The Power of a Single Light

I've posted images in the past where I've mentioned use of a single-light setup. Well, I'm going doing it again and saying in plain english: one light is enough! For many cases, at least. Folks think that they need to lug studio lights around with them, giant reflectors, backdrops, large softboxes, etc. when the truth is, a light with a diffusion source, a nice environment, and a great subject go a long way. 

So here's the setup for both of these shots:
-SB-800 on a light stand
-Shoot-through umbrella

The end. 

Don't forget the camera.

Do a test shot of just your background to see where and how it exposes. If it's nice at 1/250 sec, go with that. You may even want to increase that to 1/500 sec, depending on how much drama you're looking for. So the shutter speed determines your background, not your foreground - that's your light's job. I advise playing around with your flash's power level on manual settings. With either Nikon or Canon's TTL adjustment levels, you don't really know what you're doing and you have far less control.

Oh, the whole point of my post in the first place was to point out that multiple lights aren't necessary to get great shots. Sure, multiple lights are necessary to do certain styles of lighting, or to illuminate your background while shooting your subject - but don't try and convince your significant other that you need another flash to get better shots.