Want a whole professional 5, 7, or TEN lamp photographic/digital lighting studio in one dynamic kit? Maybe just background support set? Perhaps a New , powerful strobe/flash package? Only a light or two? Something really, really special for the photographer you love with all your heart (like, perhaps, yourself:)? Look no further!

You can find ALL these things right now in my other auctions (except for the luscious lovely to the left; I'm gonna keep that one for myself:)

<-Looks almost like natural light, doesn't it? Not completely! Strobes made this lovely image better. The give-away? The main light looks like it's coming from the left (which it is - for the main light - a window), but look at the catch lights in her eyes! That's coming from 2 lights; one just behind and (barely) to the right of the camera, and the other just to the left of the camera! From now on, whenever you're looking at pictures in magazines, notice the eyes for clues to the lighting setup - and where the catch lights appear in the models' eyes. The secret to ALL magnificent images? That's an easy one; it's the LIGHTING! A photographer is a LIGHT writer! See below for more information and lotsa photographic tips and tricks...

 Here's a FABULOUS New Digital Studio Package! All BRAND NEW!

After all, folks, the word "photographer" itself (from Greek) actually means Light Writer, or "one who writes with light."

The term is meaningful because those of us who make photographs, videos, and movies are slaves to light. Light is both our nemesis and our salvation (when we can control the light). Without the right types of lighting equipment, we can never progress to professional level studio pictures. Or location pictures.

Sure, we can make beautiful photos and videos with available light... when the light's just right, at the exact time we need it, and at exact place we need it, if it's not raining, if it's not snowing, if it's not too cold, if it's not too hot, if it's not too dark, if everyone we need to make the photographs or videos are available at the exact time the light's just right for our needs, under all the right conditions.... beginning to see now? When we can control the light, we can make the best photographs.

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Why do photographers want professional lighting equipment so badly? Why are they willing to spend the baby's food money on them? Because (both indoors and outdoors) with our lighting equipment, WE CAN CONTROL THE LIGHT! Sound familiar? Starting to get the picture, now? (sorry, I just couldn't resist ;-)

Yes, until now, photogs DID have to spend a small fortune on lighting equipment - but not any more - as you can clearly see from my super-low prices! And as you can also see (from the images above and to the left), this Powerful One Thousand Watt Quartz-Halogen Lamp comes equipped with ALL the extras! These are NOT "cheapo" lights - they're full-featured and fully-powered! They're brand new A.C. units, which means all you have to do is plug it into any household power socket or extension cord - and it never needs batteries!

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The included Barndoors allows us to direct the light anywhere our little photographic hearts desire! We can keep them wide open (as in the picture on the left), or close them down to a tiny little slit to direct the light exactly where we want it to go. What more could you ask for?

These lamps are 1,000 watts each, but those watts pump out so much light that you can light your subject(s) from 2 directions with only one light (if you choose to do so)! How? Simply place a on the highlight side of your victim or product, and a reflector (a 20" x 28" piece of white poster board available for for under $2 - I bought mine for .39¢ - from any art, stationery, or school supply store, and many drugstores, too) on the fill side of your subject, reflecting the fabulously powerful main light onto the opposite side of your subject for the fill! So who da man? Huh? ;-)

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The softbox also gives us a choice of how much we want to "soften" our light. Sometimes one screen will be perfect for our needs; other times, we may want to mellow the light out a little more, and if so, we use both the inner and outer screens. The reason the pictures from professional photographers end up looking so great, is because they have the tools to do the job right. And now, so can you.

As you can see from this picture, the Softbox gives you the choice of three different levels of light: using both screens results in a soft, mellow light with low contrast between the highlights and the shadows; using only the internal screen gives us slightly higher contrast and darker shadows; and removing both screens creates high-contrast, directional lighting.

In this image, the outer screen is peeled back to expose the inner screen. As you work with softboxes, you'll get to know when to use one screen, when to use both screens, or none at all. Not all softboxes come with this added capability, so be sure to ask about it (if you're foolish enough to buy your lighting equipment somewhere else, that is). ;-)

CUSTOM CARRYING CASES FOR SOFTBOXES

The softboxes are truly wonderful helpers in virtually all areas of the visual arts, and as such should be in every photographer and videographer's studio lighting toolbox. But another wonderful capability of the top-quality softboxes included in this fabulous package is their ability to be quickly and easily disassembled, and packed up into a tiny little custom carrying case! Consequently, I've included a custom carrying case for each and every softbox included in this great kit!

