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Strobe Lighting HELP

bellaphotobellaphoto Registered Users Posts: 100 Big grins
edited September 14, 2011 in Technique
Hello, I just bought a 3 light setup..3 strobes with 2 softbozes and wireless triggers...i have never used strobes before and i cant get the lighting right. when i connect eveything to my canon rebel 3ti / 50 mm 1.8 lens and fire the strobe, the pictures come out way to bright.. i tried to turn down the dial on the light itself and different settings.. can anyone give me suggestion..?? what setting to put my camera on? white balance? etc.. Ill be doing some indoor boudoir shoots this weekend and really wanted to use the light.. they are aroun 150 watts each :dunno

thank you

Romina
Romina Ludovico

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    pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,696 moderator
    edited September 13, 2011
    Start with just one strobe only.

    Set your camera to Manual Mode, ISO 100, f8, 1/160th and shoot a frame of a white towel. You want the histogram in your camera to be near the right border, not at the center for a white towel, but not blown out by overexposure. If the image is over exposed, turn down your strobe, or move it farther back from your subject. Once you have you main light exposure determined, then you can use that information to determine how bright and where to place your second light. Learn to use one light first, before trying to use three lights. Baby steps to start.

    If you have a Flash meter like a Sekonic L-358 it will save you some time.

    You can vary your exposure 1 stop at a time by running through your apertures f2.8 -> f4-> f5.6 -> f8 -> f11 etc.

    You can also vary your strobes brightness by moving it from 4 feet, to 5.6 feet, to 8 feet, to 11 feet = each move is one stop of light also.

    You can use the flash setting for white balance, but I would suggest learning to capture a jpg to create a custom white balance, it will be a better color balance and takes just a second. I use a Lastolite white balance reflector, but an Expo disc will also work. If you shoot RAW, many folks will just shoot AWB and balance color in Raw processing. For shooting jpgs, an in camera custom white balance is a great time saver, and looks first rate.
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
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    FlyNavyFlyNavy Registered Users Posts: 1,350 Major grins
    edited September 13, 2011
    Great info Pathfinder!
    http://jmledy.com/


    http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003085685580
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    D'BuggsD'Buggs Registered Users Posts: 958 Major grins
    edited September 14, 2011
    http://www.studiolighting.net/

    Get bumpin'-n-clickin'. You have lots to learn.
    Have fun, lighting is a BLAST!
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