Which mobile studio equipment?

lovelylass77

lovelylass77

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Hello,
Im a newbie Newborn photographer and have decided on the canon 600d as my first camera as its in my budget, what I need to know is what other bits will I need, I just want to get some bits ready so I can start practicing for when I do my workshops.

Do I need lights, backgrounds etc?

Any help appreciated
 
When you say workshops are you going to a workshop to be taught, or running one? If it's the former then check what kind of gear they're going to use, if it's the latter then that's rather worrying if you don't even know whether you need lights :-)

Given you've mentioned budget and portability.. as a starter for ten.. pickup a Yongnuo 565EX (new model), a cheap light stand, umbrella swivel, and a shoot through umbrella (be about £120 all in) then head over to http://strobist.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/lighting-101.html and read, experiment, rinse and repeat :-)
 
lovelylass77 said:
LOL no Im not teaching the workshop - now that would be very worrying lol
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:-) Have you booked a workshop? Although a lot of lighting theory is re-usable, it may be worth making sure whatever workshop you do covers lighting with equipment within your budget. If they whip out a profoto with a 5 foot octobank then you might need a 2nd mortgage to keep up ;-)
 
Yeah Im going on a one day workshop soon where they show me how to actually use the camera properly then Im off to a one to one Newborn workshop in November
 
As said, until you've been on the courses it isn't worth buying anything.

I am slightly worried by your comment "...and have decided on the Canon600D as my first camera as its in my budget..." No, not because there's an apostrophe missing ;), but I'm hoping there were other deciding factors to your purchase?

But as more or less said above, lighting systems vary vastly in both features, output and price. It will depend on many things as to what system you eventually need. This may be one or two speed lights or a pro standard location lighting setup like the Profoto 7B or similar. That said, most newborn stuff can be lit by one big soft box and a single studio mono head say 400/500W max.

Then there are backgrounds, props and so on that will again depend on your chosen style.
 
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Why are you worried about when I said I was going to go for the 600D? :)

Im just finding the whole thing confusing lol, everyone recommends different cameras but a lot of these are super expensive ones and yes they are probably fantastic but waaayyy out of my budget. Thats why when I have looked at the canon 550D and 600D these seem to be in price range

I wanted to get a camera to take on the workshops with me so Im actually learning on what I have.
 
I havent purchased the camera yet as I keep reading about other ones and getting myself even more confused lol :lol:
 
The 600D sounds like a reasonable choice to me - you have the wireless commander if you go down the speedlight route, the articulating screen is brilliant when you need to shoot low (which you may need to do for newborn) - the only thing I would say is make sure you get a good deal on it, as the 650D is out now.
 
LOL, I'm not worried about your choice... only the stated deciding factor. I'm a Nikon shooter so don't even know the Canon lineup that well.
By the way, I have NEVER bought a new camera, they have always been second hand ;)
 
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LOL

I was getting worried there :)

I watched a lot of videos and reviews on the 600D and it looked good - I have not used a canon or Nikon so couldnt say which is better lol

I just want to get going and start taking some shots :D
 
I have done yes ( my D7000) but also try any of the well known second hand camera outlets... MPB (they sponsor on here, I got my D3 from them), Grays of Westminster, etc see the sticky in the shopping, suppliers and bargains section :thumbs:
 
lovelylass77 said:
LOL

I was getting worried there :)

I watched a lot of videos and reviews on the 600D and it looked good - I have not used a canon or Nikon so couldnt say which is better lol

I just want to get going and start taking some shots :D
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In that case you should hold both in your hands and check out the menu systems, button layouts etc... they are quite different, I couldn't get on with Canon despite being a Canon user in the film days, so I went Nikon.
 
Yeah - I saw the thread where people advised you which camera to buy.

It cracked me up when they said you didn't need fast autofocus for babies. I've photographed 135 this week. Yeah, you need fast autofocus.
 
I know amazing newborn togs who use a window light some wrapping paper and a 50d, get a camera and learn it back to front then think about lighting but for newborns for the level your at i wouldnt bother making life harder with strobes, your not going to learn photography overnight and you will definitely not learn lighting overnight so dont try and do both :D google newborn photography natural light or forget going on your newborn workshop and check out the creative live one they did a few weeks ago with a world famous baby tog
 
You could argue that you only need manual focus! With babies it is all about your quick reaction to their expressions or gestures that makes a shot, if your autofocus is sitting there hunting about or in any way delaying your shot whilst it locks focus your shot can be missed. This can be down to the camera body or lens or both. You can also back button focus and shutter release is then purely firing off the shot.
As said, you need to master the camera then master everything else as and when you are ready.
 
