A Couple for C&C.

[mwcfarms]

Speedlights are so portable though lol. Light and easy to pack around. I know they aren't ideal but so handy. No London Drugs etc, I usually hit the CameraStore in calgary but they are a bit pricey on lighting and have only a couple brands. Might have to try and get a kit from B&H or Adorama etc. Don't worry I will bug you most likely.

 

[Derrel]

Overall, shot #1 has the best lighting I think. But the camera is too high, and looking downward on her. Same thing in shot 3 as well, the camera is a bit too high.

The framing on these is a bit off...the placement of the figures within the frames is not quite optimized.

I'd echo tirediron's sentiments, that a different blouse color would have helped separate the subject from the black background. If you do want to use a lamp as a separation light, it needs to be close, relatively powerful, and the shutter speed needs to be pretty slow to allow the tungsten light to "burn in"...a shutter speed of somewhere around 1/4 to 1/8 second at f/8 would be about right with a 100 watt bulb 4 feet away from her shoulders. And, yes, that would cause the separation light to look warmer than the electronic flash's output.

 

[tirediron]

Speedlights are so portable though lol. Light and easy to pack around. I know they aren't ideal but so handy. No London Drugs etc, I usually hit the CameraStore in calgary but they are a bit pricey on lighting and have only a couple brands. Might have to try and get a kit from B&H or Adorama etc. Don't worry I will bug you most likely.

Then consider something like the Sunpak 3, 4 or 500 series grip flashes. I've picked up 3 of them recently for $30 - 50 each, complete with AC power adaptor, and gels. A few $10 eBay optical triggers and you've got a nice, portable outfit that will be a lot more versatile than an SB900, for about 1/8 the cost - heck you'd even save enough to buy a really nice flash meter (You'll need the flash meter 'cause TTL is out) and still have enough left over for a decent tripod and your weekly fix of Tim's!