Help with flash setup mechanics

If this is a dumb question, just shoot me quickly.

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I am ready to jump into portraits (amateur, not professionally) and have some questions regarding setup. I have read a lot of the studio and lighting static content and know what I want to experiment with but I�m not sure of all of the dumb little stuff.

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I have two Nikon flashes (sb28 & sb25), an SC17 cord, and a remote TTL unit (SU4). I plan to put the main flash on a tripod (stand?) just off to my right (with softbox on flash) hooked up to the camera via sc17. Then I plan to use a reflector on a stand to the left with the second flash and the su4 ttl remote.

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The su4 has a tripod attachment but how do I attach the sc17 to the stand? Also, the reflectors I have seen don�t seem to have an attachment point. Is there a special clamp to attach the reflector to a stand? Do you use cheap tripods for the stands or am I better off with a special stand made for lighting?

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Backgrounds? I know I can buy a roll of background material � For initial efforts, is cutting off a section and taping/tacking to a wall OK or am I better off trying to get a stand to hold the material?

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I am (I am sure you can�t tell) totally new to this but am really excited to start experimenting. I would like to be a least a little prepared before I place any orders or talk to a camera lighting salesperson. Any assistance would be appreciated.

"...how do I attach the sc17 to the stand?" - I use Canon stuff,

So I'm not real familliar with the Nikon flash parts, but if the SC17

doesn't have a screw base to it, does it have a accessory shoe base?

If it does, then use a cheap adapter that goes from 1/4X20 screw to

cold shoe (similar the the camera's hot shoe).

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"...the reflectors I have seen don�t seem to have an attachment

point." - Mine don't either, but I make do with some spring clamps

from a hardware store. I've drilled holes in some and attached

1/4X20 coupling nuts to get them to mount to things, but there are

easier ways to do it (think "duct tape"). You can use an old tripod,

but they are often not high enough, so a light stand is better. The

easiest way to work with rolled background paper is to leave the roll

on the floor and unwind as much as you need to go up the wall. This

way, if you don't tear a big hole in the middle, you can roll it back

up to use it again.

Really great pics can be create with one flash as main light and the

other as a background light. Use your reflector on the other side of

your main light for fill. So much of it has to do with positioning of

the light sources as to the look your going to get. check out monte

zucker's site for tons of great info and lighting diagrams.

www.montezucker.com.

get a bunch of rolls of slide film ( use slide for all tests cause

theres no way to cover up screw ups- what you see is what you get- I

use fuji sensia for all my test for consistancy and low cost), take

exacting notes of what you did and shoot away.

If your good at improvising you can make lots of cool backdrops,

lighting stands and light modifiers with stuff from surplus or

hardware stores. One that I still use is taping a giant piece of

translucent plastic (buy at a gardening store - less than $10) over a

door frame to create a large softbox/window light. While I now have a

full studio full of softboxes, mono lights and tons of stands and grip

gear, I still find myself manufacturing weird stuff in my

Go to a library and read! All of the questions you ask are answered

in dozens of books and I don't have the time to rewrite them (which

is what you are asking us to do). I think you need to get out more,

may I suggest trying a good bookstore? NOT on line!... t (bang!...

quick enough?)

Some really great tips. I appreciate the input and suggestions. Tom,

I also appreciate your input and agree that I need to do a lot of

learning regarding lighting setups, posing, and backgrounds and have

bought or borrowed books relating to those aspects of portraiture but

what is often assumed in those books is that you know how to attach a

reflector to a tripod (just as an example). Jim�s tip on how to

better utilize a paper roll for reuse is another great example. I

suppose that after ripping several sheets of background paper I would

learn as Jim has that there is a better way � Those kinds of tips are

what I am after. Because I don�t yet have all of my materials

together, I�m not in a position to experiment but even if I did, not

having to reinvent the wheel with �implied� knowledge is useful. With

that said, I agree that I don�t know that there is not a book out

there with that kind of input. I guess its off to the library I go :-)

John, a couple of other ideas that might be helpful. The SC-17 isn't

all that long, so you might want to just get a long sync cord (they

are much cheaper and plug directly into your flash). You lose all

the fancy automatic metering functionality, but for studio-style work

you really don't want that anyway. Instead, it is much better to use

a flashmeter and set your flash to manual mode. Then you get

repeatable results, and you can really analyze the effect of moving

lights around rather than firing away and hoping the metering system

does a good job. The SB-28 is very impressive and the automation is

a godsend when you are forced to do grab-shots, but in a more

controlled environment I think you will find that manual mode is much

better.

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Another issue is that using the light directly is quite harsh. You

will probably want to experiment with softer light, and a fairly

cheap way to do that is to buy a clamp that mounts on a tripod, has

an umbrella holder, and uses a hotshoe attachment on top. Photoflex

has one, I think, for around $30. A $35 umbrella and you have a very

pleasing soft light for portraits that is equivalent to what

professionals use (except for the amount of power available). You

should also experiment freely with large foam-core boards, available

at your local arts supply house for a few dollars. Start with white,

but you can also try the effect of different colors. They make great

reflectors, and give you a tremendous increase in flexibility for

very little money. Also try crumpling up some aluminum foil and

taping it so that it covers one of the foam boards. That gives you

another popular type of lighting effect and is equivalent to the

expensive silver reflectors you can buy. Those are easier to

transport, more durable, and more convenient, but don't really work

any better.

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Have fun,

Oliver