Strobes? or Flash? Both?

[Purkhiser]

Hello! I have looked through the threads - found one thread that was about strobes, but I have some questions. I am an amateur photographer, but have lots of people asking me to take their photos, so I now have a website and prices (www.purkhiserphotography.com (http://www.purkhiserphotography.com)) . I currently use a canon 430 on my rebel, and bounce it off of my white ceiling. I also have a flip-it diffuser attached to my 430 - this is the same as a white business card angled toward the subject - I use this for fill-flash. My camera pretty much stays on manual with my flash at 1/1 so I can get enough light - I don't shoot at night or use household lights, and I leave my window blinds up.

I'm looking for something better. I want something that gives my photos pop! I seem to have the most trouble with skin-tones and having to spend hours afterwards editing. Also, it seems as if my backdrops could use more - expecially the white ones.

What kind of strobes or lighting do you recommend at a resonable price? Do the strobes need to have modeling lamps, if not, how do I see at night in my little room. If I turn on standard lights, the camera will pick up on that and I will have too much orange/yellow.

I just cannot seem to get that soft face, but crisp, and soft background. That gorgeous studio look! I want my customers and family to have a good quality photos!

I had so much wonderful help with the html website stuff and I appreciate it! :clap

Any suggestions about the lighting issue? I'm confused :scratch but open to pretty much anything - and I am fairly new to this photography stuff! Direct me in the right way!

Carrie

[frg]

check out http://strobist.blogspot.com/

[Scott_Quier]

Carrie,

I looked through your photos - I really like the pregnancy gallery. Very nicely done!


I'm looking for something better. I want something that gives my photos pop! I seem to have the most trouble with skin-tones and having to spend hours afterwards editing. Also, it seems as if my backdrops could use more - expecially the white ones.
Your trouble with skin tones could be nothing more than a failure to correctly set your WB before the shoot. Or, you could shoot a frame at the start/end of the shoot with one of your subjects holding a gray card (RawWorkflow.com (http://www.rawworkflow.com/products/whibal/index.html) may be something you would want to look into).


What kind of strobes or lighting do you recommend at a resonable price? Do the strobes need to have modeling lamps, if not, how do I see at night in my little room. If I turn on standard lights, the camera will pick up on that and I will have too much orange/yellow.
I just purchased 3 Alien Bees (www.alienbees.com (http://www.alienbees.com)) for what I think is a reasonable price. The strobe unit has an integral modeling light that can be set to track the power of the flash (the power of the flash can be set across a continious 5 stop range). How do you see at night in your little room - turn on a light. Set the light to low power, set your shutter speed to 1/100 or 1/200 and you will get almost no contribution from your "extra" light. I use one of those halogen torch lamps with a continious reostat for a switch.

I just cannot seem to get that soft face, but crisp, and soft background. That gorgeous studio look! I want my customers and family to have a good quality photos!

The easiest way to get this is with a wide-open lens at short distance from the subject and the subject a relatively large distance from the background. When you focus on the subject, the background is thrown out of focus and, with a wide-open lens, your DOF is such that you don't get much besides the subject in focus. Play with your aperture a bit to get the DOF you want/need - sometimes you need more than just a couple of inches of DOF, like when you a shooting a family group with multiple rows. Regardless, to throw the backgroud OOF, move your subject away from the background.

You can also shoot at any aperture you like and then blur the background in PP. I don't really recommend this, but it can be done.

I had so much wonderful help with the html website stuff and I appreciate it! :clap

Any suggestions about the lighting issue? I'm confused :scratch but open to pretty much anything - and I am fairly new to this photography stuff! Direct me in the right way!

CarrieI did the best I could. I hope this helps.

[Purkhiser]

Thanks for checking out my photos and for the compliment! That was my first (and only) pregnancy shoot so far - I think it was 2 weeks ago. Just got my website up last week! Learning as I go!

Thanks so much to both of you for the info! It does help out quite a bit! My only problem with moving my subject away from the background is, of course, a large enough backdrop! I try the other things you suggested - I think they will make a big difference!

I'm checking out the strobist website right now!

Thanks again!