Teila K Day Photography wrote:
Forget wasting your time with speed lights if you're going to do portraiture regularly on location.  Speedlights just aren't powerful enough, especially once you start putting modifiers in front of them.

Thank you for posting this! I am so glad I read this prior to shooting the entirety of my outdoor work with YongNuo Speedlites. I should have earmarked $2,000 minimum instead of the $200 I've spent. How stupid do I feel right now!?

YongNuo Speedlites, outside, direct sun in the middle of the desert - ISO 100 f/16ish --- speedites can 100% be main lights outdoors

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
**** don't get less than 500ws per strobe light *****  I think you'll be glad you didn't when you start shooting outdoors with modifiers.

While I do have 1,320 watt second flashes to use when the need arises, what in the OP indicates he needs anything more than the 2 speedlites he is asking for? Maybe he just likes speedlites? Or understands that speedlites do everything he might need?

Oh.. more speedlite action:

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
1.  Earmark spending at least $2,000 for a good portable studio kit, and if you use a radio transmitter (which I can't recommend enough... I highly recommend using Pocket Wizards instead of a radio xnsmitter from the actual company making the lights.  My reasoning is because I can use my pocket wizards with virtually anything... Nikon and Canon speed lights, various cameras, etc..  Just get a pair if you don't own a set already

$2,000? My lighting kit is currently at $600... and I have 11 lights... I must be doing something wrong... For triggers I recommend YongNuo RF-603 triggers. I've only put 80,000 shots through mine so far, so I can't quite be completely definitive, but they just work... without fail... day in and day out (for $30 for a pair)

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
2.  If you don't own a hand held light meter, I highly recommend getting one of those as well.  The meter in your camera is great, however it doesn't help worth a flip in figuring out your initial camera setting when using studio lights in/outdoors.  If you don't have one-  put it on your list.  It keeps you from having to screw around with your lights, and or camera setting in attempt to find the right settings.

Take 42 entire seconds to adjust your flash and ambient light to taste using your hand. though i you do want a meter, I'm selling all mine (Sekonic L358 and Minolta IV) since i literally never use them anymore.

Yes, meters make life easier, but they're far from necessary.

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
Forget wasting your time with speed lights if you're going to do portraiture regularly on location.  Speedlights just aren't powerful enough, especially once you start putting modifiers in front of them.  Safe yourself a lot of BS and just get a decent studio light set which you can use indoors or on location with a battery pack or small gas powered inverter.

You should check out this site to see how wrong you are about speedlights.

http://www.strobist.blogspot.ca/

-JAY- wrote:

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
Forget wasting your time with speed lights if you're going to do portraiture regularly on location.  Speedlights just aren't powerful enough, especially once you start putting modifiers in front of them.

Thank you for posting this! I am so glad I read this prior to shooting the entirety of my outdoor work with YongNuo Speedlites. I should have earmarked $2,000 minimum instead of the $200 I've spent. How stupid do I feel right now!?

YongNuo Speedlites, outside, direct sun in the middle of the desert - ISO 100 f/16ish --- speedites can 100% be main lights outdoors

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
**** don't get less than 500ws per strobe light *****  I think you'll be glad you didn't when you start shooting outdoors with modifiers.

While I do have 1,320 watt second flashes to use when the need arises, what in the OP indicates he needs anything more than the 2 speedlites he is asking for? Maybe he just likes speedlites? Or understands that speedlites do everything he might need?

Oh.. more speedlite action:

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
1.  Earmark spending at least $2,000 for a good portable studio kit, and if you use a radio transmitter (which I can't recommend enough... I highly recommend using Pocket Wizards instead of a radio xnsmitter from the actual company making the lights.  My reasoning is because I can use my pocket wizards with virtually anything... Nikon and Canon speed lights, various cameras, etc..  Just get a pair if you don't own a set already

$2,000? My lighting kit is currently at $600... and I have 11 lights... I must be doing something wrong... For triggers I recommend YongNuo RF-603 triggers. I've only put 80,000 shots through mine so far, so I can't quite be completely definitive, but they just work... without fail... day in and day out (for $30 for a pair)

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
2.  If you don't own a hand held light meter, I highly recommend getting one of those as well.  The meter in your camera is great, however it doesn't help worth a flip in figuring out your initial camera setting when using studio lights in/outdoors.  If you don't have one-  put it on your list.  It keeps you from having to screw around with your lights, and or camera setting in attempt to find the right settings.

