Here's a GREAT New Portrait Studio Package XV! All BRAND NEW!

This is a GREAT 4 Light Starter Portrait Studio setup, at an absolutely unbelievably LOW price! You'll have everything you'll need to get fabulous portraits (also great for product photography)! With 4 powerful 120WS Master MonoLight strobes (a 480 Watt Kit), with modeling lights, you'll have two or three strobes to appropriately light your victims (er, your "subjects, that is:) from two opposing directions, which will allow you to get professional-level results with the necessary interplay of light and shadow, resulting in the depth and texture characteristic of pro portraits, a third strobe for a backlight, and a fourth strobe for a hairlight, rim light, accent light, or additional fill light or backlight. We can also use our 4th strobe behind the backdrop, pointing forward, resulting in an amazing "Glow" behind our victims or products! This is a truly fantastic package for an amazing price (but this price won't last long - so order now). Also, professional strobes (like these) come with all the bells and whistles already built-in - like what, you may ask? Like Modeling Lights, (see here and here), variable power with the flip of a switch, removable and interchangeable umbrella-capable reflectors, built-in umbrella holders, integral power supplies (which means that there is no need to lug around those heavy, expensive, power packs any more - the power supply is already built-in to every strobe), and the capability of using an almost infinite variety of light modifiers (such as umbrellas, softboxes, SoftCases, snoots, honeycombs, barndoors, etc.).

Having a powerful PS-200 to use as a backlight strobe to light your background provides the depth and separation between the victim and background for professional results, as well as blowing away all those annoying shadows behind our victims that plague our amateur pictures (the backlight is the secret of eliminating the ugly shadows that are found in most amateur images); in addition you'll have four Light Stands - one for every one of your strobes, AND four Umbrellas: Three Black/Silver Umbrellas plus a Transparent "shoot-through" umbrella (the "Poor Photographer's Softbox") to creatively soften the light and effectively help to hide the lines, sags, and wrinkles often found on our older victims (it makes them look younger, more vibrant, and attractive - and often results in the photographer being called names, like "Artist" and "Genius" :). Umbrellas also help us eliminate the reflections and glare from reflective surfaces, such as glass, chrome, jewelry, paintings, etc. Plus you'll also receive an umbrella-capable reflector with every PS-200 strobe (what's the value of removable reflectors? If a strobe doesn't have a removable reflector, then you can't control the light spread (coverage angle) - you're stuck with whatever output angle the strobe comes with, so it's far less useful to us (sometimes we want a narrow light spread to highlight our subject; other times we want to remove the reflector completely for a broad 180º light spread to light backgrounds, large areas, or groups, for example). With this package you'll everything you'll need to make truly fabulous pictures! And your whole studio can be neatly tucked into the corner of any closet, when not deployed in a studio setup. So who da man? ;o)

Over all, this is a truly fabulous starter package which will give you everything you need to start you off in portraiture or product photography the right way, and is infinitely upgradable! Unlike other kits, this starts you at the pro level, and allows you to expand whenever you like - without being stuck with amateur equipment that you wasted your money on. And you get all this - an entire studio lighting package - for less than you'd pay for just one single strobe from a competing manufacturer (and less than what a few dinners would cost you at a nice restaurant - and this professional lighting equipment is absolutely guaranteed to last longer than any dinner you'll ever have ;-). And don't forget the FREE, $20.00 value, Cell Phone Antenna Booster that's included with this kit! For more on portraiture, see just below).

