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It is true that most "content" providers do not know much about lighting or photography. That does not necessarily make their content bad, but it does make all the content look pretty much the same. And when content starts looking the same the surfer doesn't respond to it much.
Interesting photography has to do with inventive lighting, and photographing the model in a different way. With proper lighting you can make an average model beautiful, with improper lighting you can make a beautiful model average, or worse.
Saying that, I am an advocate of strobe bounced light when shooting erotica, especially when shooting skin. For me hot lights are not erotic and create an artificial sterile look, like having sex sitting in a dentist chair. Yes working with hotlights is easier for the photographer because everything can be done autoexposure, but the models get hot and uncomfortable, and it is not such a sexy look.
For a sexy look "mood" lighting is good, and this can be easily achieved with strobes and bounced light. Another advantage of shooting the model with strobes is that it gives the models' eyes a more sexy glamour look, because (unlike hot lights) when you work with strobes your set lighting will usually be subdued causing the pupils of the models' eyes to enlarge---the flashing strobe captures this glamour look, and it is a completely different look to the eyes than hot lights which cause the pupils to close down.
In erotica when the girl looks at you with big pupils that means she is hot for you---when she looks at you with small pupils it means she does not care for you so much.
Subliminal messaging yes, but we're talking about getting signups here.
Back to the original query by the poster.
I favor Speedotron---I use the brownline series, but blackline is basically the same, just more accessories. I like speedotron because it is tough and reliable, a powerpack has never failed, and the 1604 I use recycles very fast. Normally I shoot with D1x and wein infrared wireless slave. Usually 2 heads, and 2 big umbrellas. In this way I can create the "mood" of sex lighting, simulating the real look of an atmosphere most people have sex in. I also use a smaller powerpack that I had speedotron modify for 110-120V so it can be used all over the world. It travels well, just does not recycle so fast.
Having said all that, it ain't the hardware that creates great pix, it is the photographer's imagination. There's plenty of shitty photography done with great equipment, and the converse is also true.
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