Flash idiot seeks advice!

[MLWolfe]

So... On an off-camera-flash literacy scale of 0 to 10, I am hovering at about a 3. But I'm really, really trying, and am doing a wedding in two weeks. I want to be well prepared and have been pushing myself hard. I have an A7rii with two Nissin di700a's with the commander. I have a softbox with a bracket to hold the flash, and just bought a 43" shoot-through umbrella. I noticed that when I put my flash into the softbox it was wobbly but stayed in ok, and I've been using it this way for a couple of months. Today I was ordering the umbrella and was looking at adjustable umbrella mounts when I had this huge flash (yeah...) of insight. Oh!! Maybe the setup is wobbly because of this annoyingly different Sony shoe! Maybe the cold shoe on the stand is for my Canon!!

[Guest Peter Kelly]

The Sony foot will fit inside a standard cold shoe and there are a number of brackets that have a shoe and umbrella holder in one (Hama and Phottix amongst others). I doubt it would cause any damage to the flash, but whether it's worthwhile depends a great deal upon what you are going to use the flashes for.

 

If you just want some controlled light for the more personal portraits, or to give nice effects for the first dance, then that set up should be no problem. However, you are asking an awful lot of the flashes to provide fill for large groups shots in full sun through umbrellas. Add to that the time to set up and the possible issues if there is anything other than the most gentle of breezes and I would advise not to attempt it.

 

To be honest, if you are working alone then by all means mount the flashes on some stands for the personals, maybe with some mini bounce attachments, as that would be easy to set up and move around. I'd forget the umbrellas unless you have a specific look in mind, because all they will do is waste power. The shape and nature of the catchlights simply won't be an issue.

 

When it comes to the group, the best solution is simply to choose the location carefully to use the available light and support it with the on-camera fill flash. Just don't ask too much from your equipment. My personal solution is to mount my camera with a wide angle on my monopod, set a 2 second timer with manual focus and a sensible shutter speed, then hit the shutter and lift it as high as possible. It helps get rid of harsh shadows, but the only trick is to make sure everyone looks at the camera!

[MLWolfe]

Thank you for responding, Peter! That's a really interesting solution for the large group, and I'm going to try it out this week. I hadn't thought about what an umbrella might do in a little breeze!! I was booked for this wedding just a month ago and the weather has been so lousy I've had little opportunity to experiment outdoors. So frustrating!

[Al Pha]

I suggest that you use the type of flash holder that support the flash by its body, not by the hot shoe. For example the one below is less than $20. This type of flash holder comes with an umbrella holder and you can directly connect softboxes, etc. Since the flash hot shoe is free you can mount flash receivers on it if necessary. I bought mine at Amazon but they are available on eBay and at most major photo stores.

 

Godox S-Type Bracket Bowen Bowens Mount Holder for Speedlite Flash Snoot Softbox Beauty Dish Reflector Umbrella

[Colorado]

I Agree with AL Pha I broke two shoes when adjusting my soft box. I slid the boom forward and as I tightened the clamp the soft box rotated down (At a fairly slow speed) and both the Nissin 700's shoes broke when I caught it. I now use only the body mount brackets for all my speed lights. By the way Nissin (Minox USA) fixed them free of charge, nice surprise.

[MLWolfe]

Thank you for the info! Going to check that out! My setup was so wobbly at the wedding I ended up using on camera bounced flash. It was fine, but not the creative look I was going for.

[duncanfoxphoto]

MLWolfe, assuming your softbox has a bowens mount, one little bracket will solve all your problems. Well, not all your problems, but the worry about breaking your hotshoe anyway. http://amzn.com/B00JS3MINC

 

That bracket can fit a bowens speedring and it also has a hole for an umbrella that's much closer to the flash head than a traditional coldshoe bracket, so it'll be much more even lighting. The only downside is that the bracket is plastic, not metal. Durable plastic, but still plastic, so it's probably not a long term permanent solution.

[Marc Contaxtonikon]

MLWolfe, assuming your softbox has a bowens mount, one little bracket will solve all your problems. Well, not all your problems, but the worry about breaking your hotshoe anyway. http://amzn.com/B00JS3MINC

 

That bracket can fit a bowens speedring and it also has a hole for an umbrella that's much closer to the flash head than a traditional coldshoe bracket, so it'll be much more even lighting. The only downside is that the bracket is plastic, not metal. Durable plastic, but still plastic, so it's probably not a long term permanent solution.

 

Now that is a brilliant device. Not only does it address the concern of mechanical stability, its also a much better solution to get the flashgun to where it belongs.

 

Thank you for pointing this out!