Take 42 entire seconds to adjust your flash and ambient light to taste using your hand. though i you do want a meter, I'm selling all mine (Sekonic L358 and Minolta IV) since i literally never use them anymore.

Yes, meters make life easier, but they're far from necessary.

Was the first picture in the middle of the day with the sun directly above you, how far was your flash from the model.  I have a nikon sb 800 and I don't think it is powerful enough to make a dent in the picture with a straight up noon full sun here in Memphis

CrunchySpart wrote:
...I currently own 1 speed light...

Works for me

Food for thought...
Possibly it's not the number and/or power of an off camera illumination source but rather knowing precisely it's limitations and how to achieve a narrative working effectively within the aforementioned...

A single speed light (Nikon SB700) used at the precise time of day to yield a delicate balance of key to ambient the narrative called for...
it's all about knowing the equipment and using it appropriately... (in my humble estimation)



twilight ambient and a single off camera speedlight, modified with a shoot through umbrella...

hope this helps...

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
Forget wasting your time with speed lights if you're going to do portraiture regularly on location.  Speedlights just aren't powerful enough, especially once you start putting modifiers in front of them.  Safe yourself a lot of BS and just get a decent studio light set which you can use indoors or on location with a battery pack or small gas powered inverter.

Speedlights and portable studio strobes are both reasonable lighting solutions when shooting on location.  Which is "better" depends on the specifics of the job, and the photographer's skills and preferences.

I've shot location work both ways. 

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
...

1.  Earmark spending at least $2,000 for a good portable studio kit, and if you use a radio transmitter (which I can't recommend enough... I highly recommend using Pocket Wizards instead of a radio xnsmitter from the actual company making the lights.  My reasoning is because I can use my pocket wizards with virtually anything... Nikon and Canon speed lights, various cameras, etc..  Just get a pair if you don't own a set already

Pocket Wizards are great if you just need to trigger the light.   If you want remote control over power, you may want to consider solutions from the light's manufacturer.

For instance, Canon's 600EX-RT speedlights have built-in RF control.  No need to add PocketWizards to the mix.

If you are using studio strobes like Paul Buff's Einsteins, then his CyberCommander RF remote gives you full remote power control, and it has a built in light meter.   While it's possible to get a PocketWizard setup that controls the Einsteins, it's much easier using the remote specifically designed for this purpose.

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
2.  If you don't own a hand held light meter, I highly recommend getting one of those as well.  The meter in your camera is great, however it doesn't help worth a flip in figuring out your initial camera setting when using studio lights in/outdoors.  If you don't have one-  put it on your list.  It keeps you from having to screw around with your lights, and or camera setting in attempt to find the right settings.

Example:  If you're shooting a model at dusk, and you only want 40% strobe lighting and 60% of natural daylight hitting the model... how in the world is your in-camera metering system going to give you that information?  It can't.  A handheld light meter can do that and much more.   Prices run the gamut depending on how much bells and whistles you'd like.  A good light meter can spoil you quickly, especially when trying to balance a predetermined amount of ambient light with your strobes/flash.
...

Actually, this can be done with the camera's built in meter.  Turn the flash off, and set your exposure so that the camera thinks the subject is 40% underexposed.  Turn the strobe on, and set power so that the camera shows proper exposure.

If you are using matched speedlights (i.e. Canon 600EX speedlights with a Canon body), you can dial in separate exposure compensations for flash and ambient light.  You can even dial in the desired ratios for multiple flashes.


I am not suggesting that a light meter is useless.  I am merely disputing your assertion that it "can't be done" without one.

If this is the sort of thing you do all the time, a light meter is a big help.  If this is the sort of thing you rarely do, then doing it with the camera's metering may be sufficient.

Rupert Yen wrote:
Was the first picture in the middle of the day with the sun directly above you, how far was your flash from the model.  I have a nikon sb 800 and I don't think it is powerful enough to make a dent in the picture with a straight up noon full sun here in Memphis

Midafternoon in full sunlight. (4) $50 flashes at half or 1/4 power (two at full would have been fine) at about 8 feet

-JAY- wrote:

Midafternoon in full sunlight. (4) $50 flashes at half or 1/4 power (two at full would have been fine) at about 8 feet

That doesn't look like a full sunny day. There must have been lots of clouds covering the sun.

me voy wrote:
That doesn't look like a full sunny day. There must have been lots of clouds covering the sun.

You do realize that Jay lives and works shooting outdoors around Las Vegas, don't you? An area that most of us think of as having much more sun than most.

