How to shoot a family portrait inside?

[justin-branam]

One of my friends families wants me to shoot a family portrait picture for them. I was wondering if anyone could give me a few pointers. I figure i will shoot with the 17-40 on the 1d, but im not to sure on lighting. im thinking just using my 580 as a master (not firing for the pic), and lighting with my 2 420's at about 45 degree angles on each side. these would be facing up at the ceiling and boucing off of my "better bounce cards" towards the family. Does that seem like a decent setup? Is there a sweet f-stop, shutter speed, or iso that helps make the photos? they will probably be in front of the fireplace and christmas tree areas, but are open to other spots (any suggestions). ill be shooting around 3-4pm. im not really a portrait person, so any help would be appretiated.

[amadjuster]

You might have to play around with the power on each unit so you get a good balance. The big OOPS you might have is the unexpected color cast from the wall or ceiling bounce. If the walls or ceiling has a tint other than white or off white, it will bounce back to the subject that color, just as if you had a filter on the flash. It can make for some real fun at CS2.

[fran reisner]

I agree with David in that you may have to do some tweaking of the strobe output. The nice thing about digital is that you can easily do test shots on the fly and analyze them quickly. Personally, I would recommend a stronger light source from a 45 angle and roughly a stop less from above and behind camera. This will allow you to hold on to some light direction while still controlling your shadows, instead of lighting it flat. Be sure to watch for the shadows, especially if they are placed right next to the background. As for the color of your light... EXPO DISC!!!! I can't say enough about this handy little tool. I've mentioned this in several threads, but it is worth it's weight in gold. Very easy to use. A quick rundown on how I use it to nail my white balance and exposure... Meter toward your main light (good rule- expose for the highlights, fill the shadows), set your camera, with the expo disc in front of your lens aim the camera at the main light and take an exposure, set your white balance to that gray image (this will neutralize any ambient color), then go back and look at your histogram of that gray image. It should be pegged right in the center. If it's not you should adjust your exposure.

[venchka]

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

I had a honking big Metz flash, light stand and a 36" square umbrella. That rig worked fine for indoor family portraits and a multitude of other uses. I always tried to shoot during the day and balance window daylight with the light from the umbrella. K.I.S.S.

[justin-branam]

thanks for your thoughts all. i dont have the expo-disk, but i have a home-made device that works just as well as it does (a how to make your own will come along in a short time!), so im not worried about light balance. My main concern was lighting, and how to get that "pro" look. im going to do a few test shots this weekend to get ready, so hopefully with your suggestions, i can get it down to a science.

[Jake]

I would use a umbrella on a lightstand.
They are pretty quick to setup and give a nice "Pro" look.

[amadjuster]

Originally Posted by thejakestir

I would use a umbrella on a lightstand.
They are pretty quick to setup and give a nice "Pro" look.

Which one is best (this ought to be fun) and who has the best deal?

[Bruce M. Morris]

You want a cheap umbrella? Go to Target or Walmart, get a white one, cut the handle off and it will work. This is not flippant, this came from a British Photo mag suggestion for what to do when you need one in a pinch. Then you would just need the hardware to attach it to a stand.

[derrickg]

Not trying to whore your thread, but I have the same question.


I wish I would of read this thread before I took some family photos this weekend. Mine cam out not so good. I have a crappy bower flash with the "better bouce card" and i was using my tamron 28-75 and ef 85mm 1.8 for some shots. I had to shoot at iso1600 and the pics were wayy too grainy, but thanks to noise ninja it helped some. Her are some pics:





this were taken in a lobby and only lighting was from the windows. They look to reddish, could of been my white balance setting?

[wjmphoto]

It all depends on what you want to have to haul with you to your friends’ house. If you don't want to mess with light stands and the extra setup, you could try using the 580 on camera with a light sphere and shoot that way. Here's an example of the lighting it will give without the dome on top so you get a bounce effect as well. (I used the cloud for these)





Another thing to look at is using a small soft box designed for your portable flash. Alzo digital has one that is readily available on eBay for around $59 shipped. You can find them here. It comes with all of the hardware you need to set it up, but you will still need a light stand to hold your lights. (This is a readily available alternative to the Photoflex version that is harder to get.) Depending on the size of your group, this may work well.

If you just want an umbrella, a white shoot through can be had for cheap. If you go that route, use a local store for the stand and umbrella. Ordering online will just add shipping charges that will probably be more than sales tax on these items. Also remember that you will need an additional fitting for you speedlights to attach to the light stand and hold the umbrella so that will add to your cost.

Personally, the quickest and cheapest route is the lightsphere. It is light and easy to move around with. The light does come off a little flat, but you can work with it to get a little more shadow into the pictures. No matter what you decide to do, you should practice with the light setup at home on whatever willing victims you have until you get it right so that you don't have to make your friends sit through countless shots while you chimp at the camera trying to get the exposure right.

(One other thing I would recommend, if you are going to think about doing portraits for friends in the future or just want to make your setup quicker and have less PP after the shoot, is to get a photovision target. You can use it to quickly set your exposure and white balance on location without a lot of trial and error on your subjects. Shoot, look at the histogram, make a quick adjustment, test and you are ready to go.)