1D and 550EX

I am thinking about doing some portrait work, although I have never

done this before, so I have a couple of questions:

1. I think that if I use the 550EX and get another flash, I should

be able to get decent portraits, but I think umbrellas and stands

would also be needed. Is this correct?

2. What about a basic kit with 2 lights, umbrellas and stands.

Suggestions?

I like the portability of the hotshoe flashes but am concerned if

there is enough power to do the job well.

Thanks for your comments!

Hi there,

Get another 550EX and the Canon wireless transmitter. Will enable you to set various flash

ratios using ETTL (presuming you have the original 1D, if the mark II then you'd be better

off with the 580EX so you can use the new E-TTL II technology).

Umbrellas are the way to go if you want portability and soft light, and yes you'll need

stands for these too. Alternatively get a friend to hold a reflector and bounce the flash off

that.

The 550 and 580 will give you more than enough power for head and shoulder portraits as

you'll generally be positioning the flashes close to the subject and you'll generally use a

wide aperture to blur the background.

Hope this helps

John