[WhoRyder]

So finally i'm being paid (not much) for a Baby/Family shoot... the baby is 6 months old.... I am shooting with my Nikon D300, Nikon 50mm 1.8 & my Nikon 70-200vr 2.8...

i only have 2 flashes, no umbrellas or anything fancy and we plan on taking the shots in Central Park (hope we have Clear Blue Skies) & In their apartment...

help?

these are my flashes.... i really suck at shooting families and people.... my last shoot:

My Question is what can i do to make my images superb, i have great, top of the line equipment....

 

[RUFUS]

I'll let you in on my secret

http://strobist.blogspot.com

/thread.

 

[WhoRyder]

Nice, rufus, reading away.....

 

[WhoRyder]

Ordering me a Set os AlienBees B800 & umbrellas soon /Soft boxes soon.

 

[RUFUS]

Ordering me a Set os AlienBees B800 & umbrellas soon /Soft boxes soon.

You don't need any of that unless you are setting up a straight studio only, seriously.

$279 for the alienbees alone will get you a used SB-800 or another pocketwizard plus II transceiver.

SB-800/900's an umbrella, homemade snoots and baffle and a swiveling umbrella holder. Save your money for more glass or more flashes w/ pocket wizards.

 

[Silver]

Yep, you'll be fine with speedlights, especially with one subject, unless you need to overpower sunlight at f/16...

Umbrellas is the way to go.

 

[IH8Rice]

i agree. the baby shoot i did a few weeks ago, i used two flashes w/ umbrellas.

im doing a few more baby shoots too and im using the same setup.

babies can be a pain to shoot, since they go from pissed to happy in the blink of a eye.

 

[WhoRyder]

I'll post some of my results up here... and get some critique....

 

[Silver]

Just remember, when you're shooting babies, you don't need anything large.

A .22 will do just fine...

 

[RUFUS]

Yep, you'll be fine with speedlights, especially with one subject, unless you need to overpower sunlight at f/16...

Umbrellas is the way to go.

Use the sun as your main light and the SB as your fill.

 

[WhoRyder]

yes... i will, the shoot is this weekend....

here is a fun shot i took today of my daughter, she is a true sport!

 

[RUFUS]

yes... i will, the shoot is this weekend....

here is a fun shot i took today of my daughter, she is a true sport!

I like this style.

You've been doing some reading haven't you

 

[WhoRyder]

I like this style.

You've been doing some reading haven't you

got some great idea from a Few strobists sites...

thanks for hooking me up with that one site!

 

[RUFUS]

got some great idea from a Few strobists sites...

thanks for hooking me up with that one site!

No problem. It's amazing how much better your photography will be when some of the top people in the biz are very generous with their thought process and ideas.

My biggest moment was when I got to work with Joe Mcnally. One day with him was like reading 100 books and practicing for a year.

 

[Silver]

I love McNally's books. He's a crack up...

He can also shoot everything. I like that I can't look at a photo and say "McNally or a McNally rip off" right away.

edit: His books remind me of Anthony Bourdain's cooking books.

By the way, Dean Collins was a fantastic teacher as well. Don't miss this video:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2008/09/excerpt-dean-collins-live-at-brooks.html

 

[narlus]

My biggest moment was when I got to work with Joe Mcnally. One day with him was like reading 100 books and practicing for a year.

cool, splill some more details!

i just got the hot-shoe diaries and it's a good book.