There's really not much point in claiming that he doesn't do what he obviously does, and does quite well!

CrunchySpart wrote:
I appreciate all the advice so far.

But it sounds like there is some confusion so I will try to explain with more depth.

I've only been taking photography seriously for the past year, and there is still much for me to learn. I am a sales clerk at a grocery store and considering my skill level, I am primarily doing TFP. There is no possible way I could spend 2 grand on lighting equipment. I will not argue the value to having that equipment, it is simply not an option for me at this point in time but perhaps in the future.

I go to anime conventions quite frequently and I study the other photographers around me. I look at their equipment, and how they use it. I try not to bother them while they are busy so questioning them about their equipment while they are shooting would be rude of me. I notice some use portable LEDs, some set up camp and have a back drop and continuous lighting stands, others use flash stands.

I encourage my clients to choose their own locations that suit the character they are portraying, so I need something that is quick and easy to pack up and transport so I can then move onto the next shoot at their desired location. Anything that requires me to tote around a heavy battery to supply power to continuous lighting is not a desirable option. While the single speed light I own improves the picture under poor lighting conditions, I believe there is still room for more improvement.
They do not need to be speed lights, but I chose speed lights because they are something I am already familiar with. I will consider and look into other suggestions. All of the other photographers I was watching were using umbrellas on their lighting so I assume that I also should use them.

So far I will heavily consider Yongnuo for the flashes and triggers. I will need to do some follow up research to see if they would be a right fit for me first.

If i mention something that sounds wrong, it probably is. please ask for clarification. I will admit to being somewhat ignorant.

Portable batteries are not always heavy.  There are  now 3.5 lb units that can replace my old 18.6 lb battery system.

Studio strobes are not necessarily more expensive, than a good speedlight.  A studio strobe tends to offer more options in terms of light modifiers.

My suggestion would be to think about something like an Alien Bee B800 ($280), a Vagabond Mini ($240), a cheap light stand ($40), a white umbrella ($20), and cheap wireless triggers ($30).

This gets you a reasonable, portable one-light system.   The battery and light combined are about 6.5 lbs.  The umbrella, stand and triggers are the same as what you would use for a speedlight.


It sounds to me like Buff's products are a good fit for your needs.  He offers light weight portable power, a range of lights that share a common modifier mount, and very good value for the price.     Buff's lights are not perfect, but nothing ever is.


What I like about this option is that it will grow with your abilities.  Buff offers a range of products, and they work well together.  You can add better lights (Einsteins), additional modifiers, full wireless remote power control, etc.   As you grow, you original lights might become background and fill lights.

If you quickly decide you don't like your Buff lights, he offers a 60 day money back guarantee.   If you keep them a few years, you can sell them on eBay.  Historically, Buff lights sell on used on eBay for close to what a new light costs.  These lights tend to hold their value.

If you had a bigger budget, I'd recommend you start with a single Einstein light, rather than an Alien Bee.   The Einstein light is about $500, and is a tremendous value.  In many ways it performs the same, or better, than lights costing over $1,000. 


Obviously, Alien Bees and Einsteins are not the only solution.  There are lots of good ways to tackle this problem.  I assume others will chime in with alternate solutions.

-JAY- wrote:

Midafternoon in full sunlight. (4) $50 flashes at half or 1/4 power (two at full would have been fine) at about 8 feet

This looks interesting, exactly what is all that-I have only used speedlights as a last resort when shooting indoors

Thomas Van Dyke wrote:

Works for me

Food for thought...
Possibly it's not the number and/or power of an off camera illumination source but rather knowing precisely it's limitations and how to achieve a narrative working effectively within the aforementioned...

A single speed light (Nikon SB700) used at the precise time of day to yield a delicate balance of key to ambient the narrative called for...
it's all about knowing the equipment and using it appropriately... (in my humble estimation)

Very nice- I like the motion, the model and the camera work

twilight ambient and a single off camera speedlight, modified with a shoot through umbrella...

hope this helps...

me voy wrote:

That doesn't look like a full sunny day. There must have been lots of clouds covering the sun.

It doesn't matter where he lives. He said he over powered the sun but I don't see it being a sunny day.

-JAY- wrote:
Thank you for posting this! I am so glad I read this prior to shooting the entirety of my outdoor work with YongNuo Speedlites. I should have earmarked $2,000 minimum instead of the $200 I've spent. How stupid do I feel right now!?

