Speedlight Studio Flash
Speedlight Studio Flash
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 Hot Shoe Spring Clamp Clip Ball Head Swivel Clamp Adapter for most Speedlight  US $14.99
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 Wireless Remote Flash Trigger Receiver 4Nikon Canon T2J US $15.80
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 Z Flash HDV Z96 HD Video LED Light for DSLR Rig Canon Sony DV Camera Camcorder US $69.90
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 Softbox For SpeedLight Flash 40cm 16 Flash Softbox US $29.99
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 Photo Umbrella Speedlight Transparent Photography Studio Lighting 00381 US $15.99
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Fellow photogs: Ever hear of the 'Strobist' movement?
I've been doing some hot linking from a few of my other photography groups and from flickr and I ran across the 'Strobist' group. It sounds pretty cool, at least they think so, but I wanted to get the opinion of other photographers.
What is your thought on off camera flash lighting with small speedlight external flashes, as opposed to big and expensive pro studio lighting?
Has anyone ever heard of the strobist?
My opinion is that so far I have no opinion because I can't say I've given it much thought. I have a need to improve my work with better lighting, but is this strobist 'thing' hype, or something that a lot of photographers have been doing all along?
And do we really want to snub our noses at our trusted i-TTL equipped speedlights?
Give me your opinions...
Strobist techniques are:
A) GREAT for learning about studio lighting without springing for the gear.
B) Wonderful for those situations where full studio lighting wouldn't be practical
C) Capable of about 90% of what one can do with "true" studio lighting.
Using off-camera flash with manual settings gives one greater flexibility and creative possibility. i-TTL or e-TTL enabled flashes are excellent tools, but they have their own limitations. I certainly use the wireless e-TTL capabilities of my Canon strobes in certain situations, such as weddings where I can have an assistant move through the reception with me and have portable, instant *good* lighting.
I consider the general hierarchy of lighting to be as follows:
1. Ideal natural lighting conditions
2. Studio Lighting (lots of power, control, modifiers)
3. "Strobist Lighting" (similar to above but trade -power and -modifier options for +portability and -cost)
4. Wireless e-TTL (-reliability and -flexibility from above... also the pre-flash "lag" can cause some sensitive people to blink in shot... look up how e-TTL works for explanation. Benefits are +speed +convenience).
5. On camera/bracketed bounce flash (can give great results, but must have good location and again less power, so +convenience but very dependent on the situation).
6. Bracketed direct flash (reliably adequate, but seldom represents "inspiring" lighting... VERY useful for outdoor fill or if none of the above options are available).
7. Direct on-camera flash (I can't remember the last time I used on-camera direct flash)
Basically, I feel that one should always stay as high on that ladder as conditions and circumstances allow. Maybe I don't have the time to lug around and set up the studio lights on location for an editorial portrait, but I can use strobist techniques. During a wedding reception, I may forgo the creative possibilities of strobist-techniques because the situation won't give me time to play around with lighting settings to get them just right... while the quick wireless e-TTL may do *almost* as well.
Strobist is no substitute for studio, but wireless e-TTL is no substitute for being able to creatively, manually manipulate light. All of these techniques have a place in a professional's toolkit.