Hello Deanna hg, Coatachrome here.

Lighting subjects for photography is an art, not a science. I would first start by looking at a very basic three light system. If you do a google search for "three light portrait photography" you should find many resources on how, where and why to place your lighting. Your speedlight is a good "fill" light but it does not make a good single source for the results you may be looking for.

You can improve your light source easily at the hardware department store. Purchase three compact florescent lightbulb and make sure they are daylight bulbs not soft white. 100 watt bulbs should work well for your workspace. You can pick up three inexpensive aluminum reflectors to put the bulbs in and difuse the light with a simple piece of white paper taped across the reflector. In my very first workroom I used the backs of chairs as places to mount my lighting source.

I see two problems in your workspace. First your backdrop the floor and the furniture. They will all cast a yellow hue to your finished photo. You're going to need to do a bit or adjusting to your cameras white balance settings to compensate for all that "stuff" that will alter your lighting color. However that is the beauty of digital photography, you can expirement, adjust, and evaluate instanly.

The other problem is spacing. You're going to need to get a bit more space between your subject and your backdrop to reduce the shadows that the flash will create. Sometimes adjusting the angle of the flash will help, sometimes increasing the wattage of the blub you use to flood your backdrop will help. Here again, you will need to experiment.

Do not get frustrated. In my photography classes I would devote two classes on basic lighting setup alone. As I said, it is an art, not a science. And much of the detail work takes place in the post-processing of the image, an area that many of "instant gratification generation", "point and shoot oriented" students just do not want to hear about.

But you can get great results without post processing using a basic three light setup and your strobe/flash unit.

For those of you who looked at my last thread here concerning studio lighting, this is the 'follow up'. I used my grandson who is 3 and tried it again. Used my 50mm the entire time which may have been the first nono. Was using my speedlite as my lighting, it being triggered by my camera's flash. My understanding is it is suppose to send out the signal but not flash. I think it is flashing. Used a white umbrella turning it to where the light bounces back to the subject and then for it to filter thru to the subject. I was at child level as evidence by some unlevel shots. Someone please tell me how to correct that in Elements. The shadows are frustrating me telling me this is a picture and not a 'portrait'. I have included my 'work space' which I mentioned in my last thread, and a photo of this endeavor. Many said the last photos were to 'busy'. So what now?

Hi Deanna, It's been awhile since I have visited UHH but your thread caught my eye. I went back and reviewed your first frustrated thread so that I would have a better idea of your level of experience before I offered a comment.

The advice that I would offer to you is to get several books on light, lighting devices and their use. Study them until you are very familiar with the science of light.

Practice makes perfect is always good advice but it is perfect practice that makes perfect. Throwing some lights up and taking thousands of shots will not really teach you anything. If you get lucky and produce a few good shots you will not be able to duplicate them with any degree of regularity. That is what separates a true pro photographer from the hobbyist. A pro has to produce high quality on demand under varied conditions. Even though you are not a pro, my point is that the professional accomplishes their goal by having intimate knowledge of the science of light and then and only then do they attempt to apply this in an artistic way.

The accomplished photographers that read this will all agree that you can make some progress through the trial and error method and they did a lot of that themselves. Trial and error, however, is different than practice. Practice is being armed with the knowledge and correct technique and putting it to use over and over again. Attempting to figure out the concept of portrait lighting by trial and error is akin to practing your golf swing with your eyes closed. If you swing at enough balls you will occasionally hit a few and you might even get a good shot off occasionally but it will always result in limited and very inconsistent success.

I can see that you have an artistic eye. It is obvious that you have a photograph in mind when you are shooting and that is most of what it takes to be a good photographer, but seeing the photo is still only part of it. You need to be armed with the science to accomplish it. A book is the very best place to learn the science.