
I am going to go into a separate blog post about starting out in photography, so I will cover good starter cameras and what I started with on that post. Getting down to the good stuff, my camera bodies and lenses! As artificial lighting is not my strong suit, I am still learning more about is everyday. In the past, I have made the mistake of not reading closely, and having to send it back because the Canon version was not compatible.

It is budget friendly, and gets the job done! When purchasing transmitters, be sure that it is compatible with your brand of camera. It does an amazing job, and I never have to worry about it being tipped over. The XPLOR Monolight is a heavier head, so I the Newer StandI purchased was heavier and more sturdy. I use a NEWER Stand and NEWER Softbox for all of my shots. The set-up I have isn’t the greatest for small spaces. I use it for locker room photos, gymnasiums, weight rooms, and hockey rinks. It is also perfect for indoor senior sports shots because it is cordless and portable. It is wireless and cordless running on a battery. This setup was more expensive - around $968, but I have gotten some beautiful shots with it.

It also comes with its own transmitter that you attach to the hot-shoe of your camera and allows you to wirelessly communicate with the monolight. I went and purchased my FlashPoint XPLOR 600PRO Monolight. I loved images of the couple back-lit during the dance. I decided two years ago that I wanted to try bringing a studio head with me to weddings. The transmitter slides onto the hot-shoe of my camera and then I plug the transceiver into the AlienBee by using a Flash Sync Cord. Again (friendly reminder), I do not know a lot about studio lighting so, I opted for more budget-friendly options. These are about $79 for the pair and are a more affordable option than buying a Pocket Wizard setup. To get the studio head to communicate with my camera I use a flash controller, my Yongnuo YN622 N Kit, which has one transceiver and one transmitter. I don’t use it very often, but it works perfectly for my studio headshots. The cost is $175, and it is more of a beginner flash (so I’ve read) but it does the trick! The light paired with the right softbox produces a beautiful and even light. I own one studio flash and that is my AlienBee’s B400 Studio Head.
#Nikon d810s vs canon full frame dslr portable
I mainly use studio lighting for headshots in the studio, or I bring my portable flash to weddings. I know about the basics of it, and that is it. I will be completely honest when I say that studio lighting kicks my butt. Moving on, to the studio lighting portion of my collection.

To use, you place the dome diffuser on your flash resulting in softening the light, and making shadows less harsh. The diffuser is own is called the TopOne Universal Cloud Lambency Flash Diffuser (whew!). To make the light a bit softer I have added a diffuser to my collection of gear. The rechargeable battery will last through a ceremony and wedding reception on a single charge.therefore, if you are just starting out or are looking for a cheaper version, I would highly suggest the Godox!

One advantage of the Godox is the lithium rechargeable battery, rather than four AA batteries that the Nikon SB-700 takes. One disadvantage to the Godox is lack of a swivel function like the Nikon - making the angle of coverage limited. The difference between these two items is the Godox significantly cheaper at $139 compared to approximately $325 for the SB-700. I have two Nikon SB-700 speedlights and one Godox V850 speedlight. Typically, I use my speedlights that mount to the hot-shoe on the camera, and manually adjust the lighting as needed. Some examples of when I use this type of lighting include when I photograph a wedding inside a church or venue, where natural light is not abundant. I am solely a natural light photographer and only use artificial lighting (speedlights, studio lighting) when needed. First and foremost, let's get down to the most important question of all. “What lens did you use?”, “What camera do you own?”, “Did you use off-camera flash or artificial lighting in this image?”, and the list goes on! This blog post will go into detail of all of my equipment that one will find when looking into my camera bag. One of the first things that I am asked when posting images on social media, are questions regarding camera gear.
