Christmas is approaching, some Qs

[delmama]

I have been asked to do Christmas photoshoots of families in their homes with the Christmas tree as a background. I would love to know if you guys could refer me to some good tutorials on group pictures with that type of lighting, I am not quiet sure what kind of set up I need to have, I dont have any fancy flashes or softboxes just my rebel, with the built in flash and 3 lenses.
Also I want to make sure all faces are super sharp, do I keep my camera on a fast shutter speed and perhaps f/11 or higher? I dont use manual mode much, I mostly stick around AV and TV, I am experimenting with Manual mode lately and im liking it, I still cant get my pics to be tack sharp.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

[delmama]

anyone?

[egordon99]

At a MINIMUM, you need an external speedlight that can mount on your hotshoe. The Canon 580EXII is pretty decent.

Indoor pictures with the built-in flash look awful.

What do you usually shoot? Why did they ask you to do the photoshoots?

Buy a speedlight and learn all you can about bouncing and E-TTL.

[Noelle8818]

You definately will need a speedlight. I started with a 430EX, and it did the trick for a couple of years until I was ready to get more serious with my photography. There is a night a day different between built in flash and using the speedlight. Just aim the flash directly at the ceiling, and the lighting is much more appeasing than direct flash.

[egordon99]

And after you get the hang of the speedlight, pick up an umbrella/light stand and some radio triggers and shoot the flash through the umbrella onto the subject. It's like bouncing on steroids!

You should be able to get started for less than $100 :)

[Noelle8818]

And after you get the hang of the speedlight, pick up an umbrella/light stand and some radio triggers and shoot the flash through the umbrella onto the subject. It's like bouncing on steroids!

You should be able to get started for less than $100 :)
I'm setting that up right now! I can't wait to try! I have my first studio session in my home on Sunday, and I need to practice!

[jrbdmb]

Bump for the upcoming holiday season. I have a 50D, a 430 EX II, and a Yongnuo 565 on order. Each of the flashes has a Stofen-style diffuser. I'm just getting into off camera flash, and I'm trying to figure if I can stick with what i have for now or if i should invest in some modifiers. Seems like the two options are:

1. Two bare flashes with or w/o diffusers, bounced off the ceiling. Perhaps aim the second light at the family directly to add pop, or use it to light the tree which will be behind us.

2. Get a QBox 24 or Softlighter for the main light, either another QBox / Soflighter for the second light or bounce it. Again maybe use this to light the tree as well.

Any advice / criticism appreciated.

[Neeks23]

I've got some Yongnuo wireless flash triggers on the way from Amazon for an off camera flash setup. I've been looking into some flash stands and umbrellas to diffuse the light. And I'm researching how to make my own beauty dish. I've been thinking about getting a Yongnuo flash as a secondary.

You're in the right direction (jrbdmb). The only way I'd use the flash with no umbrellas would be to use a diffuser and put them a distance away to help soften the light.