NEW and jumping straight in !!!

A

Andy_Elb

Suspended / Banned
Messages
160
Name
Andy
Edit My Images
Yes
HI everyone im new to the forum and thought i would start my questions :)

I started taking pictures out in Rotherham centre for the nightclub scene but i really *** to feature into doing some studio kind of work.

I don’t have any experience with lights and don’t own any, so could do with help on what to get to start off with.

Im planning on doing some shoots with my girlfriend to practice in my flat and wanted to know if my living room would be ok if i bought the rite backdrops and lights. The room is 13.9ft by 20.7ft :)

The kit i have at the moment is:

Nikon D90
Nikon SB600
Nikon 10.5mm F2.8 G AF-S AF DX Fisheye
Nikon 35mm F1 G AF-S DX lens
Nikon 18-70 mm F3.5-4.5 G AF-S DX Lens.

I this ok for just starting out with or maybe a need a few more lenses? i dont know !!!

I might sound like a no brainer lol but its something i really want to get into and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Andy :thumbs:
 
Welcome, Im new here too but have been shooting in my home for several years.

Sounds like a rather big room. I also shoot at home, in a more limited space, and it works quite allright.

You dont mention any budget, so its hard to say what to buy. Best I guess would be to go eith some known brands like Elinchrome.

I started with cheap china flash and still use them.

You will also need some light modifiers like umbrellas and/or softboxes. Umbrellas are cheaper, easier to set up and fold, but are less directional, light wise. I use mostly shoot thru umbrellas and a room divider with some white fabric taped on ( im a low budget kind of guy =) ) when I need some really soft shadows.

Paper roll backgrounds are good as they are flat ( fabric is cheap but hard not to get wrinklefree ).

If you are on a really tight budget, you can also start with cheap 500w halogen lights and styrophome boards to diffuse the light, but its going to be hot, hard to move and light, and still not good enough shutter speeds.
 
Will your SB600 work wirelessly with your D90?

If so I would start with doing creative portraits using your SB600. If your g/f is willing get yourself outdoors to some interesting locations rather than your front room.

You may struggle with your lens line up for portraits, you ideally want something in the 50-100mm range. But start with the 18-70 and see how you get on.

I started with homemade backdrops, fabric from Ikea and a curtain pole.

If you do want lights there are a few decent reasonably priced two light starter kits about.
 
Well it all depends on do i need another Lens for this type of photography??

I would say i would not like to spend more than 1k for now.

:)
 
IM not sure if it works wirelessly but i can soon find that out, she woudnt mind at all going outdoors she is open to ideas just as much as i am :)

Just looked and yes i can get a TTL Remote Cord for the flash.
 
Andy_Elb said:
Well it all depends on do i need another Lens for this type of photography??

I would say i would not like to spend more than 1k for now.

:)
Click to expand...


Not yet.

The 18-70 will be fine for you to get started, then once you know which direction you're heading, go for a more specific lens.

At 20ft, you'll need the wider end of the lenses to get a full length shot in, as you've got a crop sensor.

I shoot people, and the next lens I'll add is a wide angle one in the 10-14mm range.

I use a superzoom, a 50mm prime and a 70mm prime.

Use what you've got for now and spend later
 
Cheers Jason :) i know pellepiano gave me some ideas on lighting, what would you sudgest on doin first with regards to what i should and shouldnt get?
 
get yourself a light stand, brolly adapter and umbrella (all pretty cheap - light stand £13 from 7dayshop, brolly adapter and brolly from flashinthepan! on this forum) for your sb600, and use the commander flash inside your D90 to tell the sb600 'what to do'.

Your 18-70 is a great lens, can more than cope with doing portrait stuff :)

if you then find you need another light, you could get a reflector dish (about £15) for shooting outside, or get another sb600 and stand etc...

work with what you've got for now... check out zack arias or strobist for guidance on using your light off camera.
 
Thats grea :D thank u for that, very helpfull indeed i dont know why its taken me so long to get on a forum like this and ask questions instead of not doing anythin at all.

Keep the comments coming poeple :) really helpfull..
 
Your camera and 18-70mm lens will be fine. Studio photography doesn't need to involve wide apertures and although you haven't got the best lens in the world, it doesn't need to be the best for this purpose.

Most beginners to lighting spend far more on cameras and lenses than they do on lighting, experienced people tend to go the other way, because they realise that lighting makes a far bigger contribution and so they spend more so that they can achieve more creative results.

Your living room is big enough and will allow some quite creative lighting, as your knowledge increases. Forget about halogen (and any other continuous lights) because you need flash.

That leaves you with 2 choices, hotshoe flashes used off camera, or studio flash (although of course you can use both together). Hotshoe flashes are a cheaper entry point, or at least they are if you go the 'boot sale' route, which will work perfectly well, but they make it much more difficult to get any kind of creative control. The advantage of studio lights, apart from the fact that they have much more power, is that you will have complete control of the quality of the light.

Please see this article on how to choose studio lighting and this one, which is the first of a series on light shaping tools - the all important modifiers that allow you to control the light.

There are some tutorials on the Lencarta website too.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Most beginners to lighting spend far more on cameras and lenses than they do on lighting, experienced people tend to go the other way, because they realise that lighting makes a far bigger contribution and so they spend more so that they can achieve more creative results.
Click to expand...

Just reached this tipping point myself, just waiting for mail from Garry that the Lencarta Safari heads are back in stock!

Hotshoe flash have been good to me though, and even in todays bright sun the 285 (with the home brew external power unit) managed to get reasonable results, although this was bare hard flash.

Out of character for me, but I've not 'shopped this one yet!
_IGP9749.jpg


However, the additional power from the Safari kit should give me a huge range of options, and the ability to use modifiers ( wonders if the Fresnel unit works with the Safari heads...)
 
Yes, the fresnel spot does work with the Safari heads:) - still don't know exactly when they will arrive:'(
 
Cheers Garry i have printed them off and il have a read of them articles tonight, Jason love that picture dued :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top