I’m not one to advocate that using Nikon
Speedlights is the only way to go for studio
lighting, but it’s a great start if you’re either
on a budget or need the advantage of porta-
bility. Studio strobes do in fact offer a few
advantages over using Speedlights in some
studio lighting situations. Here are a few:
✦Power.Studio strobes often offer
the photographer more flash
power and more light with which
to work. In other words, you can
illuminate your subjects from
greater ranges (Speedlights are
limited to less than 100 feet).
Many studio strobe models easily
provide more light output, which is
an advantage if your studio work
consists of illuminating large
objects (such as automobiles), or
even large group portraits.
Additionally, you won’t have to
change batteries every 150 flashes
as you do when using Speedlights.
✦Recycling time. Recycling time is
the amount of time it takes the
flash to be ready for another
photo. Speedlights typically take .1
to 6 seconds between shots,
where studio strobes can fire mul-
tiple bursts in that same time-
frame.
✦Availability of accessories.
Studio strobes offer a much wider
range of light directional acces-
sories. Barn doors, snoots, soft-
boxes, umbrellas, gels, and
diffusers are standard studio strobe
accessories. Although most of
these accessories are available for
Speedlights, they are not widely
available, and you may have to
special order them. Photographers
often rely on mixing and matching
these accessories to gain more
lighting effects for their work.
✦Modeling lights. Studio strobes
have the ability to illuminate the
subject before the flash is fired
using a modeling light. A modeling
light is a second light element in
the strobe head that when turned
on, simulates the light output of
the flash, allowing the photogra-
pher to pre-adjust the lighting to
his/her taste. Although the SB-800
has a modeling light feature, the
modeling light isn’t continuous so
as to allow you to preview the
effect at all times.
52 Part II ✦Creating Great Photos with the Creative Lighting System
3.3 An example of a light modifier— SB-600
with an umbrella attached for diffusion.
09_045275 ch03.qxp 11/28/06 8:24 PM Page 52