Photoshoot Qs
 

Hey guys,

I've really been itching to get into the whole model and fashion photography and had a few questions for those who are more experienced with this side of photography!

I was going to start doing this a few months ago but school took up a lot more time than I thought it would. I've got a bit more time this term so I should be able to do a shoot or something at least 2-3 times a month.

My current lighting equipment is an SB600, YN460II, some triggers and umbrellas. I know it's not the greatest but I can't justify spending the money on pocketwizards just yet :P. I recently ordered a backdrop stand and black/white muslin backdrops. I'm planning on setting up my own "studio" in one of the rooms in my basement. If I were to get a model from MM, would it be ok if it was in my basement?

I've done some photoshoots with my gf/family but was looking to expand with different types of models.

I currently have a MM profile but I really don't have anything in it to show. I want to start expanding that and potentially start to do a lot more.

Also are there any general tips you guys have or things I should be doing during a photoshoot?

Where do you guys get inspiration for your shoots? Do you have any magazines or sites you would recommend me subscribing too?

Thanks in advance guys!

Do you live in the City of Vancouver? If you do, it is illegal to have a home studio where money exchanges hands - some dumb by-law. Also, the low ceilings in basements don't lend themselves very well to fashion shoots...ideally you'd want at least 9 foot ceilings. I would also encourage you to upgrade your lights later, as small flashes just do not have a large enough light source to be effective in softboxes larger than 2'x3'.

fredmiranda.com has a lot of good photographers....I can't remember any others at the moment.

Yea I do live in Vancouver. Will it make a difference if it was just a TFC or something like that with no money involved? Hopefully it's just money and not just goods.

Yea I can see how the ceiling could be a bit of a problem, but it's not too low it's a bit higher than all of the other rooms down there.

I do plan on upgrading later down the road when I have my foot a lot further in. Maybe in a year or so once I'm completely finished with school. I've seen some rigs that had like 3 or 4 flashes mounted together just to light up a soft box :O.

I'll take a look around fredmiranda!

Thanks Senna!

speedlights are definitely enough for what u intend to do. you just have to be creative in how u do it. The only thing is they lack power for bigger shoots. However stacking a few together can compensate.. the only thing is it gets pretty expensive stacking 3 speedlights to match the output of a strobe. You do however get extreme portability. Fredmiranda's a great site to start. The way I learned was just pick up an issue of vogue and reverse light the scene you like. Then just try to recreate that photo, and match the look. U'll learn very quickly.

This is a very good mount for speedlights as it gets the light on axis with the modifier. However $40 is pretty pricey for that piece of plastic. I'm gonna go look for something to make it myself lol.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/mul...50-10614-10628

sorry for threadjack
but my question is what sort of portable umbrella's are you all using?
i was walking dt after work one day and saw someone across street using a human tripod holding a shoot through umbrella with a speedlite.

I prefer softboxes. I have one of theses http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/phot...ch-extra-small

Seems like it can get pretty pricey if I wanted to just continue using speedlights. I'll need to get more speed lights, more triggers etc etc lol. More things can break too. Getting strobes looks to be a great investment but still kind of out of my budget right now.

Yea I've been looking around at fredmiranda and it is a good site! I'll also pick up an issue of vogue or something on the way home. Is it worth it to subscribe to one of the magazines if I plan to always look at them for reference?

I'm just using white umbrellas that I found online for like $10.

That's not a pretty bad price! I'll look into getting one.

Is there a big advantage between shooting umbrellas and softboxes? They both diffuse the light don't they?

Forgot to mention:

Jason Groupp - he's a master at using small off camera flashes. I got to meet him and take a workshop of his when I went to Ucluelet last year. He uses cheap Vivitar flashes with various light modifiers
http://jasongroupp.com/main/#main

At the other end of the scale is Martin Prihoda. He uses big studio lights outdoors to get his results. He had a workshop in Vancouver 2 weeks ago that I missed due to the flu, but he will be back in either June or July.
http://martinprihoda.com

Facebook page for his workshops:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/biglightsfaraway?v=wall

They have a lot of awesome shots! I'll try and make it to one of their workshops.

Picked up my backdrop stands a few days ago but the backdrops that came with it are a bit too short. Does it matter what kind of material I use for the backdrop? Can I just use like cloth material?

seamless paper is best. Fabric wrinkles like a mofo making it look unprofessional. Stay far far away from mushlin.. U don't want your fashion shots to look like portraits done at sears.

Yes it's worth subscribing to a publication. Or just go browse chapters every month if you don't want to spend hundreds each month subscribing to all the different awesome magazines :D
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Oh the stuff that came with the stands are muslin :(

I was thinking of subscribing to Vogue, GQ, or Nylon but boy are they expensive to get to Canada compared to the states! It's like 20/year there and some other free stuff but to get it here is like $50 :O. Will probably do the chapters thing haha.

Is seamless paper like the long rolls of paper that we would use in art class for banners and stuff? When I googled it thats what it looked like haha. Is there anywhere local that I can get it for cheap? Maybe like $20-$30 a roll? Would I be cutting it after every use because of like the model stepping on it and stuff?

Order the mags using a fake US address then a few weeks later call the mags subscription department and tell them you have moved to Canada. More info on this can be found on redflagdeals.com

^^^ Lol, that's sneaky and underhanded. Morally reprehensible....

....nice idea though.

Seamless paper? Give Beau Photo a call. :)

:spamarama: ......:whistle:

Ha....cleared with SG already.

mind as well just d/l the pdf's off the net

Confirmed this works... I'm getting Maxim and Motor Trend for like $15 each for 4 years. 12 mags X 4 years = 48 mags

:fullofwin:

PS: Only works on magazines that allow you to change the address to a Canadian one.

Thanks Senna, I'll give Beau a call tomorrow when I have some time. Do you have any estimate for how much a roll would cost?

And thanks for that link! I downloaded a bunch of the PDFs and reading them in lecture lol

$39.95 for a 4.5'x36' roll, $64.50 for a 9'x36' roll.

You just downloaded Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, Maxim & FHM didn't you? :p

^
The boy gotta learn from somewhere right? Lol
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I honestly didn't even know they had those magazines up there! I just downloaded Vogue and Nylon. Kind of don't really understand how some of the things in there are fashionable lol but they're great pictures!

That's not bad $40 for a roll? I didn't have time to call cause I was stuck slaving away on a project :( Does seamless paper wrinkle? Like would I have to always be buying new rolls and stuff cause of people standing on it?

it's paper so it will eventually wear out and get creases in it from people stepping all over it and what-not. They can last quite a while though.. just make sure you roll it out on a hard surface and not on carpet.. high heels + carpet = death for seamless paper.. haha

Also, it's long enough that you can cut away the old wrinkled parts and start with a fresh sheet.. well depending on which roll you buy.