If you have gone to my photography links page, or found it on your own, you may be aware of the phenomenon that is strobist. Basically it is all about off camera lighting. I’m talking about multiple flash setups. Since I discovered this wonderful website, the techniques have become bread and butter for me. Because of multiple flash setups, it has meant that I needed to invest in some extra speedlights. After originally having just the awesome canon 580exII, I have since expanded to have a Nikon sb24, sb26 and sb28. I know some of you might be thinking, “hey but canon and nikon don’t go together”. When it comes to most photography gear, such as lenses, there is limited compatibility. However, flashes are an entirely different story. The reason why they work together it because they are used in Manual mode. As long as something is triggering them, you are in control of the power and zoom levels of the flash.
Manual mode differs from the ettl or ittl mode that most users would be aware of on their name brand flashes. It is easy to learn though, and once learnt, enables more control over how the scene is lit. If and when you move up to monoblock flashes, you are instantly equipped with enough knowledge to get in there and start shooting.
At the moment I trigger my flashes with pc cable and optical triggers. Basically my camera (canon 1dMkII) connects to the 580exII via a pc sync cable. When this flash fires it also activates the other flashes in the scene. This works fine for an indoor session where you are the only photographer. However as soon as you step outside in bright light, or have multiple people with cameras, you run into problems. The latest problem for me came when I was shooting the fame promo photos. I had three flashes setup, two being triggered optically. This setup worked fine, except for the fact that there were two stage mums there with their cameras as well. They were there because their daughters were under 16 yrs old, and so they decided to take some photos. What this meant, is that every time they took a photo near my flashes, they would pop, wasting my batteries. Luckily I was only sitting at about 1/4 power for one flash and 1/16 for the other, so it didn’t really effect the recharge time. It certainly got annoying when I was positioning one of the cast members and 2/3rds of my flashes were going off. The easiest way to solve this problem, and one that I will be investing in very very soon, is to use radio triggers.
Radio triggers enable the flashes to fire synchronously but without relying on each other. There are a couple of options in terms of radio triggers. Firstly there are the pocketwizards. These are the premium. They are the most reliable, and have the longest range (up to 1600 ft). The problem is though, they are also expensive. This means that for now they are slightly out of my reach. Currently I work with 4 flashes. This would mean I would have to buy 4 or 5 transmitters (so that there is one on the camera). Unfortunately this would cost around $1100 for 4 and $1500 for 5. This is too much for a uni student such as myself. When my business gets setup and I start to earn money from it, I will probably invest in some pocketwizards. For now though, the option that I am looking at are Cybersyncs built by Paul C Buff in the US. These triggers are fairly new on the block, but seemed to be quite acceptable in use. And as an added bonus, it will cost be about $500 for 3 receivers and 1 transmitter; awesome! When I get a tiny bit more money in, I will probably purchase these units.
I find it a real shame that wireless remotes cost so much in Australia. As a person that doesn’t earn a whole lot of money, I’m always looking for the cheapest option for gear; unfortunately this means I rarely buy from retail. If I can find an item that isn’t that much more expensive in stores than online then I will buy it, but as soon as it starts to get to >$100 in difference, I start to favour online.
I think now that I’ve given a fair insight into how I work with my flashes. I seemed to neglect the real reason for this post though, which was that today I picked up my fourth flash (sb24). This flash is just as useful as its bigger brothers, the sb26 and sb28. It will hopefully serve me well in future endeavours. The attached photos show the new flash and all four flashes. After now owning four flashes, its probably enough for most applications, so I’m going to concentrate on getting some triggers and building up some stand and other gear.
I’ll keep you all updated on the progress as I move to increase my gear.
Nelson
