Do I need Backdrops and Lighting?

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geminip

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Pauline
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My first photography job will be taking photos of approx 50 children at a local nursery in a few weeks.

My aim is to take natural shots both inside and Out. I dont own any lighting or background/backdrops etc as im just starting out. Should i invest in any of these or see what i can produce without?
 
just use the best glass you can lay your hands on
the interesting shots from a shoot like that will be all about depth of field
 
Depends on what style of shots you are after, something which only you can decide, but be careful with the lighting, some nurseries are poorly lit and may need additional lighting.

If this is your first job then this is your first opportunity to market yourself, so don't leave anything to chance.
 
Am i being thick.....Glass?

I have lots of experience taking photos of children with my daughter and nephews and have captured some great shots.

Although this is taking shots of children i dont know and hoping Parents will like and buy.

Sigh me luck :)
 
glass=lens
 
Im hoping to get a lot of the shots outside (weather permitting). The nursery has lots of natural light inside so hopefully will be ok.

I do feel under pressure to get this one right although the lady i am dealing with is quite relaxed and happy with my ideas for the shoot.

The photographer from last year did not impress her or the parents with their photos so maybe this could be to my advantage.

:)
 
I only have lens that came with my Canon 40d ( EFS 18-55mm) and also a Tamron AF 70-300mm Tele Macro lens which i have not used much to be honest.
 
You may want to look at renting some better glass from Lenses for hire (StewartR on here). I don't do Canon so I may be wrong but if the lights not to good you may need a faster lens than the kit.

Andy
 
Your equipment is fine. The best photos will come from the actions and expressions of the children. You just have to encourage them, and be ready when the moment comes. A reflector would be good, especially indoors, to fill in the shadows away from the window. Sheet of card is fine.

Try to get down low and mix it with them. Also use your long lens to pic out a few candids when they are unaware. I would also try to bone up on fill-flash; it works really well against the light. Your in-camera flash will be fine, but you may want to turn it down and not let it dominate the pics.

Good luck :)

Edit: nail the focus on their eyes
 
Thanks for the advice hoppy.

I know its so important not to miss the shot when kids do something unexpected. I have a 7 year old and 2 young nephews so have had lots of practice.

I just hope it all goes well as this is the first opportunity i have to market myself and hope to get further work through parents etc and other nurserys.

:)
 
HoppyUK said:
Your equipment is fine. The best photos will come from the actions and expressions of the children. You just have to encourage them, and be ready when the moment comes. A reflector would be good, especially indoors, to fill in the shadows away from the window. Sheet of card is fine.

Try to get down low and mix it with them. Also use your long lens to pic out a few candids when they are unaware. I would also try to bone up on fill-flash; it works really well against the light. Your in-camera flash will be fine, but you may want to turn it down and not let it dominate the pics.

Good luck :)

Edit: nail the focus on their eyes
Click to expand...

I will definately agree with the nail the focus on the eyes thing and the being ready when the moment comes athough I'd say you need to know before this so your finger is on the shutter when it happens and the moment is captured. If you see the moment and push the shutter is has generally gone and you've missed the best part.

If you are shooting to sell the images to parents you need the photos to be only of the child in question and the background as out of focus as possible making the child really stand out in the frame. I would say that you might struggle with the lenses you've mentioned as the depth of field with the lowest aperture will still be quite large. Not only that you will probably struggle indoors due to the low light levels. Of the two i would probably shoot with the 70-300 as you can be further away so they act natural plus the DoF is much narrower at longer focal lengths.

Fill in flash is indeed very useful to balance stong light outdoors but based on experience I would personally avoid using the on camera flash as it can be a little harsh and create more problems than it solves. Using a proper hotshoe mounted flash with a bounced stofen is the way to go. However, if you have no choice but to use the 450D flash try to diffuse it in some way.

Another tip iI'd definately give you is to get down to the height of the child and shoot at their level. Works with Animals too :lol:

Good luck - In the nicest possible way I think you'll need it
 
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