Help With Use of Elinchrom Strobes

[jazeera]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I figured it's about time I should join a community where I can get help and support since starting my own photography business recently.

I've recently purchased 2 Elinchrom BX 250Ri and can't understand the manuals terminology. I've been playing around with them and can't figure how to adjust it to my camera when it is in full manual mode.

Right now the display shows 1.3 and when I press the up arrow all I see is that the light gets brighter :o. Could someone please explain to me what that # is/means and how to adjust the f stop on the strobe to match my camera settings when in full manual mode.

I have a photo op this Saturday for a squadron holiday party and It would be really embarrassing if I screwed it up. I'm extremely nervous.

Sorry so long winded and thanks in advance for any help. :D

Jaz

[hawk911]

that number is nothing more than a power level setting. You'll adjust your cameras manual settings based on either a meter reading, or a shoot & chimp method. The meter is faster and more accurate, but is more costly up front than chimping.

[jazeera]

Thanks for your reply, I use a Sekonic L-308S...lets say I have a meter reading of the ambient light in a room (strobes turned off) that reads 60, ISO 100, F22

How would I adjust the lights?

[hawk911]

well, that depends on where your subject is, how you want them light, and if you want ambient light to play any part in the exposure. 1/60 is kinda slow and could introduce motion blur of your subject(s)

[jacuff]

Thanks for your reply, I use a Sekonic L-308S...lets say I have a meter reading of the ambient light in a room (strobes turned off) that reads 60, ISO 100, F22

How would I adjust the lights?

Is that 1/60, ISO 100, f/22? That's a really bright room! Use the flash meter reading of the L-308. What you do is you fire the flash and it (the Sekonic) will take the reading. You can set the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to like 1/200 (both on the Sekonic and camera) and given a power setting on the strobe, the flash meter will tell you an aperture setting you need for your camera.

[jazeera]

Got it because that is what I am having problems with, blurring. The room I will be shooting in is poorly lit and it's going to be dark outside, so I guess ambient light won't be a factor. Right now I am playing around with my equipment in my living room so should I turn all lights off?

Do Itake a meter reading of the strobe and adjust my camera to that reading?

Thanks for your help :)

[jacuff]

No need to turn all the lights off... they just need to be low so the strobes overpower them. (Shouldn't be a problem.) You want them to overpower them so you don't get a color cast that you would need to correct. But yes, you take the flashmeter reading off the strobe and adjust your camera to that. However, if you know you need f/8 and at the lowest power, it is reading f/3.5, you should increase the strobe power until it gets to f/8.

[jazeera]

Is that 1/60, ISO 100, f/22? That's a really bright room! Use the flash meter reading of the L-308. What you do is you fire the flash and it (the Sekonic) will take the reading. You can set the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to like 1/200 (both on the Sekonic and camera) and given a power setting on the strobe, the flash meter will tell you an aperture setting you need for your camera.

LOL I have all my lamps on and lights on in my living room. I turned them all off. Am I supposed to be aiming the light meter at the camera or the strobe to get the reading?

With the meter aimed at the camera I get 1/60, ISO 100, f/2.0. I don't have a lens that goes down to 2.0. Do I have to increase the ISO? Won't that make the picture grainy?

[jazeera]

No need to turn all the lights off... they just need to be low so the strobes overpower them. (Shouldn't be a problem.) You want them to overpower them so you don't get a color cast that you would need to correct. But yes, you take the flashmeter reading off the strobe and adjust your camera to that. However, if you know you need f/8 and at the lowest power, it is reading f/3.5, you should increase the strobe power until it gets to f/8.

OIC thanks, things are starting to come together. I am going to be playing around with this some more and making adjustments

[TMR Design]

Hi Jaz,

As has been explained already, the number that is displayed on the back of the strobe is an indication of power level but has no direct relationship to the actual lens aperture or camera settings.

The number to the left of the decimal point indicates whole stops and the number to the right indicates tenth's of stops. So if you see 2.0 and want to increase the output of the strobe by one whole stop you would use the 'up' button to change it to 3.0. If you wanted to decrease it by one third stop you would use the 'down' button to change it to 1.7 and so on....

If you use your light meter to measure the light falling on your subject and get a reading of f/5.6 with the power set to 3.1 and want to shoot at f/8 then you increase the output of the strobe by pressing the 'up' button 10 times or holding it until you see 4.1.

