What sort of equipment do I require...

DaveyM

DaveyM

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Davey
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... for taking these sort of portraits?

http://www.blitzphoto.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/family-shoot-1.gif

I don't currently have a flash gun, nor do I have any lighting equipment or backdrops... but with my 30th birthday coming up in december, and christmas, my girlfriend wants to get me the equipment I would require, or at least a proportion of it.

As I say, all I have got is the onboard flash on my camera.

Any advice is appreciated.
 
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The white background could be as cheap as a paper roll or a last olive hi-Lite. The advantage of the hi lite is its easier in a small space, paper rolls in domestic size rooms are possible but will give you problems.

The subjects appear to be lit by a single light in a large soft box. Again there's a space issue, a large soft box needs a high ceiling.

All of the above lit by mains flash. So quite s lot of money. You might get away with flashguns but don't get sucked into believing it could be done with continuous lighting.
 
I believe that that photo belongs to someone else, you shouldn't post it on a forum if it isn't yours. Instead, you should have linked to it like this http://www.blitzphoto.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/family-shoot-1.gif

To answer your question, 2 x flash heads fired onto a white background, one flash head central and high up, some work on the computer, job done.
 
Garry Edwards, I would have linked it - but have done so in the past and been told off for linking externally. But based on my post, I would assume anyone reading it would be aware I'm not suggesting it is my own material.

That aside, thank you for your inputon equipment.

Thanks Phil, my budget is £400 so is there anything you would recommend for that?

Cheers!
 
All you need to get going is one flash, umbrella or softbox, a reflector, and a decent bit of wall.

But the shot you've linked above is a lot more complicated. For a pure white background, you need two lights for that, and a third for the main subject. Lighting the background is not too hard (though it's surprising how many struggle to get right) but for full-length or people on the floor, it gets much harder still. The problem is to get pure white, the background must be slightly over-exposed, but you can't do that when the subject is lying on it, so it becomes a question of very delicate balance and some skill in post processing. Having a large area to work in makes life a lot easier.

So without meaning to put you off, have a go with just one light (eg Lencarta Smartflash or Elinchrom D-Lite) and build your equipment and skills from there. Easily done within your budget.

Not sure on forum etiquette re posting pictures, but at the very least you should credit the photographer and provide a link to the source.
 
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As Richard said, it's a popular look but photographically is more challenging than it' sorth IMO.

I'd go as far as to say it became popular at the time when retouching got cheaper, as it's easier to do optimise your pictures in post to create the look.

There's loads more interesting stuff you can do with lights than a plain white background but it is popular.

You'll need a 3 head kit, a large softbox a reflector and background reflectors on the 2 background heads.

It's possible to buy 3 heads cheap from ebay / amazon but they aren't very good for tricky stuff, don't take standard modifiers and so you're looking at a kit from Lencarta / elinchrom.

Then add a background stand and paper, and a sheet of perspex to help the background paper under the subjects.

I'd say £400 would be pushing it unless you can find suitable s/h gear.
 
For your budget, I'd suggest either:

Option 1 - studio flash
Lencarta smartflash kit £320
http://www.lencarta.com/lighting-store/studio-lighting-kit/twin-head-mains-powered-starter-kit-504


A background support like this (there will be many other examples on eBay - if you don't go via eBay it will cost a lot more) £33:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Photo...Kit-2x3m-/170939898908?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

White paper background approx £45
e.g. http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/eng/p..._2_72m_x_11m_seamless_background_paper/cs2793

Yongnuo rf603 to wirelessly trigger the flash (you'll need to get the canon nikon version depending on your camera) ~ £20
e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Yongn...amAccess_RL&hash=item19d5e9abad#ht_4174wt_934

Total ~ £420


OR

Option 2 - speedlites
2 x Yongnuo YN560 = £90
e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yongnuo-Y...ories_CameraFlashUnits_JN&hash=item4ab88da346

Speedlite softbox ~£30
e.g.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/60cm-24-P...trols_Softboxes_Diffusers&hash=item20d583e513

Umbrella + bracket £8
e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Photo-Stu...o_Umbrellas&hash=item460eba64d8#ht_3349wt_958

