Alien Bees

[aurajane]

I just ordered two Alien Bees B800, an umbrella and a brolly box. Is this going to be enough light to take decent shots as a portable studio for things like newborn and family shots until I can afford a backlight or hair light? Anybody have experience with brolly boxes? I can't put out the money for a good softbox yet.

[Photo-John]

Jane-
Sorry no one replied to your post

I think you'll be fine with two lights and the brolly boxes. I use two lights with softboxes for portraits and it works just fine. A third light would be nice, but it's not necessary. I don't have any experience with brolly boxes but I think they should work pretty much the same as a softbox. They might even be a little softer since the light isn't quite as directed as it would be with a softbox.

If you've already gotten started with this setup (I assume you have), please check in and let us know how it's going. And post some samples of what you're getting with your Alien Bees and the brolly boxes. I'm curious