I am mostly a lurker but thought I would add a little to this thread. It can be done! E-bay has Britek kits from $150 to $300 complete with stands and umbrellas. Steve Kaeser, in Los Angeles, is a great Britek dealer, ask them for a catalogue. I have heard lots of bad things about Britek, yet, my Briteks have lasted me for ten years without any trouble, and I have done school-dances, weddings, events, and location portraits using them. KEH also has a couple of White Lightning mono-lights for sale at $179 and $199. The White Lightning web site has umbrellas for sale at $15 each. Lights stands can be picked up used at any photo shop, or 2nd hand store, if one is looking. (I got a nice 7 foot one for less than $5.00 this way.) I have used both the "power-pack" lighting and "slave" mono-lights, and I prefer the slave lights for portability and ease of use. Your AE-1 should do just fine---I use my T-70 for all my work, when I am not using medium format. I hope this helps and good luck--I started this way too!
