home made studio help?

[marks211]

I have been asked to do a shoot at home and am looking for advice from people with more experience than a newbie like myself. I have 2 things I need advice on. Backdrop and lighting and am working to a budget.

Backdrop. I am an electrician by trade so I have built a nice backdrop stand from pvc conduit, which is collapsable into 1m sections for easy transport and was thinking of buying some curtains to hang from it. I was thinking black so creases aren't visible. Is this a good idea or is there something better to use?

Lighting. I have bought a yn468ii speedlight which I will be using on camera(will be purchasing wireless triggers next pay day lol) what would be the best advice when using the speedlight on camera as most articles I've read suggest using it off camera? Or would i be better using natural lighting?

I appreciate any advice

 

[psenior1]

the colour of the backdrop really depends on the type of look you are going for and age of the subjects. For me I'm not keen on black backdrops for kids, but it can work well for adults.

Don't use your speedlight on camera. Shoot natural light or buy a cheap off camera TTL cord from ebay for a couple of quid.

 

[marks211]

Ok thanks for that. I will try natural light. Apart from the obivious of being able to move the speedlight off camera why is it best to use it off? Could I not use it on then use some reflectors to bounce the light?

 

[Tizer]

without diffusing the light from the flash you will end up with shadows unless the background is a long way behind, you can use all sorts to do that, be it a plastic milk bottle, an umbrella a softbox etc. You would do best to use natural light from a window and some large white card to bounce it back to the other side of the subject. Depends what look you are going for really! You can always have a practice with bouncing the flash off the ceiling or even behind you. keep playing until you have the look you want

Spend a few hours on youtube, plenty on there!

 

[psenior1]

Ok thanks for that. I will try natural light. Apart from the obivious of being able to move the speedlight off camera why is it best to use it off? Could I not use it on then use some reflectors to bounce the light?

if the flash is on the same axis as the camera then shadows pretty much disappear, giving that flat, 2D, pocket camera type look. Keep it simple at first, use bare flash off camera, the shadows will be harsh but once you've experimented with that, then move on and start adding modifiers, being either bought or homemade. Once you've played with a couple of different modifiers then start adding reflectors. Don't try and do it all at once, there is no reason why you can't get some great images with just a backdrop, a speedlight and off-camera ttl cord.