Try not to be nervous. Just relax and do some experimenting. Place objects in and around the area you'll be shooting. Take meter readings, set your camera to the exposure indicated by the meter and shoot.

Set your camera and meter to 1/125s, select your base or desired ISO (generally ISO 100 or 200) and take incident readings. With digital cameras and standard main/fill subject lighting you want to take meter readings with the dome of the meter raised and pointing towards the main source of illumination. This will give you a well controlled highlight without clipping which is very important. You can always use your discretion after taking readings if you feel that the shot would look better slightly over or underexposed but the meter is going to give you a good starting point or an exact exposure that you can use for consistent results. Do some tests and check the images on your computer rather than relying on the LCD on the back of your camera or the histogram, especially if you don't exactly understand what a histogram shows you and how it's presented. Once you start getting some results you'll gain confidence.

Work slowly and carefully and you'll be fine.

[jazeera]

I am such a noob lol. Thank you for that Rob, it is extremely helpful. After all my google and forum searching that is what I needed for everything to make sense. Much appreciated!

[hawk911]

As usual, Robert did a great job explaining the power level settings.

[treaks]

http://www.youtube.com/snapfactory#p/c/BC5A73FEA8B7D7D2/10/ozHMjxJbNQo

This may help.

Treaks

[TMR Design]

http://www.youtube.com/snapfactory#p/c/BC5A73FEA8B7D7D2/10/ozHMjxJbNQo

This may help.

Treaks

I don't see how that video could possibly help anyone.

[Damian75]

This is a handy quick reference card for the BXri settings I keep one in the bag with mine.

http://www.bogenimaging.us/webdav/site/bius/shared/docs/BXRi_functions2009.pdf

[jazeera]

This is a handy quick reference card for the BXri settings I keep one in the bag with mine.

http://www.bogenimaging.us/webdav/site/bius/shared/docs/BXRi_functions2009.pdf

The card that came with the kit, that is a good idea (keeping it in your bag)! I may do that until I don't need to use it as a reference anymore, even if I can only understand 1/4 of what it says lol.

What would be the reason in changing the Duration of Ready Beep (70-490 m/secs)?

[TMR Design]

The card that came with the kit, that is a good idea (keeping it in your bag)! I may do that until I don't need to use it as a reference anymore, even if I can only understand 1/4 of what it says lol.

What would be the reason in changing the Duration of Ready Beep (70-490 m/secs)?

The only thing I can come up with regarding the length of the ready beep is if I was working outdoors. Sometimes there is ambient noise and a short beep might not be heard. In the studio you'd hear even the shortest beep but outside it could be harder to hear.

[jazeera]

http://www.youtube.com/snapfactory#p/c/BC5A73FEA8B7D7D2/10/ozHMjxJbNQo

This may help.

Treaks

Maybe you intended to leave a different link ?

I have already watched a lot of the Digital Photography 1 on 1 videos, they have been helpful...some more than others.

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-use-Your-Sekonic-Light-Meter-72416679

[snyderman]

Jazeera:

I'm pretty new with the Elinchrom lights as well. Different model than yours, but the same principals should apply. having the light meter really helped me as well. Keep in mind, this is something really new to me, but using the light meter with the lights has really helped with exposure.

First off, the lights are much stronger (when flashed) than you can imagine. If you have two, set them up where you think they should go. Set the lights on fairly low settings to begin with. For my D-Lite 400s, they are usally set at, or below the 3.6 number readout on back of strobe. Sometimes they are set to as low as 2.8. I also don't know what the numbers mean other than 3.6 is more flash power (and light) than 2.8.

Next, get your light meter. I have my light meter set to the ISO 100 and use the mode that allows me to select and set a shutter speed. I set the shutter speed on the Sekonic to 1/250. I plug a synch cable into the light meter and run it to one of the two strobes. Put the light meter where my subject will be photographed, (approximately) and press the button on the light meter which activates both strobes. Strobes fire. I try not to stand in the path of the light.

Based on what the Sekonic saw when the strobes flashed, it tells me where to set the f/n on the camera for a correct exposure. If that exposure number is somewhere around 6.3 - 8.0, I know I'm in the ballpark with the strobes. When the subject is put into place, I'll move the lights around again to my liking and use the Sekonic once again to get the reading near the face of the subject. Again, I'm looking for around f/7.1 to make sure I get an entire face or body in focus from about 10' away with the camera.

