Canon speedlights for main and fill

[roy_lang]

<p>I use Canon speedlights 580ex and 550ex as main and fill and they seem to work well shooting through umbrellas in the 6-8 ft range, which is about the size of my small studio. I was wondering if anyone has had experence shooting with speedlights in an open area or in the 10ft + range for family shots or groups? Some people seem to think with 2 quality speedlights you can cover most any situation that requires flash. I'm trying to find a combination that is easy to transport and setup for site portraits and photography. </p>

[bob_osullivan]

<p>I think you'd be fine if you're willing to boost ISO a bit. Or try bounce umbrellas or ceiling bounce which will eat less power than shoot through.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Inside, you just need to up the ISO. Outside, it isn't that easy, because you have to balance flash with brighter outdoor light. Ten feet outside with shoemounts in modifiers--in brighter light--would be a problem, I'd say, if you want one of the flashes to be the key or main light.</p>

[savagesax]

2 problems occur when using strobes and an umbrellas outside. The first problem is the Canon flash unit probably isn't powerful enough to use with an umbrella, unless you are just a few feet away and the 2nd issue is wind. Unless you use something to anchor down the light stand the wind will hit the umbrella and blow your light setup down.

[thierry nguyen cuu - nomad]

<p>I use Caon 580 EX (II) almost all the time for my outdoor fashion shoots.<br>

I don't use umbrella often as they get blown away by the wind :).<br>

Most of the time, I use small beauty dishes and snoot to direct my lights. They work well up to 3 meters (about 9 feet) from the subject shooting sync speed at F8 to F16.</p>

<p>Check some out door shoot here : http://nomadphotography.com.au/blog/tag/model/</p>