Got some new Photo/Strobe lights

After attending Photoshopworld this past month, I was inspired by the lighting/photography classes I attended. So much so, that I purchased some flash/strobe lights to use with my wife’s Nikon DSLR.

Now, before you start asking, “Wow, photography lights? How much did they cost?” Well, let’s just say, the only gambling I did in Vegas was to drink from the tap water from the hotel faucet – so I had some money to burn. I’d much rather spend it on equipment than gambling. They last longer.

I ordered  my lights this past week and they arrived on Friday and since it was a rainy weekend, I broke out the lights and used my family as test subjects.

Let me tell you, lighting is key in photography and video. I already own video lights and the strobe package I purchased helps “freeze the action” better than continous lights. You can see the soft-boxes lit up but that’s because they were firing when I snapped the photo. Plus I stared playing the gels that came with this package too. I really love the wireless remote for the camera too.

My video lights work great as you can see from the Blessed Sacrament Catholic School Sports Banquet videos I produced. I used the video lights for the Coach interviews.

The set up was pretty easy and they came with a nice bag for them to be stored. The black backdrop you see in my “studio” was another item I had purchased earlier so I popped it open and began shooting.

I posted some photos below of just what I was able to accomplish in about an hour in my home. Keep in mind we did this session as spur of the moment so no real dress up or make up. I’m quite pleased and can’t wait to experiment with some more shooting.

You can click on the images for a larger view.

Oh and yeah, I have a teenage son that is in the “I’m not gonna smile in any photos” period of his life. Plus you can see me in the photos since it was the perfect opportunity for my wife to remind me I’m not in many photos WITH her as well. 🙂

[Show as slideshow]

Thanks for letting me share.

Beto