Flash setup for school and kindergarten pics
digital
you do not have much of a choice if you are offereing a package type deal, what
i mean is that if the lab requires the exposure to be the same on frame one as
it must be on the last frame as well then you will have to setup a light pattern
that you can use for both.
so you will have to setup two lights next to the camera that will cover the
largest group evenly from the left to the right. you will use this same light
setup for the individuals as well, is it pretty heck no. does it work very much
so. will your general parent no what they are looking at light wise, NO. will it
be easier for you then setting up a group shot and then resetting up for 15
individual shots then resetting up the group shot then setting up the portrait
again for the next class, you bet it will be easier..............you really have
no other choice.........
eric
Geir wrote:
> I am planning to offer my services at several local schools. I will take
> their portrets and group shots.
> I have 2 x 500w studio flashes( is it spelled flashes, hmm?) som accesories
> a nice backdrop, and of course ...... a camera. Well, I would like You to
> give me some advice. How should I set up my flashes to take the most decent,
> flattering portrait? (the portrets will be head/chest)
>
> Is there any good resources on the web for flash techniques?
Geir
Geir
Well, I thought of takeing all the portraits first. Then move my setup
uotside if the weather allows that, or move it inside to a suitable place.
I was asking advice on the specific portrait session. Thx
D.Grabowski
Though it would be nice to work with a little creative light, maybe a
strong backlight and use the other as a main from 45 deg. or so from
the side and a reflector for fill from the other side. This would
allow for some depth and texture to the images. In reality your
probably best off with the typical large fill light over the camera
and the 45deg off and above camera axis main light. I say this because
it will work safely for nearly all subjects though a tad unflattering
or rather common looking. You might dress it up a little with some
minor vignetting, one that compliments your background.People don't
expect too much dramatics from school pictures anyway, as long as it's
a reasonable rendition of the child and not harsh looking it will
pass. Flat lighting is easier yet to arrange and you just worry about
posing posture and a reasonable expression , sit them down and blast
away you won't have time for individual character lighting.
Consider offering extended services for off school hours for parents
that may be interested in more formal portraits of their child, with
this you can tailor the lighting for the individual, selecting the
best backdrop and posing side of the persons face as well as offering
some background displays and custom print options.
Regards,
David Grabowski
Peter Madeley
from "Geir" <g-a...@online.no> contains these words:
> I am planning to offer my services at several local schools. I will take
> their portrets and group shots.
> I have 2 x 500w studio flashes( is it spelled flashes, hmm?) som accesories
> a nice backdrop, and of course ...... a camera. Well, I would like You to
> give me some advice. How should I set up my flashes to take the most decent,
> flattering portrait? (the portrets will be head/chest)
> Is there any good resources on the web for flash techniques?
Main light at 45o to subject, fill next to camera on opposite side.
Shoot at f5.6/f8. Don't bother with 35mm or a tripod. Go hand held
with a motor winder, there isn't time to critically adjst a tripod
for each child. Take an assistant to organise the children while you
work. Make the first shot of each new roll of film a white card with
your name and address and the school name. That way if there is a mix
up at the lab your details are on the negs.
This is a very difficult niche in the market you are going at. The
marketing is the hardest part, not the photography. What will be your
turnraound time? What packages can you put together? as parents are
used to being given the option of 7x5, 10x8 or larger. Enprints only
are not enough. I would suggest you think about setting up a small
studio. Desk, bookcase, glode, atlas on desk etc. to give a more
natural 'setting' than just a child against for example a sky
background. Go into the school to speak to the principal/headteacher.
Book a whole morning to do the shot. Expect less than 100% sales from
parents and some come back if the shots end up with shut eyes or a
less than acceptable expression, from the parents and some will NEVER
be satisfied. This is nearly as stressful a shoot as doing a wedding,
although if it all goes belly up, youo can always go back and do them
again. I would think this through very carefully, particulalry if
you're just strating out with commercial portraiture. I speak from
experience as a teacher in a school who is often asked to do
'portrait production line' type shoots on fund raising days.
Having said all that, the photographer who took our school portraits
last year made a real mess of them. I took some staff portraits which
were far superior and I did it for nothing. I know several parents
were disappointed. Unfortunately the same photographer has been
booked again for this Fri. as he been doing it for the last umpteen
years and the heads wished to maintain a loyalty. We have agreed to
disagree on this matter.
