rayt

Get the high voltage pack for the FL-50. With batteries alone the recyle time is too long. Recycle times with the pack is about a second with full energy discharge, less with only a partial dump.

And if you decide to just stick with just the flash batteries get NIMH batteries. Don't even think about akaline except in an emergency.

Also consider a flash bracket like the Stroboframe and get the flash above the lense. You will need the extension cord that goes from the base of the flash to the camera.

The high voltage pack will also reduce the amount of weight you have to carry in your hands as you can eliminate the batteries in the flash and just go with the HVL-01.

You could also put your flash on the highest setting then "accidently" trip the flash while it is pointed into his lense at a distance not to exceed 12 inches. Perhaps you may fry his CCD and then he is a no longer an issue.

Seriously, I would have taken the B&G aside when the threats were made and explained that any further threats from the video idiot and the police would be summoned and assualt charges pressed. Merely threatening is enough to have charges placed. The police would probably removed the person.

If that did not work I would tell the B&G that the behavior of the video chap would not be tolerated and simply pack up and leave. No refund would be offered and if the B&G wanted their money back get it from the video person.

I am also an Alien Bee user. I have two B800's and a couple of small strobes for hairlight and background. Most of my work is on location and two lights is enough to get the job done. If I need additional I use a Vivatar 285 for spot lighting when needed. One umbrella and one small softbox seems to do nicely. I need the soft light with only light shadows. I like being able to just use power cords instead of power packs and those blasted high voltage cables.

I also have the wired remote and that is a very useful accessory for controlling the lights. The remote also makes it easy to use one sync cable and trip all the lights without the infared slaves on the lamps triggering from others flashes. A light meter (Sekonic 358) helps.

The lights work well for my needs. I need the 800's for the additional power, the 1600's would have been too much, the 400's not enough power.

I had the advantage of being able to visit the store in Nashville and try the different lights with my camera. I was also able to see the other products and determine the accessories that I wanted.

I have seen mention in this forum about magazine style wedding

albums and other types of wedding albums. Can someone provide a link

to a company the produces such albums so that I can acquire more

information.

Use manual exposure as your camera is probably trying to use some type of automatic metering. Set the shutter speed to the maximum allowed for flash (1/250 or something alone those lines.) Then adjust the aperture to get the proper exposure. The instructions for the flash should list the specifics using the guide number for the flash. If you camera is digital just keep changing the f-stop value until you get a picture that looks like you want.

If your flash is still overpowering the image then you need to get a couple of neutral density filters for your camera, a 1 stop and a 2 stop. Together they will give a three stop reduction in the light and that might just be enough.

Alien Bees without a doubt in my opinion.

Try getting replacement parts or repairs to JTL. Alien Bees is a USA company located in a suburb (actually a business park) in the Nashville area. Having been there in person, spoke to the people, bought their product, seen the results, you will not be dissappointed in the Alien Bees.

You may also want to invest in the wired remote that Alien Bees sells for the their flash. The wireless is cool, but pricey. The wired work great, will sync up to four flashes, and allows you to adjust the light levels while looking at the results.

Also replace the modeling lights that come with the Bees with a 150 watt halogen for better modeling.

The addition of a softbox is a very good idea. Use that as your main light and use the other light as a fill light at much reduced power.

Shoot with a moderate telephoto to help reduce nose prominence.

A colored background may help. Use a small portable flash on low power to light the background behind the subject to seperate the subject from the background. I use my old Vivitar 285 on 1/16 power with a remote slave to light the background. It does not take much light.

It is important to not have both lights at the same power level as that really flattens the pictures. You want a few light shadows to indicate that there is indeed a three dimensional person being photographed.

Enjoy the Alien Bees as they are actually a pretty good flash setup.

<i>No!! Lens cleaner will dissolve the plastic.</i>

That is indeed odd. All current lens cleaners are safe for plastics. Most eyeglasses are plastic and would be harmed by any cleaner that dissolves plastic. Coatings and such on current camera lenses would be harmed by any cleaner that dissolves plastic.

A fluid needs to be used to reduce the surface tension and avoid scratching the plastic when the plastic is wiped.

As an alternative water with a small amount of mild detergent should work OK. Several rinses would be required with the final rinse in distilled water.

One of the issues that has not been mentioned is film reloading.

When I used to weddings with film it was a balancing act to have enough exposures left on the roll to capture significant events, such as the bridal procession. Yeh, I had two cameras (mostly in case one breaks), but I would have needed to change flashes from one camera to another. It was easier to load the film and tye to plan.

Now with digital I can take 100+ pictures without worrying about changing film. If I have to change memory it is a simple operation, much faster than film (no opening a container, threading into the takeup, etc.) I also do not have to be concerned with batteries for the motor drive, exposure compensation is a breeze, and you can see if the lighting is correct. I can also change the ISO without changing film. All things I could no do with film.

I also find that I can take 300 pictures for the same price that I can take 5 pictures. My time is the cost factor, not the film. I can also store images forever without worrying about image degradation.

Using the right digital camera (as in SLR with little shutter lag) weddings have become much easier than they were with film as resources are easier to manage. Image quality is just as good with digital as film unless you get to very large sizes.

The histogram is available on the camera display immediately after the picture is taken.

There is very little need for a flash meter as the results can be viewed immediately and changes made. Even if the exposure is off some (within limits) it can be easily adjusted in most photo editing programs.

I have the 717 and use studio strobes. The camera has to be on manual, the hot shoe enabled, shutter speed at whatever (I use 500) and then adjust the aperture.

YOu can also use neutral density filters (or a polarizer) to reduce the light level to the camera. Again use the camera display and histogram as it is your friend.

Watch it on some flash units for trigger voltage. Measure the voltage and keep it under six volts. Get a Wein Sync Safe if necessary. You will need a hot shoe adapter, any will do, to connect the strobes. Do not allow the camera flash to fire and trip the studio strobe slaves. You cannot control the camera flash easily.

The one large advantage to digital is that there is no need for a flash meter. You can immediately see the results and make adjustments, in exposure and lighting, something that is difficult to do with film.

Digital cameras of today are good enough for prints up to 14 inches (5 megapixel or better) and you have the advantage of being able to adjust the pictures digitally before printing. Again something that is difficult with film.

Digital is here and it is very good. Waiting only accomplishes waiting. Yes, each year (month) there will be improvements. But two years from now the same can be said. And then you are two years behind.

You do not have recurring costs associated with film. You can easily change white balance for different effects. Wonderful stuff.

But don't get rid of film. It will be around for awhile but will become resigned to niche roles.

I have the exact same camera and am using Photogenic monolights. All that I do is simply stop down the camera to reduce the exposure. This involves placing the camera in manual mode. There is no need for a flash meter and you can use trial and error by looking at the image after the exposure.

If you need a wider f-stop to reduce depth of field I would suggest that you cover the strobes with a layer (or more of white cloth) A simple handerchef will drop the light output dramatically.