If you're doing multiple portraits at a party and moving people through, you should only have to do this once. Use an assistant, significant other, wife, friend or anybody who you can stand up there while you sort out the lighting and shooting numbers.

My info may be corrected by the more experienced portrait shooters here, but this method is kind of what I've stumbled upon and it works for me. Thought sharing my noob-ish experience might help you in some small way.

Good luck and post some of the results!

dave

[jazeera]

Thanks Dave any input is appreciated :D

I took this pick just to show what I have to work with and trying to get ready for this photo op this Saturday. I would love to have my hubby come out for help and support, but of course he is away (military).

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/IMG_6397.jpg

My living/dining room (17'x11') is a mess :oops: and I had to move my furniture around, don't have much space to move my lights around. Gotta make do with what space I have right. I am also still working on what background I am going to use so don't mind the one that is set up right now, it was just an :idea: I was toying with but the strobes over power the Christmas lights.

I agree the flash is strong. I plan on using my 75-300mm, which means I'll have to set it up pretty far from my subject. Should I use the 18-55mm instead? I don't know if the camera distance (in relation to the subject) is important when using strobes?

When I plug the sync cable from the strobe to the light meter I can only get one strobe to fire. What am I doing wrong here?

I have hired 1 person to push papers and move the line along; I am going to hire one more to take care of money transactions.

I will be photographing mostly couples because it is a squadron holiday party and will be setting up the background with some props for a head to toe shot.

I also went to location and took some ambient light readings, without fully understanding how to use the meter yet :oops:, from different positions in the room. This is what I got:

1/60, ISO 320, f/8.0 (pointing towards windows during day, but I'll be shooting at night)
1/60, ISO 320, f/2.0

From these readings the lighting is pretty low, so I guess I will be solely relying on my lights.

I'll be setting the lights up at 45 degree angle using the 2:1 ratio, obviously I am going to move them around till I get the right exposure.

Any advise, is my thinking process in the right direction? I won't be able to call up these couples and ask to do a retake if I mess it all up :neutral: I guess I just need some reassurance that I am going in the right direction.

[TMR Design]

Thanks Dave any input is appreciated :D

I took this pick just to show what I have to work with and trying to get ready for this photo op this Saturday. I would love to have my hubby come out for help and support, but of course he is away (military).

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/IMG_6397.jpg

My living/dining room (17'x11') is a mess :oops: and I had to move my furniture around, don't have much space to move my lights around. Gotta make do with what space I have right. I am also still working on what background I am going to use so don't mind the one that is set up right now, it was just an :idea: I was toying with but the strobes over power the Christmas lights.

I agree the flash is strong. I plan on using my 75-300mm, which means I'll have to set it up pretty far from my subject. Should I use the 18-55mm instead? I don't know if the camera distance (in relation to the subject) is important when using strobes?

When I plug the sync cable from the strobe to the light meter I can only get one strobe to fire. What am I doing wrong here?

I have hired 1 person to push papers and move the line along; I am going to hire one more to take care of money transactions.

I will be photographing mostly couples because it is a squadron holiday party and will be setting up the background with some props for a head to toe shot.

I also went to location and took some ambient light readings, without fully understanding how to use the meter yet :oops:, from different positions in the room. This is what I got:

1/60, ISO 320, f/8.0 (pointing towards windows during day, but I'll be shooting at night)
1/60, ISO 320, f/2.0

From these readings the lighting is pretty low, so I guess I will be solely relying on my lights.

I'll be setting the lights up at 45 degree angle using the 2:1 ratio, obviously I am going to move them around till I get the right exposure.

Any advise, is my thinking process in the right direction? I won't be able to call up these couples and ask to do a retake if I mess it all up :neutral: I guess I just need some reassurance that I am going in the right direction.

The lens you use will depend on how wide the shot or how tight the shot is and how much distance you place between the lens and subject(s).

To get your second strobe to fire you have to enable the optical slave trigger in the second strobe. That is done by pushing the button on the back with the eye on it. That's the optical trigger. When it sees the flash from the other strobe it will fire in sync.

[jacuff]

Did you buy one of the "To Go" kits?
http://www.elinchrom.com/products.php?p_id=29&tab=sets#content

The BX Ri's have built in Skyports and the To Go kits have the transmitter (http://www.elinchrom.com/products.php?p_id=31&tab=references#content), so you may not even need to use any sync cable.