I wish you all the best but do not envy you at all.
--
Peter (DPS Design Photography Services)
Treat every day as if it were your last
'Cos one day you'll be right
Regards and happy shooting
digital
Peter Madeley wrote:
> The message <7avi3p$r2b$1...@readme.online.no>
> from "Geir" <g-a...@online.no> contains these words:
>
> > I am planning to offer my services at several local schools. I will take
> > their portrets and group shots.
> > I have 2 x 500w studio flashes( is it spelled flashes, hmm?) som accesories
> > a nice backdrop, and of course ...... a camera. Well, I would like You to
> > give me some advice. How should I set up my flashes to take the most decent,
> > flattering portrait? (the portrets will be head/chest)
>
> > Is there any good resources on the web for flash techniques?
>
> Main light at 45o to subject, fill next to camera on opposite side.
> Shoot at f5.6/f8.
how are you going to get an even lighting on a group of 35 kids with a main light
at 45degrees, it aint gonna happen, you just need to put two lights above the
camera.........
no other choice for this situation.....
zeitgeist
>
> I am planning to offer my services at several local schools. I will take
> their portrets and group shots.
> I have 2 x 500w studio flashes( is it spelled flashes, hmm?) som accesories
> a nice backdrop, and of course ...... a camera. Well, I would like You to
> give me some advice. How should I set up my flashes to take the most decent,
> flattering portrait? (the portrets will be head/chest)
>
> Is there any good resources on the web for flash techniques?
You could check out the library or a good camera store for a book on
basic lighting, as it would be hard to do it all on a usenet post. I'm
sure you have some basic idea, and perhaps you should ask a more
specific question, or relate a problem.
The school pix industry is rather competitive with low margins. Lots of
packages priced at rates about what we pay just for the prints. Most of
the school shooters run their own labs.
What country are you from, (.no?)
Peter Madeley
from digital <digita...@mindspring.com> contains these words:
> Peter Madeley wrote:
> > The message <7avi3p$r2b$1...@readme.online.no>
> > from "Geir" <g-a...@online.no> contains these words:
> >
> > > I am planning to offer my services at several local schools. I will take
> > > their portrets and group shots.
> > > I have 2 x 500w studio flashes( is it spelled flashes, hmm?) som accesories
> > > a nice backdrop, and of course ...... a camera. Well, I would like You to
> > > give me some advice. How should I set up my flashes to take the most decent,
> > > flattering portrait? (the portrets will be head/chest)
> >
> > > Is there any good resources on the web for flash techniques?
> >
> > Main light at 45o to subject, fill next to camera on opposite side.
> > Shoot at f5.6/f8.
> how are you going to get an even lighting on a group of 35 kids with a main light
> at 45degrees, it aint gonna happen, you just need to put two lights above the
> camera.........
> no other choice for this situation.....
Agreed for group shots of this size. Because he mentioned usign a
backdrop, I was assuming Geir meant individual and brother/sister
type family shots, not team lineup type. Sorry should have made my
point more clearly. I suppose my suggestion about setting up a small
studio should have come sooner in the post. I'll stand in the corner
for a few minutes. An' me a teechur an' all!!!!
Peter
Bernard
Jerry Hammond
> Geir wrote:
> >
> > I am planning to offer my services at several local schools. I will take
> > their portrets and group shots.
> > I have 2 x 500w studio flashes( is it spelled flashes, hmm?) som accesories
> > a nice backdrop, and of course ...... a camera. Well, I would like You to
> > give me some advice. How should I set up my flashes to take the most decent,
> > flattering portrait? (the portrets will be head/chest)
> >
> > Is there any good resources on the web for flash techniques?
>
> basic lighting, as it would be hard to do it all on a usenet post. I'm
> sure you have some basic idea, and perhaps you should ask a more
> specific question, or relate a problem.
>
> The school pix industry is rather competitive with low margins. Lots of
> packages priced at rates about what we pay just for the prints. Most of
> the school shooters run their own labs.
Talk about low rates. I was just in my son's school and picked up a flyer
in which the photog offering school pix offered a package at a lower rate
(by 10%) than I get for a similar package from my custom lab...
