To take my portrait photography to the next level, should I get a second flashgun or a monolight?

Question

I am a hobbyist and using a Canon 600D with 50mm f/1.8 and 18-135mm lenses.

I bought 430EX-II flashgun, and it works great as off-camera flash with the 600D's built in transmitter. I also have a flash-modifiers kit from eBay.

Things are working great, but I want to take my portrait photography to next level. I am thinking to add a second light source along with the umbrella setup.

Am I on the right track? Should I go for a second flashgun or go for a monolight (or monolights)? What you suggest, and why?

Answer

Either way you're getting more lights, so you'll be adding some additional tools to sculpt your light either way.

So what to get depends on how you want to use it.

I say get the monolight(s) if:

1. You want or need more power
2. You want or need faster recycle times
3. The important one: you have consistent and easy access to power outlets (like, you're always in a studio)

Get the second battery-powered strobe if you won't consistently have access to a power outlet for the monolight (like, you're shooting on location with no access to an outlet) and you can live with the lower power, reliance on batteries, and longer recycle times.

Strobist has many articles on what to consider if you're stepping up to big lights and specifically has a lengthy look at doing it (relatively) cheaply with the AlienBees line of lights if you want some additional reading.

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