Seeking Advice on Beginner Studio and Flashes Gear

Seeking advice... Or more like, guide me so I know how to learn the ABC's and then continue learning.

I don't own a studio. I don't own a flash. I've shot with flash before and I know I like it. I would like to master flash.
My friend and I have tried making really crude "studios" out of backside of cabinets, study lamps, and carpets... It doesn't work that well

Normally I would research a lot on the topic first... but I'm out of time if I want to take advantage of holiday sales (already missed the Thanksgiving ones since I was focused on getting lenses..)
I'll keep this post simple, since I'm guessing what I need to know/learn is very extensive.

My goals:
- Have a low budget home studio that is at least worthy for senior photos. I want to be able to shoot at least half of a body (waist up) for portraits, although full body would be ideal since I also want to shoot snowboard gears (but that's secondary).
- Have the ability to create photos that highlight the subject in a pitch black surrounding.
- Master flash (for indoor and outdoor) as well as using reflectors. Doing it indoor is priority, since I like to use natural light outdoors anyways.

Seeking: (from you experts)
1) Recommendations for gear (I believe I will need... 1 or 2 flashes, umbrella or modifier, stands, and a backdrop? Also reflectors for outdoors?). Budget: Low to average. I don't know how much these things cost. I was thinking ~$300, but that's flexible. This is my top priority, since I can take my time to learn how to use everything, but good deals won't be around for long. Related: what are the big brands for gear?

2) Good and UPDATED resources (articles, sites, example portfolios) on how to use the gears that I will have. A gear introduction, basically.
3) Good resources on how to be artistic (or just shoot well) in studio photography and outdoor flash. People/portrait is top priority. Product is second.

OR if you'd be happy to share your own advice, that is always welcomed. I just don't like to bug people too much with very simple questions.

Gotta start somewhere. I've tested the waters before, now I'm making the plunge.
Thank you!

You don't need a studio if you want to create pitch black surroundings.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/noahfence/84999​55210/

- Metz Mecablitz 58 AF-2 ($399)

- 16' TLL cord

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/noahfence/86079​27774/

Sweet photos!
I agree that it would be good to start with 1 flash. I think it should be off camera though, right?
I'm still learning the ABC's, and I could use some recommendations for resources. I'll look into those books, but something online would be a good start. For example, I haven't even heard of TTL radio triggers.

Quick questions: Do most people use wireless sync for off camera flashes, or do they still use a wired cord? What's the difference between a shoot through umbrella and a softbox?

Since i don't know how much these things cost, I don't have a set budget. While I could spend $399 on a single flash, it is pushing the limits a bit. I still want some kind of studio solution that can do senior portraits (or holiday portraits now...), not just low key lighting. How do good flashes and bad flashes differ? I've heard some people use ~$80 flashes and still yield good results.

You can probably achieve what you want by getting a couple of speedlites with wireless triggers, some stands and a combination of softboxes and umbrellas. Thats the cheapest route but its not without limitations. Monolights give you access to larger and a greater variety of modifiers and ultimately softer lighting. So you should think about whether you want to get a more complete set now, or build into a better kit long term.

MWxPhoto wrote in post #16500066
OR if you'd be happy to share your own advice, that is always welcomed. I just don't like to bug people too much with very simple questions.

Gotta start somewhere. I've tested the waters before, now I'm making the plunge.
Thank you!

The very heart of the problem is not simple at all! Lighting continues to change as our tastes evolve with time.


Some quick tips....

1. If you are shooting in studio (some of you saw this coming) SHOOT TETHERED!!!

what does shooting tethered mean? google it! or simple its using software to capture from your camera directly to your computer giving you instant feedback. I don't know why more people don't tether, at any studio shoot, it is plain silly NOT to tether.

2. Be prepared, or at least make it look like you are...

3. there is no single "best" lighting solution, as if there were, everyone would do it. For my personal preferences, I do not understand why some people get ALLLLLL kinds of crazy with a main light, a side light, a hair light, a kicker light, a moon light and a background light, or what ever have you. Usually in the real world, simplicity reigns supreme and building a lighting setup for a shoot is NO different. I shoot most of my stuff with ONE(1) medium sized (3 foot by 4 foot) soft box and a strobe head.

4. Be prepared to change light setups while you are 'testing' your lights. It sucks, but sometimes a light setup just doesn't work.

5. You typically get what you pay for. However, the stuff from alien bees seems to be pretty nice, their mounting hardware is somewhat flimsy. I always recommend (some of you saw this coming too) speedotron black line gear because you can find it used for pennies on the dollar.

