Low light/Night Action Shots?

[AKhoxie907]

I've recently been getting really into action/sports photography, snowboarding/bmx in particular. I love the look of night time snowboarding photographs and was curious where would be a good place to start as far as lighting goes. Would a speedlight provide me with enough power or do I need something larger, and if so where is a good place to start as far as wireless strobes? I've looked at several websites and for the most part just end up confused. I am currently shooting with a Nikon D5000. Any info or help would be greatly appreciated.

[archersdad]

How close can you, and more importantly your lights, get to the action?

[AKhoxie907]

Usually pretty close, just depends on what kind of set up my freinds make.

[Dajuan]

AK, have you given this a try? What were your results?

[timiroberts]

If this is something that you're just shooting of your friends at a park, then yes, a speedlight should be enough power to get you the results that you need. If you're looking to shoot at an actual sporting event from a distance away, you might need something a little more powerful. There are plenty of examples on Flickr of people using a single speedlight to get snowboard and bmx shots, both during the day and at night, with great results.
As far as wireless strobes, there are LOTS of options. Just depends on your budget and the quality that you're looking for. You can go for a cheaper wireless flash like the YN-460 and get inconsistent results fairly inexpensively or you can shell out for top of the line equipment and go with the Canon 580EX or Nikon SB900. It just depends on what you can afford.

[jdepould]

Off the top of my head, I'd say a bag full of SB-800 or -900 and TTL Pocket Wizards should get you started. You'll need some kind of stand/mounting solution.