want to get an umbrella for portrait shoots

[Aharami]

i want to pick up some cheap reflectors and umbrellas and start exploring into portrait photography

so far I am considering these items
http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-3.../ref=pd_cp_p_2
not sure if a silver umbrella is good. or if a white one would be better

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=AA3DL1YN5S7YK
friend has this and is decent for the money

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A2ISCC5HPW8KU9
to hold my 430EX and umbrella on my tripod

thoughts?

 

[tdawg]

I have that reflector. It's versatile and does the job. I went with a shoot through umbrella, where the back can come off and turn it from a reflecting umbrella to a soft box. Little more money, but the versatility is worth it in my opinion.

 

[NAC]

I got the kit below. I have only played with it a little. I got it because it was the cheapest kit I found. I find it is pretty decent - does what I expected.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Aharami]

i ended up getting the reflector and the flash/umbrella holder from amazon. Will get the umbrella off ebay. much cheaper there

thanks for the inputs. still deciding between silver reflective, gold reflective, or translucent umbrella. I guess I'll play with bouncing the flash off the reflectors first to see what I prefer

 

[iGas]

I prefer a shoot through white umbrella or a reflective white umbrella for bounce flash instead of silver reflective. A hand hell reflector is nice to have (specially for outdoor), but you will need an assistant.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

FYI, get an umbrella with plastic ribs, not metal ones. DO NOT get the cheap metal ones as the metal ribs ALWAYS break / crimp easily at some point or the thread at the tips break so the ribs poke past the fabric.

Spend some more money to get some Photoflex ones with fiberglass / plastic ribs that bend well and last forever. I used to have the cheap metal ones. They all died within 1.5 years. Sometimes they tip over due to wind and that's bye-bye time.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...lex%20umbrella

 

[JohnnyRebel]

FYI, get an umbrella with plastic ribs, not metal ones. DO NOT get the cheap metal ones as the metal ribs ALWAYS break / crimp easily at some point or the thread at the tips break so the ribs poke past the fabric.

Spend some more money to get some Photoflex ones with fiberglass / plastic ribs that bend well and last forever. I used to have the cheap metal ones. They all died within 1.5 years. Sometimes they tip over due to wind and that's bye-bye time.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...lex%20umbrella

Good advice.

 

[randomrogue]

Strobist's Lighting 101 article has a link to a good beginner setup.

 

[Aharami]

thanks for the umbrella advice, fbb