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No problem. :)

Ok, so flash is pretty easy. My setup might be a bit outdated, but here is what I use currently:

• Flashes
  
• Transceivers
  
• Controller
  
  I have 3 of those flashes, they're really pretty great if you aren't too snobby about brands. I believe Yongnuo has flashes now with the transmitter built into them, but I have never used those and the only time I've seen them in action it didn't go super well. I'm sure they're fine, I just can't recommend them.
  
  So basically you put the controller on your camera. You put each flash you want to use off camera on the transceivers. The controller lets you adjust each flash's settings remotely and triggers them. It's awesome.
  
  If you generally don't know what you're doing with flash for the reception, it's generally best to bounce the light off the ceiling. Point the flashes roughly upward and fire away. At receptions with a defined dance floor you can get pretty great results by placing them in a couple of the corners. Your light might come back kinda yellow. If you don't want to worry about using gels on your flashes then just keep an eye out for it and adjust the white balance in Lightroom after the fact.
  
  Aside from flashes you will want some modifiers to place on them. When I was starting out the two that I used are these (these aren't the exact ones, but they're close):
  
  
• Flashbender
  
  
• Baby Softbox
  
  So there are probably better modifiers to use, but these are cheap and they work pretty well at diffusing/directing light. The softbox is great for portraits and I frequently would use the flash bender to direct light gently over a wide area, like when the toasts are going on or the bridal party is entering the room or the dance floor. When used correctly you should get pretty great lighting and avoid hard shadows.
  
  Anyways, how I shot those photos. You're generally right. I love shots like that (probably too much), and so I do them all the time. The general idea is the same for all of them, soft light in front and a bright light in the back. Using the specific equipment I listed above, my usual MO is to put a bare flash behind them, typically on the ground (using these)or on a stand as low as possible to the ground. Point it at the couple and slightly upward (photo 1 is the exception, it was pointed essentially straight up to make the gazebo light up like that).
  
  Set up a flash in front of them. In most of those photos I used the flashbender modifier on the flash pointing at the couple to direct but diffuse the light. It helps it look a bit more natural. Generally you want to position it in a way that the shadows aren't too distracting, so do it slightly off to the side to get more natural lighting. Obviously I messed up in a few of mine but it is what it is and most people don't even notice. We're always our own harshest critic.
  
  Next is the settings. This is honestly the toughest part in my opinion. You need to expose for the background you want and then use the flashes to achieve the lighting you want on the subjects. I don't know how to describe this, but the easiest way is with photo #6 on my website. I exposed the photo for the city behind the couple and got the look I wanted, THEN I added flashes and whatnot. General rule of thumb is the light behind the couple should be one step brighter than the light in front. That way you get the glowing backlight effect.
  
  Thanks for the compliments on the photos! I hope this helps. I'm sorry if I did a bad job of explaining things, just ask me to clarify anything you don't understand.
  
  EDIT: All this being said you don't NEED off camera flash. I've shot entire receptions using on-camera flash. The most important thing to remember is you just want to diffuse the light in some way. When you're using flash on camera you typically achieve this by bouncing it at the ceiling. Practice this at home, it usually works pretty well!
  

So here is my wishlist for Camera things I sent my husband:

Think Tank Bag

I actually just got this for our anniversary on Halloween and it's freaking amazing. I love Think Tank everything because a) they're so incredibly thoughtful in their design and b) they're made incredibly well. This bag is replacing the current bag I carry JUST lenses and accessories in on the wedding day. On that note their rollerbag is what I use to carry everything and it's also amazing.

Helios Lens

This is basically a trash russian lens that provides really interesting bokeh and intense, awesome sun flare.

Holdfast

I have one of these already, there's a lot of reviews about camera straps, but as a woman it's been the most comfortable strap I've had. I have the American Bison one, it's very soft and incredibly well made. I get compliments on it at weddings all the time, it looks super professional!

Apple Watch

So nice for checking time, texting, and keeping track of timelines on the day of. I love it.

Mouse

If she needs any computer upgrades that would be a great option too. I need a new mouse because mine is a piece of shit, but monitors, monitor calibration, wacom tablet, etc could be nice too.

