New to Studio Lighting - Need help!

[Brooke1180]

I prefer to use natural night and work towards on-location shoots. However, I had a demand for a small studio for newborns, babies and small children.
I purchased theWestcott Stroblite 3-light educational kit. This is my first experience with studio lighting. I watched the educational DVD that comes with it, however have found that not everything is working the way the said it would.

The main light and the fill light have to be on the same setting but when one is moved back so it'll be less powerful, it can't see the other and doesn't respond.
In the video they even recommend for a white background to put the main light at 3/4 power & the fill light at 1/2 power. However, if I do that - they do not respond to each other.
Further - on the DVD the recommend for softboxes to put the main light 3 ft from the subject and the fill light 6 ft away (for one person) if it is more you move them back but always keep them at a double length. However, I have found that they are not responding if they are that far away from each other???

I am doing something wrong? Did I just buy too cheap of lighting system?

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

[zona5101]

So they are optical slaves which generally work well even if they aren't line of sight as long as the main light has enough "pop" for the slave to recognize theflash. Sometimes really bright surroundings make it hard for the slave to pick up the trigger flash. How is the ambient lighting in the area where you're set up? Can you make it relatively dark? Also check there is nothing obstructing the slave port like the softbox or cords or anything...

more more thing: you write "The main light and the fill light have to be on the same setting but when one is moved back so it'll be less powerful, it can't see the other and doesn't respond". You don't have to trigger your main from your camera and have the fill be a slave...you can run your sync cord to the fill light and have the main be slaved...