Day 6 - Experimenting with Flash

Just before I went on holiday I bought a cheap flashgun to experiment with.  I took it on holiday with me and one day when it was too hot to sit outside I played around with it for a while to try and get some idea of what worked and what didn't.  I've been reading the Lighting 101 course on the strobists blog and I decided it was time to give it another try.

The subject is an artificial flower display which sits in the corner of our dining room on a wooden pedestal.  For the image composition I haven't moved anything in the room and I decided to use the portrait orientation so that I could include the flowers, the vase and the top of the pedestal.  I placed the main subject off centre and lined the picture up along the right hand side of the frame.  I included the green curtain down the left hand of the frame to break up the straight edge a little.  Looking at the image now I'm thinking that maybe the bottom right corner is lacking something, but then I feel that if there was something else there then the image would become too cluttered.

I used the flashgun as a secondary light which was on my tripod against the wall to the right of the flower display.  I had the flashgun turned down quite low and pointing up toward the ceiling to bounce the light down from above and try to minimise the shadows.  I also had the on camera flash on so that it triggered the flashgun when I took the shot and I had the flash on the camera turned down also so that it balanced with the light from the flashgun.  I had tried a few different light settings and positions but I think this one achieved what I was wanting the best.  Most of the others were under and over exposed or had lighting that was very unbalanced.  It took a while but overall I am happy with the final shot.

I now have a better idea of what extra equipment I need so here's a list. 
  1. A second flashgun so I can light from two places and not use the on camera flash
  2. A wireless remote system to enable me to use the flashguns without using the on camera flash
  3. A couple of light stands and brackets so I can use my tripod for the camera
  4. Some umbrellas so I can defuse the light without having to rely on a white ceiling to bounce off
I'll have to have a good look on Ebay so I can get the bits and pieces on the cheap.  I might also have to start using one of the spare bedrooms as a studio and perhaps get a background for taking portraits.  Maybe I could even start to make some money instead of spending it for a change.