Photography Lighting on the Cheap

Lighting for photography can get rather expensive. A good basic lighting set is going to set someone back at least $300.00. When one starts looking at soft boxes, umbrellas, remote strobes, or barn doors, the price can quickly exceed a thousand dollars. It can be done for much less with a little creativity. My personal goal was to obtain professional quality lighting with less than one hundred dollars. I knew that I would need a way to soften the light and wanted at least two 500 watt lights.

One setup that I have used came in for less than $50.00 and gives great results. I even use it in pro portrait sessions. I began my project at the local discount chains. Most of these chains have a duel head halogen light set for construction. I found it in the hardware section. The kit comes with two 500 watt heads on a telescoping tripod for less than $40.00. With this piece we have adjustable height lighting that has two heads with independent elevation adjustment. The lights are separate switches so that one light can be used without the other. I can have one pointed at the ceiling while the other is used pointing directly at the subject. Splitting the lights, one high and one low, I can get a butterfly lighting affect. There are many options to aiming the lights. Alternatively, the lights are sold separate. In this configuration they can be spread out across the room.

The downfall? The light is very harsh and bright. This can be a problem when you are aiming at a person. The bright, direct light is also a problem with shadows and creation of glare. Professional photographers use soft-boxes and umbrellas to diffuse the light. This reduces harsh shadows, and reflective glare. Again, these accessories are expensive if you are not in business. Back to the local discount chain or your favorite bedding store. The light set comes with grills for the lights. With a thin twin sheet, we can drape the lights and soften the light to a very pleasing level for the eyes and the portrait. The use of a thin sheet diffuses the light. This gives a great lighting level with only a two to three dollar expense. I purchased several colored sheets also, to obtain colored lighting for interesting effects in my photography. I guess that is another article on how to get around colored filters for indoor photography. CAUTION: These lights get very hot. You only get about 15 minutes of shooting time with this setup. You can get very professional lighting for less than $50.00 with this setup though with only a minor amount of caution.