Camera Lighting Equipment

How do I decide what type of lighting equipment to purchase?

I just purchased a Nikon D3000, and my intent is to begin portrait photography. However, I have looked at lighting equipment on ebay, and in some camera stores and am having a tough time deciding what type of lighting to purchase, along with what I should expect to get for a reasonable budget. ($300-$500)

Public Comments

1. I would forget the cheap Ebay strobes. Many of them have very low powered modeling lights and are poorly made. These are the best strobes for your budget in my opinion. http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/cf0502K1/ . I use them and they work great. You can also add a nice softbox and still be within your budget. If you want to spend a little more, you cant go wrong with Alien Bees. They have a great reputation for quality and customer service. http://www.alienbees.com/flash.html
2. With your budget I would get something like the Calumet Genesis 200w setup that comes with an umbrella. I would get the single light first, and learn to use it before adding a second light. I would spend the remainder of my budget on some radio triggers. I would suggest elinchrom skyports. Cybersyncs don't play well with some Genesis lights. I used them for a while with my Genesis, and they worked with one of my lights and not with the other (identical) light. If you don't want to use radio triggers right now, most of them come with a long sync cord that goes directly into your camera. The Genesis are great lights. I recommend them over the Alien Bees as they are more consistent across the power scale. The Bees tend to have a color cast at lower settings, plus I don't like their deceptive power ratings....they use "effective watt seconds" which is...well...crap. The Genesis are rated at their true output.
3. You are entering an area where it is very important that you have some kind of basic education in the technical aspects of creating a photograph. Sure a perfect exposure it very important, but what makes a photograph something amazing vs. just a snapshot has a lot to do with two things. 1) the use of light and 2) the composition of the subject and is juxtaposition with the objects around it. What kind of artificial lighting you choose has a lot to do with the photographers ability to "see" what the light is doing to the subject. This is one of the reasons, photo students are usually taught lighting using incandescent lamps. Even minute changes in the lamps position can make rather important changes in the way the subject is recorded. That means that unless you have already gained the knowledge and experience lighting in a studio using incandescent lamps, you will want to start using such lighting until you can nearly intuitively set up your lighting for any situation, whether you are shooting fashion or small products. Here is a link to the many different lighting options. For now to stay within your budget and give yourself a chance to learn how to use artificial lighting, look for a two light incandescent kit. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Lighting-Studio/ci/1161/N/4294551176
4. You really want to purchase lighting equipment with your lack of skills? Learn to use your camera with what you have. You should have bought a D90.