V8burble said:
You could argue that you only need manual focus!
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You could argue lots of things ;)

Many of my favourite new-born shots are done at very shallow DOF. Getting that right in manual with a randomly moving target ain't easy ;)

I've shot babies with the Hasselblad which is the slowest focusing camera I own. But weapon of choice with an unknown baby would be the D3S with its patented faster-than-me AF.
 
Yes, of course I agree Jonathan.

All I'm trying to say is that it really depends on the photographer and their style of shot... at f/11 with a studio flash in a big soft box it makes no difference, but shallow DoF at f/1.6 it is essential (without a lot of luck).

Sorry to the OP, confusion wasn't the intension.

But back to your choice of camera... I would get what feels good in your hand, through the viewfinder and what 'fits you best' rather than wade through reviews. I started (digital) with a Nikon D200 with a grip which below iso 800 was perfect for me. In fact I use it for pro shoots now and I shoot with a D3 also. A camera is not for ever and can be swapped at any time. Swapping manufacturers is a bit more of a struggle depending on what lenses you build up but again not really a problem as many have swapped from Canon to Nikon (one or two might even have gone the wrong way too ;)) I can't speak for Canon bodies like I say but most modern bodies will do what you want them to do. I would go second hand and get a body a step up from what I could get new but some people just pref new :shrug:
 
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SJRobbins said:
the only thing I would say is make sure you get a good deal on it, as the 650D is out now.
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I have very recently purchased a 600d with the view to doing live music photography. I did loads of research and it was between the 600d and the 60d. A nice chap at my local (ish) Jessops store suggested the 600d as sales of the 60d were slowing and he heard a whisper that Canon were close to pulling it....
 
shieldz said:
I have very recently purchased a 600d with the view to doing live music photography. I did loads of research and it was between the 600d and the 60d. A nice chap at my local (ish) Jessops store suggested the 600d as sales of the 60d were slowing and he heard a whisper that Canon were close to pulling it....
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Lol, I wouldn't trust most staff in Jessops to know how to switch a camera on, never mind have insider knowledge of future product lines.

Perhaps they were pushing the 600d because they knew they'd probably have to discount them after the 650 came out? ;)
 
One thing I'd say before you make your choice of make ,or model go and try and hold them see which one feels right for you in the range you are looking at
I have a 20d,5d,and a 350d the 350 feels small and uncomfortable after using the others
 
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stev101 said:
One thing I'd say before you make your choice of make ,or model go and try and hold them see which one feels right for you in the range you are looking at
I have a 20d,5d,and a 350d the 350 feels small and uncomfortable after using the others
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LOL, you should try a D7000 after a D3. I also much prefer larger camera bodies especially with a portrait grip :thumbs:
 
treeman said:
Surely for new borns you wouldn't need anything more than a couple of speedlites?
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Gonna depend massively on your shooting style and the look you are going for. But I don't understand why newborns would be a more suitable subject for speed lights than anything else.

Studio lights are usually cheaper.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Gonna depend massively on your shooting style and the look you are going for. But I don't understand why newborns would be a more suitable subject for speed lights than anything else.

Studio lights are usually cheaper.
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Alright I'll clarify, if she's just doing newborns and nothing else, like lighting a Lorry in the middle of the day, then she's unlikely to need the higher power of studio strobes, that's all.

I've no idea about comparable costs though :)
 
OK so Im going to try them out tommorow before I commit to which one I decide on - watch this space....
 
The word 'mobile' in the thread title would perhaps mean speedlites are more suitable?
 
gman said:
The word 'mobile' in the thread title would perhaps mean speedlites are more suitable?
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That's what I thought initially (hence my cheap and cheerful strobist suggestion), but not sure whether it just means "taking to people's houses" portable, in which case it's probably cheaper to go down the entry level studio flash route I imagine.
 
Ok we are talking newborns so 99.9% sure a nice warm room... So mains electricity will be no problem.
As said, the OP hasn't even sorted out her camera purchase yet so lighting options are a little way off yet.
A bit of research and knowledge of the type of newborn photography she settles on will dictate the lighting she needs... if any.
 
We have 000's of £'s worth of studio and lights, for newborns we plonk then infront of a nice big window.

You will find it very very difficult to create light quality as good as window light especially on a budget and with speedlights.

My advice, don't buy any lights, use a window.

Whatever camera you buy, don't buy it with a kit lens, they're cheap, poor quality and wont produce the photos you want. Buy a body only deal and then add a 50mm f1.8
 
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