Home Studio and Lighting for Candid Portraits of my Kids

eichert12 · November 13, 2007

My favorite subjects to shoot are my three children. I'd like to get a beginner home studio/lighting setup that will allow me to start experimenting with portrait work. I'd like to be able to produce well lit candid shots similar in setup to these shots by Rick Orrell:

http://ricardo38.smugmug.com/gallery/1187960#55759574

I've exchanged a couple emails with Rick regarding his setup but I also wanted post here to see if anyone has any advice. I'd like to start with a beginning light setup since I'll just be learning the ropes and don't have too much cash to invest. At the same time I don't want to go so cheap that I waste my money on crap either. Do you have any recommendations for a basic home studio and lighting setup for a beginner?

As I said earlier, I think my primary subjects will be younger children as I have a few of those handy

Thanks,
Steve

ps - let me know if there is a better forum to post this in, as I debated where best to put it

Scott_Quier · November 13, 2007

Here's my thoughts:

Lights, I have, and like AlienBees (I have AB800s). For just a small "studio", like a garage or something, you should be able to profitably use a couple, I would recommend just one or two to start with, of AB400s. You can find them here. They are not of such high quality build that they will last a life-time, but they are quite durable. I've drug them a round quite a bit over the course of the last year or so and they just seem to keep on flashing. But, I care for them. I always transport them in softcases and treat them rather nicely. YMMV.
A light stand for each light.
Get a couple of larger shoot through umbrellas. I would NOT recommend those from Alien Bee. I have a couple and am not sure how much longer they will last.
For white background look in the gallery you indicated, you will need a roll of seamless white paper and a background stand to hold up up.
A couple of larger reflectors wouldn't hurt. For a home studio, white foam core board works quite well and is quite inexpensive. You can get it at just about any arts/crafts place.
While not absolutely necessary, a decent flash light meter will make you life so much easier. A good one that is recommended by many (I have one as well) is the Sekonic L-358 Flash (here) .

eichert12 · November 13, 2007

Thanks Scott! That's the second or third recommendation that I've received for Alien Bees so it seems like the place to start. Now I just need to figure out what model, stand, and etc. to get and I'll be set. I suppose figuring out the funding for them is required as well

Where does one get a background stand to hold up the solid white roll of paper? I'm sure a Google search will uncover some but if anyone has any recommendations I'd appreciate them! If I'm interested in alternate backgrounds what's my best bet?

I think I'll also need to get a good book on lighting to help me figure out how to position them properly and etc. It seems "Light: Science and Magic" is a good one to start with, woud people here agree?

Thanks,
Steve

eichert12 · November 13, 2007

What do people think of the packages Alien Bee offers? Would one of them be a good way to get started, or am I better off assembling a kit myself? The DigiBee or BeginnerBee seem like they could be a good place to start.

http://www.alienbees.com/packages.html

Scott_Quier · November 14, 2007

When I bought my stuff, I discovered that there was no pricing advantage to the packages. They are just stuff "pulled off the shelf" and the prices added up.

If you are going with just one light to start with, the Beginner Bee is not too bad.

More than that, I would build it myself.

BTW - Their DigiBee includes a radio transmitter and a radio receiver. If you are shooting in a studio, you don't need these. There are a couple of ways to trigger these lights:

If you have an external flash, like a 430EX, or 580EX, you can set that to manual flash, set the power level to the lowest available and the flash will trigger the optical slaves in the ABs. Works a real treat.
Another option: The ABs come with a 15' PC cord. Plug one of the lights into your camera. When it tirggers, it's flash will trigger the other AB and your set.

Because you don't need the background stand to support the entire roll of seamless, you can use a little Schedule 40 PVC piping to build yourself a background stand - not expensive and, if you don't use glue, you can break it down and make it portable. The stand doesn't need to hold the roll, just the loose end of the paper - use some sort of clamps; you can get 6 or 8 "A" clamps from Office Depot for $1 or $2 each. The roll can be unrolled toward the camera position. This has the added advantage of helping to maintain the swoop curve in the paper as it goes from horizontal to vertical. I'm thinking you should be able to cobble together a very serviceable background stand for something less than $20 or $30 - a far cry from the $80 to $$$ that it would take to buy one. This will work great for a home studio. You go pro on us and you might want to think about upgrading, just for the improved image if nothing else

.

You can buy a background stand from just about anywhere: Adorama, B&H, etc. Usually, they are just lightstands (of varying capacities) and a cross bar that may (or may not) be adjustable for width.

