Looking for 3rd party flash for backdrop but unsure how much GN is required.


wiiuwii

New Member
Apr 22, 2010
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Hi,

I need some advise on which model of Yongnuo flash I should get.

I do home photography occasionally for my kids. My current setup is a pair of light stands + white muslin cloth and I bounce light using a canon 580 EX II. However, most of the time I can see the texture of the backdrop. I'm considering another flash as slave to light up my backdrop to make it completely white.

I'm looking at the Yongnuo 460 (GN 33), 460 II (GN 53) or 560 (GN 58) but I'm not sure how much power I need to make my backdrop completely white.

Appreciate any inputs. Thanks in advance. :)
 

i did it for my kids here:
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i use a light meter to help me setup quick. if you dun have one, just simply test shot a few times to get it right.
you dun need a powerful flash to white-out a backdrop, especially when the area is small in this case, like a half body shot. but buy the best you can afford, you never know when you need more power.

if you need any help, can pm me. i like helping fellow parents taking pictures of their young ones :)

i also recommend a softbox on for the 580EX2
 

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wow very beautiful pair of twins you have here. :)

actually i made a mistake in my post. Typing in office so had to be 'on the ball' lol. My equipment consists of one lightstand, 1 2in1 umbrella, the white backdrop, a 580 EX II flash and 1trigger + 2receivers (ebay). Hoping that the background flash can complete my basic home studio.

I like that whiteout background of your shot. It makes the subjects very pure, which is very suitable for kids. Did you not use any flash to whiteout your background? And nice catchlights, love the sparkle in their eyes!

Just for reference, what softbox are you using or would you recommend?

I don't have a fixed budget for flash but likely to go for those 3rd party ones since it's going to be a slave 100%.
 

wow very beautiful pair of twins you have here. :)

actually i made a mistake in my post. Typing in office so had to be 'on the ball' lol. My equipment consists of one lightstand, 1 2in1 umbrella, the white backdrop, a 580 EX II flash and 1trigger + 2receivers (ebay). Hoping that the background flash can complete my basic home studio.

I like that whiteout background of your shot. It makes the subjects very pure, which is very suitable for kids. Did you not use any flash to whiteout your background? And nice catchlights, love the sparkle in their eyes!

Just for reference, what softbox are you using or would you recommend?

I don't have a fixed budget for flash but likely to go for those 3rd party ones since it's going to be a slave 100%.

Even if you have a white backdrop, you will still need to light it if you want it to be pure white. You don't need a very strong flash as the flash would be quite close to the backdrop anyway.
 

Look under this url http://www.artworkfoto.com/flash_accessories.html

For "Professional Softbox for Hot shoe Flash with Honeycomb Grids"

Actually i used a cheap 3 strobes studio setup.

If u want to use a slave flash u can use ur reflective umbrella to light the backdrop.

U wont get catchlights in the eyes with bounce flash, the softbox on ur 580ex2 will do a better job.
 

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If u want to use a slave flash u can use ur reflective umbrella to light the backdrop.
Hi Alan, can explain what u meant by using the reflective umbrella to light the backdrop?
 

Hi Alan, can explain what u meant by using the reflective umbrella to light the backdrop?

ur 2in1 umbrella should have a internal silver reflective surface, use that to widen the flash coverage so that it light up more of the backdrop.