Canon 10D & Flash Advice Requested Please?

Hi,

I'm new to photography, well not new but new to serious photography at least

I have recently purchased A Canon 10D Camera along with a 28mm to 105mm lens and also a 75mm to 300mm lens

I dont really know anything about photography so please be gentle with me.

I have recently taken pics of a birthday party at my sister house and also a wedding reception in a community centre

and I am aiming to get into photographing women, clothed fashion, portrait mainly and maybe quite a bit of topless or nude

I believe based on the two events I have taken pics at and also based on the fact that I always see pro photographers with Big flashes on their cameras that maybe I need a flash; also i believe known as a speedlite on canon cameras

please can someone tell me would u suggest a speedlite for pics of events in house, community centre and also portarit, fashion and glamour or nude

If yes which one?

please bare in mind that im a totally novice but i would like the best I can afford (as cheap as possible) but i dont wanna buy a cheap one if its not good, im concidering SPEEDLITE 550EX or SPEEDLITE 420EX but im scared these wont be aimed at a novice and maybe too complicated, id ideally like one that to start with will do everything for me but can be set manually as i learn more asnd more, please bare in mind i may for the fashion glamour portrait etc do outdoor shots or i cam do then in hotels or I may do them in studios so it needs to be great for all three situations

please advise on the above

also will i need to buy anything else? anything? filters or anything else?

also any books or websites for me to learn?

also any studios not too far from watford (herts)

anyone willing to teach me for a fee?

any other advice?

please reply by email to me at Aash1970@hotmail.com

I can give some of the advice.
Your main problem is probably the low light in the house and the lower aperture (essentially, how much light the lens will let in) of your lenses.

yes a flash will help. The 550EX is a great flash and for you will probably be perfect from a novice perspective. I have a pair of them and they are way compicated, but if you just put them on the camera and shoot they will automatically adjust to a standard setting giving you great exposures. The catch is when you want to do fancy lighting effects, then you need to read the manual to get the flash to adjust manually.

A partial alternative is to pick up the 50/1.8 lens for indoors; relatively cheap and will practically double the range of the onboard flash. It still won't cut it in some cases, but I still recommend this lens (or better the 50/1.4) as the lens that should have been sold with the camera. It also a great portrait lens with the 10D.

If you are going to be shooting models you will probably need studio lights as the 550EX will tend to create harsh shadows unless very precise. Canon shows an example but it took four of the 550EX to get the picture. Not to mention studio lights can be had for the same price and you don't have to keep changing the AA batteries at annoying moments.

there are other flashes that will do as good as the 550EX (like the 420EX or the Metz something or other), but I can only speak for the one kind I have.

Have fun and just play with it what have you got to lose but some electricity.

Just my opinion,