First Gig

Hello Lighting Experts,

I would like some advice on what equipment I should get to best control outdoor lighting.
I will be shooting around 50 people or so in groups of five outside.
At Hakone Gardens http://www.hakone.com/

They have requested to shoot outside.
I have a 30d + 24-70 I plan to use during the shoot.
As for lighting, I have a 430ex.

From my understanding, it is best to shoot in the shade and use a flash to prevent hot spots.

I plan to start shooting around 10 in the morning and hopefully finishing before 1 or 2pm.

They have given me around a $150 budget to spend on equipment, I might possibly need.

I'll be renting my equipment from Keeble and Schucat http://www.kspphoto.co​m …_pdfs/rental_br​ochure.pdf

From the rental brochure above, what should I rent? Keep in mind my $150 budget.

Also, any pointers on how to set up the lighting equipment?

Thank you!

PS: I think I will need a battery pack as well.

What are you going to do if it rains? I can't advise on equipment as I am just starting out, so hope someone will jump in and help with that. Pretty venue.

I think you have most of what you need already. Like you mentioned, find some open shade to position your subjects in. Use your 430 for fill, balance the exposure with ambient background light that might be in full sun. The only thing I can think of that you might want is some collapsible reflectors/scrims (and an assistant to hold them) in case your subjects are in open shade under a tree that might be letting in some spotty light through the canopy. Your assistant can hold the scrim up to block the splotches of light falling on the subjects.

It would be nice if you could get the flash off camera to model the light a bit, but if you are limited then a straight on fill shouldn't look too bad with a small group.

so my 430 should do just fine + reflectors?