Why am I selling this kit for such a low price? Because I know photography and I know photographers (sheesh, I AM one, y'know). Those among you who order and use this package will discover how much this kit improves your pictures, and how much fun studio photography is. Then, when you're ready for more photographic equipment, who will you come to? That's right - me (well, hopefully me, anyway:). So while I'm not making much (if anything) on this kit (honestly), I WILL be making something much more important: friends. And, hopefully again, future customers, too (hey, we all gotta eat, don't we?:). I figure if I can treat you right, be honest and honorable, guarantee your satisfaction, and ship your orders as fast as humanly possible, then you'll most likely come back to me when you need more professional lighting equipment. But if all I can do is help you enjoy photography, and improve your photographs, that'll be enough for me; even if you never order another thing from me (but do try to order something else in the future, if you can). Once you get up to speed with this equipment, your next acquisition might be a custom background/backdrop to add the final professional look to your images, and some carrying cases for traveling or location shoots; but don't push yourself, just have fun making great photographs (who knows, perhaps you'll become a rich and famous photographer); but at the very least, with this starter kit, you'll be able to make some fabulous images - and have fun doing something you're sure to love. Oh, and - my phair photographic phriend - if you do become a rich and famous photographer, please don't forget who you got your first studio lighting package from, OK? Thanks. :-)

 Want a whole professional 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, or TEN strobe photographic lighting studio in one dynamic kit? Maybe some NEW Continuous Digital lights? Only a strobe 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 strobes; one just behind and (barely) to the right of the camera, and the other just to the left of the camera (a Minolta Maxxum 7, btw)! 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...

Portraiture! The art making people look great (or at least better than they really are:). This is the most popular and useful branch of photography today, and nothing's going to change in the future, so even if you're not into portraiture now, you might as well plan on doing some (or a lot) of portraiture work soon. Also, remember that EVERYONE you'll ever see, meet, or pass in the street is a portrait customer! When do people need their portraits made? The answer to that question would take at least a week just to scratch the surface of all the possibilities! But for just a few examples, consider these reasons: birthdays, graduations, school yearbook pictures, sports teams, bands & musical groups, etc., anniversaries, new babies, holidays, religious reasons, and a million more reasons. Basically, everyone you'll ever know (even if you live to be 101) will have a hundred different reasons to want beautiful portraits. And one client with a few kids can pay your rent every month!

It doesn't matter if you've never made a pro picture in your life, or even if you're a product photographer, a still life photographer, a fine art photographer, a landscape photographer, or even an architectural photographer; as soon as people find out you're a photographer, they'll start asking you to take pictures of them, their kids, or their friends and relatives. So no matter what type of photography is your first love, sooner or later (most likely sooner), you'll most assuredly find yourself making pictures of people. And every single one of us has parents, friends (and sometimes spouses, children, and relatives coming out of our yin-yangs:). If you're a beginning photographer, portraiture is the fastest and easiest way to find clients, because everyone you meet - and everyone you know - is a potential portrait client!

It's also a great way to meet those beautiful girls and gorgeous guys, while making money as well as new friends (i.e., "Hi, I'm a photographer, and you're just the type of model I need for my portfolio; I'd love to shoot you one day... Um, with my camera, that is"). ;-)

Reality Check: This package is specifically designed to be among the least expensive complete Professional-Level Four Strobe starter portrait packages available anywhere. And at the fabulously-low sale price, you're getting an amazing bargain, too! When making portraits, we need - at a minimum - two strobes to light our victims (um, our "subjects, that is:), one strobe for the highlight side of our victim's face, and another for the shadow side (fill) of the face, plus a third strobe to serve as a backlight (which not only eliminates those pesky shadows, but also gives us the depth and separation between our victim and the backdrop characteristic of professional photography). Plus, we have a fourth strobe for a hair light (ever notice how the pros' pictures always show the shining, glow on the hair? The hair light is the secret of this healthy and shining hair). It can also be used as another main light, as well as innumerable other uses. Ideally, we might want a custom background and a background support set, too. But in an ideal world, we'd all be rich and famous photographers; in the real world, though, many of us don't have sugar-daddies (or sugar-mommies:), and we have to start someplace (see my other auctions for the larger and/or smaller kits).

This kit is designed to get you started in portraiture or product photography at an amazingly low price, with ALL the Professional Level equipment that you'll need in order to make great Professional portraits and product shots. After a few profitable portrait sittings, you can add other equipment, like a boom set, a custom backdrop, and a background support set. But realize that - with this package - you'll have everything it takes to start making great images. If you want a larger portrait kit, or a package that includes a background, just check my other eBay auctions and my eBay store!

