Well I'll add my 5 cents.
This is how I'm shooting:
For portraits take 50-70-85-105 mm lens. Set camera in M mode, minimal ISO (100 or 200), f/5.6, shutter 1/100, tripod if any, 2-3 flashes, umbrellas-softboxes, stands. Then you can change f-stop up and down and also the shutter speed. NOTE! Opening your aperture will give your more light on the model, and slowing the shutter speed will give you more light on the background.
Blurring of the background depends more on the focal distance of the lens, less on the f-stop in these conditions. Hardly you will shoot at f/2.8. And at f/8 you need a 85-135 mm lens to blur the background. Put your model not closer than 1-3 m from the backround unless you want to see a shadow on it. Yup, you'll have to step back for 6-10 meters
The model looks better when she's 'cut out' from the background. This is why you need a
contre light. It can be sun or the flash. Morning or evening sun is ok, especially if it's slightly over the trees or houses on the background - you get 2-in-1: a dark back and the contre light. Or you can use your second flash standing right behind the model or left-over/right-over the model (out of the frame).
As for filling light, you can get it from ambient light (slowing down your flash and opening the aperture), from reflector, from second flash (put it on about half the power of the main light or bounce) or even from the +1Av setting in the raw converter
maybe I forgot something - feel free to ask.
Also the example of the shot taken indoors:
K10, Samyang 85@ f/4-5.6, 1/60-1/160 (don't remember), flash through white umbrella in the upper-left corner, naked flash in the upper-right corner behind the model.
Last edited by NoMaD_PS; 05-06-2011 at 04:06 AM.