One umbrella 550 EXII help!!

ok, I have done a fair amount of reading. A while ago went to a lighting seminar so I have a pretty good feeling of inverse rule and basic lighting. I have been using 550 exII with a stofen omnibounce on my 50D. Got some cactus v4's and a light stand and an westcott 43" umbrella that has a white panel for shoot through, or a black backing I can put on it to reflect.

here are my questions for a newbie to remote flash and umbrella.

I know I should keep umbrella and flash roughly 6-8 feet from subject to get best light.

where is a good starting point to set flash power? I know I have to put flash in manual. I do not have a flash meter. I do have a 12" grey target I can use to meter off of. I know with time I will get flash power and what is a good distance. I know I should get a flash meter to get best ratings. What are some good tips and tricks with this setup. This is just a fun hobby right now taking family and friend pictures for the fun of it.

I have some reading to do I know, just some quick, starter tips.

>>I know I should keep umbrella and flash roughly 6-8 feet from subject to get best light

Don't go by "rules" like this. 6 to 8 feet seems very far for a 43" umbrella. The closer the umbrella is, the larger the light source in relation to the subject, so the softer it will appear. This is another advantage of shoot-through -- you get more spill but in exchange for a softer source because it can be very close to the subject.

TheHoff wrote in post #9232583
>>I know I should keep umbrella and flash roughly 6-8 feet from subject to get best light

Don't go by "rules" like this. 6 to 8 feet seems very far for a 43" umbrella. The closer the umbrella is, the larger the light source in relation to the subject, so the softer it will appear. This is another advantage of shoot-through -- you get more spill but in exchange for a softer source because it can be very close to the subject.

ok, i have been playing a little bit. I have the flash oriented as a reflective umbella (leaving black back on and bouncing light out. Have not played yet with shoot through. Will try that now. better closer in as a shoot through? then farther away as a reflective? is this a good size umbrella? or should i have gotten bigger?

bphillips330 wrote in post #9232681
ok, i have been playing a little bit. I have the flash oriented as a reflective umbella (leaving black back on and bouncing light out. Have not played yet with shoot through. Will try that now. better closer in as a shoot through? then farther away as a reflective? is this a good size umbrella? or should i have gotten bigger?

I prefer the light from a closer shoot-through but if you need full length or you want to control the spill, reflective is the way to go. A shoot-through also loses a lot of light to the room so if you have walls close by that are coloured, you will get more cast from them.

That size is a good one to start; the larger you go, the larger the light source but of course it isn't as portable (and gets knocked over easier if on location).

Just to get started, try putting your 43" brolly approx 43" from your subject... then play with the height of your light.

I often start with 1/8th power with my flash...
Camera settings would often start with the lowest ISO and max sync speed (1/250)...

You have an LCD at the back of your camera, use it and adjust as necessary.

Play with the aperture, ISO, and flash distance/power/angle until you find something you like.

As TheHoff mentioned, don't get too concerned with hard rules, you can make your own "starting point" as you gain more experience.