All the Microfiber cloths, batteries and SD cards

I buy all these things like candy every season. You can really never have enough of any of them.

As far as her home studio, the first thing I would look at is her chair. Art is nice and everything, but loving her chair and workspace makes such a huge difference. It's hard sitting ALL DAY, my back and neck hurt after a full day. I re-did most of my office and bought a bunch of plants and a new desk and it's made my days much better. Next purchase is a chair.

Hope this helps! I'm sure she'll love whatever you get her :).

As the other commenters mentioned, it should really depend on the situation and you should be making these kinds of decisions on a case-by-case basis. 4 speedlights in the corners could potentially work, but it would depend on the room. Additionally, you want to think about the type of light you are creating - do you want to point everything at the ceiling and have light everywhere, or do you want to have a kicker or two to shoot into to create some depth to the images?

If you only have one speedlight, on-camera bounce can provide decent results. However, if you're going to add additional off-camera units, my advice would be to invest in flashes with triggers/tranceivers built into them, such as the Yongnuo YN-560 IV line. They're incredibly cheap, reliable, and work perfectly for this sort of application. By doing this, you'll be able to trigger the flashes remotely (and reliably), with the additional benefit of being able to balance your output with the ambient light in the room, so as not to completely overwhelm it. Your batteries might have to be replaced once every 2-3 hours, depending on how bright your flash is set to. Buy some rechargeable batteries. You'll save hundreds.

My personal preference is to use a master flash on the top of my camera to light my subjects, and use it to control other off-camera radio slave units for additional fill or edge lighting (kickers) as the need arises. You get the flexibility of on-camera bounce with the look of multiple off-camera lights. It's the best of both worlds, I think.

Also, to your question about the light temperature, bare flash will show up as blue light in an image where the white balance is set to match most ambient indoor lighting, which is far warmer (usually tungsten). This will definitely create some weird-looking shots. You can easily get around this by gelling the flashes to the ambient light in the room, and I would definitely recommend it, no matter what lighting setup you go with. Just pick up a couple of gel kits off Amazon that include some CTO (orange) gels, and you'll be golden. In terms of bang for your buck, this will be the most effective way to improve the look of indoor images shot with speedlights.

Good luck with your shoot!

I agree with the Godox route. Buy the Flashpoint branded ones from Adorama as they come with a warranty. I had one stopped (partially my fault, continuous excessive use of HSS) working and Adorama replaced it, no questions asked. Make sure they have "R2" in the name as that denotes their compatibility with the XPro trigger (which is fantastic by the way).

I had eight of the Yongnuo 600's last August, only two of them are working now and there's no way to get a warranty on them.

The Flashpoint Li-on R2 TTL is the "flagship" speedlight. It has a huge lithium-ion battery that rated for 650 full power pops. They recycle super quickly and don't start misfiring when the battery starts running low. They're also easier to charge and keep track of compared to dozens of Eneloops. When I had the Yongnuos, I would have to replace the OCF's batteries once during the reception, and my main on camera flash about twice. Now I can go 2-3 full weddings on one battery, I never had to replace one during a shoot. These can be used on camera as a master, or as an optical/radio slave. They can also control larger monolights (like the very cool AD200/Evolv 200).

There's also a non TTL version of the same speedlight but still with the benefits of the lithium ion battery.

Start off your investment off right instead of buying sub par equipment just to replace them later.

I also recommend these speedlight mounts. The normal speedlight mounts with the umbrella holder are fine but they're not super secure and you're putting all your trust on the speedlight's feet - I've had plenty of lights break and fall off stands that way. These clamp on to a large surface area of the flash and will keep it safe, it's also very easy to tell if your speedlight is secured on. The front is a bowens mount so you can literally put any bowens mount modifier on it. And if you get a bigger light like an AD200 or an AD360, these fit beautifully on it.

I've never heard of the light stands you mentioned, but the Amazon reviews look good and plentiful so you should be fine.

Two things to think about. Those stands will be great for a lot of things, but they're light and bendy, which means they're useless in ANY wind, and they're not going to like any modifiers heavier than those umbrellas. That's not saying DON'T get them - I have two in the trunk because days when they're sufficient, they're perfect.