Best,
Jerry
Geir
I am from Norway. And I thougt of the typical (one person) portrait when
posting this msg. Ok, I have tried out Your suggestions on wife and kids :)
And have to wait a few more days to see the results.
I haven't seen the results yet but felt that the: "softbox over and
slightely to the left of the camera, and the smallest honeycomb pointed at
the background (hope for some vignetting effect) light was f/8 at the model
and f/8 at the background "
I am not into this studioflash thing yet so I wonder one more thing: Should
I have used an silver umbrella instead of the softbox for main light?"
Thanks Geir,
You are really helping me out here !!! (I am broke, out of money,
.....etc.... I have to, either earn some money from my camera or sell it,
hmmmf.)
Jerry Hammond
sent to the cited author.]
Hey, whoever you are, this is the second post that I've printed out for
my files this week. Good post--its a keeper!
Best,
Jerry
In article <7c271v$emf$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>, esq...@cntinet.net says...
> In article <7bc7lv$rqm$1...@readme.online.no>,
> "Geir" <g-a...@online.no> wrote:
> > Thanks for lot of tips and hints !!!
> >
> >
> > I haven't seen the results yet but felt that the: "softbox over and
> > slightely to the left of the camera, and the smallest honeycomb pointed at
> > the background (hope for some vignetting effect) light was f/8 at the model
> > and f/8 at the background "
>
> Honeycombs really suck up a lot of light. For a background, you can shove
> the head right up close to the background and get your fall off, even if your
> exposure is blowing out at the point of aim, that should be hidden down
> behind the subject anyway. Dean Collins used a barebulb many times. In
> fact, when using paper backgrounds, usually a medium grey, he was cut a hold
> in the paper and point the tube through the hold towards the subject, (the
> head is placed behind the paper.) He would also wrap a color gel around the
> flash tube, say red, and the tip would be a contrasting color, say blue. So
> the head would have a rim of blue light surrounded by a red,fading to black
> background.
>
> I would use the honeycomb more for a hair/kick light and get your background
> vignette by using a vignette on the lenshade.
>
> >
> > I am not into this studioflash thing yet so I wonder one more thing: Should
> > I have used an silver umbrella instead of the softbox for main light?"
>
> Silver umbrella can be rather contrasty. don't forget, most of the light that
> hits the subject is actually reflected off the flatish section at the back of
> the umbrella. think about it, it is like reflecting off a flat silver
> reflector, only the curl sends some light up to the ceiling,some to the floor,
> some into your lens, some splashing on the background. Your effective light
> size from, say a 36inch (one meter for you meteric types) is maybe 12 to 18
> inches.
> >
> > You are really helping me out here !!! (I am broke, out of money,
> > .....etc.... I have to, either earn some money from my camera or sell it,
> > hmmmf.)
>
> Photography has the highest mark up of retail services. From a business,
> industrial aspect of the art and skill on the local shop merchant level, you
> can make more money for the least upfront investment in time and tools. I'm
> not talking the big bucks guys commanding tens of thousands for their images,
> either photographer or artist, but the wedding and family portrait guys, as
> compared to painters hawking scenics of countrysides and beaches in the local
> arts fairs.
>
> Here in America, the most profitable photography is high school seniors.
> These guys average 3 to 400 bucks each and can run 4 students an hour all day
esq...@cntinet.net
long in a couple months. (Not the contracted photogs who shot all the
students in the most boring head and shoulders suit and tie or cap and gown
poses, they only average less than a hundred per, but still that's alot of
money, and the head and shoulder or cap and gown shots are the ones most
ordered from either studios.)
Kids shots can be very profitable, but you have to do things the shopping
malls can't. What is popular here is the hi key all white clothes and props.
You flood a white background, or pearl pastel grey, and dress the kid(s) in
white jeans and turtle necks sweaters (pullies?) and let them play with props
that have been sprayed white. works great especially if you can come up with
props that suggest the profession or hobby of the dad, fishing poles, tools,
an old adding machine with lots of unraveling paper.
I'm trying to push third and forth generation portraits. These turn into
family reunions, so not only do you have the four generations, but lots of
family groups, it turns into almost as many images as for a wedding, without
a nervous bride, and no wedding to distract you from the posing for pictures.
At portrait prices, not wedding prices.
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