I'd snag a simple light stand, a convertible umbrella (shootthru & reflective) and the mount that will hold the speed light and umbrella--you can do a LOT with this simple setup, and it is not crude at all. A lot of beautiful portraiture is possible with a single light & reflector. The light stand, umbrella, and mount can likely be all obtained for around 100 bucks combined.
Light Stand example
Umbrella example
Mounting bracket example
The how far from backdrop question has no single answer: the shallower your depth of field, the closer the model can be to the background. At 70mm and f4.6, you are probably talking about 5-8 feet separation needed (but you probably need to stop down a bit to get the best performance out of your lens). With the 35mm at f2.8-3.5 you should be in the ballpark. Same basic principle applies outdoors.
For outdoor, you have lots of choices, depending on how evident you want the flash to be in the shot. One technique is to shoot the scene without the flash, using the aperture you intend for the desired bokeh, dof, etc. Note the shutter speed needed and keep that fixed (unless it faster than your fastest flash sync speed (probably 1/200 or 1/250 on the D70). Then bring in the flash until it fills the way you want, or dial it up even stronger. In this situation, the shutter speed is used to alter the ambient/available light exposure level, and the aperture (if you change it) will alter the flash exposure. If you keep the aperture fixed, you can dial the flash up and down (this is where you will love that CLS system, especially when the flash is over on a light stand!).
I highly recommend this book.
As far as reflector use goes, experimentation is best (but use caution outdoors--full sun into a reflector can really hurt your model's eyes). |
