First flash

~ElNaso Oct 29, 2012 Photographer

So.

I'm in conditions to buy my first flash wich I'm planning to use in extremely low light situations in combination with an umbrella or a diffuser cap (planning to get both). I need something that can light a whole room with soft light and I'm going for what I've alredy seen other photographers doing, and I want the simmilar results.

I never owned a flash so I must ask, what do I have to look for? I know to check for power (i'll likely get a guide 60 just because I can), recharge time, battery type and such, but surely I'm missing something. I could really use a guide here :/

Also, how can I have the flash shoot wirelessly from a tripod with a Nikon D5000? is there a radio transmitter you can pluck in the flash slot or would I need to get another flash entirely to use as a master? This stuff confuses me a bit.

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Devious Comments

~ManualFocusPhoto Oct 29, 2012 Student Photographer

Are you going to use it in TTL metering mode, or fully manual?

For TTL use, get a Nissin flash, with Pixel King radio triggers.

For full manual settings, get Yongnuo flash with Yongnuo triggers. <---This is the cheapest reliable flash setup you could get.

~ElNaso Oct 29, 2012 Photographer

I'm getting a Nissin flash, yes, it's well within my budget

~ManualFocusPhoto Oct 29, 2012 Student Photographer

Great, you won't be disappointed

~Svenler Oct 29, 2012 Professional Photographer

Most flashes can light a whole room if you use the right camera settings and the room is small enough.

Without samples of what you are trying to achieve and your budget, giving you a more helpful answer is pretty much impossible.

~ElNaso Oct 29, 2012 Photographer

Much like the edge chromatic aberration I found in backlight situations after I shot some pictures with a 35mm f/1.8 nikkor lens I just bought, it's hard-edged boqueh and ghosts, I don't quite know what I'll come across with a flash, as I've never owned one. I'm actually pretty lost and I need a guide '^^

I shoot people. I get asked to go to gatherings to shoot pictures and I want the flash to obtain more and better light since most saloons are very, very poorly lit. I'm planning on having it on a tripod with an umbrella and point it in the direction I want the light, then focus on shooting in the general vicinity, then moving the tripod as needed.

~Svenler Oct 29, 2012 Professional Photographer

I shoot people in dark places too and I have used everything from used $20 flashes to $10k lighting setups.

Do you have a sample of what you are trying to achieve?

~ElNaso Oct 29, 2012 Photographer

I'm still quite amateur, I'm trying stuff out. Are you saying then that ANY flash will do? I'll settle for anything that lights up a room, honestly, I just don't feel confortable buying anything when I don't fully understand what I'm paying for :/

I have no samples for you. I don't seek anything fancy, just bright soft light with somewhat portable gear. Every now and then someone asks me to take pictures at an event of a certain relevance to them -for a small, entry level price- and I end up having to decline it.

I need something that allows me to circumvent shitty light, I've worked that out to be a remote triggered flash + umbrella combo, wich is what I've seen other photographers use. I'm buying basic gear but i'm not on a budget and I don't want to overshoot either.

Rather than asking wich flash to buy, I'm asking what qualities I might want to look for in any flash, so that I understand what I'm buying.

~Svenler Oct 29, 2012 Professional Photographer

Either you really have no freaking idea, or you are trying to pull our legs.

If the former is the case, you certainly shouldn't be doing work that requires you to use gear that you have no idea about without extensively testing it first.

The requirements for groups of two people are vastly different from the requirements for groups of 20 people.

For example (and these numbers aren't necessarily accurate), a single 1,000 Ws strobe will enable you to shoot anything from 1 to about 30 people; a single Qflash will get you enough light for 1 to 10 people; a cheap and single on-camera flash will get you from 1-4 people (if you stack them).

I like to go the versatility route, the more I can do with one piece of gear, the less pieces of gear I need. Of course it costs more in the beginning, but in the end it's cheaper than constantly having to upgrade and takes up less room.

~ElNaso Oct 29, 2012 Photographer

Sorry if I pissed you off; this is pretty much the kind of answer I was looking for.

I have indeed no idea what I'm getting myself into, that was the point: I'm buying my first flash.

~Svenler Oct 30, 2012 Professional Photographer

No worries, you didn't piss me off, I was just wondering, since most people who get offered jobs are at a level where they at least have some rudimentary knowledge about lighting equipment.

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