The instant I read Teila's post I thought, "Oh shit is gonna get real the second Jay sees this." LOL

Images by MR wrote:

You should check out this site to see how wrong you are about speedlights.

http://www.strobist.blogspot.ca/

I don't have to go to a strobist site to know what I can/can't do with speed lights.  I've used them, I use them, and the fact remains that while you can use speed lights, there are many other instances where a studio strobe works better and is less fuss and I think offers more room-to-grow as opposed to a gaggle of speed lights, but I concede, that's just my opinion and depends on your particular photography needs.

I think strobes offer more bang for the buck over the long haul.  If you fancy a bevy of $50 speed lights, and that works for you (not you in particular but whoever in general) then that's great, but many others are buying 5-10 SB900 series (Nikon) etc., for location and studio work, where cost benefit is horrible compared to studio lights.  Ok, that's my take.  Yours and others may differ.

Michael Fryd wrote:

Speedlights and portable studio strobes are both reasonable lighting solutions when shooting on location.  Which is "better" depends on the specifics of the job, and the photographer's skills and preferences.

I've shot location work both ways. 

Pocket Wizards are great if you just need to trigger the light.   If you want remote control over power, you may want to consider solutions from the light's manufacturer.

For instance, Canon's 600EX-RT speedlights have built-in RF control.  No need to add PocketWizards to the mix.

If you are using studio strobes like Paul Buff's Einsteins, then his CyberCommander RF remote gives you full remote power control, and it has a built in light meter.   While it's possible to get a PocketWizard setup that controls the Einsteins, it's much easier using the remote specifically designed for this purpose.


Actually, this can be done with the camera's built in meter.  Turn the flash off, and set your exposure so that the camera thinks the subject is 40% underexposed.  Turn the strobe on, and set power so that the camera shows proper exposure.

If you are using matched speedlights (i.e. Canon 600EX speedlights with a Canon body), you can dial in separate exposure compensations for flash and ambient light.  You can even dial in the desired ratios for multiple flashes.


I am not suggesting that a light meter is useless.  I am merely disputing your assertion that it "can't be done" without one.

If this is the sort of thing you do all the time, a light meter is a big help.  If this is the sort of thing you rarely do, then doing it with the camera's metering may be sufficient.

Ditto shooting location work both ways.

Light meter:  I thought people would know the context that I was speaking in.  The in camera light meter doesn't tell you after a single pop of the flash- "hey, you have 70% ambient and 30% flash illuminating your subjects..." 

Sure, you *can* have a family of 12 stand fast on a hot beach, while you fiddle with flash settings with the toddler trying to get out of his mother's arms and the dog pulling at the leash, but I find it so much easier to trigger the studio lights with the light meter and end of story.  I have my reading instantly for 20, 30, 40, 50, 75% ambient at the whirl of a wheel on the light meter; especially if I'm moving from location to location in quick order.  It's just so much easier/quicker.  I understand that such isn't important to everyone as different photographers are shooting for different reasons and at different paces.


Triggers:  Yes, I'm familiar with company triggers, however over all, I find PW to be a great solution because they don't lock-you-into a particular brand.  I can use our wizards with our SB800 speed lights, Canon lights, and no-name brands from university photography departments or rented lights.  Great for mixed scenarios where someone is holding an SB800 (connected to PW) or having a speed light or two velcro'd to a wall or piling + studio lights... the PW offer a lot of latitude irrespective of what lights your using.  You are correct however, proprietary triggers have their pluses!

You penned a good response.

me voy wrote:
If you shoot with speed lights, you should know its limitations. You are not going to be able to over power the sun when doing a full body shot. Unless you put the subject in a shadow and make the person be a silhouette.

Example:

Shot with Nikon SB-800 late afternoon.




If you want to over power the sun, you are going to need powerful strobes.

Example:

Shot with Dynalite 1000/ws strobes.



If I were you, I would save for more powerful lights. I have seen Dynalite power packs with two heads sell on CL for as low as $600.

I use several SB800 often as aux lighting, etc., and they are excellent!  Mine are almost 10 years old.  They were so good that I didn't even think of upgrading, and later I surmised that using 3rd party on camera flash' that I could using on other camera bodies made more sense in the long run (e.g. Metz, etc.)

I concur with what you say about the SB800 and knowing limitations (on any speed light(s).

