Interview/Head Shots w Lowel Go Jet

G

GL2guy

Active member
Hey guys... I'm new around here and want to join the family. I am getting my feet wet with lighting with my GL2 for interviews and headshots and am interested in the Lowel Go Jet Set 3 lighting kit. For give or take 800 bucks... it's at the top of my budget range and looks like good stuff for me.

Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the Lowel Go Jet Set or if you had any advice or recommendations. Thanks a ton and glad to join the forums!

http://www.lowel.com/kits/goJetSet.html

GL2guy :)
 
I personally hate V-Lights, too much light without enough control, even worse than the Totas. Obviously if you had the time and resources, you could model just about any light with some grip tricks, but I'm assuming this is bordering on run and gun documentary style production. If you can I'd look for a kit with Pro lights (the focusable lensed ones in the kit you mentioned) and Omnis (500w open face slightly focusable lights). They will better serve your purpose and though they may not have as much wattage (which could be a good thing) they are plenty good. I've lit tons of interviews with just the two lights and gotten results that I'm plenty happy with. Thats my suggestion assuming you want to stay with Lowel (or even just Tungsten heads for that matter) If not let me know and we can talk through a whole other list of options. Take it easy GL2 Guy (by the way, you've got one of my favorite cameras on the market...second only to the DVX and HVX I guess)
Peace,

-Harry
 
Hey dudeguy37... thanks sooo much for you input and recommendations. For the past month I have tried my absolute hardest to scour all the information I could find on different sites and forums regarding a lighting kit for my uses.

I started out with a budget of about 400 dollars (as I have very limited funds)... but because I will be doing A LOT of interview/headshot style shoots... I figured I would double my budget and get something a little nicer quality. After shoping around and putting the pieces together of the bits of information I found regarding lighting such interview scenes... I thought the Lowel GO Jet Set Kit, for the price, would be a good combo of focus and soft-light... since I will be doing a lot of close-up small product shots as well.

I'm glad I asked this question on this forum about this kit in particular and completely understand what you are saying about the V-lights. I have no experience with any lights as I will be a complete rookie... and I want to make the best investment that will work well for me for years to come.

The only other kit from lowel that I can afford is their Intro Kit:
http://www.lowel.com/kits/goIntro.html
It looks like it is the same as the GO Jet Set but swapping out one V-Light for a Pro-light. (hence less total wattage). What do you think about this set for my uses?

Since I have never used a lighting kit before... I have no idea what to expect as far as heat from the lights. I certainly want to be comfortable in front of the lights while shooting, yet want to have plenty of light to light a small room. Would the GO Jet Set be too hot? Would you advice rather to use two 250W ProLights and one 500W Soft-light instead? I talked to a guy at a camera store who told me to stay away from fluorescents after I inquired about them. Are they the way to go with interview/headshots??

I am open to any brand lighting kit that has a good reputation and is around or under $800. I would love to talk to you and the members about any other options I may have in lighting my shoots. I'm eager to learn and interested in picking up a kit real soon. BTW... I'm located just outside D.C... so I'm in your neck of the woods! :)

Thanks for your advice and input and please feel free to extend any advice and recommendations you have. They will definitely fall on listening ears! Take care.
 
dude, I would scour the lighting section of the B&H Photo site (or EVS but B&H usually has lower prices). You should be able to put a nice little kit together with $800. Remember, in addition to the lights, you'll probably want to pick up some extra bulbs and some gels/diffusion. So you should factor that into your $800.

Anyway, a lowell kit is a good beginner kit to start out with. I would personally recommend a Pro-Light, a Rifa, and an Omni. That will give you enough flexibility in terms of wattage to light different locations and what not.

If you can only afford a two light kit, then you might think about investing in some photofloods and china ball lanterns. There are a lot of Do-it-Yourselfers on this board and a simple search will probably turn up a good amount of info in store bought (i.e., Home Depot, Wal-Mart) light kits.

Anyway, I seem to be rambling on. Hope this helps.
 
GL2-
Very cool that your right here (Are you like Montgomery county /Fairfax or a little farther out?) Anyway, I'm gonna agree with the Photo store guy to stay away from fluoroescents for the time being, mostly because to get a decent photo style fluoro could eat up 75 or 80% of your budget right off. While people have had success with hacked together Home Depot version that I'm tempted to try, I would not have you pour money into an unproven light without anyone to go to for help when it breaks.
To answer the other question though, go for as much focusable light as possible.
My suggestion right now would be the DV Creator Kit 1 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=285925&is=REG&addedTroughType=search) It has one Pro Light, one Omni (the open face I talked about earlier) and a Tota Light with an umbrealla. While the Tota's nearly as bad as the V-Light, the nice thing about the Tota is that down the line you can pick up a Softbox for it and since it's higher wattage it'll give you more punch once you shoot it through a softbox.
For the record though, broad sources like the Tota and V-Light have their place, even though it seems like I'm just here to trash them. I've just noticed that their place is far less common than say for a focusable light.
Take it easy, and remember that once you have a basic kit to start with, you can continually modify and add to it whenever you've got a little bit more cash ready to go.
Peace,

-Harry
(P.S. If you wanna talk about this even more in depth, Private Message me and we can plan to talk on the phone or somehting.)
 
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