How do the pros make their older subjects look so much better than they really look? That's easy - when you know how! Just soften the light with umbrellas (or a softbox or softcase), which helps hide all those lines, wrinkles, and sags on so many of our older victims. No portrait setup would be complete without these secret weapons (umbrellas), so this kit includes four umbrellas for you!

Just open the boxes that will arrive at your front door, and you'll be in business! Add one photographer, a camera, some film (or digital cards), and a victim to photograph, and you're ready to fire away! Although I have several lower-priced entry-level 2 and 3 light kits available, if you're serious about making great people pictures (and especially if you're just starting out in studio lighting techniques), this is the package to buy, because the strobes are powerful pro equipment with modeling lights, variable power, interchangeable reflectors and accessories, and capable of using all kinds of light-modifying equipment (check my other auctions for other portrait packages that include additional strobes, a background support set and a custom backdrop). And now you can own this complete starter portrait studio package without taking out a second mortgage on your house! Heck, you can own this great package for LESS than what you might pay for just ONE competing strobe, or a couple of dinners at a nice restaurant!

Shop with confidence!
Bid with confidence!
Buy with confidence!
From a Profoundly Proud
GOLD eBay PowerSeller!

This GOLD PowerSeller proudly provides a plethora of perfect photographic products - PLUS - pure, powerful, and peerless customer service!

Don't get stuck with what someone else wants to sell you!
At Photographer's SupplyStation, YOU make the choices!
Choose the equipment that fits YOUR needs!

The NEW PS-200 Monolight

This brand new Britek PS-200 is a great starter Monolight for the beginning professional, the pro with tight budget constraints, or the advanced amateur who is ready to bring the professional look to his or her photographs (without mortgaging the house).

Why are photogs so in love with their studios? BECAUSE (in our studios) WE CAN CONTROL THE LIGHT! And a "studio" can be a corner of any room, as long as we can CONTROL THE LIGHT. In our studios, we can play God! We can make it daytime or evening or night; we can shoot 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can CREATE anything we can imagine - as long as we can CONTROL THE LIGHT!

After all, 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 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 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 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.

Why do photographers want powerful flash equipment (strobes)? Because (both indoors and outdoors) with strobes, WE CAN CONTROL THE LIGHT! Sound familiar? Starting to get the picture, now? (sorry, I just couldn't resist ;-)

BTW, did you realize that both the photo above, and the photo on the left, were both taken against the same background? Yup. The backdrop was a pure white canvas. Why does the picture on the left look like it has a brown background? BECAUSE I COULD CONTROL THE LIGHT. Even with a cheapie old (really old) digital Fuji (no speed control, no slr, no aperture choice, etc.). How? See the "technique section below).

Hmmm... Light!

What the heck is a "Watt Second?" And what's a "GN?"

As we can see from the back view, The New PS-200 is well-stocked with controls and comes with all the extras already built-in.

The PS-200 is a "Monolight," which means that all the required components are included in the one package (as opposed to other strobes which may have the flash head in one segment, and then need an additional and separate power supply in order to get it to work; at an additional cost, too). With these units, everything is included; just plug them in, and fire away!

The "ready" light goes on to let us know when the strobe is charged and ready to fire; the "test" button lets us fire the strobe to test its proper functioning or to take a meter reading; the "sync" terminal lets us attach a sync (or PC) cord to the sync terminal on our cameras to control the firing of the strobe with the shutter button on our cameras; and the "optical slave sensor" lets us fire the strobe automatically with the flash of any other strobe or flash unit (so we don't have to use a sync cord at all, if we don't want to). The Full/Half Power switch lets us choose the power output with the flip of a switch. The other controls are pretty much self-explanatory.

BTW, a "Modeling Light" (see the picture of the modeling light, below) is a separate, additional, light (in addition to the strobe's "Flash Tube") that's built into the strobe and throws continuous light over the same area as the strobe's flash tube will (see the picture below for a close-up). You turn on the modeling light (before your shot), so the photographer can see what the modeling will look like, as s/he adjusts the lights before he takes the shot and fires the strobe ("Modeling" is PhotoSpeak for the highlights (light areas) and shadows (dark areas) that fall upon the subject, giving it the depth and texture necessary for professional results). This great feature (modeling light) is usually only found on much more expensive lights.

