Need Home Portrait Advice

agunther · February 13, 2009

I am looking for some resources and tutorials to set up good lighting for shooting portraits at home. I need to do a one time shoot and I am not ready to spend money on any pro equipment. I am looking for advice like:
Use this Safeway plastic bag as a diffuser ....

If there was a previous thread discussing this, I'd appreciate a quick link.

Thanks

Art Scott · February 13, 2009

agunther wrote:

I am looking for some resources and tutorials to set up good lighting for shooting portraits at home. I need to do a one time shoot and I am not ready to spend money on any pro equipment. I am looking for advice like:
Use this Safeway plastic bag as a diffuser ....

If there was a previous thread discussing this, I'd appreciate a quick link.

Thanks

What are you going to use as lights forthis endeavor.......it would be much easier to advise if we had some idea of what you want to use or are going to use.......

Depending on where you live you might be fortunate enuff to be able torent the equiptment you want or need........

At the very least i think you need a camera rotating flash bracket......gets flash off of the hotshoe and up above the lens a bit......depending on the room your using you can now bounce off ceiling and walls......as for diffusers.....my very first was a pair of what knee high ladies stockings held to the flash head with a rubber band.....or you can get diffussion gel from a theater supply or get a gel swatchbook and pull the diffussion gel out of it if your using a shoe mount speedlight.........white knapkins work well, white3 kleenex works great a handkerchief works great....then comes the practice practice practice to find your exposure settings (aperture and shutter speed) and mid you will need to shoot like this in manual mode on camera nd flash.

as for tutes......take a look at strobist.com

Scott_Quier · February 13, 2009

I'll take Art's response one step further in asking what is the shoot? What are the expectations of your client(s)?

If your client(s) are expecting (and paying for ?) dynamic shadows, seperation from the background, off-center catchlights, etc - then you are going to need a certain type of lighting. If, on the other hand, this is you taking shots of your children for their mother as a Valentine's Day gift ... well expectations are a bit different and you can "get away" with a somewhat more modest approach to your lighting.

agunther · February 14, 2009

Thanks
Thanks Guys!

The shot is for my wife. She needs a head shot for her business website.
Nothing glamour or fancy but professional looking.
Basically I am not interested in becoming a pro studio shooter (I am a landscape guy), so I am hesitant to invest.
I could always send her to a pro, but we are trying to preserve cash getting her business of the ground.
So whatever I can accomplish at home will have to do.

Again, I appreciate your ideas regarding the diffusers. I am also looking at a simple lighting setup to get professional looking photographs, lets say like a passport photo. Maybe using one, two or max three light sources.

BobbyMarshall · February 14, 2009

What camera equipment do you currently have?
camera?
lighting?
Flash?
bedsheets?
table cloths?
tripod?

we need more info on what you have, not just the fact that you don't want to set up a pro studio. That way people will be able to make suggestions and help you with your question

Scott_Quier · February 14, 2009

agunther wrote:

Thanks Guys!

The shot is for my wife. She needs a head shot for her business website.
Nothing glamour or fancy but professional looking.
Basically I am not interested in becoming a pro studio shooter (I am a landscape guy), so I am hesitant to invest.
I could always send her to a pro, but we are trying to preserve cash getting her business of the ground.
So whatever I can accomplish at home will have to do.

Again, I appreciate your ideas regarding the diffusers. I am also looking at a simple lighting setup to get professional looking photographs, lets say like a passport photo. Maybe using one, two or max three light sources.

Check out the Strobist's Headshot is a Corner.

By way of example, here's an example of one I did that way for a young man - an aspiring actor:

Need Home Portrait Advice

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