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If you’re starting out in the world of portrait photography and you don’t have much or any studio equipment, this might not be a bad way to start out.

Popular Photography magazine has lined up their Editor’s Choice 2007 list for lighting, and the Westcott Photo Basics lighting kit is on the list.

I started my studio out this same way, but with a kit from Interfit. If you have no equipment, this can be a good way to go. With this kit, you get two or three light stands, two or three umbrellas, a carrying case, a background, and a pair of 500 watt per second strobes. The heads are color coded to match with indications on an included 6×11 foot mat that spells out how to set everything up for some traditional portrait lighting schemes. This part might seem a little elementary for you, but it could act as a great reference when you’re in the “heat of the shoot” and you can’t remember everything you’ve read online and in those portraiture books.

All this will set you back $400 to $500, depending on which setup you choose. Since it’s a Westcott setup, you could surely find accessories to upgrade your setup later on. Softboxes and more would surely be a snap.

Get the Westcott Photo Basics 502 Two Light Kit or the Westcott Photo Basics 503 Three Light Kit from Amazon.