# HELP!!! D90 with studio lights



## jesspiwo (Oct 11, 2011)

I've recently purchased studio lights... and am trying to get photos of my kids...however i am finding that either my background (white) isn't white and is grey or my subjects (my kids are not visible)...i am not sure how to adjust the settings on my camera to allow me to have both visible and in proper colours...

HELP!!! i have a nikon D90...any help would be great!!!


----------



## gsgary (Oct 11, 2011)

For a good white background you need 2 lights on it about 1.5 stops above your main light lighting your subject


----------



## tirediron (Oct 11, 2011)

You don't adjust your camera, you adjust your lights.  Since you don't say, I'm assuming that these are strobes, and not continuous....  To start:  Set your camera to manual, and adjust your shutter speed to 1/250 and your aperture to around f8.  Again, without knowing the power-out of the lights, this is strictly guess-work, but try something like this:  One light 30 degrees camera right at about 2/3 power, six feet away from the subjects, and the other light on the subject's right (camera left) shoulder at about four feet at 1/3 power.  Remember that your camera's meter can't meter for strobes/manual flash, so it's either guesswork (which isn't hard with a little experience) or buy a flash-meter.  Check the results on your camera's LCD and then adjust lights in small increments up or down to get the desired exposure.  Getting a white/grey/black background is easy as well, but I would suggest getting this basic step down first.


----------



## Big Mike (Oct 11, 2011)

> (my kids are not visible)


Invisible kids :scratch:...those must be hard to photograph.


----------



## jesspiwo (Oct 11, 2011)

haha this is true, my kids are invisible at this point!!!

i must have my lights pointed incorrectly or something! UGH so frustrated


----------



## Derrel (Oct 11, 2011)

Are your photos coming out BLACK???? If you are using the optical slave triggering system on the studio flash units, then you need to go into the Menus, and set the D90's on-board flash to a MANUAL mode!!!!

If the D90's on-board or hot-shoe flash is in a TTL mode, it will fire a very brief,almost invisible pre-flash, read the returning light from that, and then determine how much flash is needed for the actual in-camera flash exposure...the only problem is that the PRE-flash will fire the monolights, and the desired synchronization will not occur. And the resulting exposures will be very,very dark!

Is that what you're getting? Almost black images?


----------



## WilfordSy (Oct 11, 2011)

Big Mike said:
			
		

> Invisible kids :scratch:...those must be hard to photograph.



LOL! Got a good laugh out of that haha.


----------



## taratcbird (Oct 29, 2011)

Sorry I am new to this site and found this thread on Google. 
I have a Nikon D90 and have purchased some studio lights, like yourself I am finding it hard to adjust my lights to the right settings, I have one umbrella and a softbox. I am having trouble getting them to flash, i have a horseshoe adapter to make the lights go, and when i press the trigger they work fine. Although when I actually press my shutter the lights dont flash at all....I have tried various settings and adjusted lights and also where I stand.....any tips?


----------



## KmH (Oct 29, 2011)

What in the world is a horseshoe adaptor?

_*TIP*_: Tell us what brand and model of light. Tell us what brand and model of hot shoe adaptor you are trying to use.


----------



## taratcbird (Oct 30, 2011)

I have the Interfit EX150 Mark II - 2 Head Kit. sorry I also ment Hot shoe adapter not horse shoe!!! I don't know the make and model of that as it was just sold alongside the lights and I dont have the packaging. As far as I can tell it is working though as the lights flash when I manually click the button just not when I click the shutter.


----------