This unit can be activated by the PC Cord (included, of course), the Test Button, or the Slave Sensor (which means that any other flash, even your camera's little built-in flash, can automatically fire this unit by it's light alone, so you don't even need to use a sync (PC) cord unless you want to). BTW, a "PC Cord" (Push Contact), also called a "Sync Cord" is a wire that connects the strobe to your camera, and fires the strobe when you press the camera's shutter button.
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The PS-200 comes ready to go, with built-in umbrella holder, built-in light stand connector, and the ability to set the direction or tilt of each light to perfectly fit your needs for every shot!

See the image above for a description of each of the controls on the unit.

We can see the difference between the Modeling Light Bulb and the Flash Tube (the circular tube surrounding the modeling bulb) in this close-up shot of the PS-200's business end (with the reflector removed, of course).

The modeling light is a fabulous photographic aid for every photographer - but especially valuable to the amateur, because it let's us "see" exactly where the light will fall when the strobe flashes. This feature alone is worth at least a hundred rolls of ruined film (which you'll save by having a modeling light)! One of the major questions (and hesitations) I had when I was beginning to learn photography, was "If you use strobes, how do you know what the subject will look like, or how and where the light will illuminate the subject, if you don't have continuous lighting to judge by?"

The answer was really simple: You don't. UNLESS your strobes also have MODELING LIGHTS! With modeling lights, you can see exactly where the strobe's flash will illuminate the subject, because the modeling light falls on the subject the same as the strobe's light will fall on the subject (less intensely, of course)! And this is why the pros pay lotsa money for good strobes that come with modeling lights. That's why the professional photographer's pictures look so much better than ours do: they have the right equipment for the job! They can CONTROL THE LIGHT! And now, so can you. back up to rear view of PS-200
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Complete: Each of these PS-200s comes complete with umbrella-capable reflector, sync cord, AC cord, Flash Tube, Modeling Light, built-in umbrella holder, and standard light stand connector; it's ready to plug in and fire away! Since these strobes are A.C. units, they're ready to rock! No batteries or powerpacks or light heads or connector cords are needed; just plug 'em in, and (just like Elvis) you're ready to rock and roll. As with all quality strobes, these are capable of using many additional custom accessories, of course (e.g., snoots, barn doors, softboxes, stands, unbrellas, honeycombs, gel holders, etc.). BTW, pros use umbrellas to "bounce" the strobe's light off of (or sometimes through) to make the light softer, reduce or eliminate shadows, and "mellow-out" the picture. Softboxes (and SoftCases) and umbrellas are specifically designed for this purpose (and yes, these are able to use custom-fitted softboxes & softcases).

These are brand new, 100% guaranteed, with the manufacturer's full one year warrantee . These are NOT seconds, blemishes, or anything other than brand new, absolutely perfect, current 2004 models! Just 'cause the price is great, doesn't mean these are in any way less than perfect! Questions? Requests? just e-mail any questions or requests, to me at PhotoSource3@pss3.com.
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Point of Information: Why, you might be asking yourself, have virtually all photographers switched to using strobes, when "regular" continuous lights (photographers call them "hot" lights) are everywhere, and it's easier for us to see how the lighting will look with them? Well, the continuous lights, like the ones in our houses (tungsten lights), or halogen (and similar) are called "hot lights" for a reason: they get hot. Really hot! And the special photographic hot lights get twice as hot as household bulbs! This tends to make certain things, like flowers, foods, animals, and those darn pesky models, wilt. Especially models. They get very, very, unhappy when they wilt. Whine, gripe, groan; you'd think a little melting makeup, and running mascara, limp hair, and sticky lipstick, and beads of sweat running down their lovely curvaceous (umm, let's say noses) was a big deal or something, the way they complain! ;-)

