first time shooting a 'model' but with limited gear, tips?

rampanthamster

rampanthamster

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hi all, i'm doing a favour for a friend in a few days - i'll be shooting a burlesque model out and about on the streets (she's choosing/chosen locations). Now, i've never done 'model' type shots before, and she knows this...and she also knows that i only have a single flash gun and no fancy gear like umbrellas or reflectors.

My question is, how should i go about this in terms of lighting her? I do have a tripod that i could put the flash on if necessary.

My flash is an sb-700. i've got a d700 on the way, but i'm not sure if i'll have it in time. So i may be using my d90 with a 50mm 1.4. Although i am also on the brink of caving in and getting a 24-70 2.8 from jessops on the credit card :D

any tips very gratefully received, as even though this is a free favour, i don't want to look like i have NO idea when it comes to the lighting...thanks!

EDIT: Here's some shots i got from the day, thanks again:

(possibly nsfw?)

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=348941
 
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interesting link, thanks. Hmmn, i'm thinking perhaps i should get a brollie and stand. Just something basic, mind. How much could i get something in store (jessops i guess?), as i'll need it by friday.
 
Don't forget somthing to hold the stand to the floor if the shoot is outside, they get blown over very easily.
 
The one thing I have to question is why did you arrange a shoot with a model if you are having to ask these questions?


Surely it would have been better to sort out how you would manage a shoot before hand?


do you have any other lenses?

as you are shooting this outside you'll probably not need flash although you should invest in a reflector - one of those 5 in 1s from ebay will do the job.


get the locations before the shoot so you can scout the area and see what you are going to be using.
 
Little John said:
Don't forget somthing to hold the stand to the floor if the shoot is outside, they get blown over very easily.
Click to expand...

thanks - do they sell specific things for that or can i just weigh it down?

ok - so can anyone recommend a place on the high street where i can get a basic umbrella/stand/clamp set up for a decent price? I'm in london
 
POAH said:
The one thing I have to question is why did you arrange a shoot with a model if you are having to ask these questions?


Surely it would have been better to sort out how you would manage a shoot before hand?


do you have any other lenses?

as you are shooting this outside you'll probably not need flash although you should invest in a reflector - one of those 5 in 1s from ebay will do the job.


get the locations before the shoot so you can scout the area and see what you are going to be using.
Click to expand...

i know what you're saying - but she's only just confirmed that she'd like me to do it, and i'm doing it for free and as a favour. As i said, i never do this kind of shooting, hence why i don't have the gear. In fact, when she first asked me to do it, she didn't even think i had any type of flash.

I don't have the time to go and scout the locations etc, and quite honestly, whilst i want to do as good a job as i can, i don't think i can afford to invest TOO much time beforehand for this shoot.

I was only thinking to get the umbrella / stand because a) i want to do a good 'semi pro' type job and b) it may come in handy in the future.

I'll look into the reflectors, but again - i think i may need to get something in the high street as the shoot is on friday and i'm not sure i'll be in to collect post. She's brining a friend along - i guess the friend can hold / angle the reflector, right? Or do i put it on a stand or tripod. Sorry for my newbie questions - really know next to nothing about lighting. Thanks again :)
 
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Calumet
Drummond Street
93-103 Drummond St
London, NW1 2HJ
020 7380 1144
But you have to pay high st prices the internet is a lot cheaper however you don’t have the time.
I use sports leg weights but anything heavy will do
 
paulminus273 said:
Calumet
Drummond Street
93-103 Drummond St
London, NW1 2HJ
020 7380 1144
But you have to pay high st prices the internet is a lot cheaper however you don’t have the time.
I use sports leg weights but anything heavy will do
Click to expand...

perfect, i live and in nw1 so i'll pop along at lunch if i get the time. thanks
 
Another point you can get away with using the d90 pop up flash to fire your sb700 but in bright sun light it may not be that reliable
 
paulminus273 said:
Calumet
Drummond Street
93-103 Drummond St
London, NW1 2HJ
020 7380 1144
But you have to pay high st prices the internet is a lot cheaper however you don’t have the time.
I use sports leg weights but anything heavy will do
Click to expand...
I think Calumet have their umbrellas half price at the moment. (Popping down to my local one later today myself to see if they have any in stock.)

I did my first model shoot this weekend - some pics here. It was a speedlight training course so the lights were set up for us but a really simple set up - most of these were taken with a single speedlight into umbrella.
 
Thanks guys. Will head down later and take a look. If I do just go the reflector route would it just be a case of getting someone to hold it and angle it, or should I get a stand and clamp?
 
I did a similar shoot recently, and just used a single flashgun for fill for the shots where I wasn't relying solely on available light.

IMG_7133.jpg
 
rampanthamster said:
thanks - do they sell specific things for that or can i just weigh it down?
Click to expand...

Argos sell weights for the gym that velcroe around the wrist/angle that work well, or just use your camera bag and cord with a carabina clip

and yes, stands fall over. I've just had to send a flashgun off for repair :bang:
 
thanks guys...just got back from the shop. Got an umbrella that can also be used as a reflector, a stand and clamp and....a 24-70 nikon 2.8. Just couldn't resist. First bit of 'pro' glass i've ever owned and oh boy is it nice. Now i can't wait until my d700 arrives!
 
