Equipment needed to connect lighting equipment to camera?

I have already asked this question and do not understand the answers. Please be very kindergarten with your answers. I need to know exactly what I need to connect my Nikon d80 to 2 softboxes. I will not be using a tripod the majority of the time, so I don't want cords or anything hanging from my camera! I will most likely be buying from ebay, so if you could even give links to what i need, that would be great! Also, since softboxes are continuously on, what is the need to connect to my camera? As you can tell, I'm in the VERY beginning stages of studio photography! Please help! I don't understand the equipment and need to purchase this week!

Also, starting out, am I okay with 2 softboxes, or do I need additional lights? Lastly, do the softboxes even have to be connected to the camera, or is that just if you have a flash that flashes just when you take the picture?

It sounds like you need a hotshoe PC Sync adapter or Wireless Flash Trigger.

I had to buy one for my D70 to trigger softboxes mounted on strobe lights. I chose not to use the wireless version to save money. You already stated that you did not want wires, so get the wireless flash trigger. You will connect it to one light and configure the other light to act as a slave.

http://digicambids.com/pm/Wireless-Flash...

Here's the link to the other type (wired):

http://digicambids.com/pm/Hotshoe-PC-Syn...

Try starting out with a single light source. Use a large white foamboard to reflect the light on the other side to reduce harsh shadows. Once you have learned what your light can do, then start experimenting with a second light. Just remember, you will only need to connect to a single light source, and have the other one act as a slave to trigger only when the first one does.

Good times...

OK... let me try to understand.

You have lights that are continuously on?

They do not flash at the time of exposure?

Then they don't need to connect to the camera at all.

You meter and shoot as if you were outside.

Adjust white balance appropriately.

Please elaborate if I haven't understood you.

OK, you're referring to softboxes as if they are a lighting source. Softboxes are light modifiers. So the question can only be answered if you tell us what the actual light source is. If it is a continuous source, a "hot light", then you simply adjust your exposure according to the available light. If it is a strobe, then you need to send it a "sync pulse" to synchronize the shutter and the strobe. If it is a strobe, or monolight, then it will have a sync input connector. You can get a wireless trigger that is a hot shoe mounted transmitter and a receiver that plugs in to the sync input on the light. Typically strobes will "slave" to any other flash source, so the second one will trigger off of the first one, or you could even use a hot shoe flash which would trigger both. There are also hot shoe mounted triggers that shoot infrared to trigger slaves as well, no wires required.

2 softboxes are a decent start for "key" and "fill", but that doesn't really leave you anything for background lighting. You could use one for key, a reflector for fill, and your second for background, or you could shoot against black so you don't really need background.