one light budget

[Ecas32]

hey guys what would be the most useful/valuble lighting set up i could get on the budget of only a few hundred dollars or so to light portraits, mostly outdoors? im planning on getting a 430exII fairly soon, but i dont know anything about possible umbrellas and other off camera stuff.

thanks
-ethan

 

[Derrel]

I think a good-quality,large rectangular reflector, something along the lines of a 48x72 inch "scrim" would be the single most valuable item you could get. You will need a white reflective fabric for it, and a white semi-transparent fabric would also be helpful to diffuse bright outdoor sunlight and turn it into the equivalent of softbox-like light. Rectangular because it is much easier to mount a rectangular scrim to two light stands, or to clamp it to even one light stand, or to stake down with turf spikes, to prop up,etc.

You can look at the Westscott Scrim Jim line as a model. You can either purchase or make your own fabrics. You an purchase the fabrics first, and then make your own frames out of PVC pipes. A large, rectangular reflector would be my Number One accessory for outdoor work. You can shoot flashes into it, or through it, and use it as a major shadow-lightening reflector. You can also mount it overhead and slightly behind subjects to block the sun. The thing the factory-made scrims offer are special clamps that allow you to angle the reflector and then precisely LOCK it into position between two light stands. And since you have a 430 flash, I would also add a third light stand to the two that you will use for positioning the scrim.

 

[Ecas32]

awesome! thanks derrel