i am very much interested in product photography but since i am on a limited budget, i went through the DIY route. i made my self a light tent out of a big box and bought lots of cartolina for my background . i also made 3 lights, one for overhead lighting with 100 watts daylight bulb and 2 side lights, 25 watts each. now my problem is it seems i have already reached the limits of my lights. i found a light set on the web (here's the link: http://store.tabletopstudio-store.com/lightsets.html) but they are on the expensive side. any recommendations on what and where to buy the same kind of light set locally but i don't need to break the piggy bank so to speak? many thanks for the help.

How did you reached the limits of your light?

If you are using a tripod, I do not think you will reach the limit ven if you are just using a 25 Watts light. Because with a tripod, you can have your lens open upto 30 seconds. If that is still not enough, you can even go bulb.

But what limit did you really reached?

I think I saw a similar light setup at Avenue Photo in Quiapo. :)

But what limit did you really reached?
there are some lighting effects that i cannot achieve with my current light setup. these are some of those effects:

http://www.geocities.jp/cogi_charsuke/oyw/oyw-rx78-1.htm - the graduated transition from white to black.

http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=23206 - the highlights are not overblown yet most parts of the picture are not underexposed..

http://www.digitalphotographer.com.ph/photography/showphoto.php?photo=2186&cat=510 - spotlight effect but with soft shadows.

my overhead light is fixed. only the two side lights are movable. i am also thinking that there is a chance also that my light setup is not the problem. the problem is my lack of knowledge yet and experience with regards to this matter. or i have reached a temporary (i hope) creativity dead-end.

Based on the samples, you have not reached the limits of you stuff... All of them can be achieved by using diffusers (layer of papers?) and light positioning. The further the light, the softer the shadow. Graduated transition? Just a matter of positioning and flaging the light.

Keep on trying. You will eventually get the effect you are trying to get. There is nothing worst than beleiving you can get the effects you want by buying something and discovering you are wrong. :D

Keep experimenting.

Keep on trying. You will eventually get the effect you are trying to get. There is nothing worst than beleiving you can get the effects you want by buying something and discovering you are wrong. :D

Keep experimenting.
many thanks for the update. actually i already have that nagging feeling that i may be in one of those buy new equipment trap. i will keep on trying then and let's see if i break that wall and eventually get what i want. :)

hi din! You have to remember that each product can and sometimes should be lighted differently depending on the product. So having a fixed lighting setup wont solve your problem. what you need is to have a movable lighting setup.

hi din! You have to remember that each product can and sometimes should be lighted differently depending on the product. So having a fixed lighting setup wont solve your problem. what you need is to have a movable lighting setup.
thanks Ben. thats a very good point. with the comments so far i am concluding that to get the lighting effects that i want is a combination of a lot of factors, such as the lights itself, how many will they be, how flexible my setup is (movability of the light) and the type of product i am shooting.