Hi Guys!

I have been trying to research a beginners guide to flash photography with not too much luck.

When looking at the kit that is avaliable it all seems a bit overwhelming.

StudioLights? Flashguns? Triggers? Strobes? Speedlites?

What I would ideally be looking for would be a couple of standalone wireless units i think?

Under the scenario that I am shooting a small group in a park at night what would i need?

I understand using a sony DSLR atm limits me aswell.

Any help much appreciated!

Marty

Hi Guys!

I have been trying to research a beginners guide to flash photography with not too much luck.

When looking at the kit that is avaliable it all seems a bit overwhelming.

StudioLights? Flashguns? Triggers? Strobes? Speedlites?

What I would ideally be looking for would be a couple of standalone wireless units i think?

Under the scenario that I am shooting a small group in a park at night what would i need?

I understand using a sony DSLR atm limits me aswell.

Any help much appreciated!

Marty

The Strobist blog coupled with the Strobist group on Flickr has improved my Flash Photography no end.

Granted, there's a load that still goes over my head and the sheer choice out there for gear is overwhelming - I've (so far) settled on some Cactus v4 triggers (Gonna upgrade to the v5's when I get some spare cash) and I have a Canon 580EXII and two 540EZ strobes. Along with an assortment of unbranded ebay stands and umbrellas (which are pretty much all the same thing).

I don't think having a Sony will limit you in any way if you're going for full manual control on the flashes.

In a park at night you won't need anything with masses of power, so a couple of 2nd hand speedlights off eBay should be fine. I went for Canon simply due to the confidence in the brand and the match with the camera, but any flashgun that has manual power settings will be fine if you're going for the cheap radio triggers (as you won't need TTL or anything unless you use it on camera).

If you want then you can stick them on a stand with an umbrella, which should only be an extra £30 if you get the cheap bits like I have.

Then it's just learning the effect of the flash on your picture. And, as I said, I highly rate the Strobist blog and the Flickr pool for inspiration and examples.

This was my last shoot with the 580 and one of the 540s (580 with an umbrella and the 540 bare with a CTB gel) for a friend's circus/event performance company. It's nothing great, but compared to this time last year when I couldn't use a flash for squat It makes me feel like I've improved.

Nice set of tools!!

Nice one mort - very helpful

To add (from a slightly different angle) - check out theatre lighting theory books too, gives some ideas of angles and colours in use

I have been reading about lighting techniques quite a bit.

I have been semi serious about shooting for a few years now so understand how to use natural light, which i understand will help alot.

Think im going to take the plunge next year with a couple of speedlites and radio trigger