If I get out a soft box, or have any wind (or break out my 7' translucent umbrella) I'm very glad I've got something heavier. I carry two of these for those moments - https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Stainless-centimeters-Monolight-Photographic/dp/B074NY47J6/

And... make sure you really want umbrellas. To be honest, the difference in actual light quality that comes out of different modifiers of the same size is negligible enough to be ignored. See them side by side and you might know which is an umbrella and which is a softbox... MAYBE... but just see one or the other and all you'll care about is whether there was enough light and the source was big enough. BUT... softboxes have one big advantage - the fact that they're less obnoxious to people standing BEHIND them. If you think you'll throw them up around a dance floor or ceremony ever... it can be nice to direct the light where you want it and not send the rest flying off other directions. A couple of these would be fine - https://www.amazon.com/Godox-Umbrella-Reflector-Carrying-Speedlight/dp/B0132I34K4/

THe kit you've got listed is perfectly adequate! I'm not saying anything's wrong with it and I started with essentially the same, but those are the two things I'm most glad I've added going forward - heavier stands and softboxes!

I shot a whole bunch of rainy weddings in 2018 (a very wet wedding season for Pennsylvania). My second to last wedding for the year was in the low 40s with a consistent heavy rain. With that said, here some things I've learned...

-Change of clothes, including shoes and socks. Hopefully it won't be cold for you, but being wet for the reception sucks.

-Good protection for your camera. I used these: https://www.amazon.com/OP-TECH-USA-9001132-Rainsleeve/dp/B000PTFDYO/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=camera+rain+sleeve&qid=1549636833&sr=8-5 because they are cheap, but they are hardly convenient. I'd recommend practicing with them, because they change your access to controls, lens zoom, etc. I can't comment on other rain sleeves, hopefully they are much easier/nicer to use!

-Ditto on backlit umbrella shots. Those are tons of fun! You'll probably want an umbrella with white interior and black exterior for those shots. An all white umbrella works, but you'll see the couples shadow I inside. An all black umbrella would be too dark. You can also shoot backlit without any umbrella: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsWLRb2HMD7/

-Having nice umbrellas to hand to the couple is a thoughtful gesture. I like all-white umbrellas or there are nice clear umbrellas, too: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bra5x9znYST/

-Be ready for the couple to not want to be outside for anything besides the ceremony. It stinks, but it's their day. Have some indoor posing ideas ready.

• Oil blotting paper! Makes a HUGE difference in reducing "shine"- I tend to pass them out before the formal photographs or especially if I'm pulling the B&G from sweaty dance floor to nighttime portraits with flash/videolight. Saves a LOT of time in post. I use these ones
  
  
• Flashes with built-in rechargeable lithium batteries and wireless receiver. Simplified a LOT for me, from prep time to setup. I love my Godox v850ii flashes!! (and because Godox is making all their stuff 100% compatible, I added a AD200 and AD600BM- both with built-in receivers- to my kit and thy all work perfectly together with one trigger on camera. Boom!)
  
  
• Manfrotto nano stands. I love my big honkin' Cheetahstands, but sometimes it's hard to fit them in a getting ready room or small venue- or take to an engagement session where we're hiking a long ways. So in those cases, I bring my fold-up Manfrotto mini stands. Perfect for holding a speedlight I intend to bounce.. and the "footprint" can be as small as 1ft! I put it right up against a corner or a table and it's out of any foot traffic.

Roberto has another book on poses, Picture Perfect Posing: Practicing the Art of Posing for Photographers and Models, but I haven't read it yet, so I can't really say if it's helpful or not.

Judging from the aforementioned Picture perfect practice though, I'd bet it really is ;) .

Also check out Joe McNally's tutorials and books, they are really mind-blowing about the concept of light and flashes!

A few that I would point out that I have read, loved, and learned a lot from:

• Picture Perfect Posing by Roberto Valenzuela
  
• Picture Perfect Practice by Roberto Valenzuela
  
• More Brides by Mark Condon
  
• The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris

I have been shooting more solo weddings and have been using a manfrotto nano stand for details and some night portraits or even first dances instead of a voice activated light stand and it's been great. Super well built, tiny, and lightweight. It's so tiny it attached right to the side of my Airport International or on top of my Retrospetive 30.

