hey
ok word of warning - im very hung over - so this may be a little sketchy...
here goes...
as far as a lens goes, as long as you stay in a good 'portrait' range youl be fine, anything from 50-200 on your crop body will be perfect... i wouldnt advise going any wider as youl get quite abit of distortion, (unless thats the artistic effect your going for
)
to get you started with lights you really have two options, Small flash guns (canon 580ex etc), or large studio lights (bowens/elinchrom etc)... the pros and cons of each are:
Small flash guns:
- Pro
- very portable
- cheap
- small
- run on batteries
Con
- not to powerfull
- slow reload times
as you can imagen the reverse can be said for studio lights - there not very portable, can be quite expensive, but they are powerfull and have very quick reload times + have modeling lamps which are great for learning how to light a model.
once you have decided which source of light, the next stage is relivant to both - which ever you go for, you will need to modify and change the light, (the light dirrectly from a flash is small and harsh - not generally to flattering) if your going down a budget route, and are useing small flash guns, a member on here (flash in the pan) sells great affordable accsessories, and if your going for large studio lights, places like calumet and warehouse express do a vast range...
things you should consider getting: stands for each light, a triggering system to fire them both off, softbox/umbrellas, reflectors, snoots, beauty dishes etc etc... the list goes on and on
it really comes down to your personal preference.. and im guessing a lot of trial and error as your new to this... (a good start might be, some FITP triggers, 2x stands, 1x umbrella, 1x soft box, just to get a feel for things)
the next point for consideration is weather you want a background... if you decide you do, then there are a couple of options, one of the most popular (although i havent used one myself) is a hilite, (
http://www.lastolite.com/hilite-backgrounds.php) which are very portable and allow great light control...
the other option is to go with a more traditional background of paper/material/vinyl, supported either on brackets on a wall, or free standing support system... this is generally cheaper, but far less portable...
i mean thats your basic three part lighting set up... camera + lens --------- lights + modifiers -------------Background...
after all that all you need to do is learn to light things, and then be prepared to spend hours with random people/objects trying to get it right
(just read the post above, and i completly agree, where possible natrual light is far less hassle and can produce stunning results...)
anyway... post over...