[jazeera]

Did you buy one of the "To Go" kits?
http://www.elinchrom.com/products.php?p_id=29&tab=sets#content

The BX Ri's have built in Skyports and the To Go kits have the transmitter (http://www.elinchrom.com/products.php?p_id=31&tab=references#content), so you may not even need to use any sync cable.

Yes, I have the to go kit. I can't get the strobes to fire without the sync cable.

[Damian75]

The only thing I can come up with regarding the length of the ready beep is if I was working outdoors. Sometimes there is ambient noise and a short beep might not be heard. In the studio you'd hear even the shortest beep but outside it could be harder to hear.

Rob the different beep lengths are so you can set each strobe to a different length and tell them apart.

[jazeera]

What is the significance of this #?

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/12-1-200910-53-57AM.jpg

[Damian75]

What is the significance of this #?

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/12-1-200910-53-57AM.jpg

I have not used that meter but it looks like it is giving you an aperture of 5.6 and 7/10 this is were having that 1/10 of a stop control on your lights come in handy if you want 5.6 just knock the light down 7 clicks or up 3 if you want F8.

[TMR Design]

Rob the different beep lengths are so you can set each strobe to a different length and tell them apart.

I like my explanation better...lolol

I never need to tell them apart. If I have multiple strobes I only enable the beep on the one with the highest power level so that I know when it's ready. The others will be ready before that one so there's no need to know when they are ready. :D

[TMR Design]

I have not used that meter but it looks like it is giving you an aperture of 5.6 and 7/10 this is were having that 1/10 of a stop control on your lights come in handy if you want 5.6 just knock the light down 7 clicks or up 3 if you want F8.

That's correct. The meter is displaying 1/10 stops so that reading is f/5.6 + .7 which is really f/7.1. It's 2/3 stop more than f/5.6 and 1/3 stop less than f/8. The progression from f/5.6 to f/8 in 1/3 stops is f/5.6, f/6.3, f/7.1, f/8.

[Damian75]

I like my explanation better...lolol

I never need to tell them apart. If I have multiple strobes I only enable the beep on the one with the highest power level so that I know when it's ready. The others will be ready before that one so there's no need to know when they are ready. :D

Yeah I do the same thing only with VFC in studio I hate the beeps and can't hear them over the music anyway :lol:

[jazeera]

I think I am actually getting the hang of all this, it's exciting! Thank you all for your help! I am loving this community already.:D

Now I've got my daughter begging me "more pichure mommy"

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/IMG_6405.jpg

[c2thew]

seems to me that your lens missed focused on the girl

[egordon99]

Thanks Dave any input is appreciated :D

I plan on using my 75-300mm, which means I'll have to set it up pretty far from my subject. Should I use the 18-55mm instead? I don't know if the camera distance (in relation to the subject) is important when using strobes?

What matters is the distance between the light(s) and the subject. If this stays constant, you can zoom in/out, walk closer to the subject, etc...and your flash setting will still work. Why did you chose to use your 75-300? How much do you know about focal lengths/subject distance/perspective?


1/60, ISO 320, f/8.0 (pointing towards windows during day, but I'll be shooting at night)
1/60, ISO 320, f/2.0


Ignore those settings. Pretend you never took any ambient readings. You'll be at 1/250s (or 1/200s if you have a Rebel or 5D/5DII) so your shots SHOULD be BLACK if your strobes do not fire. Set your lights where you want them, take the reading to set your ISO and f-stop.

[TMR Design]

Keep in mind that 1/250s is the camera's max sync speed but that spec is based on using a branded Speedlight. In most cases, regardless of you trigger, Elinchrom strobes can not sync cleanly at 1/250s. In all my testing, as well as others in this forum, we've seen traces of the shutter curtain in the frame at speeds higher than 1/160s. If the surrounding elements of background are dark then you can get away with 1/200 and 1/250s but be careful when using those speeds.

If you're not shooting moving objects and not concerned about reducing ambient contribution the frame then I would play it safe and shoot at either 1/125 or 1/160s. There's no reason to shoot at higher speeds for stationary portraiture. 1/125s, when using flash or strobes is absolutely fast enough to freeze slight movement and even a little motion.

Regarding distance of camera/lens to subject..... since you're taking incident readings with your light meter you're measuring the light that falls on the subject. It doesn't matter where you stand, how close or far, to the left or right, up high or low, you're still going to properly expose for the part of the subject you metered.

Obviously, if you meter highlights on the right side (camera left) of the subjects face and then move your camera position so the lens is seeing the left side of the subject, it's going to be underexposed because you're not shooting the part of the subject you metered. So in that case, camera position would affect shooting exposure but it still wouldn't affect the exposure of the area metered.

