If you could only choose a few things...

[Designer]

I love the dramatic lighting. It just really struck me. Could be his photography too which is awesome.

No doubt about it; someone who knows how.

That gizmo is also known as a "brolly box" (umbrella = "brolly" and box because the back is opaque)

The big advantage there is that it's very portable and sets up in a flash. (hyuk, hyuk he said "flash")

Wescott is a quality make of modifiers.

 

[Derrel]

I love the dramatic lighting. It just really struck me. Could be his photography too which is awesome.

And now you can see what off-camera flash can look like, as opposed to what "a natural light shooter" would have been able to get at 6:30 in the evening, with the sunset at 7:00 PM...this is what I meant by professional lighting gear making things look different.

Westcott does make some fine modifiers, no doubt about it. As to the "beauty dish" with no diffusion look he did...a person will get about the same look with this beaded, silvered-interior umbrella. Throwing the term "beauty dish" around is an almost guaranteed sales-making phrase these days. Both modifiers have a silvered interior. Impact Umbrella - Beaded Silver - 43 S3543 B H Photo Video

Here is another type of modifier that I like, and which a lot of people like. Annie Liebowitz uses these extensively. Photek Umbrella - Softlighter II - 46 SL-5000 B H Photo

 

[lisameowrie]

I absolutely love it. Just from that video I may have to buy it or something similar. They sold me.

 

[kdthomas]

There's no need for any transceiver or transmitter/receiver triggering. The old standby, the PC connecting cord from camera to flash is still the simplest way to trigger a studio flash. I recommend the Adorama Flashpoint 320M to beginners...the price is fair for what you get. $99 for the monolight itself; flash +simple stand + umbrella or flash+stand + softbox kits are like $159.

Triggering a single monolight with an umbrella is EASY. With a PC cord, there is nothing to it. Most triggers will work great, with no issues. The problems associated with off-camera flash are almost always from people trying to use "smart" TTL-controlled flash units with cheap, made in China units that may, or may not, actually be compatible with "smart" speedlights. Studio monolights are dumb, low-tech flashes, so remote triggering is dead-easy. With the PC connecting cord, it's as simple as plugging the cord into the flash, and then connecting the cord to the camera's PC outlet. If the camera does not have a PC outlet, then a small connecting block like the Nikon AS-15 is slid into the camera's hotshoe, and a PC outlet is then created.

I would say yes, avoid continuous lights. Flash is easy to work with. If you can work a smart phone, you can work a monolight + umbrella + light stand. It's reallllly NOT that difficult.

One thing I have found interesting with my Nikon SB-700 speedlights (when I need/want them in addition to the Speedotron pack-n-head system I own), is to use SU-4 mode on the speedlights. This will trigger the speedlights to go off when it senses the spike of light from the strobes. That way I don't have to have a separate trigger.