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My set up and would love to use it right. any help or tips are appreciated.
Bogen / Manfrotto 001B Nano Light Stand with Retractable Legs (Black) - 6' (1.8m) MFR #001B • B&H #BO001B

Impact Umbrella Bracket with Swivel Mount and Flash Shoe
MFR #3117 • B&H #IMBSM

Photoflex Umbrella with Adjustable Frame - White with Black Backing - 30"
MFR #UM-ADW30 • B&H #PHU30W

(not in until next week)
Ebay Cactus v2s (I am cheap sorry) 1 trigger and 2 receivers

Pentax K10 - Sigma 500 Super and Pentax 540

Great idea. I hope this takes off and I equally hope I can keep up while chasing a six month old around.

My lighting set up is:
- 2ea. Vivitar 285HV flashes
- 2ea. Interfit 8ft light stands with LumoPro LP679 Umbrella Swivels.
- 2ea. Westcott White Shoot-thru 42" umbrellas
- 1ea. Westcott Silver/Black Reflector umbrella
- Cactus V2s Transmitter and 2 receivers (I'm cheap too right now)
- HonlPhoto SpeedStrap w/ 5" Snoot, Gobo/Flag & Gel kit
- Pentax tabletop flash stand
- Roscoe Gel Sampler pack (5x7" sheets)
- Gaffer tape and some bongo ties

I basically started with the Starving Student Wireless Strobist Kit from MPEX and doubled up on a few things.

I have made it through the first couple main sections of Lighting102 but got bogged down a bit due mostly to a lack of space to set up. I cleared out (reclaimed) the garage/workshop this past weekend and am eager to get strobing again.

I've got three stands, a Vivitar 285HV, Pentax 360 and 540 flashes, two shoot-thrus, two silver bounce umbrellas, a few goodies from Honl and a homemade (PVC tubing) backdrop kit that I can screw together to hang one of three different backdrops I have.

My first real attempt at using the setup was a bit of a disaster. My main light I left undiffused (huh, what the heck?!) and the fill was on the same side of the camera as the main light. Together with a model that glistened a bit in the over-warm studio and I got plenty of overexposure and bad shadows.
http://www.photod.ca/Galleries/PixieFaerie/
In the last week I've done three other shoots with a single, diffused flash. If there is interest I can post a link when I've gotten through them.
Cheers, Don

I am interested and so far had my first DAH!!! moment. Okay for those that buy the impact umbrella mount bracket like me it comes with little instructions. I assumed the stud with the hot shoe bracket on top was correct. Tonight after tinkering I figured out why I could not get the umbrella to move. It was upside down DAHH!!! This is the right way and the set up now


Now my next question or thought here is the set up now


If I add the V2s to this wont the flash not be shooting into the center of the umbrella? Oh another question what should I use for settings on the 540? Now I am using it wirelessly. and really not sure I am doing it correct. I get the flash to fire but what should I set the flash to??

I have a lot of different gear to use, but haven't done much with it. I look forward to learning and sharing with the Pentax Strobists group.

Mounting the strobe to the V2s receivers to the swivel does jack the strobe way up - not sure how much that matters. But, I didn't feel comfortable with that setup - WOBBLY!. So I have velcro patches on the receivers and the side of my 285s and use PC cords to connect things up.

Quick Snap...

Don't hate me. I did post a few questions in DPR and sounds like a few folks are as interested as we all are in learning more. I hope to convert them here but if they are not willing maybe you want to follow this link to see what happens. If anything great comes out of it I will share here. Unless the ban me for mentioning this site even thought I did not spell it out http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&message=29556899

Thanks for starting this Dave - Good luck to us all.
Will be monitoring off and on but it looks like the SG is just one long thread so might be a little cumbersome.

Anyway, been working on a homemade box this week with the little time I have and yesterday did a experiment. I don't like the results.

Looks like can't attach an image in the SG so I'll have to upload and post later.



Vivitar 285 on right (don't know whether at full or partial power) and I think the 283 on the left - I'm bad at making notes.

I know the b'ground ain't right and the black spots are actually part of the material but the reflection is not right. More testing...

jc welcome and it is Pat that started us up I look forward to learning more and it would be double posting but it we get stumped we could post in the regular board if need be .

Okay, I set up a group in Flickr as well. Not that I want to pull away from here as that is by far the last thing I want to do. But that group could help open up and get more folks here as well. I set it up while on my phone so really it is just there in name for now. here is the link http://www.flickr.com/groups/854226@N25 With the orginal Strobist there I hope we can help get more folks to help us folks that want to learn more about Pentax specific strobist style shooting. If you all think it is a bad idea to have that and this say the word. I just wanted to register the name while it was still available.

Hi gang. I decided to join up at Venturi's invite. I am slowly working my way into flash photography and have much to learn. I have pretty much been the outdoors / scenery type photographer 'till now. Wish me luck!!!

Good luck you will do just fine

Nothing special just the only willing models tonight. Camera above me to the left K10- 540 wireless into an umbrells

Hi Pat,
You're right about the cactus trigger pushing the 540 so high up it no longer points at the center of the umbrella, but you should have enough flexibility in the umbrella stand to get it back into position. The bigger issue is the torque on the trigger itself as it supports the weight of the flash head. Those cactus triggers are not sturdy - I've broken one of them from trying to hold up a flash with it already. It's a pity that the 540 does not have a standard sync input so that you could connect the trigger to the flash by cable and then just hang the trigger off to the side (or velcro it as I saw one guy do here). You can do that on an $80 Vivitar 285, but on a $350 540FGZ you need to by another adapter - oh well!

One tip for your flash photography of glass. In the bud bottle you can see a bright specular reflection of the flash in the umbrella. You said that the image was taken with the flash behind you. If you take the umbrella stand and bring it in front of you and within inches of the glass subject the apparent size of the flash will be much larger and you will get a better and smoother (and hopefully diffuse - depending on position) reflection. You just have to move the camera so that you can't see the umbrella.

Sorry Pat - I stand corrected so, thanks. LOL
Dave, I don't want to move-away from here either and I won't but, flickr is probably better.
I don't have much to offer but much to learn.