Lol! You spent a teeny bit more than you'd planned then?! :D Nice lens - enjoy!
 
May be a good idea to have a play before hand, it will give you much more confidence on the day, just 1/2hr will be plenty to get your head around the 2 different exposures (background with the camera and the model with the flash). Then enjoy and have some great shots.
 
paulminus273 said:
That what I mean, how?
Click to expand...

like i said hit quote on my post to see how but basically you put

[ url=your url here ] your text [ /url ] (with no spaces inside the square brackets- i had to put them in to get the code to show)
 
thanks i will try that when I haven't got 1/2 a bottle of brandy in me, if I am spouting C**p to night you know why
 
thanks guys - will definitely be practicing with it tomorrow evening and shall check out the links. I have to say though, the 24-70 is just a DIFFERENT class. I thought my tamron 17-50 was good, but wow...(5x the price though, so hardly a surprise i suppose!)

Can't wait to really put it through its' paces.
 
paulminus273 said:
That what I mean, how?
Click to expand...
Easiest way is to just highlight the word/s you want and then click on the hyperlink icon (blue and green world thingy) and copy and paste the link in the pop up box. That puts the URL tags in for you.
 
if you haven't used off camera lighting before, just don't light. See the natural light, relax and talk to your model, have a great time and make some great pictures.

Otherwise, you'll be stressing over lighting ratios and whatever the whole time... will just result in awkward looking pictures.
 
Dave beat me to it. You don't need off camera flash to take photos of someone.

The sun is a lot less fiddly to use than brollies and stands and hoping your optical slave works in daylight with a brolly between you and the flash.

Your D90, 50mm and the sun are capable of producing results way beyond what you're probably hoping for. Just go out and shoot what looks good. :thumbs:
 
big soft moose said:
what this fancy linky thing ? hit quote to see how ;)
Click to expand...

Yup - first pic - see how he has the lighting stand.

I've done this, with probably the same stand. The legs don't go out very far and the slightest wind catches the big sail of the brolly, which results in one brolly with bent arms and the diffuser bust off the flash gun. £60 repair from fixation. The better lighting stands (I now have access to bowens studio flash) are heavier and go twice as wide.

Or you can do what I did the other night, which is to move the stand, the flash falls off even though I had those screwed mounts and breaks the diffuser. Yup, my flash is winging it's was off for repair again :bang:
 
Byker28i said:
Yup - first pic - see how he has the lighting stand.

I've done this, with probably the same stand. The legs don't go out very far and the slightest wind catches the big sail of the brolly, which results in one brolly with bent arms and the diffuser bust off the flash gun. £60 repair from fixation. The better lighting stands (I now have access to bowens studio flash) are heavier and go twice as wide.

Or you can do what I did the other night, which is to move the stand, the flash falls off even though I had those screwed mounts and breaks the diffuser. Yup, my flash is winging it's was off for repair again :bang:
Click to expand...

That was a great day 3 models between 2 of us, no wind so he don’t need the tent pegs or weights, set up cost about £100 for yn flashgun, radio trigger, light stand and brolly.
For me this is the way to go, no squinty eyed models, no assistant needed, but it is all about what suits each person, one of the reason s we use dslr’s and not p&s is to be different
 
interesting that some people are now suggesting just sticking to natural light! I think what i might do is take the flash/brollie but start off just shooting with natural light. I'm not sure if she has a few indoor locations in mind as well, so it'd be good to have the flash if i need it, rather than not have it at all.

One thing though...should i at least make use of a reflector? Her friend can hold it...
 
I would use natural light if the conditions allow, just try pay close attention to what the light is actually doing and if the model is squinting due to strong sunlight. I would take a reflector too so you have more options. Remember the look will be subject to the time of day and how "hard" the available light is. Shadows can be dark and well defined compared to studio lighting so pay close attention to the side of the nose and under the eyes etc, and maybe use the reflector for fill.
 
yes, if you've got a friend handy, a reflector will likely come in handy - unlike flash you can see the immediate benefits of it instantly, as it's moved about - no chimping needed.

Cecile is a lovely photographer, hardly ever uses light. reflector, assistant, done. stress over your photos, not your gear.
 
thanks again guys. Will certainly source a reflector then. Will post results on friday! (well, maybe haha, unless i bomb)
 
Why not see if there is anyone else on here that may give you a hand , two heads are better than one .
 
hey guys, just reporting back as promised. Was an interesting day yesterday. Spent about 4 hours with the model and her friend, and shot in 3 locations. The last of which was just by the canal in camden, using natural night - which was definitely the easiest area to shoot in as i wasn't mucking about with flashes/umbrellas etc. Any way, i think i learnt a bit, and hope that i could use this learning experience for any future shots. Here's a few shots i posted in the glamour section of the forum. There's no nude shots or anything like that, but there's a few that might be considered NSFW so be careful

many thanks again for the advice

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=348941
 
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