Next, there's a little problem with the "color temperature" being way off with hot lights, so we have to use special films (3200K or 3400K) or filters, or special photographic bulbs, when using them (strobes are perfectly balanced at 5500K to simulate sunlight, so we can use all the regular daylight films we've come to love/hate over the years). You'll notice that most of your pictures taken indoors without using a flash turn out with a yellowish color cast; that's because household lights are loaded with yellow and red light. The solution is to either use special films, or special filters. But why create more problems for yourself? Using strobes eliminates all these headaches (and heat!). Also, with continuous lights, they're always shining; usually right in our subject's eyes, causing squinting and annoyance (and ugly looking pictures). With strobes, nothing is shining in their eyes, and the flash is too short to cause any of this discomfort to our beloved subjects (until AFTER the flash, when they might be chasing all those little light blips around the room:). Additionally, with strobes, we can control the light much better! We can adjust the power output with the flick of a switch. We can modify the light with umbrellas, softboxes, softcases, filters, scrims and gobos, doo-dahs, and thingamajigs, etc., etc. We can direct the light with barn doors, snoots, honeycombs, and many other accessories. In short, with strobes, we can play God with our photography; WE CAN CONTROL THE LIGHT! And we can do it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whenever we want, no matter what the weather is, and without regard to daylight or night. There are yet other, more esoteric, as well as mundane reasons why strobes are the preferred means of photographic lighting in the modern world, but we'll pass on those things for now. You've probably had enough information shoved down your throat already (sorry, but I can't resist trying to educate everyone about photography).

Specifications: PS-200 Pro Studio Monolight

Here's a brief explanation (using, for this example, your (well, it might be yours soon:) new PS-200 strobe, which have a power level of 120WS, and a GN of 125):

The "120WS" (or the 80WS, or 20WS, etc.) is the output power of your strobe and a watt second is equal to the electrical term "joules," a high-falutin power level. The Guide Number (GN) of these PS-200 units is also 125 (for ASA/ISO 100 film), with a standard reflector. Often, the Watt Second power output is close to the guide number. What good is knowing the guide number? Well, the GN gives us a method of calculating exposure (for any strobe and any film) in this way: to calculate the correct approximate exposure for any subject at any distance, simply divide the distance (in feet) that the subject is from the strobe, into the strobe's GN (guide number); the result is our approximate "F" stop.

For example, (presuming you're using ISO/ASA 100 film), our GN is 125, and the subject is 12 feet away, then: 125 (GN) divided by 12 (feet away from the subject) = 10.4, so we'd use an exposure setting of just under F11. If our subject is 8 feet away, then: 125 divided by 8 = 15.6 which would give us an approximate F stop of F16. See? Umm, if you don't understand it, don't worry about it (it took me years to fully comprehend). Suggestion: If you're serious about improving your photography, you should consider getting a handheld flash/ambient light meter see links here (sorry, I don't carry any at this time, but I will offer some suggestions).

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Here's a fabulous deal on an excellent quality light stand. This Brand New Britek light stand extends to a height of 7 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 3 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 6.5 feet, they're perfect for lighting standing subjects, lighting from above for kids 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 most 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! Order now, while they're still in stock.
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Ever have your cellular phone fail to find a signal when you really needed it? Those of us who have cell phones, have them because we never know when we'll find ourselves in a situation where it will save our butts (or those of our spouses, kids, or friends) from some emergency.

Other times, when we're on our cell phone with an important call, we discover that we've just "dropped" the call during the most important part of our conversations. It's happened to all of us, and I really hated it when it happened to me!

We've all seen the ads on TV and in the magazines and newspapers for these Cell Phone Antenna Boosters, and hundreds of thousands have been sold for $19.95 each! And, yes, they DO help (I've tried them on my own cell phones). They're easy to install (just peel and stick them on the phone behind the battery). To be perfectly honest, though (and I always am:), they're nowhere as "Wonderful" as the TV ads make them out to be (what is?:), but they really do help pull in the cell signals when you're in a "fringe" area or inside buildings. I certainly don't think they're worth $20, but in an emergency, these little antenna boosters could make the difference for you. And one thing's for sure: you can't beat the price! It's FREE!

I just happened to come upon a fabulous deal for these cellular phone antenna boosters, and I