Flash accessories

[woollyback]

Morning folks,

I have been searching the form all morning and come to the conclusion I am absolutely clueless about lighting.

Here's what I'm after.

I would like to get my daughter some lighting accessories for xmas - she has off camera flass ability via 430EX23 and RF602 transmitters.

She is currently doing her A levels including art and has been studying portraiture (inside mainly bit not exclusively), she has a raft of willing model friends but I don't know me umbrella from a softbox to a diffuser.

She is aftter lighting that gets a softer portrait type light but she is also very into the type of images where part is really dark and only certain parts are clearly light.

I hope I am making some sense here - any ideas would be great. Obviously within a budge of a couple of hundred quid would be good to.

Thanks for any advice

Cheers

Rob

 

[HoppyUK]

Lencarta Smartflash, standard reflector dish, stand, white, silver and shoot-through umbrellas, white/silver reflector, £200-ish

Lots of lighting versatility with that, and she can use the 430EX with it - makes a good background light or hair light. Use the RF-602 to trigger, with the 3.5mm jack lead (which she may have already with it, or £5 off Amazon/ebay). When using both flashes, connect RF-602 to the 430EX and that will fire the Smartflash via its slave.

Edit: to use outside with just the 430EX, she'll need an umbrella adapter. This looks like a good one - note the locking clamp which she'll need because the RF-602 receiver is rather a loose fit in a normal slip-in jobbie http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polaroid-St...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322913581&sr=1-17 Best get another stand while you're at it.

 

[woollyback]

Wow cheers Hoppy will have a look at that

 

[HoppyUK]

Wow cheers Hoppy will have a look at that

You're welcome chap. Just a note on that umbrella adapter clamp - there's a little indent-stop on the 430EX hot shoe, that you'll crush if you're not careful. Open the clamp just wide enough, slot the flash in and it will butt up against the stop, then tighten.

 

[digitalfailure]

For flash work I love to play with my Honl stuff

you can find it here

It's not the cheapest kit around, but the grids and gels really make outdoor flash work a little more creative. For softer portraits using the flashgun, grab a softbox and pretty much all the bases are covered. I have the interfit xs softbox and adapter, it means I can mount my bowens s fit stuff and really get the use out of all my lighting gear.