Anybody ever try to use IR triggering in a gym?

I'm going to shoot a H.S. volleyball match at a local school. I know this gym and I'm planning to shoot it ambient, ISO3200, f/2 and 1/800 range.

Now - I also happen to own a pair of 430EX flashes and an ST-E2. I figure I could drop the camera three stops (ISO400, 1/300 and f/2.8 ) and get enough light from two 430's firing 1:1 to light the gym bounced.

The question is.....is there any way to get an ST-E2 to trigger a pair of Speedlights in a gym? I bet it could do it except that the flashes will be up and behind me. I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried something like a bit of tinfoil to bounce the IR or something.

Don't tell me to man up and get $650 worth of PW's....I shoot something like this so infrequently that I'd be years to earn enough to pay for the PW's on such a gig.

Man up...just kidding.

I have no experience so I can't help but wanted to subscribe.

Coming from a nikon user. Nikon's CLS IR triggering works great at home and the studio. Though outdoor I get some problems with the flashes not firing or I need to be closer in range. PW's are fantastic. They say they work everytime, I'm sure its 100% true. I couldn't tell you because I never used them. CyberSync's are said to be good too. But one problem that I ran into is that both of them cost money. I would need 4 receivers and a transmitter.

I decided to go to one trusty off brand company and bought their triggers. Yong Nuo has a great name. For $100, I got 4 Rx and 1 Tx with all the cables and goodies. They work great! I was impressed with the range it gets, it says it can go 500 ft. I tried it out at 75 and it was fine. The cost is cheap but the outcome is very effective. It may not go 1600' but its good enough for the money.

This guy on ebay is the one that sells them: http://photography.sho​p.ebay.com …ent&_trksid=p39​11.c0.m282

Cheers

JeffreyG wrote in post #8757582
... Now - I also happen to own a pair of 430EX flashes and an ST-E2.

The question is.....is there any way to get an ST-E2 to trigger a pair of Speedlights in a gym? ... the flashes will be up and behind me.

How high up, and how far behind you will they be? If they will be very high and very far (to avoid interfering with the volleyball players), you may not have enough power from a pair of 430 EXs. For example, if you were going to place them on a pair of 10' lightstands at two corners 12'- 15' away from the volleyball court, you'd be expecting a lot from those little guys. Additionally, if you spread them too far, it's unlikely that the ST-E2 IR signal will be seen by both 430EXs anyway.

But if you're planning on grouping the lights in a manner that will work, and your only concern (as you posted in your question) is that the 430EXs will be behind you, then it's an easy fix. ... Instead of mounting the ST-E2 directly to the camera's hotshoe, use an off-camera cord. That way, you can point the ST-E2 in any direction you want, and not just straight ahead. If you don't already have an off-camera cord, you may be able to borrow one for your shoot, or you can pick up a 3rd-party Canon-compatible cord pretty cheap.

SilverHCIC wrote in post #8758171
How high up, and how far behind you will they be? If they will be very high and very far (to avoid interfering with the volleyball players), you may not have enough power from a pair of 430 EXs. For example, if you were going to place them on a pair of 10' lightstands at two corners 12'- 15' away from the volleyball court, you'd be expecting a lot from those little guys. Additionally, if you spread them too far, it's unlikely that the ST-E2 IR signal will be seen by both 430EXs anyway.

You might be right about the power being insufficient. The problem is that once I'm against the 1/300 synch speed I might need to drop the ISO too far to cut the ambient. I might get stuck with no solution between too low ISO for the flash reach and too much causing ghosting from ambient.

Pure genius. I didn't even think of a simple cord.

I think the real issue is that I only give this idea a low probability of success and I have no opportunity to practice. The problem is the fear of failing in front of a crowd. I don't want them to watch me set the flashes up and then end up shooting ambient anyway after I figure out that it won't work.

JeffreyG wrote in post #8758217
I think the real issue is that I only give this idea a low probability of success and I have no opportunity to practice. The problem is the fear of failing in front of a crowd. I don't want them to watch me set the flashes up and then end up shooting ambient anyway after I figure out that it won't work.

They will never notice let alone care.