The connections are fairly simple. The stobe supplier can generally provide a "hotshoe" connect for your cam and their strobes. Mine cost about $8 US. The lights are wired in my connections, even if "wireless" is available. Several companies can provide a hotshoe adaptor for the cam. A wire goes from that to one strobe and then all works together.

The lights are not all connected to your camera, only one..that one is then connected to the other lights and all works together.

As for a light meter, Sekonic makes some that are not very expensive(and some that are quite expensive!) which are incident/refelctive light with Flash metering. To use these, the sync cord is connected to the flash and the meter and nothing to the camera. You sit or hold the meter where the subject is, aim the meter at one light and push the button. Bingo..you have a reading for light from that light. Do it again if using a reflector or another strobe and bingo, you have a reading from that. Then you can take a try with the meter aimed at the camera and see the overall exposture to use.

The flash readings from one light to the other will allow you to adjust the power of each light, perhaps lowering one a bit in power to make an image with a "ratio" or difference in lighting from one side of the subject to the other. This is not really complicated to get started in.
You know from the flash how much light is coming, perhaps from the left and if you want more shadow on the right then take the reading, adjust the power of the strobe down a bit and take another reading.

The cords all work from the single hotshoe adaper of your camera...then the strobes work together with their own connects.

I hope this makes sense since I am very, very far from being experienced with the storbes I own but have used little. At least, I know the setup is not difficult as it sounds and is fun to expeeriment with.

The camera should use "manual" exposure settings. If the camera is not on "manual", it will try to average or correct the exposure. You don't want that. You get the settings from the flash meter aimed at the camera, for instance.

I do hope this helps a bit. If I screwed up in advice, someone will correct any misinformation. I tried to cut it to the basic and simple startup.

Oh, most stobes can be used wired(ore wireless with costly adapter) or fire from the flash of the other light, using a light pickup on the secondary unit. I would only need to wire to one light and the second sees the light of the first to fire.
Tom.

Message edited on: 12/19/2005 19:50

Message edited on: 12/19/2005 20:01