Here's a fabulous deal on excellent quality, heavy-duty light stands. This Brand New Britek light stand extends to a height of 7 1/2 Feet, and folds down (fully assembled) to only 2.8 feet for easy packing and transport.

These stands have a black finish which reduces unwanted glare; three vertical sections (19mm, 16mm, 13mm), and three double-braced legs (16mm), which provide excellent stability in the studio or on location. They're topped with a standard 3/8" stud with 1/4" thread, type A. Sturdy as all get out, yet only weigh about 3 lbs. (so you can pack up a set of three stands for under 10 lbs. for location shoots - believe me, schlepping around anything heavier can give you a hernia, especially when added to all your other gear). Yet these babies can be folded up and put in the corner of your closet and take up very little space.

I've been using these same stands for over 5 years now, and couldn't be happier! You'll probably love 'em, too. They're sized perfectly for multiple uses: with a low height of under 3 feet, they're great for background lighting; at their full 7.5 feet, they're perfect for lighting standing subjects, lighting from above or sitting subjects, or even hairlights; and adjusting them anywhere in-between, they're perfect for subject-level lighting, whether you're photographing kids or adults (or things)! BTW, as stated above, you'll be buying brand new stands here, NOT my used ones (those are mine! you can't have them; I like them, and I'm gonna keep them; you go buy your own! (hey, at this great price, buy several. :).

Reality Check: Hey, if you're rich, I'd suggest buying a set of bigger, heavier (& more expensive) stands for your pro studio setup, and another set of lightweight stands for location shoots; but my studio is in my house, and I don't have 20 foot ceilings for the 15' stands anyway, so these stands work just fine for me. 7.5 feet is plenty high for almost all uses, and we have larger stands should you need more height. And they're sturdy enough for studio work, and light enough for location work. Realize, though, that these stands, while certainly a great deal and a marvelous value, are the working photog's Chevys and Fords; not Rolls Royces. Treat them with minimal respect, and they'll see you through to old age; but if you're looking for the Ferraris of light stands, go buy something else. This sturdy light stand is rated to hold a load of 10 pounds (but, personally, I try to keep the load under 9 lbs when it's fully extended) either way, it's likely to be able to hold darn near any lighting unit you're using. Of course, there are bigger and heavier stands, too.

All the sections of these stands are quality tubular stock, NOT the cheapie solid ones (which are heavier and less versatile, as well as cheaper). The only "cheap" part of these stands is the price - not the quality! Bid now, while they're still in stock.
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What is a "ChromaKey Background?" A chromakey backdrop is a solid-color backdrop of a special color tone that makes it easy to select just the background or just the subject of your image in order to isolate your subject and make the background "disappear," or to easily "pluck" your subject out of the image Why do we want to do that? Because in today's age of computers and digital photography and digital videography and movie making, we often want to make it look like our subject is in a place or location other than they really are. Other times, we may want a deep, solid black background or a pure, totally white background (without having to arrange special lighting setups and determine and use arcane camera settings to achieve this optically). This technique is equally useful for moviemaking, portraiture, and product photography (among others).

Just imagine the possibilities! A client's child, holding a basketball and standing on the court next to Shaq! Or maybe a girl in a bikini on a beautiful beach in Hawaii at the golden moment of sunset. Or a diamond ring "floating" in the air in front of the Milky Way, or an automobile on top of a fabulous mesa in America's most beautiful National Parks. Or an newbborn infant asleep in her father's hands with a solid black background showing only the hands and the baby magically suspended in a magnificent image. With these fabulous backdrops, the only limit to what you can accomplish is your own imagination.

When you go to the movies and see Spiderman or CatWoman (or, for the more mature among us, Superman or Batman:), soaring over Metropolis or Gotham City, and bouncing from skyscraper to skyscraper, in reality, they are NOT "flying" above the city, but the SuperHero is attached to wires (of the same green color as the chromakey green background), soaring in front of a "green screen" ChromaKey Background in a studio's sound stage! Then, the digital artists delete the green chromakey backgrounds and the wires holding the actors (on their computers), and then dropping in image of a cityscape (or black, white, or any other conceivable background image or color)! All the major studios use this technique (as well as using special cameras that are "blind" to certain colors), and there's no reason why we can't do so as well!

And that's exactly why today's photographers, videographers, and moviemakers use ChromaKey backgrounds every day! ChromaKeys are of a tone of color that is very rare in nature, and that makes it easy to select and differentiate from whatever your subject might be.