Studio Lighting

[Mark Fischer]

My wife is interested in setting up a studio in our house to take pictures
of our children and nieces and nephews.
What type of lighting is necessary to produce studio type results?

Where can I find used equipment and how much is it going to cost?

Thanks,
Mark

[James Campbell]

Start with a flashgun reflected off a white umbrella fitting. This will
produce soft even lighting. In the UK a stand, flashgun adaptor and photo
umbrella can be got for about £70.
After that consider getting one or more monobloc flash heads such as those
made by Elinchrom
www.elinchrom.com

Also think about the type of background you want. They are available ready
painted.

[alistair]

You can achieve excellent results using nothing more than window light and a couple of large reflector which can just be white card from any art store. Total cost less than a tenner.
The light will be easier to control if you use a window that does not have bright sunlight shining directly through it. Bright but slightly overcast lighting is nice indoors or out.
cheers

[Richard Knight]

I would agree with Alistair about the window light. Unless you live in the southern hemisphere, light from a north facing window is a very soft form of lighting (no direct sunlight available from this direction). This has been the choice of painters and pro photographers for many years.
As for overcast days and open shade, a warming filter may be necessary if you're planning to shoot with slides (if not, a lab can color correct for color negative film w/o the filter).
A studio used specifically for family photos may be going a little overboard. After all, how many times will you use it after the initial shots are covered?