For a wedding I had last Fall, I got a waterproof sleeve off Amazon - and a super fashionable headband-umbrella. I looked ridiculous but the guests got a kick out of it and the photos looked great all things considered!

Link to the sleeve I got: OP/TECH USA 9001132 Rainsleeve -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PTFDYO?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Thanks for your great input. So I actually purchased this portable godox. Does this still require the Bowen's mount ring? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0132I34K4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If I were to give you an honest ranking I'd say you're "Below Average" quality.

My biggest critique for you is that all of your photos feel like snap shots. They're all taken from the same angle, they're all kind of flat lighting and editing wise, they're all posed or of nothing of any real importance. The compositions are also very weak - Specifically your backgrounds.

Almost all of the photos look like you just pointed a camera and said "Hell yea" and clicked the button. It doesn't appear like there's a whole lot of thought that went into any thing and the same thought process carried over into your post work.

Your photos are competent (In a technical manner) they just lack any real artistry or intention. One thing I would suggest you do is check out this book which is fucking rock solid for learning some compositional tricks and helping teach yourself to see them on the fly, and work on your post processing technique so that your images stand out a little more.

If you were to ask me what to charge for your wedding photos now, I would say if the middle ground of local photographers is charging ~$2k-2.5k you should be around $1250 for a full day. Maybe after you get a few under your belt around $1500. If you're asking what you should get as a second shooter that depends on who you work for, they usually have set rates for their seconds. I pay $200-300 depending on how much experience they have.

I bought 2 8Cells chargers here

I dont need the LCD in 1/3 charge increments so it works great and its cheaper.

I got these on a tip from /u/evanrphoto and they are awesome!

I love these. They hold the flash in a much more sturdy manner than the umbrella brackets.

http://www.amazon.com/Godox-Bracket-Speedlite-Softbox-Honeycomb/dp/B00JS3MINC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1457722832&sr=8-4&keywords=bowens+softbox+mount

I use this one to recharge my eneloops, works great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UNPM3M/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In my first season, but pretty happy with my gear! This year I plan to upgrade a body in fall and possibly get the sigma 135mm for portraits.

A d750 and a d610 (I can’t tell much difference between them for day shots, but at night the 750 shines)

Battery grip (I always shoot landscape, the grip helps remind my to shoot portrait)

Tamron g2 70-200mm

Tamron g2 24-70mm

Sigma 50mm 1.4

Nikon 60mm macro (is out for five minutes)

Leather camera harness like the holdfast moneymaker (mine was from Etsy)

3 Godox v860ii flashes

1 godox flash remote (can’t remember name)

2 manfrotto light stands (don’t skimp on stands! I was so nervous with my cheap stands. It’s a real liability.)

flash disc diffuser thing for on camera needs

Shoot through umbrella (probably going to switch to an octobox simply because I’ve had two dumbass uncle bobs make comments that I have it set up backwards and it gets to me)

Lots and lots of cards and batteries and chargers.

I recommend a pelican case! This one you can carry-on!

Pelican 1510 Case With Foam (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SKHIK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eOWxCbGHCMEPP

Here's a good, cheap LED panel you could use https://www.amazon.com/YN300-III-Adjustable-Temperature-3200K-5500K/dp/B00T3W0KDS/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510248303&sr=1-3&keywords=yongnuo+yn-300

Is a cheaper Yongnuo TTL flash just as good as the more expensive Canon flashes? I'm looking at this: Yongnuo YN-568EX II 4-Channel TTL Flash Speedlite for Canon E-TTL/E-TTL II Cameras https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DB21TCM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9dx0xb3RBF50Y

I’ve got the one without the laptop pocket, with the black interior. It’s surprisingly really well structured and I’ve worn it to lifestyle sessions where I’ve been sprinting chasing around 5 year olds at a park and it’s still comfortable (With the cross body straps fastened)

It’s on the small side, but I’m 5’2 so that’s exactly what I need. It doesn’t feel cheap at all. I’ve paid more than triple for worse quality backpacks. I fit four lenses (35L/50 f1.4/135L primes and a small zoom), two bodies and a speedlite in there plus all the accessories that go with that.

