the portability isn't important then no biggie.

IMOP, she would be better off learning to shoot with available light. The sun and a decent reflector is all you really need to take excellent kid portraits. Parents pay big bucks for environmental type portraits. Just saying.

Having said that, I personally would rather have one decent strobe, stand and softbox than several cheap or underpowered units. Start with one good self-conatined unit and just add more as the finances allow.

I agree about natural light, but she plans on starting in the basement with the studio before moving outside. I plan to take your advice on one good strobe and soft box. Any reccomendations?

Pertaining to the Cowboy studio support, parts, and durability:

I had two dead bulbs upon receiving the kit; I emailed them same day, they requested proof of purchase, and I had new bulbs within three days. I realize there are a lot better kits out there, but I feel I got a lot more than what I paid for.

Think about continuous lighting. Not as bright, but it will be useful for motion in case she wants to get into that.

I went with the Alien Bees and I have no complaints so far. I use them mainly for portraits of my kids and my guns They aren't adequate for all uses, but should be nice for what you described. Since it will be a main light, I do suggest getting the higher power model first though(1600 I think). You can always dial down the power if you need to. With a one light set up, she will need some good bounce cards. Big pieces of white foam core work very nicely.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Below is a list of everything she is getting:
Beginner Bee Package
Cybersync Receiver
Cybersync Trigger Transmitter
Large Softbox
Black Backdrop
Background Support System
Canon T2i with 18-135mm

I think she'll be delighted with that Christmas setup. It's very nice and it will grow with her very well later on. Oh yeah, plan on using some sandbags on the light stand legs with the soft boxes in place. The stands can get a little tippy. :)

That will be nice. I love my cybercyncs. They just work every time. I have a couple Einsteins coming for work. They should be there soon. Paul c buff is a good deal for the money.

Good choice I think. She should be extremely happy. Black is a good background for 1 light setups. The only other thing you might want to consider is a colapsable reflector. She will need that. A big piece of white foam core board will work just as well though.

That is an awesome start.. The key is practice practice practice. Seeing the light is actually harder that it sounds.

You might also consider a new computer and a copy of Photoshop

Also lightroom 3, lots of hard drive space, and I recommend this book Link

Thanks! I am getting that book for Christmas for myself. But I guess I will share.

I will second the Alien Bees. I love my B800. I would also recommened these Cowboy Studio Triggers. I have been using them for two years and haven't had a misfire once!

Only objection I have is the camera upgrade. Your not gaining a lot from the XTi to the T3i other than video. Honestly, put the money into a 30D to a 60D used body or even better, pick up a 5D for some killer image quality.
The 5D being a full chip body gives you much better control over depth of field, which is HIGHLY desirable in a studio setting.

I've learned one good lesson diving into DSLR photography. Buy a good used body, but invest in quality glass. I made the jump from an XSi to the 5D and was knocked over with the difference in image quality.
You're (she's) going to love the Paul C Buff stuff. I have a set of Cyber Syncs with the plans on using them with my Vivitar flash units (283 & 285) where I can set my variable strength. I have never gotten around to getting my umbrellas and stands, and almost two years later, I still have not used them.

Careful though....next she's going to discover L glass and the mother of all Canon studio lenses, the 80 1.2L

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