help newbie with basic portable setup for headshots

[vjack]

I have been taking headshots of co-workers for our website, bulletin boards, and other promotional material. I use my 430EX mounted on the camera with an index card diffuser bounced off the ceiling. Results have been satisfactory, but I'd like to improve the quality a bit. Two related questions:

Because some of what I am asked to do involves shooting people in tiny offices with no room for light stands, etc. or in situations where I cannot set up in advance, I am wondering whether a flash bracket would be a worthwhile purchase? If so, what would you recommend?
For the situations where I can move into a larger room and control the environment a bit better, what would be some good bang-for-the-buck additions? Portability and speed of setup/breakdown are critical, and my goal is not to create a professional studio on site but merely to gain a bit more flexibility with lighting. It seems like getting the flash off the camera and adding a reflector would help considerably, but I'm just guessing.

[BCRose]

Can you bounce yur speedlight off the wall/ceiling behind you? Sometimes you can get some nice light from this method.

[vjack]

Can you bounce yur speedlight off the wall/ceiling behind you? Sometimes you can get some nice light from this method.

I sometimes have this option, but many of the rooms have white ceilings and colored walls, making me hesitant to pick up the color cast of the walls.

[BCRose]

I sometimes have this option, but many of the rooms have white ceilings and colored walls, making me hesitant to pick up the color cast of the walls.

Custom WB to the rescue :)

[Clay Kerri]

You should make them all come to you, instead of going to them. If this is for the benefit of the company, and they want to prove the job is important to them, it's the least they can do. Find a spot where you can set everything up, maybe rent an external flash unit and softbox, and take pictures that way.

If you can't do that, then I'm sorry =[
Can we see some samples of what you are currently doing?

[smorter]

I would second the notion of just bouncing into the walls/ceiling

Throw away the index card and stop bouncing straight up into the ceiling. Bouncing into the ceiling is illogical it gives you crap light (do you ever see anyone hanging a softbox above a subject? That's what you are pretty much doing when you illuminate the roof above someone's head, it's like putting softbox above their head...instead of infront of their face)

Colour casts are irrelevant, just correct it in RAW

If you really are averse to bouncing, then you can get a cheapo Wireless Flash Trigger, get 2 speedlites, and set up 1 bouncing into an umbrella (e.g. Photogenics Eclipse 60" white) as your main light and the second speedlite acting as fill or a background light

Good Luck!

[vjack]

You should make them all come to you, instead of going to them. If this is for the benefit of the company, and they want to prove the job is important to them, it's the least they can do. Find a spot where you can set everything up, maybe rent an external flash unit and softbox, and take pictures that way.

I should be able to do that to some degree. The reason I also asked about a flash bracket is that some of the shots I need to do are going to be things like entering a classroom while someone is teaching and getting a quick shot or two of the class, of them teaching, etc. For these, I have to get in and out fast. This was the type of scenario where I wondered about a flash bracket.