I would say, to start, you could go with two lights, umbrellas, and stands. For a portable studio, I would use AC powered lights. For a dedicated studio, lights that take a power supply would probably be better. They provide a faster recycle time and more consistent results. Regardless, focus more on features than on brand names. A lot of companies offer kits, so may want to look into something like that. In the end, just get the most you can for the money you have available. I hope this helps to some extent.

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For more than 20 years, David Gewirtz, the author of Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and can be reached via email at david@zatz.com.