As for books ... I don't know what your budget is. You imply that it's going to take some planning to fund this project and lighting isn't cheap. So, I might recommend you save yourself some $$ and do some on-line research. There's lots of places to go for lighting tutorials and diagrams etc. Here (link) is one that I found with a 10 second google search that may fill your needs for some time to come.

eichert12 · November 14, 2007

Thank you Scott! That is extemely helpful. Wish me luck!

Icebear · November 14, 2007

eichert12 wrote:

Where does one get a background stand to hold up the solid white roll of paper?

Scott's suggestion, to use sched 40 pvc, is a good one. I'd strongly suggest using 1". That way if you want to run the top rod through your roll, and drop your paper from above, you can. Sometimes you won't want that bigg roll of paper on the floor. 1/2 or 3/4" pvc is a bit "whippy" and insubstantial. For a while all I used was an upside-down "u" shape, and leaned it against the wall. I found that fabricating a set of detachable "t" legs at the bottom, with a 1/2" piece completing the rectangle of the frame, gave me a lot more options about where to put it up. I still don't have $20.00 in it, and it'll support a 54" roll quite nicely

Ultimately though, if you set up a studio, even a "home" affair, you'll want a "real" paper stand. Image IS everything if you want people to take you seriously enough to give you money.

eichert12 · November 14, 2007

As a start, I think building a stand myself would suffice since I don't have too ambitious goals at this point. My only concern is that I'll do a piss poor job and it will go toppling over!

Given that I'll have to weigh the cost of buying one with the risk of me doing a crappy job building one myself and make a decision. Does anyone have any recommendations if I go the buy route?

Icebear · November 14, 2007

Aww come on . . .
If you can figure out how to work a camera and lights, you can sure build a pvc paper stand. Here are some photos of the one I cobbled together in less than an hour. I haven't even glued anything together. Everything works by compression.

In use, if I have a nice blank wall and a carpeted floor to work on, I don't even use the feet. the ends of the uprights stay right where I put them. If it's a wood floor, or some other surface I think it might slide on, but I still have a nice wall, I just use the front feet, so the uprights form an L. If i can't lean it against a wall, I use the front and rear feet (like in the photos) so the uprights form an upside down T.

It's just a hair over 7ft tall. Al you can see, my lower crossmember is 1/2" pvc and not 1". It slides into the upper piece for transport and storage. I tried it for a while without the lower member, but it needs the stability for any freestanding use. Trust me on that:bash

eichert12 · November 14, 2007

Thanks for the vote of confidence

I'll give it a try, and if I fail I'll blame you for making me. :P

Icebear · November 14, 2007

Your parents made you
blame them:D

pathfinder · November 14, 2007

Steve,

Shooting candid portraits of children does not require AC line powered studio strobes. You might find Canon EOS speedlites, triggered off camera, in ETTL a more manageable way to begin your lighting experience.

Studio strobes, shot in manual mode, are great with subjects that you can direct and place, so that their distance from the strobes never change, and hence their exposure never changes.

Some small children are not always that cooperative, and a flash system that allows them to move about and alters the exposure automatically in real time can be a boon to shooting children's spontaneity.

I am not saying one system is better than another, but I am saying that each system ( studio strobes vs EOS Speedlites in ETTL ) has some significant advantages and some disadvantages.

One speedlite off camera, triggered by a Canon remote trigger - the ST-E2 - combined with a hand held or stand mounted reflector can really create some very nice lighting possibilities. It can also be combined with a second speedlite to raise the ambient light in a room such that the images look like available light, but have the quality of good flash photo images.

There will not a a great difference in price between a beginning studio system and one or two speedlites. You can use the white background paper with either system.

There have been a number of good threads here on off camera flash photography that you might find helpful.

If you decide on studio strobes, be sure and include a wireless trigger/receivers of your choice. You will not want to use a pc cord connecting your camera to the strobe with children moving about.

eichert12 · November 14, 2007

And here I thought I had my plan settled

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll look around for some of the threads you mentioned to see how best to go that route. If only there weren't so many choices I'd be set!

pathfinder · November 14, 2007

Please return and let us all share in your decision and the things that led to your decision.

I use studio type AC strobes with soft boxes and umbrellas for formal type shooting, but I personally, prefer to shoot kids with ETTL lighting with the camera in Manual Mode. Then I do not have to keep re-configuring exposure as they move about.

I posted about off camera candids here before.

StudioVoxPop · December 3, 2007

Thank you for posting these pics and sharing your idea. I put mine together tonight...easy as pie!

For anyone attempting to do this I would strongly suggest you pony up and pay 10-15 dollars for a cheap PVC cutter. It's MUCH MUCH better than a hacksaw.

Justin

Icebear wrote:

If you can figure out how to work a camera and lights, you can sure build a pvc paper stand. Here are some photos of the one I cobbled together in less than an hour. I haven't even glued anything together. Everything works by compression.

