small inexpensive flash set (Canon 550EX and 420EX)

I have a Canon EOS 10D and I'm looking to buy a flash system that I can use
in a very limited area in my home and sometimes outdoors. I'm thinking about
buying two Canon 550EX speedlights and a 420EX speedlight with the ST-E2
transmitter for a 3-light system. Will this provide enough power for
full-body portraits and background/hairlights in a small area?

Sean Ras wrote:

I have a Canon EOS 10D and I'm looking to buy a flash system that I can use
in a very limited area in my home and sometimes outdoors. I'm thinking about
buying two Canon 550EX speedlights and a 420EX speedlight with the ST-E2
transmitter for a 3-light system. Will this provide enough power for
full-body portraits and background/hairlights in a small area?

For home portraits, just pick up some cheap scoop lights from your local
hardware store (Lowes/Home Depot or privately owned). They cost around
$5-10 each, use normal household bulbs and have grips so you can mount
them anywhere. I got the term "scoop lights" from a friend, these are
just pieces of tin with a place for the bulb and a strong grip.

With 3 of those and maybe a reflector, you can do a lot for only a
fraction of the cost of buying new strobes. Yes, they are tungsten, so
just set your white balance to compensate.

I use them in my finished basement. It has drop-down tile ceilings about
7 feet high, so it's great for sitting portraits and headshots. I run
the extension cords through the ceiling and grip the lights to the grid
holding the ceiling tiles.


--
Whatevah / Jerry Horn
Jerry {at} whatevah.com (working address)
Freelance Photography and Web services.
spambait:

Kibo informs me that "Sean Ras" stated
that:

I have a Canon EOS 10D and I'm looking to buy a flash system that I can use
in a very limited area in my home and sometimes outdoors. I'm thinking about
buying two Canon 550EX speedlights and a 420EX speedlight with the ST-E2
transmitter for a 3-light system. Will this provide enough power for
full-body portraits and background/hairlights in a small area?

Yep.

Although I don't know why you'd want more than one 550EX & one or two
420EXes.

--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

I have a Canon EOS 10D and I'm looking to buy a flash system that I can
use
in a very limited area in my home and sometimes outdoors. I'm thinking
about
buying two Canon 550EX speedlights and a 420EX speedlight with the ST-E2
transmitter for a 3-light system. Will this provide enough power for
full-body portraits and background/hairlights in a small area?


yes.

what I do a lot is take the flash and bounce it off a sidewall for an effect
like a large softbox, use a reflector, that should get you going. use some
of the money you just saved by buying a decent tripod.

Sean Ras wrote:

I have a Canon EOS 10D and I'm looking to buy a flash system that I can use
in a very limited area in my home and sometimes outdoors. I'm thinking about
buying two Canon 550EX speedlights and a 420EX speedlight with the ST-E2
transmitter for a 3-light system. Will this provide enough power for
full-body portraits and background/hairlights in a small area?

I'd use 3 of the 550EX lights. All you need to do, is set 2 of them as slaves.
Use white umbrellas if you don't have a a white celling to bounce off.

Fred

--
"...Linux, MS-DOS, and Windows XP (also known as the Good, the Bad, and
the Ugly)."