bought 2x optical slave triggers for my prospective shoestring home studio!

[starvy]

<p>after months of deliberation and research i have bought 2x optical slave flash triggers. my praktika bd24 and metz mc20 fore very well attached to them and i can either use the onboard a100 flash or attach a bigger minolta flash. in the coming weeks i shall be working on creating a small studio corner in my bed room. hoping to go diy and make up the background from fabrics purchased and joined up paper. i have never done any studio work before, what could be a good subject to start off with?</p>

[paf iii]

<p>Hello Starvy,<br>

How small of a area are you talking about, are we talking table top? If so how about some close up creative detail shots of your camera equipment.<br>

Best of luck and post some shots<br>

Phil</p>

[casey145]

<p>Here is an idea to play with a couple of flash units. And I would suggest a couple of smallish reflectors as well (10*12 or a bit bigger). Home made version. take a piece of card and cover it with tin foil on one side taping it down on the back side. Hey presto.. :o))<br>

If you are using a small area, I think you need to watch out for the relationship of the size of the object in the frame and the backgroung because of using a couple of units in close proximity. You could just go high key! I have played with shooting tulips with using 1,2, & 3 flash units. Lights approx 3-6 feet from subject, also controlling the power outupt of the flash units. to give me the exposure control I want. And using the reflectors as well, to even out some light shadows created. If you the ability in being able to keep the backdrop anywhere between 3-7 feet from subject. You will have more creative control in seperating out your subject from the background by using some back lighting.<br>

From looking at your photos, you have a very nice eye.<br>

Would like to see what you come up with.<br>

Good luck, have FUN... :o)</p>

<p>K.</p>

[casey145]

<p>ooopppsss they are not your photos... sorry to the originators of your favourite images..... must remember to have aonther coffee before doing posts so early in the morning... :o0))</p>

[starvy]

<p>thank you again for your responses.<br>

the space could possibly be a maximum of 2 metres wide, 2.5 metres tall and a maximum depth of 1 metre without shifting furniture. i am thinking of leaving the setup there permanently so would like to work with the restrictions rather than make temporary space. the reflectors were in my mind but size of reflectors would be something to work out. i have located a few cheap indian fabric shops where i intend to buy white and coloured fabric. this might not be cheap but i think should be cheaper and allow me to truly customise the space. at present, the wall is painted magnolia which seems to have been alright for a couple of self portraits i took.<br>

tulips are a fantastic idea but since i live in daffodil country, what with spring around the corner, i am keen to utilise the first bulbs! i have these shower cap type diffusers for the two off camera flashes. i am begining to realise that oncamera flash is not good so would be shooting with the onboard flash taped with magic tape just to use it as a trigger for the others. the lens would be a very old minolta 58mm pf 1.4 that has been doctored for my a100 from a very friendly photo.net user and performs great for portrait. it is around 85mm on the sony.<br>

i am a tea person in the morning and i too make similar oooopppppssss without it first thing in the morning!</p>

[samn]

<p>Just a suggestion Starvy is a book I picked up a while back that I use time and again for setups. It is Learning to Light, Easy & Affordable Techniques for the Photographer by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz. AmPhoto Books. It is all done with film but has good ideas and is practical. As I remember it was about $12.00 at Borders. </p>

[samn]

<p>In a small space like that Starvy you really don't need much power. You can position your light sources very close to your image. This image was done with an ordinary desk lamp with a mini florescent (probably 40w) in it as main light source on right and a flashlight which was reflected off of a make up mirror back to the left side as kind of a diffused highlight source. Idea from the above mentioned book. The main light is no more than a couple of inches out of the frame.</p><div></div>

[dave_redmann]

<p>My main reactions to what you say:</p>

<p>(1) You need a way to trigger the flashes other than an on-camera flash. Having to fire any flash from the camera limits your ability to control the light. The most basic way to do that is to get one of those FS-1100-type Minolta/Sony shoe converters that has a built-in PC socket, and run a sync cord to one of the flashes. You're talking $25 in parts. A more convenient approach is an FS-1100 plus radio triggers; Paul Buff sells a good set for about $140, Pocket Wizards are $300 (?), but some people are happy with $25 sets from Gadget Infinity. Not sure about UK prices (you are in the UK, right?), so I'll just have to go with what I know.</p>

<p>(2) You need light modifiers. The off-camera flashes will produce much nicer light if you fire them into or through umbrellas or softboxes. You need a stand ($20 and up), a hot shoe flash / umbrella adapter ($14 and up, I seem to recall two models are the Photoflex Multiclamp and the Bogen / Manfrotto 2905), a light modifier (basic umbrellas start around $12), and a way to trigger the flash (your optical slave, or the aforementioned sync cord or radio trigger).</p>

<p>(3) What to shoot? How about your significant other, kids, or friends? Or else maybe can you do product-type photography? What interests you?</p>