Low cost off camera flash tutorial for beginners

I've just begun my foray into off camera flash and I'm posting this for those who want to start a small portrait studio. If you are a pro, you'll probably waste your time reading this as it is intended for beginners that are confused as to what to buy & how to use it.

I recently posted a DIY home studio tutorial with a cheap, inexpensive hot light set up. After hearing too many comments like, "man, it's hot in here!" and trying to get my clients not squint, I decided it was time for a portable off camera flash set up...

So, here is a detailed description of my set up. Mind you, this is only one way to go. There are many others, but I hope this helps the confused beginners (like I was)...

At the end of this post I will provide links to the all of the items I bought for this set up and the total cost.

1) The following few pics are the main ingredients to my off camera flash set up.

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Wow great post.. i was just considering setting up a studio with "hot lights" and i saw your earlier tutorial and liked it, but i didnt hear the complaints about the heat. Great tutorial, this should be stickied!

edit: You know, i would really like to see what you could with one more light added into the equation. I am not requesting this from you, because you spent alot of time on this and this is the first replay, but with that being said that was awesome and i do truely appreciate it!

inernets wrote in post #4565192
Wow great post.. i was just considering setting up a studio with "hot lights" and i saw your earlier tutorial and liked it, but i didnt hear the complaints about the heat. Great tutorial, this should be stickied!

Yeah, the hot light set up is FANTASTIC for learning portraiture. If you have Family, friends, etc, to practice on, it's awesome. However, with a paying customer, it can be uncomfortable for them. It has provided me with a great learning environment and I feel I'm ready to move to off camera flash ( a WHOLE NEW WORLD!).

inernets wrote in post #4565192
Wow great post.. i was just considering setting up a studio with "hot lights" and i saw your earlier tutorial and liked it, but i didnt hear the complaints about the heat. Great tutorial, this should be stickied!

edit: You know, i would really like to see what you could with one more light added into the equation. I am not requesting this from you, because you spent alot of time on this and this is the first replay, but with that being said that was awesome and i do truely appreciate it!

I honestly don't think I need another light right now. 2 lights & a reflector seem like enough. There are endless combinations/angles I can use to achieve varied effects. I want to exhaust this set up before I move on to more complicated things...

beautiful write up! i recently got into the flash world, but i opted to go with a 580ex and a 430ex... granted theyre great, but i think youre method woulda saved me quite a bit of financial pain and suffering :P

yeah, i was hesitant on doing a flash setup because i was assuming i should buy a couple of 580's, but they are way too expansive. If i can get a couple for 80 each, i will deffinitly pick that up to just get the hang of it all.

inernets wrote in post #4565276
yeah, i was hesitant on doing a flash setup because i was assuming i should buy a couple of 580's, but they are way too expansive. If i can get a couple for 80 each, i will deffinitly pick that up to just get the hang of it all.

I agree. My Sunpack 383 won't "talk to" my XTi, but it's an awesome flash & I don't mind going manual. I'm a noobie with a captal "N" and I feel that until I know what I want to achieve with my portraiture, it's better to learn at low cost.

Before dropping major $$'s on Alien Bees, etc., put your subject in front of a window (the sun is free) and get comfortable posing them and taking a quality portrait. Until I can be confident that I can get a personality out of my subject and portray them truthfully in a photograph, I feel I can't justify spending lots of hard earned money on equipment. If money is no object, then more power to you! Just know that a good artist can make something beautiful out of nothing, even a cardboard disposable camera.

I totally agree with you, you have a great way of thinking about not only photography, but a good way of learning how to do ANYTHING. Start out with the basics, slowly move your way up and when the skill is there, you can undoubtly go for the upgrades.

I do have the money to buy all of the great equiptment, but i dont want to spend thousands of dollars on a crap load of equiptment that i have no idea how to properly use and probably will just give up out of frustration.

Thanks again Axton!

Thanks Axton! Great post! Could you tell us about the flash settings please ? Also looking at the umbrella it looks like the inside center is flat ,not curved like the outside . Does it have some sort of secondary cover or baffle?
Mike

claybuster wrote in post #4566010
Thanks Axton! Great post! Could you tell us about the flash settings please ? Also looking at the umbrella it looks like the inside center is flat ,not curved like the outside . Does it have some sort of secondary cover or baffle?
Mike

Flash settings vary depending on the effect I want. Main flash is usually set to 1/2 power and background flash is at full or 1/8 (the only two settings it has).

The umbrella has no baffles/etc. It is a little flat in the center, I'm assuming to help when it is being used as a reflector.

Axton wrote in post #4565299
Before dropping major $$'s on Alien Bees, etc., put your subject in front of a window (the sun is free) and get comfortable posing them and taking a quality portrait. Until I can be confident that I can get a personality out of my subject and portray them truthfully in a photograph, I feel I can't justify spending lots of hard earned money on equipment. If money is no object, then more power to you! Just know that a good artist can make something beautiful out of nothing, even a cardboard disposable camera.

this is so true for all aspects of photography, not just lighting.

nothing bothers me more than reading someones thread, then looking at their gear list and wondering... what are they doing with that high caliber of gear if they cant even figure out the simplest of things...

Axton wrote in post #4566962
Flash settings vary depending on the effect I want. Main flash is usually set to 1/2 power and background flash is at full or 1/8 (the only two settings it has).

The umbrella has no baffles/etc. It is a little flat in the center, I'm assuming to help when it is being used as a reflector.

Were these the flash settings you used for the sample picture you posted?
Mike

Good post ! Could you elaborate on the difference between using the brolly to bounce or shooting through it ?

Thank you for posting this, as I am your target audience; i.e., a flash newbie. Very well written and illustrated.

The more I look at that umbrella the more I like it. I like the way it flattens out inside toward the center,kinda looks like a octabox or something. I think I'll order one.
Mike