6. your goal of a low budget system worthy of senior portraits is interesting. Low budget is easy with used speedotron black line gear, or nearly anything from Paul C Buff. If you intend to get into the senior portrait sector, at least make it interesting photography...

When you say big brands, what specifically are you asking?

what do the rental houses like to offer? = Profoto, Broncolor. If they offer either of those and then bowens, such places might not be as finely tuned to the high end professional market. Although Bowens is moving upmarket with their new Creo 2400 pack and heads... profoto and broncolor rentals typically equal high markups for the generalist rental houses. Speedotron is also popular, although, is much cheaper, and people associate cheaper with worse. Lots of rental studios(the big studios that is) offer profoto, speedotron or dynalite stuff. Some calumet locations also offer an extensive collection of speedotron gear to rent too, and its about 2/3 the cost of the profoto rental gear... for the same power output... with the same general selection of high quality modifiers(chimera makes most of the modifiers for speedotron, right here in the USA).

what do people use? largely NOT broncolor and NOT profoto, because buy-in to these systems is extremely expensive. Additionally, while quality modifiers are available, they too, are extremely expensive.

I just re-read your post, and you indicate some desire to shoot outside too. Shooting outside requires a lot of power and it requires a power source. You will have to pick a subset of: Power, mobility, affordability and durability.

A paul C buff Vagabond Mini Lithium may suffice for the mobility requirement, but then you need to run strobes outside, and the cheap strobes are, well, cheap.


I wish there were an easier solution too.

I have a feeling you're finding most of this info overwhelming. So let me offer some advice that's repeating what someone above said. Most of us started with a flash on-camera that we moved off-camera and then added a reflective or shoot-thru umbrella (first) and then a small softbox. Mastering just this will keep you busy for a while and may already be more than your budget. First, a hotshoe flash on your camera will teach you the benefits of using a flash indoors and outdoors, and you'll learn about TTL and various other things. Moving the flash off-camera requires a wired or wireless solution (most people use wireless these days). There is much to learn with just a single flash off camera with different modifiers (and a reflector). You can easily spend 6-12 months just practicing with this combination, and in the process, you'll learn about the limitations and other gear you might like to add. I also agree that while you don't need to purchase the most expensive stuff, you should avoid the real cheap stuff because it will just frustrate you and prolong the learning process. You'll need a decent flash, synch cord or wireless triggers, umbrella, stand, and optionally a reflector and maybe a softbox. Each one of these things will require some research and some learning and experimenting, and this is a great resource here for you to ask questions and get up to speed faster.

gonzogolf/pyrojim, thanks for the tips! And by brand, I mean popular brands for lighting/flash gear. I've seen several brands that sell cheaper equipment, but I don't know if they're good. Like it's been said, I don't want to start out with crappy gear. I can have limited gear, but not crappy gear. For example, I saw some deals on B&H last weekend but I don't know how good they are. I'd rather be frustrated with lacking more equipment, than being frustrated with what I have. I think 1 flash, 1 stand, 1 umbrella, and maybe 1 lightbox is what I need to start? Still learning.. might be missing some items I don't even know..

kjonnnn, I'm reading the 101 on Strobist's blogspot as we speak =)
But that article was written in 2006 and I have my doubts as to what equipment he's using. For example, I didn't think using a wire for off-camera flash connection was still popular (which sdipirro confirmed).
Edited: Just saw you added more links. Thanks!

sdipirro you spoke my mind. That is actually a very good intro for the progression of learning flash, and one of the things I was confused about, so thanks! I wish there were articles that expand on that. Some of the things I've read (which isn't many yet) are too focused on a specific area... so I don't have a clue of what the big picture is.

Thanks! Keep them coming

So I've read most of the links (except the 1+ hour video) and I think I know what I need.
Like sdipirro said, a flash, off camera stand + mount, and an umbrella or light box would be a good start. I think that would be a good kit.
Any suggestions for specific items that would be good for me? Something to start so nothing too high level, but also not bad-quality. I want something that I can keep using for a long time. Are the suggestions above the most suitable for me?

Oh and a backdrop (and stand for that). I want a backdrop

Is something like this useful?
Impact EX100 Ultimate Creative Portrait kit

If the Mecablitz 58 AF-2 is too pricey for you, you can go with its smaller sibling the Mecablitz 52 AF.

I'm not a fan of Impact products. The umbrella bracket I purchased turned out to be not so good. Those monolights are just a little bit more powerful than the Mecablitz 58-AF, and forget about taking them outside and trying to overpower the sun.

