Need help on what to buy for outdoor shoots

Rockadile · Jan 18, 2012

I want to do portrait, beauty, and fashion shoots outdoor but need help on things to buy to get started. I like the look when the background is 1 stop darker and the model is highlighted with flash...also want to balance the flash with the ambient.

I'm thinking on getting these:
22" Kacey beauty dish
Alien Bee B800

Help with these:
Stand
Portable power
Receiver/trigger
Any missing essentials

Is the B800 and that beauty dish powerful enough for the look I want in the afternoon sun? Maybe get ND filter?

Village Idiot · Jan 18, 2012

Rockadile said:
I want to do portrait, beauty, and fashion shoots outdoor but need help on things to buy to get started. I like the look when the background is 1 stop darker and the model is highlighted with flash...also want to balance the flash with the ambient.

I'm thinking on getting these:
22" Kacey beauty dish
Alien Bee B800

Help with these:
Stand
Portable power
Receiver/trigger
Any missing essentials

Is the B800 and that beauty dish powerful enough for the look I want in the afternoon sun? Maybe get ND filter?

The B800 should be bright enough to accomplish this if you have the light source close to the model. You pull it back too far and it won't work. An ND would only be good for being able to overpower the sun and still shoot at a wider aperture. If you're shooting at f/22 and want to bring it down to f/5.6, an ND would work for this.

B800 outside - Flickr: Search

Search for B800 & outside on Flickr ^^

Rockadile · Jan 18, 2012

Village Idiot said:
The B800 should be bright enough to accomplish this if you have the light source close to the model. You pull it back too far and it won't work. An ND would only be good for being able to overpower the sun and still shoot at a wider aperture. If you're shooting at f/22 and want to bring it down to f/5.6, an ND would work for this.

B800 outside - Flickr: Search

Search for B800 & outside on Flickr ^^

Thanks for the info.

I'm looking for solid products at cheap prices. Should I just get Paul's stand, Vagabond mini, and the cybersyncs? Will I need adapters to connect the strobe/stand/BD?

Big Mike · Jan 18, 2012

If you are going with the B800, then I'd probably go with the Vagabond mini as well. Maybe an extra battery (or two) if your shoots will last for a while. You don't need the Cyber Sync trigger to use the light (any flash trigger will work) but the Cyber Sync do work very well. If you wanted to save money, cheaper triggers would be an option.
Any light stand (with standard 5/8 stud) will hold the light unit. And if you buy their beauty dish, it will mount to the light with no problems.

As for the stand, consider carefully. Their basic 10' stand is pretty flimsy, but it's light and easy to carry to location. The heavy duty stand is much more stable and robust, but it's bigger and heavier to haul around. If you will be shooting on your own (and can handle the weight/size) then go for the bigger stand. If you'll have an assistant that can hold the light, the smaller stand may be OK (but if you have an assistant, they might also be able to carry the heavier stand).