Portable flash setup
For over twenty years I have been using portable strobe units in the field. In the late 80’s I started out using two Norman 400B’s and would rig up both of them into one soft box. This would give me enough power to shoot in just about any condition. In the early nineties I switched to a Lumedyne setup and was able to get even more power and a bit more versatility. Ninety-nine percent of all my Polaroid Type 55 large format portraits were taken with the Lumedyne setup.
About this time I also began rigging up two Nikon SB26-28 flashes (before I switched to shooting Canon) in a soft box for some of my international trips. A few years ago I purchased a couple of Vagabonds to power my White-Lightnings and my Lumedyne kit began collecting dust. It was about this time that I began exploring the small portable camera flash options even more. I have seen an explosion in the number of photographers that have begun using the smaller lightweight units in the field and there is a ton of information out there on some creative and innovative setups. Here is a few basics on how I put together my setup.
For this image I used two portable flash units in one soft box.
Diagram 1
Images using the portable flash bracket setup.
Diagram 2
Diagram 3
Diagram 4
Diagram 5
Speedlites in the field
The two images above were taken while shooting the Canon Speedlite video.
I have made a number of brackets over the years, but this is the simplest rigging I have come up with that cost around $50 USD to build. First I have a Strobofame 2000 shoe type 1/4-20 flash mount bolted on a 3/8th aluminum stock (Home Depot). Next, I run it through a Calumet Swivel Umbrella Adapter. There is a slight fabrication needed by cutting the aluminum stock and drilling a hole to fit the 1/4 inch bolt.
Here in Diagram 2, we have two Nikon SB28 flashes mounted together with a bungee cord and then mounted on the hot shoe. (Theses days I am a Canon shooter, but I already had four of these units from my Nikon days) I took an old bicycle inter-tube and cut a section out and fit it over one of the flash heads to keep it from scratching the other unit and to keep it from sliding back and forth.
In diagram 3, I have mounted the speed ring onto the umbrella adapter with the two fittings that are included. I have also mounted an additional hot shoe on the speed ring for a Pocket Wizard. The 1/8th inch spitter was purchased at Radio Shack. The speed ring is a basic Photoflex ring for $14 USD at B&H Photo.
Here in diagram 4, I have shown it with the soft box. This whole kit if very light, and the set up time is very fast. I also have the external Nikon battery packs for quicker recycle and longer battery life. The other benefit with the external backs is that without them the batteries in the flash begin to generate a great amount of heat and could damage your units.
I have stated in another tutorial that I offset my light in the soft box to exaggerate the Rembrandt Triangle effect on my subjects. I can achieve this by swinging the light on the umbrella bracket as demonstrated in diagram 5.
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