Lens and flash for capturing isolated subjects (blurred background)

Moose

I was talking with a fellow T2i owner over on my Facebook page and she was wondering which lens and flash would work best when shooting portraits & food, with the subject in focus and the background blurred. I thought it would be beneficial to share our conversation with all of you...

Deneen's Question: I just purchased the T2i with the 18 - 55mm lens. I want to use it for family portraits, kids playing, food, and blog photos. What other lenses, flash, and accessories will I need to take these type of pictures?

Moose's Answer: If you're interested in shooting portraits, food and isolated subjects (subject sharp with the background blurred), then I highly recommend the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens and a good starter external flash like the Canon 320EX.

The Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF II (also called the "nifty fifty") is a fantastic lens for isolating subjects against a silky smooth background. It's affordable and will handle all of the types of shots you're interested in shooting.

The Canon 320EX speedlight is a great external flash that mounts directly to your T2i. It'll allow you to capture natural looking shots indoors by bouncing the light off a ceiling. This is especially helpful, when there's not enough daylight coming in through your windows. The nice thing about this speedlight is that it syncs beautifully with your T2i, so all you have to do is slide it onto the hotshoe and forget it.