I cannot rely on two or even three SB800's to give me the type of ease-of-lighting that I like to have while shooting on a bright beach, compared to using studio strobes connected to a battery or gas powered inverter.  In my experience, all around shooting in the bright sun requires 500ws at at minimum, and 1600ws or more is wonderful, allowing relatively fast shutter speeds, soft boxes (etc.), a nice distance away from the subject, and having a nice aperture latitude while shooting at base iso... also enabling you to use larger format cameras or elect. shutters syncing at 1/500th or more (e.g. leaf shutters).

On the beach, often I often have a circular polarizer on the lens, and that saps 2 stops of light alone (practically speaking).

Just depends on a photographers needs.  All very interesting though.

Best in photography to everyone!

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
...
Light meter:  I thought people would know the context that I was speaking in.  The in camera light meter doesn't tell you after a single pop of the flash- "hey, you have 70% ambient and 30% flash illuminating your subjects..." 

...

Correct.  If I am using Canon speedlights with my Canon camera, I don't need a single pop of the flash to control the Ambient vs. flash contributions.  I can use Exposure Compensation and Flash Exposure Compensation to set this before posing the group.   Once set, the ratio stays even if I move people around changing the subject to flash distance.  I assume Nikon and other brands have similar functionality.

The great thing is that I can tell the camera what I am trying to achieve (i.e. use f/11, ambient should be 1/2 stop down, and use flash for the rest), and the camera will compute the exposure and camera/flash settings for each shot.

If you need to shoot quickly, or need the flexibility for catching an unexpected opportunity, it's hard to beat the in-camera meter.

Obviously, this is not the only way to shoot.  Typically, I prefer to use my lights on manual, and carefully setup the shots ahead of time. 

There are lots of good solutions and workflows.  In many circumstances, there's nothing wrong with using a handheld meter, and in many circumstances there's nothing wrong with using the camera's metering.  In some circumstances, one or the other will clearly be a better choice.

Generally the gear the photographer has, their skill, and their habits are important considerations in what to use.   There are many ways to create a great image.

me voy wrote:

It doesn't matter where he lives. He said he over powered the sun but I don't see it being a sunny day.

Sorry - there was a thin, half-stop cloud over the sun when I shot that particular shot, which is why those 4 flashes were at half / quarter. Other shots in that set had full sunlight, and I bumped the flashes up to half / full. It was a very sunny day nonetheless.

-JAY- wrote:

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
Forget wasting your time with speed lights if you're going to do portraiture regularly on location.  Speedlights just aren't powerful enough, especially once you start putting modifiers in front of them.

Thank you for posting this! I am so glad I read this prior to shooting the entirety of my outdoor work with YongNuo Speedlites. I should have earmarked $2,000 minimum instead of the $200 I've spent. How stupid do I feel right now!?

YongNuo Speedlites, outside, direct sun in the middle of the desert - ISO 100 f/16ish --- speedites can 100% be main lights outdoors

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
**** don't get less than 500ws per strobe light *****  I think you'll be glad you didn't when you start shooting outdoors with modifiers.

While I do have 1,320 watt second flashes to use when the need arises, what in the OP indicates he needs anything more than the 2 speedlites he is asking for? Maybe he just likes speedlites? Or understands that speedlites do everything he might need?

Oh.. more speedlite action:

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
1.  Earmark spending at least $2,000 for a good portable studio kit, and if you use a radio transmitter (which I can't recommend enough... I highly recommend using Pocket Wizards instead of a radio xnsmitter from the actual company making the lights.  My reasoning is because I can use my pocket wizards with virtually anything... Nikon and Canon speed lights, various cameras, etc..  Just get a pair if you don't own a set already

$2,000? My lighting kit is currently at $600... and I have 11 lights... I must be doing something wrong... For triggers I recommend YongNuo RF-603 triggers. I've only put 80,000 shots through mine so far, so I can't quite be completely definitive, but they just work... without fail... day in and day out (for $30 for a pair)

Teila K Day Photography wrote:
2.  If you don't own a hand held light meter, I highly recommend getting one of those as well.  The meter in your camera is great, however it doesn't help worth a flip in figuring out your initial camera setting when using studio lights in/outdoors.  If you don't have one-  put it on your list.  It keeps you from having to screw around with your lights, and or camera setting in attempt to find the right settings.

Take 42 entire seconds to adjust your flash and ambient light to taste using your hand. though i you do want a meter, I'm selling all mine (Sekonic L358 and Minolta IV) since i literally never use them anymore.

Yes, meters make life easier, but they're far from necessary.