That was an example of camera position affecting taking exposure but in general, once you meter a scene you can shoot at any distance without affecting exposure.

[jazeera]

seems to me that your lens missed focused on the girl

That is one of my problems right now. I had her jump when I took that one. My camera settings were manual mode 1/250, ISO 100, f/8, WB Auto. Do I need to increase the power on the lights or move the lights closer to get 100% focused?

Do I adjust my camera settings or the power of the lights?

I had the same problem with this one (same camera settings).
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/IMG_64214x6-1.jpg

[jazeera]

What matters is the distance between the light(s) and the subject. If this stays constant, you can zoom in/out, walk closer to the subject, etc...and your flash setting will still work. Why did you chose to use your 75-300? How much do you know about focal lengths/subject distance/perspective? ...

I only have 3 lenses to choose from. I remember watching a video about distortion, so I figured using my 18-55mm kit lens would not be a good idea. Correct me if I'm wrong, I do not know all the technicalities when it comes to focal lengths/subject distance/perspective.

I had planned on using the 75-300, mostly set at 75mm or 85mm. But I thought it would give me the option to zoom in as well for some shots.

[jazeera]

Keep in mind that 1/250s is the camera's max sync speed but that spec is based on using a branded Speedlight. In most cases, regardless of you trigger, Elinchrom strobes can not sync cleanly at 1/250s. In all my testing, as well as others in this forum, we've seen traces of the shutter curtain in the frame at speeds higher than 1/160s. If the surrounding elements of background are dark then you can get away with 1/200 and 1/250s but be careful when using those speeds.

If you're not shooting moving objects and not concerned about reducing ambient contribution the frame then I would play it safe and shoot at either 1/125 or 1/160s. There's no reason to shoot at higher speeds for stationary portraiture. 1/125s, when using flash or strobes is absolutely fast enough to freeze slight movement and even a little motion.

Regarding distance of camera/lens to subject..... since you're taking incident readings with your light meter you're measuring the light that falls on the subject. It doesn't matter where you stand, how close or far, to the left or right, up high or low, you're still going to properly expose for the part of the subject you metered.

Obviously, if you meter highlights on the right side (camera left) of the subjects face and then move your camera position so the lens is seeing the left side of the subject, it's going to be underexposed because you're not shooting the part of the subject you metered. So in that case, camera position would affect shooting exposure but it still wouldn't affect the exposure of the area metered.

That was an example of camera position affecting taking exposure but in general, once you meter a scene you can shoot at any distance without affecting exposure.

Noted and set. Camera 1/125s, I will be using a tripod set up in front of the subject. This is my first time so I want to keep it simple and basic and reduce the amount of mistakes I am going to make.

Again, thanks for the great insight and tips.

[egordon99]

That is one of my problems right now. I had her jump when I took that one. My camera settings were manual mode 1/250, ISO 100, f/8, WB Auto. Do I need to increase the power on the lights or move the lights closer to get 100% focused?

Do I adjust my camera settings or the power of the lights?



How would changing the power of the lights and/or the position of the lights affect the focus?

Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" is a good reference for some of the basic concepts of photography. Also do some googling on depth-of-field and how f-stop affects how much of the scene is in focus.

[queenbee288]

It is really not as complicated as it all sounds. I set my camera in Manual mode, ISO 100, f5.6 at 160. The ambient light does not affect the exposure at these settings in my garage with all the garage lights on.I adjust my power on my lights and move them closer or further away until I get what I need. If you are going to doing the same shot over and over, all you have to do is get the correct setting on the lights and distance and keep using that. Practice first and figure out what it is and just use those settings and positions of the light.

[jazeera]

Is there a difference between these two sets of arrows when I need to increase/decrease the light to get a certain reading?

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/12-3-20094-31-19AM.jpg

[egordon99]

^ Isn't the first set for the modeling light? And the second set for the actual strobe? What does the manual say?

[TMR Design]

Is there a difference between these two sets of arrows when I need to increase/decrease the light to get a certain reading?

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/12-3-20094-31-19AM.jpg

The up and down arrows under the LED power display are used to adjust the flashtube power. The second set of arrows above and below the modeling light switch give you additional control over the modeling light. If you push the modeling light button once it turns on the modeling light and it tracks the flashtube power proportionally. If you press the button again it turns off the modeling light. If the modeling light is on and tracking proportionally and you press either the up or down buttons that are above and below the modeling light button then you switch the modeling light to a 'free' setting that disassociates the modeling light from the flashtube power and you can increase or decrease them independent of one another.

