On my own

I up until 3 days ago worked for a company that specialized in beach portraits. I was with them for about 6 months and learned alot. Well due to logistical changes and having kids, Im no longer working with them. When working for them i shot with a 30D,28-135 IS, and an alien bee 1600. All thats gone and im left with my XT, kit lens, and 55-200 usm. I want to start on my own but dont have a ton of many ( hardly any). What im getting to is should a flash be a first priority or a better lens. Ive seen some websites that do similar style work and use no flash at all. I dont know which should come first the chicken or the egg. Saving up money si not an option cause the season here for family beach shoots will be gone by sept. Any advice will be appreciated!!!
Thanks

you could get a 50 1.8 and a nikon sb-24(learn to use in manual)
those two would cost around 170-200 $
that probably your best option

Hi CM - sorry about the job situation... that's rough.

I don't have any experience with your lenses so I'd just be speculating. However, I'm a firm believer that a properly lighted/exposed image with an ok lens can very often be better than flatly lit, crummily lighted, and improperly exposed picture done with a superior lens. In other words, it's hard to make a flattering portrait if you don't have good lighting.

Get a good flash . - Stu

I am with sapearl out there. You will likely be shooting at f 5.6-8. any modern lens should give you decent image quality in that range. the light is much more important. Besides an ab 800 and lightstand and umbrella can be had for around 300. not much you can get in lenses which will be a great improvement for that much.

I would look into using a reflector. Great option for fill light and can be had anywhere from $20-$200+ . There are also some DIY sites that would show you how to make one.

The important thing about proper lighting is that it will give you more contrast, as well as more "controllable" contrast.

Many times people post images here that they feel are soft, or out of focus, or even the result of a "defective" lens that won't focus properly. And in many cases, there is nothing wrong with the gear. Their images were poorly lit.

A perfectly in focus image can often appear soft and out of focus if it lacks the proper contrast. Flat and bad illumination will cause flat and boring pictures. The images lack tonal gradation and interest. TRUST ME on this - I was an expert in producing images like that in my day Now I can even spell digital .

You have 6 months experience but you don't know what you need to take the photo? You're the expert here, not us.

Personally i'd think light is most important, otherwise you're going to get a lot of blown out backgrounds. Also lens flare could be an issue, so get that next. I have no idea if a 430EX is powerful enough or if you'll need to buy a studio unit, but if a 430 won't do it a 580 probably won't either. The advantage of a 580 EX is it can take a Canon battery pack, which will give you faster recharge and let you go longer between changing batteries.

bigjon0107 wrote in post #5882305
I would look into using a reflector. Great option for fill light and can be had anywhere from $20-$200+ . There are also some DIY sites that would show you how to make one.

Reflectors blind people or at least make them squint, they're not a good solution.

I guess what you say makes sense. I dont like to shoot on a tripod but i can get adjusted to it for now. Going from the 30D and IS lens to the small xt and kit lens makes for unsteady hands. Ill just shoot on the pod and see what kind of lighting i can afford. We used to use the Bee and a Vaghaubond ( not sure on spelling) battery pack. Although the bee was great to fill in during the bright day shoots it could be a little overwhelming for those evening sunset shoots. Any ideas on a light kit thats not as powerful and cumbersome? Would a camera mounted flash(580 ex) do the trick? I know big group shots would be triky with the ex but im trying to keep it a simple and light as possible. Walking through sand carrying camera tripod lightstands and baterry pack was pretty gruelling. Im in florida to so the heat is pretty intense this time of year. thanks

tim wrote in post #5882327
Reflectors blind people or at least make them squint, they're not a good solution.

Ya, i could see it being an issue on the beach. The only time i used them in the sun was with scrims and other diffusers to make it not as harsh or in a studio setting.

tim wrote in post #5882327
Reflectors blind people or at least make them squint, they're not a good solution.

I guess no one ever told Monte Zucker that.

amfoto1 wrote in post #5886581
I guess no one ever told Monte Zucker that.

Every time i've tried them on a sunny day to reflect light back to a person as fill they've squinted and not liked it. What else can I say, it's just common sense really. Bright constant light into the eyes is bad. Flash is brief and less irritating to most people.

Either a white reflector, or a manual flash like a SunPak 433D will do just fine, and 50 f/1.8, 85 f/1.8, 100 f/2, or 135 f/2.8 for a nice lens if you can afford one.

If the reflector is blinding your subject than your reflector is too reflective or your holding it at the wrong angle to the subject. Its for fill light so it should be very soft. Also you could move the reflector further back from the subject that should soften it up a little more, although the angle has to change too.

cmgarcia wrote in post #5881513
Saving up money si not an option cause the season here for family beach shoots will be gone by sept.

If photography is your only job, then consider getting a small business loan to cover your expenses. With a $2000 loan, you should be able to afford everything you used before, and more. This would be enough to get an AB1600 with vagabond II inverter, 28-135 lens, 30d, reflectors with stand, and give you a bit left over for advertisements. This option should only be used if photography is your primary job and you know you will be able to afford the repayment plan. If photography is your primary job, you should also look into expanding outside just beach portraits, as the market segment is bound to be small and you will not be able to compete with the established business in that section very well.