light

[inyourface]

Well im trying to take some nice pics of my children and ive bought several backdrops and wood floor pattern vinyl ect.
got the stand
but one thing im struggling to work out is which is best, either a flash or constant light and what the difference is.

now i dont have a big budget for which one i buy maybe around 200-£250.

i already have 3 yongnuo flash and the wireless recievers thingys.


so what should i buy and can i use the flashes i already have or does it all need to be wired into the camera?

cheers all

 

[Phil V]

It really depends what you want to achieve, but (to coin a phrase) I wouldn't have set off from here.

To get a great portrait of your kids; you need a light source and a camera. Once that's sorted, you can think about backgrounds sets and props.

From where you are, I'd buy stands, brollies, possibly a snoot (flashbender?) and a softbox and a 5 in 1 reflector. Or maybe a single light kit with a softbox and the above.

Buy 'The speedlighters handbook', start simply with one child at a time, a single light, and build from there.

I guarantee you will have a nightmare if you attempt multiple children, multiple lights and props. Have a look at some of the great work in the people photo section, and how simple most of it is, because the most important ingredient is the connection with the subject, which you will lose if you complicate too much.

 

[inyourface]

thanks phil

i was thinking of doing 1 child at a time as my wife would like a big decent picture of each child, i know im not going to get expert results but we all gotta learn.

i appreciate your help and will take your advice.

thanks agian

 

[Sir SR]

It really depends what you want to achieve, but (to coin a phrase) I wouldn't have set off from here.

To get a great portrait of your kids; you need a light source and a camera. Once that's sorted, you can think about backgrounds sets and props.

From where you are, I'd buy stands, brollies, possibly a snoot (flashbender?) and a softbox and a 5 in 1 reflector. Or maybe a single light kit with a softbox and the above.

Buy 'The speedlighters handbook', start simply with one child at a time, a single light, and build from there.

I guarantee you will have a nightmare if you attempt multiple children, multiple lights and props. Have a look at some of the great work in the people photo section, and how simple most of it is, because the most important ingredient is the connection with the subject, which you will lose if you complicate too much.

+1

Phil has hit the nail on the head! The hardest thing I find is getting the two kids to play nicely together - so I could get a technically nice pic but it's pants because of their interaction/expression!

Try to involve the kids and make it fun for them. They're more likely to be interested and give you good expressions.

Once you have your lighting set up, try to concentrate on your interaction with the kids and hopefully you'll catch a good expression!


Good luck

Shaheed