studio lighting with D40X??

[ron_ongkowijoyo]

I'm new in studio photography and planning to rent a studio for a day or two to

shoot a picture for a billboard.

 

I know some of you might think that i should just hire some professional to do

it but i want to learn studio photography and the company understand my

experience but still letting me do trial and error at their cost (for renting

the studio).

 

So i have D40X with SB400. I've been reading a lot and confused even more as

what exactly should i invest on before renting the studio. Do i need some kind

of trigger? such as SB800? or is it enough to just get the AS-15 coupler so that

i have the PC terminal?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

[davemoss]

if you are planning a billboard shoot, and you don't know what you are doing, then i feel for you. no offense, but is the company prepared to have you not get a decent shot, then go out and hire someone who will?

 

your best bet would be to have them hire a pro, and ask the pro to be an assistant for the day. then you can learn a couple things for next time.

 

realistically, anything else and you will be wasting everyone's time and money.

 

sorry, i know that isn't the answer you were looking for, but i felt compelled to give it anyway.

 

good luck in whatever you decide.

[steve_levine]

Without knowledge, and the proper equipment, you are setting yourself up for a disaster.

 

 

How patient will the company be with you if you fail to deliver professional results after spending their money?

[nickwhite]

I see no problem here - just so long as you are not charging a professional fee for the shoot.

 

Equipment wise, you should need nothing extra.

 

You can either use the pop-up flash on your D40 (set to minimum output) to trigger the strobes, or use the studio's equipment to trigger them.

 

Hopefully there will be some studio staff there to give you help and advice - make good use of it.

[elliot1]

"I want to learn studio photography"

 

There is no better way than just doing it.

 

Proper position of the lighting will make a tremendous difference in how your pictures look. Talk to the pros at the studio and do some internet research prior to your shoot and you will end up with some great shots that will make you and your client very happy. Please post a few of your best shots after you are done.

[jack_l3]

How large is the billboard? Have you determined that the resolution of the image you produce will be sufficient? Would your employer be better served with medium format?

[morganlashley]

Why don't you ask the guys at the studio what you should do? I'm sure they'll have ideas....

[craig_shearman1]

Forget the SB400, the SB800 and the built in flash. They are not studio strobes. Get a Wein Safe-Sync, which will slip into your hot shoe, provide a PC contact to plug the studio strobes into and isolate the camera from whatever their sync voltage might be. (I haven't used the AS-15 coupler, so if it does all of this, just use it.) Beyond that, read a few books on studio lighting. But really be honest with your company that you don't know what you're doing and that the odds are very slim that you're get anything they can use. If they know that and are still willing to let you learn on their dime, that's fair game so take advantage of it.