first "paid gig" , sweet 16

pete1606 · Apr 11, 2008

Hi I am a recent college graduate. (not a photo major, but took a few classes)

My parents are willing to buy me some equipment in exchange for me to shoot my younger sisters sweet 16.

I currently own...

Cannon digital rebel XT
a 50 mm lens
a 28-90 zoom lens

I plan on buying

a extrnal flash
a flash bracket
and large memory cards ( I plan on shooting in raw)

Is there anything in particular that I should know when buying the above items? Anything else I should buy?

Any advice on shooting a sweet 16

Thanks
Pete

Sw1tchFX · Apr 11, 2008

I would suggest a TTL cord over a flash bracket, you can easily hold a rebel in one hand and a speedlight in the other.

TCimages · Apr 11, 2008

Well if you want to maintain ETTL, you'll need the Off Camera Shoe Cord 2/3 for the bracket. Otherwise you'll be shooting manual flash if you use the PC cord setup. Some speedlights don't have a PC cord so if you plan that route you may need an adapter.

Consider :
1-A bracket that allows you to turn the body for portrait.
2-Rechargable Batteries for the flash
3-Reflector (for outside and inside bounce)
4-Diffuser
5-Background?

shorty6049 · Apr 11, 2008

might be best to buy several smaller capacity cards (1-2 gb) over a larger capacity card . That way, if something goes wrong, you dont loose ALL your photos at once

Tiberius47 · Apr 12, 2008

A flash will be your most important asset. Apart from the camera and the glass, the biggest influences on the quality of a photo are the flash and the tripod.

pete1606 · Apr 12, 2008

I didnt know tripods were used at events!
Any piticular reccomendations for a flash?

Thanks for the help!

Senor Hound · May 6, 2008

I wouldn't use a tripod, but a monopod might not be a bad idea. It sounds silly, but it really is a lot faster. And when you're walking around with other people and caterers and stuff, it takes a lot less of a footprint on the ground, making others not get upset at you.

Ditto what everyone's been saying about the flashes. The first time you use bounce flash, you'll feel like a professional. Every little step you take, you'll find yourself saying, "So THAT'S how they do that!" Its an awesome feeling.

JustAnEngineer · May 6, 2008

The difference between the on-board flash and the Speedlite is startling enough. The difference between the Speedlite straight on and bounced off of the ceiling or a wall is phenomenal.

Tiberius47 · May 6, 2008

The 430EX flash is a very popular choice.

maytay20 · May 6, 2008

Tiberius47 said:
The 430EX flash is a very popular choice.

You know if there is the slightest chance you want to do more with the photography and you have the budget for it I would go for the 580 EX. With a transmitter you can turn it into a cordless off camera flash. This con not be done with the 430ex although the 430 can be a slave to the 580. I am sorry if I confused you I regret my choice of only going with the 430.

maytay20 · May 6, 2008

As far as a flash bracket I have one like this and i really like it!
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/402148-REG/Samigon_CSA843_V_H_Flip_Bracket_System.html

RyanLilly · May 6, 2008

I think that the XT with 18-55mm lens would be a better start than the 28-90. 18 is much wider and its faster at the wide end too, 3.5 vs. 4.5. On top of that the Kit is only $449 at B&H, the kit with the 28-90 is $469! and out of stock.

Tiberius47 · May 6, 2008

maytay20 said:
You know if there is the slightest chance you want to do more with the photography and you have the budget for it I would go for the 580 EX. With a transmitter you can turn it into a cordless off camera flash. This con not be done with the 430ex although the 430 can be a slave to the 580. I am sorry if I confused you I regret my choice of only going with the 430.

That's true, but if you decide that you want to have a flash set up as a slave, you'll still need to buy a 580EX anyway, so at the end of it you'll still have a 430 and a 580. And if you decide that you don't want to go with that route for slaved flashes, then you've still got a decent flash in the 430, and you haven't paid for some things that you may not need in the 580.