I am in the process of starting up a photography business that primarily focuses on portaiture work of children and young adults/families..both in studio and outdoors. I would like to use natural lighting as much as possible, however, there will be times that i would like to have a black background with soft lighting that makes the subject/person "pop" or illuminates them. My question and confusion comes in regarding setting up a studio in regards to the lighting, with what i need as basics and what i need to acheive the look i want. To give some examples, I would like to do work with a solid white background and with a black background (two different shoots). I want to work both in color and black & white. I would love to have the "warm" glow with everything else around the subject blackened out. Also, when i am doing shoots outside i need to know what basic lighting i need. I would love to have some feedback/advice on what lights i need to start out. My budget is limited to around $300 or so. I have read a little about Tungsten lights and love the look they give but they are a little pricey. I wonder if a Softbox light would be better than an umbrella or do i need both. As you can see i have a lot to learn and a lot of questions. Any help/advice is so appreciated. Thanks!