A simple example of using this function is if you're working with one light and the power level is very low. Sometimes with low power or low power and other ambient light in the room it's hard to see the highlights and shadows. Also, it might be hard to focus or for auto focus to work in low light. If you use the free setting then you can increase the power of the modeling light to full so you can see and focus and this has no bearing on the flashtube power or the exposure.

[jacuff]

Yes #1 is for the modeling light only. #2 is the power of the flash. You can have the modeling light set independently of the flash or set proportionally. Just hit that button with the lightbulb. (It has three settings you can cycle.) Maybe you'll learn better by experimenting.

[jazeera]

I have been experimenting all night and did figure out which one did what but for the life of me I can't get any shots in focus.

I set my lights 1/125s ISO 200 f/8.0 (meter reading), then set my camera (75-300mm) to those settings on the tripod. AWB, One shot AF, center-weighted average metering

What in the world am I doing wrong?

[jacuff]

The buttons are independent of focus however, if you turn your modeling lights up to full power (independent of the flash power), your camera will have an easier time gaining focus. If you are using Manual on your camera, the metering mode is unimportant.

[TMR Design]

I have been experimenting all night and did figure out which one did what but for the life of me I can't get any shots in focus.

I set my lights 1/125s ISO 200 f/8.0 (meter reading), then set my camera (75-300mm) to those settings on the tripod. AWB, One shot AF, center-weighted average metering

What in the world am I doing wrong?

If you can't get your camera to focus then more then there isn't enough light or contrast for the camera to lock focus. This will happen when you use a lens that doesn't have a wide minimum aperture and/or when there isn't enough ambient light in the room. Turn on some additional room lights and try it again. The strobes and their settings have nothing to do with your ability to focus.

[TMR Design]

.. if you turn your modeling lights up to full power (independent of the flash power)...

I could have sworn I already said this in my earlier post.

[jacuff]

I could have sworn I already said this in my earlier post.

You did, just reiterating it for the OP since she is struggling. Some folks just have to hear it multiple times from different people before it sinks in.

[jazeera]

The buttons are independent of focus however, if you turn your modeling lights up to full power (independent of the flash power), your camera will have an easier time gaining focus. If you are using Manual on your camera, the metering mode is unimportant.

UGh, that's all I needed to do was turn the modeling lights up to full power. Just got finished testing that. I've been up all night trying to figure out what I was doing wrong and that was it. I don't know whether to scream at the top of my lungs or cry j/k

Joking aside I was seriously starting to think there was something wrong with my equipment. Now time to go make the kids breakfast.

Thank you all for putting up with my sillyness, more to come ;)

My first shot completely in focus LOL. Caught him before he had to run out the door to school.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/IMG_6487.jpg

[snyderman]

I have been experimenting all night and did figure out which one did what but for the life of me I can't get any shots in focus.

I set my lights 1/125s ISO 200 f/8.0 (meter reading), then set my camera (75-300mm) to those settings on the tripod. AWB, One shot AF, center-weighted average metering

What in the world am I doing wrong?

Try this:

1) Set exposure on camera based on flash meter reading

2) Turn the modeling lights to brightest setting.

3) Focus on and shoot something that isn't moving.

4) Shoot a few images

In focus now?

dave

[jazeera]

Jazeera:

. . . My info may be corrected by the more experienced portrait shooters here, but this method is kind of what I've stumbled upon and it works for me. Thought sharing my noob-ish experience might help you in some small way.

Good luck and post some of the results!

dave

Well here are a couple from the other night. Due to my lack of experience with portrait photography using studio lights, none as a matter of fact, I think they turned out okay. I am just left with a lot of PP.

I definitely needed more than just 2 lights, or maybe just needed more time to practice with placements of the lights. I have another thread (link below), which I think I posted in the wrong section, asking for PP help with PSE. The close ups turned out better than the head-toe shots, more about that if you follow the following link...

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=791658

I sure do need more practice posing people because I was very uncomfortable with it, and I think some turned out looking awkward.

1.First couple of the night.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/IMG_0051.jpg

2. The one I am thankful for, he got me this photo op.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/IMG_0109.jpg

3.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb306/lai24luv/IMG_0131closeup.jpg