In use, if I have a nice blank wall and a carpeted floor to work on, I don't even use the feet. the ends of the uprights stay right where I put them. If it's a wood floor, or some other surface I think it might slide on, but I still have a nice wall, I just use the front feet, so the uprights form an L. If i can't lean it against a wall, I use the front and rear feet (like in the photos) so the uprights form an upside down T.

It's just a hair over 7ft tall. Al you can see, my lower crossmember is 1/2" pvc and not 1". It slides into the upper piece for transport and storage. I tried it for a while without the lower member, but it needs the stability for any freestanding use. Trust me on that:bash

seeker · December 4, 2007

eichert12 wrote:

My favorite subjects to shoot are my three children. I'd like to get a beginner home studio/lighting setup that will allow me to start experimenting with portrait work. I'd like to be able to produce well lit candid shots similar in setup to these shots by Rick Orrell:

http://ricardo38.smugmug.com/gallery/1187960#55759574

I've exchanged a couple emails with Rick regarding his setup but I also wanted post here to see if anyone has any advice. I'd like to start with a beginning light setup since I'll just be learning the ropes and don't have too much cash to invest. At the same time I don't want to go so cheap that I waste my money on crap either. Do you have any recommendations for a basic home studio and lighting setup for a beginner?

As I said earlier, I think my primary subjects will be younger children as I have a few of those handy

Thanks,
Steve

ps - let me know if there is a better forum to post this in, as I debated where best to put it

Steve -

I am coming in a bit late on this thread, and perhaps you have already made your choice, but I wanted to give you yet another opinion!

I invested some $$ up front once I saw my friend's in-home studio setup and went with 3 Elinchrom 400BXs. For the high-key photos against the white paper, I use 2 Elinchroms to light the paper (one on each side pointing about 1/4 of the way in on each side), and the 3rd as a key light. I am using Westcott 24"x32" softboxes on all three lights.

Getting the right exposure on the paper vs. the subject takes a bit of time, but once you have the lights set up properly you will be amazed how great things look!

I set my background to 2 stops greater than my key light is set at - typically f16 for the background and f8 for the subject.

Here is a gallery of pics I just took recently with this setup:

http://www.knappimaging.com/gallery/3895297

If you are interested, I can post some pics of my actual setup. I have another shoot tomorrow evening and so I will be setting things up this evening..

-- Brian

eichert12 · December 4, 2007

Brian,

I haven't made my choice just yet so I appreciate your response. I'll definitely be checking out the lights you recommended!

I also think it would be great if you could post pictures of your setup! Being able to see people's setups helps a great deal.

Thanks,
Steve

eichert12 · December 28, 2007

I finally got around to getting the PVC pipe to build my stand. Now I need to find a good place to get a roll of the white paper. Any recommendations? I tried a local arts and craft store but didn't have any luck. I'm in the Philadelphia area.

Thanks,
Steve

seeker · December 28, 2007

eichert12 wrote:

I finally got around to getting the PVC pipe to build my stand. Now I need to find a good place to get a roll of the white paper. Any recommendations? I tried a local arts and craft store but didn't have any luck. I'm in the Philadelphia area.

Thanks,
Steve

Steve -

First of all, I apologize for not posting pictures of my setup. I have been consumed at my *real* job

I did take the pics, I just never posted them. I will see if I can do that this weekend.

I got my paper at Penn Camera (I am in the Northern VA area). I would imagine any camera shop in your area (if it is large enough) would either stock this stuff or could get it for you. I use a 9' wide roll, but I know they come in smaller sizes, too.

Brian

photocat · December 28, 2007

Am I the only one wondering why you don't try ambient light? Or a white sheet hanging from a wall or door? Why not try it out without added lights first...
especially since you say that you need to budget... There are such beautiful kids portraits to be made with natural light... Different of course then with lights, but hey... it might be worth a try too.

eichert12 · December 29, 2007

I stopped by a local camera store (Larmon Photo) and inquired about the paper, and while they did carry it the guy said it was "around $100" for a 109" by 36ft roll. I checked online when I got back and ended up ordering a roll from Adorama for $32, plus shipping which was expensive, but still ended up being more than half the price of what Larmon quoted.

I'm looking forward to it's arrival so I can begin to experiment. I only have one 580ex so I'll probably have to invest in some other lighting. I'm thinking about either getting another canon flash, an alien bee, or getting one of the strobist kits with the Vivatar flash. I haven't decided yet, so if anyone feels like swaying me one way over another feel free

Thanks,
Steve

Home Studio and Lighting for Candid Portraits of my Kids

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