-JAY- wrote:
Thank you for posting this! I am so glad I read this prior to shooting the entirety of my outdoor work with YongNuo Speedlites. I should have earmarked $2,000 minimum instead of the $200 I've spent. How stupid do I feel right now!?

While you shot your entire outdoor work with YongNuo Speedlights and find them very adequate for your photography, many other photographers would not find them adequate; but if they work for you, then by all means keep using them because there's little reason for a photographer to get something that isn't needed especially if the photographer mostly plans on only shooting what they shoot how they currently shoot it.   As far as stupidity goes, I can't answer that for you. Based on what *I* shoot, and how I shoot it, *I* would feel as if I didn't do adequate homework before I made my equipment purchases if I had to go out and buy a decent set of studio lights to complete a job where my SB800s were inadequate/not practical.

-JAY- wrote:
While I do have 1,320 watt second flashes to use when the need arises, what in the OP indicates he needs anything more than the 2 speedlites he is asking for? Maybe he just likes speedlites? Or understands that speedlites do everything he might need?

Nor did the OP indicate otherwise since the OP stated that he was "looking for 2 flash stands with umbrellas and triggers that is very portable (easy to pack, carry, and battery powered)."  What's easy-to-pack will vary per photographer depending on what there used to, and "battery powered" includes studio strobes, which are great options to consider. However by the OP's post, he didn't seem to know where to look for all his options, since he mentions that he can find only continuous lighting *OR*  that he "would need to purchase 2 speed lights, two stands, two umbrellas, and two triggers..."

If it were me asking, I would definitely want someone to tell me their experience about speed lights being underpowered in their experience shooting in the bright sunlight on the beach in peak daylight hours, especially towards the sun at high shutter speeds, smaller apertures at base iso.   Your experience might be entirely different; I think it's good for the OP to hear both opinions, after which can make his own decision.

When I use a Circular Polarizer on a lens, stop down, aim the lens in the vicinity of toward or 30-45 degrees or so oblique to the sun, at 1/200th or so, or 1/500th or faster with other formats; I find my Nikon SB800's (triggered by 'Wizards or the light meter) not up to the task nearly as well as studio strobes.  Speed lights may be the bees knees for what you usually shoot, and how you shoot it which is great!   ... But for me, when I'm shooting on a bright Florida beach, the studio strobes offer me more latitude and a light meter affords me less fiddling, especially when I want to meter the sun + two strobes.  I find in many situations that the incident metering gets to the bottom line quicker than my camera's meter.  Again, that's my experience/preference.

For me, there's often a marked difference in my overall workflow when using a handheld meter.  I can place a client or family where I want them, pop the strobes via the light meter for a reading or two, dial in my strobe-to-ambient percentage on the meter before I even walk over to the position that I'm going to shoot from.. etc., it works for me; so many advantages to using a dedicated light meter and incident readings, but not having a meter works for many others just as well.  In-camera meters today are light years ahead of yesteryear and while many can still find a great benefit from using a handheld meter today like myself, it isn't as imperative today.

While 42 seconds doesn't sound like a lot of time at first blush; it is a lot of time to many clients (basically a minute for the photographer to get the lights right per location in their mind).  I find it easier/far more expedient to place the subjects, pop the strobes w/light meter (Sekonic 758DR), dial in my preferred flash-to-ambient % ratio by spinning the jog wheel on the light meter, and shooting.... walk over to the next location and do the same thing.  Dark skin in white ball gown/wedding dress on the beach in Florida, or in the snow farther north; it gets the job done better than my camera's meter (I'd rather use the Sekonic's to spot meter from my shooting point as well).  Studio use with strobes goes without saying vs. using a camera's meter when dealing with different backgrounds/lighting ratios, etc.. The light meter makes things noticeably easier.   "Different strokes for different folks" as they say, right?

Thank you for posting the sample photos with your comment.  It seems that your lights are close enough the model (8ft. if I recall) that you can get a workable amount of light even with a modifier.  Is the sun *mostly* shining on the front of your models?  When shooting small groups of people on the beach (or even individuals), I like to be able to have the light source farther away from the subject(s); I'm also usually shooting toward the sun so adults and especially children aren't squinting and covering their eyes- In doing so, I still retain enough power for a good blend (preference based of course) of ambient/flash ratio... and my client's eyes wide open. 

Couple waving from back of a sail boat and I'm shooting from the shore towards the sun?  Shooting couple on a Waverunner while I'm on a back of a boat, etc..? ...studio strobes (and an awesome spot meter) gives me far more options.

Best in photography to you & everyone!