Lighting advice

[mandyc77]

hello, i'm very new here. I have been photographing for 2 years now, and just got pretty serious. it was a hobby, and now people are paying me to photograph for them. I photograph children for boutiques, my strengths are shooting outdoors, however i'm just getting into studio. I have continuous umbrella lights and use an sb600 bouncing off of a reflector i mounted on my ceiling to produce an image like you see below. question is, should i just buy another external flash, you think i can get by with that, or i was thinking about purchasing the alienbees kits? Also, i'm new on using a radio transmitter, if i had 2 external flashes for my nikon d90, i'm not sure how the external flashes will work with a transmitter. thanks so much i'm hoping to get better at this,
mandy

KODAK Gallery | Photo Merchandise

[KenJulio]

Amanda - first, Welcome!

What strobes do you have?
The D90 built-in flash can be used as a commander for Nikon strobes.

[mandyc77]

I just have 1 external flash, SB 600 that I use as my main key light, for now it is attached to my hotshoe with a 9 ft cord, then i assembled the SB 600 onto a tripod, then I have 2 continuous umbrella lights facing my subject and background at an angle. So basically, i'm sculpting with light, i know it's probably done incorrectly, but that's all what i have for now. And I use my prime lens to throw the background off, like you saw in the photo i provided. I hate having to deal with a cord and tripping over it, and the umbrella lights i hate as well. I'm thinking of purchasing some strobes, and i thought of using the d90 flash as a commander, but when i shoot in portrait mode (vertical), wouldn't there be shadows?

[Tom]

I'd probably start here:
Strobist: Lighting 101

Probably the single best resource for off-camera lighting with flashes.

[mandyc77]

I really appreciate the tutorial video you sent, Tom!! That video really simplified everything for me!! thanks so much:)!!

[Tom]

Strobist 101 is a whole series of classes. If you go through all of them, then there is Strobist 102. Make it through both series and you will be an expert.

[Snarfy]

Oh David Hobby, what would my life be without you?

[mandyc77]

awesome! thanks this is like the "Best kept secret" and i love the way he explains it all so simply!

[SergeiR]

Originally Posted by Snarfy

Oh David Hobby, what would my life be without you?

People would actually learn lighting by books and videos, i would imagine :)

I.e not really much different.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by SergeiR

People would actually learn lighting by books and videos, i would imagine :)

I.e not really much different.

That's too difficult for my generation. We need everything spoon fed, and we are entitled to it now and free.

[Snarfy]

Originally Posted by Tom

That's too difficult for my generation. We need everything spoon fed, and we are entitled to it now and free.

Furthermore, his use of mixed social technologies has expanded his outreach a lot further than so many others. The blogger comments, the flickr group, RSS feed, etc have turned a routine, blase, didactic tech blog into a worldwide community! When he issues challenges, thousands of resultant images are submitted.

The genius behind his recipe is that he's now a guru-like teacher and the books/videos are supplemental. (Plus his writing is entertaining).

[SergeiR]

Originally Posted by Tom

That's too difficult for my generation. We need everything spoon fed, and we are entitled to it now and free.

Lets not call it "generation".
Some people actually do have degrees in that very generation, some can invent thing and so on :) Hell - some can even operate shower with TWO knobs :)

As much as i like Hobby - lets just not overestimate. There were people before him.. like.. umm.. i dont know.. Dean Collins? Mortensen ? Adams? :)

[SergeiR]

Originally Posted by Snarfy

Furthermore, his use of mixed social technologies has expanded his outreach a lot further than so many others. The blogger comments, the flickr group, RSS feed, etc have turned a routine, blase, didactic tech blog into a worldwide community! When he issues challenges, thousands of resultant images are submitted.

The genius behind his recipe is that he's now a guru-like teacher and the books/videos are supplemental. (Plus his writing is entertaining).

Now that is entirely true :)

[Snarfy]

Originally Posted by SergeiR

Lets not call it "generation".
Some people actually do have degrees in that very generation, some can invent thing and so on :) Hell - some can even operate shower with TWO knobs :)

As much as i like Hobby - lets just not overestimate. There were people before him.. like.. umm.. i dont know.. Dean Collins? Mortensen ? Adams? :)

Tom isn't putting down one generation to raise another; that's a statement of fact. Our generation is programed to have a much shorter attention span that typically doesn't like to stay focused on something longer than a blog entry. Or a forum post. Or a tweet.

And I was just crediting David Hobby for being a great lighting instructor that utilizes social technology advantageously. I wasn't discounting his predecessors by praising his contribution to the online photography community. I don't think his blog is intended to replace the teachings of those before him. Rather, it's a modern approach to the same lessons that encourages one to use the lighting resources that are available to them.

[SergeiR]

Originally Posted by Snarfy

Tom isn't putting down one generation to raise another; that's a statement of fact. Our generation is programed to have a much shorter attention span that typically doesn't like to stay focused on something longer than a blog entry. Or a forum post. Or a tweet.

So. What generation we talking about? :)