Help about strobe lighting

My nephew's 1st birthday party is coming and my brother asked me to take pictures. the reception place is pretty big and dark not well lit.i have 430exII but sometime the back ground is to dark. i can't bounce it too because of high ceiling, i'm thinking about getting a decent not to high end or expensive Strobe lights, well build and will do the job.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ing/ci/22522/N/​3988592069

My gear check my sig.

No such thing as a ceiling that's too high, just lights that aren't strong enough!

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=451770

With my 580 I've bounced off a ceiling higher than the above, and it was painted black. The issue become getting a good camera to subject distance for pleasant light. Keeping your back to a wall and aiming the flash over your shoulder fixes that.

For high ceilings I use a studio strobe in the back of the room on a stand bouncing up into the wall/ceiling that lights up the entire room at 600 watts.

You can search all day long but you wont find a better bang for your $$ than the Mettle 600AD strobe.

600 Watts with AC/DC, mono light and a portable battery for under $400.00 US

Thanks guys. You think 1 of the Mettle 600AD strobe will do the job?

lightfighter6 wrote in post #16548889
My nephew's 1st birthday party is coming and my brother asked me to take pictures. the reception place is pretty big and dark not well lit.i have 430exII but sometime the back ground is to dark. i can't bounce it too because of high ceiling, i'm thinking about getting a decent not to high end or expensive Strobe lights, well build and will do the job.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ing/ci/22522/N/​3988592069

My gear check my sig.

If you have too high of a ceiling, the background will always be darker than the closer subject....because of the Inverse Square Law of intensity falloff. A more powerful flash will NOT reduce the darkness of the background relative to the foreground subject when flash is not bounced off the ceiling.

Let us assume you are shooting at ISO 100 with 32mm 'normal' lens on your APS-C camera.

• With 430EX, your 'normal lens' guide number is 112. So at f/4 the light will reach only as far as 28; but your subject is at 14 (112/4=28)'. So ETTL flash metering tells the 430EX to output less light (not full power) so your subject at 14' is properly exposed. If we compare the illumination at 28' vs. the illumination at 14', 28' is twice as far as 14' and therefore it is 1/4 the power (-2EV) in brightness.
  
• Let's substitute a 580EX...with 580EX, your 'normal lens' guide number is 138. So at f/4 the light will reach a bit farther but only as far as 34.5' (138/4=34.5); but your subject is at 14'. So ETTL flash metering tells the 580EX to output less light (not full power) so your subject at 14' is properly exposed. If we compare the illumination at 28' vs. the illumination at 14', 28' is twice as far as 14' and therefore it is 1/4 the power (-2EV) in brightness.

As the tittle say, i need this to help my 430EX II on my incoming nephew's Bday in the big gym.

Do i really need this set up: $380

http://www.amazon.com …1630083462&pf_r​d_i=507846

Or this one is ok? $350

I don't even know the difference?

http://www.amazon.com …1630083462&pf_r​d_i=507846