I'd buy the Mecablitz, a Manfrotto lightstand such as this one, along with its umbrella adapter (note that you'll need a cold shoe for this adapter, but those ones are cheap: take this one for example), and a Photek Softlighter which is an excellent all-round umbrella: it's white reflective, can be turned into shoot-through, comes with a silver insert for more punch/contrast, and a gold insert you can use to balance the flash light with tungsten lights in the room, you can detach half of its rod to get it closer to your subject without poking him in the eye, and it comes with a sock you can use to really soften the light (this, combined with the detached rod, turns it into a kind of softbox [just don't use it to photograph reflective products]).

You can do terrific things with that one-light quality kit.

I purchased this background kit. It's decent and it comes with a roll of paper, a good plus. In my apartment, it does double duty as a background support and as a pole to dry laundry.

Ok so I made two lists.

Order:
Flash
Sync kit/cord
Light stand
Umbrella swivel
Shoot through umbrella

First, the Flashpoint Ultra DG600 Kit
$595.64

Based on above comments:
Metz mecablitz 58 AF-2 - $399.99
E-TTL cord - $48
Manfrotto 1052BAC Alu Air Cushioned Compact Stand, Black - 7.75' - $83.99
Manfrotto 026 Swivel Umbrella Adapter (Lite-Tite) - $34.19
Stroboframe Flash Mount Adapter - Standard Shoe Type - $6.29
Photek Umbrella - Softlighter II - 46" - $74.95
Savage Background Port-A-Stand Kit - $114.95
Total: $762.36

Definitely double my original estimate, but I will accept it if the items are irreplaceable, necessities that can last a long time.

But, just for comparison, I looked up the kit from Strobist Blogspot:
LumoPro LP 180 Speedlight - $199.99, Review here
LumoPro Compact Umbrella Swivel w/ Variable Cold Shoe - $17.99
Two LumoPro Universal Hot Shoe Translator - $30
LumoPro LP605S Light Stand (with strap) - $44.99
Westcott 43" Collapsible Umbrella White Satin - $19.99
Savage Background Port-A-Stand Kit (same as above) - $114.95
Total: $427.91

Interesting. Is there a huge difference in quality between the cheap list Strobist provided, and the ones suggested above? Flash is somewhat understandable, although I also heard many people like to use cheap Yongnuo flashes?
Also, I heard cheaper light stands will bend under pressure, which would not be desirable. But how are the other items so different? Is the $75 umbrella much better than a cheaper umbrella? I did notice that the $75 doubles as a reflector though, which may be useful.

Not to pick apart your lists, but the lumopro flashes have always been a bit overpriced for what they deliver. Yes, they do make a powerful manual only flash that seems well built, but they are within a few bucks of a good monolight like the alien bee 400, and they are more expensive than the YN flashes. They have a large following, but their bang for the buck might not be the best.

Oh by all means, please pick apart my lists. I don't know much about the different available gears out there. I will probably not consider the LumoPro flash then, thanks.

It seems like you still need to decide whats important to you. Hotshoe flash solutions have pluses but at a cost. They are more portable, operate on inexpensive batteries, and have access to ETTL if you value that. I should note that ETTL while great for event work, is of little use in the studio. Its not particularly consistent pop to pop which you want in the studio. The monolight solutions, like the flashpoints offering modeling lights, more power, access to AC power sources, and larger softer modifiers. The downside is they are less portable, and require a more expensive battery solution if you want to go outside. Both are otions to consider, but I think you should decide on the form and use before you select options like those in your list. Are you planning on working in a studio, or are you planning for portable solutions?

I want to start with a more portable solution, which I'm hoping to also use indoors. I did not know that hotshoe flashes are not very consistent, but I think I will start with hotshoe flash, and look at monolights in the future. It seems like a natural learning progression this way as well?

MWxPhoto wrote in post #16514151
I want to start with a more portable solution, which I'm hoping to also use indoors. I did not know that hotshoe flashes are not very consistent, but I think I will start with hotshoe flash, and look at monolights in the future. It seems like a natural learning progression this way as well?

Dont misinterpret what I said. I said ETTL is not consistent. ETTL meters each shot independently and therefore is less consistent. A slight change in the makeup of a scene can change its reflectivity and results in a slightly different exposure even though the lighting for the entire scene has not changed. Hotshoe flashes used in manual mode are consistent, you just tell them what power you want and they deliver. Some new users cling to ETTL in ways that its just not the best tool for because they fear manual. But manual is easy and its consistent.