lighting help?

[Corvphotography]

hey everyone. im new to this site, seems pretty helpful. So im here, w a canon rebel eos, a cir. polarizer and my tripod. I wanna know what is the next item i should buy to help w my lighting. Whether it be indoors or outdoors, specially nighttime or early morning. I am pretty good at using the sunlight but i wanna do more w the sunset/sunrise behind the model but she/he still has a tad bit of light on her. I'm don't wanna spend a crap load of money but i don't want the bottom of the line. Something i could pick up and grab and take over to a friends and start snapping away w beautiful lighting in the room. also, where would be the best place to buy it from?

Thanks everyone!

 

[shmne]

Curious are you looking into off camera flash (I.E speedlites), or strobe lighting?

That will help prospective posters and people who want to help you to direct you to the right product.

 

[Corvphotography]

i suppose strobe lighting, since i have the stock flash on my camera now. i wanna be able to sit in a low lit room and have a great looking light on my model , but not have that crappy extremely bright flashy look on him/her. know what i mean or am i being too vague?

 

[Derrel]

Check out the "Strobist" blog, by David Hobby. Or dg28.com.

 

[Idahophoto]

Light is light no matter what it's from pop up flash, seperate flash, street light or sun. it makes no difference. That crappy flashy look often is the result of harsh light directly on a person. Try bouncing it that will soften it up and create more pleasing shadows. This video is probably the best I came accross [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-School-presents-Creative-Lighting/dp/B001KJ91V4/ref=cm_cr-mr-title"]Amazon.com: Nikon School presents A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting: Camera & Photo[/ame] Yeah it's Nikon products. It don't matter though as I said light is light. I shoot Canon and it works for me just fine. Joe McNally will blow you away with what can be done! Reason I would start here is a flash is the most basic thing to use and Can be all you need 9/10ths of the time if you know what your doing. This will teach you the basics and you can use the same ideas on anything else. Highly recommended!

 

[Corvphotography]

what about this? [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Bower-SFD290-Digital-Automatic-Cameras/dp/B001O81HYK]Amazon.com: Bower SFD290 Digital Automatic Zoom Bounce Flash for Canon EOS Rebel XT, XTi, XS…[/ame]

 

[tirediron]

Personally, I wouldn't touch that with a barge-pole. It has the look of somethng that will last about three flashes and then either burn out or shatter because the construction is so shoddy. I would suggest that you should probably look to a good speedlight. If the Canon brand aren't in the budget, a good third party vendor such as Sigma, Metz or Sunpak is worth considering.

 

[Corvphotography]

its a bit expensive but im considering Canon 430EX II Speedlite TTL Shoe-Mount Flash - B&H Photo Video

 

[KmH]

Find out what GN numbers (Guide Numbers) are all about. That's how speedlight power is rated. The Bower speedlight you linked to doesn't have enough power, which is why it's so cheap.

I'll second www.strobist.com and www.dg28.com

No doubt you're taking about wanting OCF (off camera flash), and the best place to buy is B&H Photo Video.

The key to nice lighting is to make the light source appear large which is what bounce, umbrellas, softboxes, and diffusion panels do.

With bounce, you still need fill or else the subjects get 'racoon eyes'. But using fill also makes the light flat.

So you'll need a decent speedlight, wireless trigger setup, a light stand and at minimum an umbrella, to have "Something i (sic) could pick up and grab and take over to a friends and start snapping away w (sic) beautiful lighting in the room".

Vivitar 285HV Flash 233965 - B&H Photo Video
PT-04 CN II Radio Wireless Remote Flash Trigger Set?1Rx - eBay (item 280400426734 end time Aug-17-10 20:15:16 PDT)
Impact Air Cushioned Light Stand, Black - 8' (2.4m) LS-8A - B&H
Impact Umbrella Bracket 3117 - B&H Photo Video
Impact 32" Convertible Umbrella UBBW32 - B&H Photo Video