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09/07/2005 04:34:25 AM · #1 |
A friend, (whose wedding I will be shooting soon) mails me and asks for a portrait session for a friend of hers and her daughter. She also asks if I have a studio for this.
I don't own studio lighting or backdrops, yet, but I don't want to turn this away, as this is potentially a great word of mouth contact.
I have done a couple of weddings, but mostly in available light, obviously at their venues.
I am thinking of suggesting going to their home with what I have, early morning / late afternoon and seeing how it goes. If they like the product, they pay me and I make prints.
If not, I stuff up a great contact.
I have, Sony F828 with Hotshoe Flash. Canon 20D with kit lens and no external flash. White board reflector and 2 x 500W industrial utility lights. No softboxes or anything.
Any suggestions ?! |
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09/07/2005 07:59:28 AM · #2 |
Softbox and a reflectors are certainly of help. If you have none, make use of natural light. Soft directional window light is best for this kind of family portraits. Make sure to use white/silver reflector on the opposite side.
Background is equally important. Look for any large paintings in their house.
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09/07/2005 08:05:37 AM · #3 |
try to find a large window facing north, around mid day. this will
provide soft lighting. |
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09/07/2005 08:09:42 AM · #4 |
here is a pic where I shot it with natural light near a north facing widow.
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09/07/2005 08:11:10 AM · #5 |
Thanks a lot for the suggestions.
What would be a good (on a budget) backdrop, and how do I suspend it from above the subjects ? PVC frame? |
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09/07/2005 08:20:14 AM · #6 |
pvc frame is a fair substitute for a backdrop stand, but if you can spring a 100 bucks get a stand!
I would check ebay for some back drops I picked up a black 9x12 for 30 bucks
Plain Muslin
White
Black
Message edited by author 2005-09-07 08:21:09. |
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09/07/2005 08:21:53 AM · #7 |
To suspend your backdrop, you need just two J hooks, screw them into the 2x4's on the ceiling. Then run a pvc tube between the two, and connect your backdrop to that.
You might be better off just going somewhere outside, concentrate on the light on their faces, get it from a tab overhead, and a slight angle, use a wide aperture lens, and blur the background.
Because doing studio work takes practice and time to set things up, it's really not that 'mobile' of a business, unless you have a specific kit set up that is made to be mobile, but those are rather expensive.
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09/07/2005 08:29:11 AM · #8 |
off the cuff, i'd sell the sony and get either a 24-70, 70-200, or an 85, (heck, go on and drop the $80 us on a 50 f/1.8) spending as much as i could afford. forget the backdrops! practice shooting zoomed in as tight as possible with a short dof; that will blur whatever background is already there.
if you already have experience shooting in natural light, build on it.
these were shot indoors with available light with my 50
 
this was shot outdoors with my retired 75-300 zoomed to about 200
this was shot outdoors under an umbrella with my retired 28-80 around 28
the point is, i don't think you need all the overhead of 'studio' stuff, if you have a good range of lenses and know how to make the most of available light. |
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