I’m trying to force myself to get back into flash photography again.  I had to take studio photography in school and never really liked it.  I’ve owned flashes various times but avoid using them whenever possible.  But I LOVE the look the guys who make light work for them can get, so I’ve decided to try to get into it all over again.  I’m going the budget route because I like being forced to learn with manual modes.  I picked up a used nikon SB-24 from KEH.com and a shoot through umbrella from B&H for a total of ~$100.  I already had the eneloop batteries and some Chinese knockoff wireless releases (yongnuo CTR-301P) as well as light stands…  So I’ve got a decent one light setup and have started playing with it around the house.  I’m sure this will grow to a 2~3 light setup pretty quickly if I keep having fun with it, but we’ll see.  The gear budget is awful tight these days…