2 x konig light stands ~£24
e.g. http://www.tvcables.co.uk/cgi-bin/tvcables/konig-light-stand-kn-ls10.html


NB - other items are then the same as option 1:

A background support like this (there will be many other examples on eBay - if you don't go via eBay it will cost a lot more) £33:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Photo...Kit-2x3m-/170939898908?_trksid=p2054897.l4275

White paper background approx £45
e.g. http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/eng/p..._2_72m_x_11m_seamless_background_paper/cs2793

Yongnuo rf603 to wirelessly trigger the flash (you'll need to get the canon nikon version depending on your camera) ~ £20
e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Yongn...amAccess_RL&hash=item19d5e9abad#ht_4174wt_934

Total ~ £260


Advantage of option 1 is that the flashes are more powerful and meant for studio work.

Advantage of option 2 is portability (i.e. can use the flashes for other photography outside of the studio) and obviously cost. However they are not as powerful as studio flashes so won't be as easy as option 1 to get what you want to achieve.

Ideally you'll need more lights that this, but its a start (if you want to add more then option 2 is the best for your budget) - just add more light stands, speedlites, light modifiers (softbox / umbrella etc)
 
I know everyone is correct when they say you could get this shot with three lights, and indeed you can... Bt to be honest, your life would be a lot simpler with four. Two for the BG, a key light on the right and a fill light either behind you as the shooter or to the left to get rid of any shadows on that side. A couple of spill kills for the back, a reasonable sized brolly or soft box for your key and a big soft box or brolly behind you for fill.

That extra light is not a necessity, but will make things much easier to light in the way you want.
 
right, having priced up some kit on WEX - it seems to have added up to £800 - double my proposed budget of £400...

However, my partner is still insisting she buys it for me to help me pursue some sort of portraiture work.

In the basket:

Interfit EX150 MKIII - 3 way kit (2 x 60cm square softboxes and an umbrella)
Sekonik L-308S light meter
Lastolite 1108 background support with a super white paper roll

Should I be looking to alter anything on this list? I'd like to keep 3 lights for versatility, I don't have a speedlight but my understanding is that, in an indoor studio setting, this shouldn't create too much of a problem... most definitely can not go over £800!

Also, it needs to be stuff available on WEX for the finance.

Thanks!
 
That seems pricey. There's a lot of love for lencarta on this forum. And for good reason, hard pressed for similar quality at that price.


Shop around. 800 seems pricey. Personally (an I went the long way round getting to my current kit) I'd look at the lencarta smartflashes (kit or individual heads). Bessel do great backdrops and soft boxes at a decent price.

S
 
You could drop the light meter entirely (probably not a good idea but do-able) or you could buy one second hand.
You could buy a cheaper background stand on Ebay, good enough for home use.
You could do much, much better on the lighting, for less money.

If the issue is ready cash, why not just buy less to start with? A decent quality twin head kit could cost just £300.
 
Thanks Sir SR - unfortunately I'm limited to where I can get the products from due to having to buy on finance, which in turn limits me to what I can get for my money (or in this case my GF's)

Garry Edwards said:
You could drop the light meter entirely (probably not a good idea but do-able) or you could buy one second hand.
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Thanks for your input Garry Edwards - I had considered this, but the thought of taking numerous trial and error shots until I was happy makes it seem almost essential for me.

Garry Edwards said:
You could buy a cheaper background stand on Ebay, good enough for home use.
Click to expand...

Have also considered this but quality concerns me, and as with many things from ebay you don't always know what you're going to get until it's too late.
You could do much, much better on the lighting, for less money.

Garry Edwards said:
If the issue is ready cash, why not just buy less to start with? A decent quality twin head kit could cost just £300.
Click to expand...

The problem is no cash whatsoever, other than to cover a small deposit. It's difficult to find the balance between good quality at a good price from somewhere that offer finance. :thinking:
 
If you're concerned about quality, Interfits don't have the best rep for build or reliability, though otherwise fine. Personally, if it's WEX I'd be looking at Elinchrom D-Lites.

