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Hi everyone, this is my first post so be gentle 
I've been into photography for several years but always 'specialised' in wildlife however 2 years ago I had a bad motorbike accident and now my mobility is limited so wildlife photography isn't something I can really do anymore. This along with the fact that I just cant generally get about led to a bout of depression which I am now getting over and to help me get through it all my wife has suggested that I get back into photography but this will mean doing mostly indoor photography like portraits, macro etc.
For the first time in ages I feel excited about doing this but I really have no experience of lighting at all and don't really understand how it all works - I don't even own a flashgun and have always just used the on board flash on my 10D and recently bought 30D.
So, if you will allow me, I have a few questions that I hope you experts can help me with.
1. My wife has offered to buy me some studio lights but budget is a little limted, around £400 and I don't really know what kind of power I should be looking at. I've seen some that are 150W, others that are 200W and some that ar 500W. As these lights will be used in my living room is there a particular power rating I should be looking at and others I should be avoiding?
2. Thinking about this logically I would think that ETTL metering doesnt get sent to the lights like you can with an off camera flashgun (I believe) so how do you work out what power levels to use on the lights?
3. I borrowed a friends flashgun last weekend, a 550EX and one thing I didnt understand was this. I'f I'm photographing indoors it's obviously a bit dark and so I have to up the ISO to get a correct exposure but this doesnt take into account the light produced by the flash when it's fired or does it? What I mean is that I had to use ISO 800 @ f/4 1/125th but this is a little grainer than I would like so could I drop down to a lower ISO but still keep the aperture and shutter speed and if so how? Using Av on my 30D and 10D the camera wont let me take a picture if the exposure is wrong. Hope that makes sense. Basically how can I tell my camera to allow for the light produced by the flash when it takes a light reading?
4. What do people think of the Elinchroms D-Lite 2's?
5. Should I be looking for a kit that has 2 softboxes or 2 umbrellas or 1 umbrella and 1 softbox? These lights will primarily be used for portraits but also possibly the odd bit of macro.
6. When using studio lights I understand that they are fired by using a PC Sync Cable, can you dial in flash exposure compensation on your camera using this or does it have to be done on the lights themselves?
7. Anyone recommend a good beginners guide to studio lights, how to use them and lighting diagrams?
8. Is there anything in particular I need to look for or avoid in studio lights? I know I should buy flash rather than continuos lighting but is there anything else I should know?
Sorry for all the questions - and thanks in advance for any answers and advice.
Quote: 7. Anyone recommend a good beginners guide to studio lights, how to use them and lighting diagrams?
Welcome to EPZ Mike. Hopefully we'll see some of your work soon...
We have a VERY extensive 'Techniques' Section here on EPZ and this will begin to answer the above question. Be sure to note the 'Continuation' links at the foot of each page - it's a big section. Chris' booklet is available via eBay and is full of excellent diagrams.
HTH's...
Welcome to epz
If you live anywhere near the South west can I suggest the lighting courses run by the RPS at Lacock in Wiltshire
Studio Portraiture - Chris Burfoot ARPS
Saturday and Sunday 10 - 11 March
Saturday and Sunday 14 - 15 April
Saturday and Sunday 5 - 6 May
This course will be held at Lacock Wiltshire
see here
a very good value for money weekend which I found extremely helpful. If you do this course everything falls into place easily.
The Elinchrom DLite2 kit is extremely well regarded and most importantly has the consistency and control that you need. The only issue is that they are built for Elinchrom in India and some people have had some quality control issues. That said I've not had a problem with mine. They are the best value around for amateur use. The dlite 2 kit is powerful enough for most small room/studio amateur use. Most usefully they have digital control. If you need to reduce output on a light by half an f stop you just click the digital display down by 5/10ths. As the output is consistent you don't even need to remeter (although I often do!)
The Dlite2 kit also comes with an instructional video by Chris who does the courses above. I think the bulk of Chris's notes for the course are also available as a tutorial on this site.
You need to use a light meter for studio work. i.e you put the camera on manual, choose your iso and aperture; often 100 iso and f8.0 then set your shutter speed at the camera flash sync speed or less (often 1/125 sec). You then use your light meter to set the output of your flash units.
Softboxes or umbrellas? The DLite2 kit can I think be bought with both although I think most come with softboxes. I prefer using softboxes and to be honest the kit ones could do with being bigger IMHO; but they are adequate to start. You can expand later as you get more confident. Umbrellas are very cheap to buy although be aware that most won't fit into the central holding tube on Elinchrom lights. They need to be specifically for elinchrom or you will need some sort of holder on the reflector or stand. Note that reflectors for the lights are not supplied with the Dlite2 softbox kit.
Hope this helps.
Mike - welcome to EPZ, it's great fun on heare and there are loads of helpful folk.
Don't worry if at first it all seems too complicated, it isn't.
Some exapmles for you - in my portfoilio there are the following shots
Mel - shot with £2k's worth of Bowens kit and Quantun radio triggers.
Spencer - shot with a £20 quid 500w flood light.
Lisa - shot under household light bulb.
Caroline - shot with cheap interfit kit.
Sisters and Nikki - by the wall - shot with a Nikon flashgun with off camera lead.
Lots of different kit at varing prices, I hope it helps demonstrate that you don't need to spend a fortune.
D-Lite 2 would be a good choice but I'd play around wih the flash gun and see how you get on before laying out the cash, shoot manual - then you have total control. If you don't have a light meter shoot by eye, if it's too bright / dark just tweak the camers settings - it's not as if you are wasting film.
Good luck.
Peter
Thanks so much to everyone that replied I really appreciate it and the links that Mike Otley and Henchard provided are a great help.
I will certainly take Peter's advice on playing around with a flash gun although I must admit that I havent been that impressed with the look that just one light gives me but then I probably just need more practice.
Henchard could I just ask you to explain one thing to me? In your great reply you said:
Quote: You need to use a light meter for studio work. i.e you put the camera on manual, choose your iso and aperture; often 100 iso and f8.0 then set your shutter speed at the camera flash sync speed or less (often 1/125 sec). You then use your light meter to set the output of your flash units.
I can understand the manual control of the camera, choosing ISO 100 f/8 and the max x-sync sync speed but I don't really understand how you can use a lightmeter to set the output of lights. I must admit that I've never used a light meter before but I always thought that they 'just' measured the available light and then told you all the combinations of ISO, aperture and shutter speeds you could use with that light. But if I've understood you correctly you are saying that I can enter my cameras settings into the light meter and then it will tell me when the correct amount of light is present, is that correct? Is this something that all light meters can do or is it only available on certain models?
Apologies if I've misunderstood what you have said.
Thanks again to everyone for your warm welcome.
Mike
right light meters. Set ISO on light meter then set shutter speed.
Press the go button and it measures the light and gives you the apaturte.
You can use the syn lead to trigger the flash light when you press the go button on the light metre - else it would only measure ambient light if the flash didn't fire and the shot would come out over exposed.
Set you ISO at 100 and leave it. Set you shuuter speed at say 125 or 160th - my preferred. I then start at f8 and work up and down depending on how the shot looks.
If I have a light metre with me then it saves the time.
Quote: I'm taking no prisoners :o)
Another toast to kyd with the finest quality 2 euro plonk ! 
Quote: Yeah, well that's no loss for him, is it.
do you usually stick your tongue up everyone's...
let's not even go there.
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