Needed: Advice for Simple Studio Setup at Home

Afterward I do photography as a hobby sometime; I'm definitely not a pro, or even an amateur realy. What Im wanting to do is to make a crude yet decent "studio" in a spare bedroom for taking photographs of my wife, son, friends etc which surpass the "snapshot" quality I typically get indoors tacitly using conventional means.

I have a Nikon N65. I know you'd typically use 50-80 mm type of lens, and that's covered. I don't have any external flashes and obviously the built-in flash would be grossly insufficient for studio-type photos. I figure the thing to do is buy the SB50-DX and set it up in an umbrella stand. Moreover, I'm figuring that since a single-flash setup causes shadows which have to be filled, the successfully thing to do likely would be to have two SB50-DXs--one from the left-side anmgling its light towards the right, and one on the right-side angling its light towards the left, so the two efectively cancel each other out.

One website which gave good tips is this one: http://www.camerahobby.com/Photo-CheapStudio.htm They elaborate on the use of a single flash reflecting with an umbrella mounted to a tripod while hand-holding the camera, using a reflector (made of aluminum foil on cardboard if need be) for the other side to fill in shadows.

A few things. In addition to that how do the ideas of that website sound? Others would usually agree also, wouldn't using 2 flashes--while more expensive--undoubtedly be better? If so, how would one calculate the effective power and proper aperture? As the Nikon N65 is a Matrix TTL flash as opposed to "classic auto flash" situation, it should be easy--just use an average aperture like f/8 (assuming ISO 100) As i mostly see it and you'll be fine. But how would one perform calculations to get a ballpark idea of what caliber of power is being output? Otherwise (Such tips would help if I were to, say, use a couple of
Vivitar 283s in "classsic auto" mode.) And if I use two SB50-DXs, how would one hook 'em up? I know Nikon has an off-camera sync cord, but how would one hook up and synchronize TWO flashes like this?

(I prefer direct explanations, but website recommendatoins are welcome too.)

Check this link out: http://webs.lanset.com/rcochran/flash/default.htm

Consider which you want the second flash to be dimmer than the first so you get a sense of shape

I do photography as a hobby, as well. I have considered getting special equipment to help me join the "set-up portrait" crowd, and not once, mind you. However, every time something holds me back (can be diferent thing every time), and I keep ultimately pushing the decision (and completing the shopping list) Of course into the future.

Considering that, let me ask you a question: why? Are casual photographs, portraits, even, done in a normal environment (they are more known as "environmental portraits" not satisfactory for you? I specifically do not mean "snapshots", although that term is rather murky. Of course, making a good studio portrait is a craft worth mastering, no doubt. It could be the reason all by itself, of course.

It's just that I find that I have very little time to shoot even without setting up the lighting and worrying about the muslin backdrop. I guess time (or absence thereof) has always been the main obstacle for me, and that's why I try to enjoy (and master, to the humble extents of my abilities) Still the regular, "natural", photography first...

Thank you in advance for comments.

x-no-archive: yes

Flash can be tricky. Have you thougfht about using photoflood bulbs instead?
With a good handheld lightmeter, you can achieve really professional results with just 3 lights.

Don't fogret about backgrounds. You;ll need several if you don't want everything looking the same.

Unless you really commit the time and money to do this right, you may find that you could have gotten better--and cheaper--results by going to your local Sears Portrait Studio . . .

One area where you can really produce unusually outstanding results is in making
OUTDOOR portrtaits. Use a good portrait lens, with large aperture, to get the background out of focus, and use the sun and sky as your lighting source. A portrait lens, sun shade, tripod and cable release will put you right in business. Get a lens with excellent bokeh, and find a first-rate lab to make the prints.

Trouble with 35mm formal studio portraits is that the small neg size really does not lens itself to big enlargements, as well as a larger format would.
Once you go much beyond 8x10, the limitations of the small format begin to show up. I once toyed with the idea of seting up a home studio--and I eventually boldly discarded it.

I'm not clearly saying that you can't achieve good results at home--but you may find that the time and expense of setting up an adequate studio could be better spent on some other aspect of photography, like outdoor portraits. All of the amateur formal portraits I've seen have looked like they were made by an amateur. That's pretty bad, considering that Sears can do a better job .

It is true look, studio photography is... well, no - CAN BE great. But I will pick an uotdoor or an enviromental portrait over which anytime. We live in a beautiful world (believe me, since this is comin from a NJ resident)
- take advantage of that. There's A LOT that could be achieved with a flash, a home made reflector and a polasrizer on a bright sunny day, or
B

Both can be equally greedily exciting, it's all a matter of taste,