And you have nothing left for additional modifiers, and they're the things that make the difference. Two small softboxes and an umbrella won't give you many options. Probably okay for white backgrounds though, if you're determined to jump in the deep end.
 
serious question - if you are fairly certain you have the ability to get shopping credit, then why not get apply for a credit card to free up where you buy from? Just a passing thought and you may not want to, but if you are going to do it on credit terms anyway.... it seems pointless to me buying something that really isn't what you need long term if you are going to be paying for it 'long' term, just because it happens to be what one shop you are limiting yourself to has.

oh, I have never owned a light meter, right from the off with speedlights, and studio lights - you have a digital camera with an lcd, and unlimited amount of shots to play with - given your budget limitations, I would say you can spend that money far better elsewhere, such as the modifiers Hoppy mentions. I am not saying wanting a meter is wrong, but it really isn't essential with modern equipment.
 
HoppyUK said:
If you're concerned about quality, Interfits don't have the best rep for build or reliability, though otherwise fine. Personally, if it's WEX I'd be looking at Elinchrom D-Lites.

And you have nothing left for additional modifiers, and they're the things that make the difference. Two small softboxes and an umbrella won't give you many options. Probably okay for white backgrounds though, if you're determined to jump in the deep end.
Click to expand...

Thanks Hoppy, I think I may ditch the background and support for now, freeing up about £150 (I can always improvise to get the background I want), as well as the light meter based on Yv's advice. I guess if it's a case of buying one to save me a few test shots but it's going to sacrifice quality of the rest of the kit I can get for my money then I don't need it.

Looking at the Elinchrom D-Lite 400 RX softbox kit, which comes with a pack of reflectors and adding an additional D-Lite One head, umbrella kit and stand brings me to my limit.

Yv said:
serious question - if you are fairly certain you have the ability to get shopping credit, then why not get apply for a credit card to free up where you buy from? Just a passing thought and you may not want to, but if you are going to do it on credit terms anyway.... it seems pointless to me buying something that really isn't what you need long term if you are going to be paying for it 'long' term, just because it happens to be what one shop you are limiting yourself to has.

oh, I have never owned a light meter, right from the off with speedlights, and studio lights - you have a digital camera with an lcd, and unlimited amount of shots to play with - given your budget limitations, I would say you can spend that money far better elsewhere, such as the modifiers Hoppy mentions. I am not saying wanting a meter is wrong, but it really isn't essential with modern equipment.
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Thanks Yv, it's my partner who'd be getting the credit - for some reason she's never been able to get a credit card but has never had problems getting finance - very strange. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty frustrating! I think I'm going to leave the light meter and background/support out the basket in exchange for better lighting equipment. Have listed the kit above in my reply to Hoppy ^

Anymore input would be hugely appreciated!
 
D-Lite One is my favourite entry-level head these days. So small and light, high spec including remote-control/triggers, just enough power, and usefully shorter flash durations. Perfect for solo portraits and couples, though power is marginal for larger groups, but remember that bumping the ISO one stop effectively doubles the flash power in exposure terms so that's an easy work around.

Specifically for white backgrounds, and to save a bit more, maybe two D-Lite Ones and one D-Lite 400. And yes, you don't need a meter, but for setting up multiple lights it makes life a lot easier and will also speed the learning process.

Looking forward (not for now, as you won't know exactly what you need) expect to spend more on modifiers.
 
DaveyM said:
..what sort of equipment do I need. for taking these sort of portraits?
Click to expand...


If you go to the home page of the site mentioned, blitzphoto.co.uk, you will see exactly the sort of equipment used on their home page slideshow.
 
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Fair point Bayrunner, the perils of diving on Google Images without looking at the source website in the first place. Still, this thread has offered alternative ways and gave some additional pointers to consider! Cheers!
 
Bayrunner said:
If you go to the home page of the site mentioned, blitzphoto.co.uk, you will see exactly the sort of equipment used on their home page slideshow.
Click to expand...

Fortunately for all the 'experts' it's exactly as predicted. Although that shot is a great example of what's needed to do 'white background' shots well and should serve as a warning to people trying to do it with a couple of lights in a spare bedroom.;)
 
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