Quote: (05-06-2013 01:22 AM)lurker Wrote:
I think I'm going to do this. On a related note, I've been carrying around a GoPro Hero 3 whenever I go somewhere crowded. Dogs and girls love it. It adds to some mystery because there's no rangefinder or viewing screen; you just have to shoot from the hip and see what happens later.*
*I understand there's an app that syncs it to an iPhone or Android screen, but I haven't bothered with it yet.
For indoor modeling shoots, what sort of lighting equipment will I need?
Quote: (05-06-2013 01:22 AM)lurker Wrote:
I think I'm going to do this. On a related note, I've been carrying around a GoPro Hero 3 whenever I go somewhere crowded. Dogs and girls love it. It adds to some mystery because there's no rangefinder or viewing screen; you just have to shoot from the hip and see what happens later.*
*I understand there's an app that syncs it to an iPhone or Android screen, but I haven't bothered with it yet.
For indoor modeling shoots, what sort of lighting equipment will I need?
Studio Lighting - Where to Begin?
Regarding lighting for glamour/fashion photography - ask 100 photographers and you'll get over 100 answers. I"ll outline below what I've done.
1. First,
learn how light works. Before you buy a single piece of lighting gear, buy this book and absorb everything in it.
2. Learn where and how to buy used gear. There are a number of big photography sites that have a Buy/Sell section in their forum. One of the best is
Fred Miranda Forums. You should do this especially for lighting gear, but really for anything photography-related that you intend to buy. Find sellers with a long history of good feedback and buy with confidence. One advantage to buying used photography gear is that you will usually always get clear, detailed pictures of the gear because, well...they are photographers. Studio lighting gear tends to be more heavily discounted (compared to new price) when you buy it used. You can always find good clean lighting gear for around one-third to one-half the cost of new, whereas pro lenses in 9/10 condition often sell for 80% of the cost of new. You can also find good deals on eBay, but be sure you are dealing with a reputable eBay seller.
Adorama has a good presence on eBay and I've bought quite a bit of stuff from them.
3. Start with one light. A full-blown lighting setup for glamour/fashion might have anywhere from three to five (or even more) light sources along with reflectors or fill cards. It takes a long time to learn what do do with all that, so start with one light source
4. What brands to buy? You'll get opinions all over the map, but I like Dynalite power pack & flash head systems combined with PhotoFlex modifiers. Another tremendously good value is a Photek SoftLiter II - its kind of a hybrid modifier - sort of a cross between an umbrella and an octagonal softbox.
If I were building a studio lighting setup starting with nothing, I would buy this:
Used 8/10 Condition Dynalite Studio Flash Kit
Photek SoftLiter II Modifier
You'll also need some way to fire the flash system - you could fire it off a long sync cord/cable that runs from your camera to the flash power pack, but you'd be much happier with a RF trigger setup so you can fire the flash wirelessly. There are cheaper solutions, but PocketWizard is the industry standard.
Get a pair of these:
Pocket Wizard Plus X RF Transceiver
And this cable to connect one of the PocketWizard transceivers to the flash power pack:
Mini-phono plug to Household Sync Cable
Consider also your shooting background. Do you have a nice clean clutter-free background to pose your model? Even if you've got your crib nicely decorated, most peoples' living spaces, even if neat freaks, have more crap lying around than you realize, until you start making photographs with a good camera/lens and studio lighting. You'll either need to seriously clean up and de-clutter, or consider some kind of shooting background
like this.
As you can see, getting set up to do legitimate indoor photo shoots can require a lot of gear. You could probably get by with cheaper stuff, but what I've listed is pro-quality gear that will last forever and serve as a foundation that you can build upon.
Unless you've been doing photography for a while and are absolutely serious about this, I would start by doing outdoor shoots. The weather is starting to get cooperative in most parts of the US, so I would head outside with a
good camera/lens and a
collapsible reflector which can also be used as a white backdrop for indoor head and upper body shots.
Once you've gotten comfortable with your camera and are getting good results with natural light and the aid of a reflector, then invest in a a hot shoe flash (aka Canon Speedlite or Nikon Speedlight). Then go learn all about bounce flash and the
Black Foamie Thing.
After you've done all that and are still interested in photography and pointing your camera at hot girls, then come back and start pursuing formal studio lighting.
Photography is a tremendously rewarding pursuit, but keep your eye on the prize and don't be distracted by the common disease to which many photographers succumb, the dreaded
Gear Acquisition Syndrome.