AmazonBasics Backpack for SLR/DSLR Cameras and Accessories - Black https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B002VPE1WK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_GSU5BbGJKXPRQ

I have a couple of the even cheaper versions and they work quite well. It’s small, but my camera will be out of the bag for 90% of the day anyways, so it’s really just holding lenses and accessories.

Okay OP, I quickly went through your images, and circled what stood out to me. You're missing a lot of editing marks.

You may want to look into a Spyder to calibrate your monitor, because it's a big deal if you are missing sore thumbs like this.

Have a second set of eyes check your photos before you send them out, it really helps.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A8EIPGY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00761MABI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_C5MXAbF7E9A5H

If I remember correctly the Flashpoint/Godox flashes do not have a pc sync cord which is what you would use that wire for.

http://www.lee.com/shop/x-treme-comfort-khaki-pant

https://www.amazon.com/Twin-Peaks-Entire-Mystery-Reg/dp/B0186R6RV4/ref=tmm_blu_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1480364789&sr=8-3

http://holdfastgear.com/products/camera-swagg

https://www.amazon.com/ExpoImaging-ROGUEGELS-U-Rogue-Photographic-Design/dp/B005KEL4NI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480365008&sr=8-1&keywords=rogue+flash+filters

https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Photographic-Design-ROGUEGEL-CC-Correction/dp/B00A8EIPGY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480365008&sr=8-2&keywords=rogue+flash+filters

https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1510-000-110-Carry-Pluck-Black/dp/B0002SKHIK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480365065&sr=8-2&keywords=pelican

I'd be less concerned about if the ceilings are too high to bounce, and more concerned with the rafters casting huge shadows all over the place and making your light uneven. You should pick up a few flash discs and shoot through them rather than bouncing.

Meking 12 Inch (31cm) Gray Card Portable Softbox Multi-function Diffuser for Speedlight Flashlight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00URHR3TW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0izryb304HASA

Is this the cord you're talking about? DSLRKIT Male to Male M-M FLASH PC Sync Cable Cord with Screw Lock https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00761MABI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_C5MXAbF7E9A5H

I charge mine the night before a shoot. Also, consider getting one of these chargers. 16 slots, AA or AAA, you can mix them up, put in as many as you'd like, they slow charge, show power levels, and stop charging when full.

This is one of the best AA battery charges.

EBL 8 Bay AA, AAA, Ni-MH, Ni-CD Rechargeable Battery Charger - Upgraded ETL Certified

https://www.amazon.com/EBL-Ni-MH-Rechargeable-Battery-Charger/dp/B00EB7812C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519066606&sr=8-3&keywords=aa%2Bbattery%2Bcharger&th=1

I had this charger but it was black and I think it had a different name on it it broke after a year and a half I believe. The good thing about this charger is it can charge one battery at a time. The bad thing about this charger if a battery is 100% DEAD it won't charge the battery because its a smart charger and it needs to read the chip I believe in the battery and when the battery is 100% DEAD it won't charge the battery. This is when the EBL charger saved my ass because I needed to charge batteries for a wedding. Its a good charger because it can charge each battery all the way up and it has a feature that it will drain a battery and recharge it so the battery works better but get the EBL battery charger first also I get two EBL charges one for a back up if you do event work. Fstoppers on YouTube did a review about batteries they showed one of the best charges.

Tenergy TN160 12-Bay AA/AAA NIMH/NICD LCD Smart Battery Charger

https://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-TN160-12-Bay-Battery-Charger/dp/B006ML9SO0/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&qid=1519067012&sr=8-30&keywords=aa+battery+charger

This might be the one Fstoppers showed off. I think I saw another one that was like this with a different name.

La Crosse Technology BC700-CBP Alpha Power Battery Charger

https://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Technology-BC700-CBP-Battery-Charger/dp/B000RSOV50/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1519067023&sr=8-16&keywords=aa+battery+charger

I use La Crosse Technology BC700. I sure as hell wouldn't trust any charger that charges batteries in 15 minutes.