Studio Lighting, dont know where to start!!

[LeeLeeMelis]

Hi there!I have recently bought started studio equipment (White Lightning X800 strobe, umbrella) I now need to know how to use the stuff!! I’m pretty overwhelmed as I’m not sure where to start. If this is not where I should be asking questions please let me know and I’ll find another venue to question.

-Do I hook my strobe to my camera of my flash meter?

-When I take a reading and the flash meter shows me certain aperature and shutter speed, are these the numbers I put into my camera, my on camera flash or on my strobe?

-I have a small dance event coming up that I’m photographing family portraits with a background, the whole bit. Do I meter on the faces?

-Should I even use my flash on my camera?

I know that’s a lot and I’m sure I’ll have more, any help you can give will be huge. Thanks!

 

[Big Mike]

http://photo.net/learn/studio/primer

http://www.studiolighting.net/

 

[Stevedevil]

Have you one strobe, two, three etc

The camera will connect to the strobe via either a sync lead, or wireless, infra red etc..

You set the strobes to a setting that you want, and take a flash reading from your strobes, the reading you see on the flash meter you dial into your camera ( you set camera and flash meter to ISO before you take readings )

Then thats it for the basics

If your using different ethnic background of people then a slight f stop ( -2 ) will sometimes be needed, and forr very white people maybe a +1 to 2 f stop.

The power adjustment on the strobes will depend on where they are, umberellas, softboxes etc

Cheers

Steve