Beauty Photographie - lightning flashes used or my wrong technique?

[cesar]

HI there i started to years ago - just out of the box photographing bought some quite cheap flash units with softboxes, umbrellas and spots to put on. Worked good so far after experimenting a lot.
I would like to raise my quality for some advertising photo shoots.
My work and style so far can bee seen under:
http://www.c-gfx.ch/fotografie.htm
- all images are edited also in photoshop because i could never get that nice pics just so...:confused:


But i have seen some awesomes pics i wanted to recreate - and i just can't get the lightning that way.

Im not sure if i should buy a beauty dish or a ringflash?

As exemple those 2 pics - the style i like to recreate i just dont know how to get the light that "smooth" and soft but still bright specialy around the eyes..?? How was that lighted ringflash softbox or beauty dish??

(All pics copyright to sarah silver)
http://www.sarahsilver.com/index2.php?section=beauty

Or this one - think that was a ring flash, looks at least the reflexion in her eyes. Ringflash as main with two softboxes on each side for the highlights?

(Séance photos Ocean Drive Magazine Août 2004)
http://lovelykreuk.free.fr/spgm-1.4/index.php?spgmGal=Presse&spgmPic=49&spgmFilters=#pic

Recommendations and infos are very welcome :)
Thanks a lot!
Greetings from switzerland - cesar

[Marshall]

If by ringflash you mean Canon,Sigma, etc. these are purely for close up work & macro. However suggest you research ring flashes from Broncolor, Profoto, Hensel,or Elinchrom.
These are a pricey item especially when battery pack is needed for location work.

[René Damkot]

None of these were made with a ring flash as far as I can see. Take a look in the glamour forum. JAF Doorhof posted some pics made with a ringflash.
Second link is backlit by something harder than softboxes I think. probabely 'standard' reflectors.
I'ld say pretty big light sources are used in the first link, probabely softboxes.
Then again, it's not just what you've got, it's mostly what you do with it!
*You might consider putting up a 'not work safe' warning on the last link, regarding the imgs on the bottom of the page...*

[cesar]

Thanks very much so far for your answers :) -
i will check that forum right away.
With ringflashes i meant the "big" ones but i not so sure about to get one anymore i talked to another photographer that said only for "frontal" lightning really good - if i dont want to risk "double-shadows"...

oh :o - sorry about the pics on the bottom of the page - i use a firewall and so they are blocked out - insteadt of those "cheap" pics.

Many Greetings
Cesar