Portrait Gear
- Thread starter fotojack
- Start date
You are good! No camera necessary in your bag of tricks. 
Actually, it was interesting to see. I don't shoot portraits but I learned something.
1. Things needed for portraits.
2. FotoJack is better than I could ever dream of being as he doesn't need a camera.
Great thread for us beginners to watch develop.
Actually, it was interesting to see. I don't shoot portraits but I learned something.
1. Things needed for portraits.
2. FotoJack is better than I could ever dream of being as he doesn't need a camera.
Great thread for us beginners to watch develop.
For my main and fill lights, I use 550WS Britek strobes in rectangular soft boxes. I use a snoot on a 150WS strobe for hair light. I will sometimes use barn doors on a 200WS strobe for a single background light and if I need to evenly light a background I will use 2 150 WS strobes just using the reflectors. I have gotten away pretty much from using umbrellas unless I am dragging stuff to a location, because they are a lot more portable and a lot quicker to set back up. I prefer white nylon ones because depending on what I want to do with them, I can shoot through them or reflect off of them. For reflectors I have a 30" circular one which twists and folds to about a foot or so. It is normally translucent white, but I have things I can slip and zipper over it to make it black for a gobo, golden or silver. I use muslin backgrounds pretty much exclusively, except for my home made 31" cubed light tent, where I use half width seamless background paper. For a stool I use a spare drummer's throne (got several since I went to more of a chair style throne) for short stuff and a larger one wiht an adjustable round seat (has that screw thing to raise and lower it). Lots of light and background stands of various heights and sizes, both straight and with arms. And of course I could not do anything without a Sekonic L-358 flash/incident meter. All of my flash heads are stand alone Britek units so each has its own built in optical slave. I use a single RF on the main light and let the rest of them just slave off of it.
For film, the Hasselblad 500CM is used primarily with the 150mm f/4 Sonnar or the 80mm f/2.8 Planar, and for smaller format and all the commercial stuff where the client wants proofs yesterday (you can't use that "the film's or proof's in the mail" excuse any more), I use the D700 and 85 f/1.4 or 105mm f/1.8 AIS Nikkors.
And my garage, which is my 23' square makeshift studio is in somewhat of a state of disarray so there are no photos! I need to go straighten that place up!
For film, the Hasselblad 500CM is used primarily with the 150mm f/4 Sonnar or the 80mm f/2.8 Planar, and for smaller format and all the commercial stuff where the client wants proofs yesterday (you can't use that "the film's or proof's in the mail" excuse any more), I use the D700 and 85 f/1.4 or 105mm f/1.8 AIS Nikkors.
And my garage, which is my 23' square makeshift studio is in somewhat of a state of disarray so there are no photos! I need to go straighten that place up!
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You are good! No camera necessary in your bag of tricks.
Actually, it was interesting to see. I don't shoot portraits but I learned something.
1. Things needed for portraits.
2. FotoJack is better than I could ever dream of being as he doesn't need a camera.
Great thread for us beginners to watch develop.
Hey.....I was using the camera (D200) to take these pictures!
RockyNH_RIP
Senior Member
I thought I'd start a thread about what we as photographers tend to use for portraits. These are some of the things I use to take portraits, whether at home or on the road (so to speak
Good idea with the posting Jack, even if you were snowed in! I will have to get a couple shots together of my gear (limited that it is) and post up this week. Heck, I don't even have a stool..
Pat in NH
RockyNH_RIP
Senior Member
Ok, been busy and never got back here... I did manage to take some quick snaps.. to add to the thread... sorry not real "photographic", just quick grabs..
Nothing Fancy or expensive, most picked up off of Amazon for me to get started and learn...
Overall picks showing backdrop, commercial stand and sheet. (I also have a white sheet)
Two light stands with Umbrellas, both convertible shoot through or reflective for either..
A tripod and I use a small step stool for seating... gonna pick up a nice stool like jack has...
Umbrella on stand with Flash mount (2nd pic close up of mount with cold shoe)
Triod and backdrop stand (sheet pulled back..)
Currently have 2 flash units, an SB 700 and Yongnuo 560 II (Manual)
Cowboy Studio Triggers (1 transmit - 2 receivers) & a set of 6 small clamps for holding the sheets.
Yongnuo, triggers and clamps all came from Amazon...
Nothing fancy but it gets the job done and serves me well for learning off camera flash, portraits etc. I also have have 24 x 36 poster boards (a white & black) that I use at small backdrops, reflectors or shades. Oh, forgot, and not pictured a Rogue Flashbender for light modification from the flash.
Thats my setup... and while not pro-caliber, it serves me well as I learn various techniques..
Pat in NH
Nothing Fancy or expensive, most picked up off of Amazon for me to get started and learn...
Overall picks showing backdrop, commercial stand and sheet. (I also have a white sheet)
Two light stands with Umbrellas, both convertible shoot through or reflective for either..
A tripod and I use a small step stool for seating... gonna pick up a nice stool like jack has...
Umbrella on stand with Flash mount (2nd pic close up of mount with cold shoe)
Triod and backdrop stand (sheet pulled back..)
Currently have 2 flash units, an SB 700 and Yongnuo 560 II (Manual)
Cowboy Studio Triggers (1 transmit - 2 receivers) & a set of 6 small clamps for holding the sheets.
Yongnuo, triggers and clamps all came from Amazon...
Nothing fancy but it gets the job done and serves me well for learning off camera flash, portraits etc. I also have have 24 x 36 poster boards (a white & black) that I use at small backdrops, reflectors or shades. Oh, forgot, and not pictured a Rogue Flashbender for light modification from the flash.
Thats my setup... and while not pro-caliber, it serves me well as I learn various techniques..
Pat in NH
RockyNH_RIP
Senior Member
Thanks Jack.. I do need to get a bigger reflector card and a way to mount it.. I think I will look at the office supply for something that is a tad more rigid..
I may have an extra flash but you have a better model stool.. I have several stools that would do at work.. I can borrow one if I really need it for a planned shoot...
Pat in NH
I may have an extra flash but you have a better model stool.. I have several stools that would do at work.. I can borrow one if I really need it for a planned shoot...
Pat in NH
headphoner
New member
I had a very straightforward setup, but needed to take some steps to significantly speed up my work flow, as I've been falling waaaay behind on projects.
My setup is mostly for product photography, but also used for portraits. I use Profoto D1 Air monolights, which I picked up in one of Profoto's three-light kits--I went with their 250/500/500 W/s kit, so that I could open up the aperture a bit when I need to in my studio area, which isn't particularly large. (Their other D1 Air kits were a bit too powerful for most of my needs.) As I start shooting more people, I may add one 1000 W/s D1 Air head and a largish reflector.
The Profoto kit also came with three light stands, one 1.3' x 2.0' soft box, and one 2.0' x 3.0' soft box. I replaced the included stands with Avenger A5034 and Manfrotto MA231B stands (they're sturdier and wheeled), and have added (still waiting for it on special order) a Profoto RFi 3.0' x 4.0' soft box. I've also replaced the flat glass on two of the heads with the Profoto domes for better dispersion inside the soft boxes.
I also use miscellaneous backgrounds (mostly seamless paper, and various surfaces and texture pieces), grip gear, Matthews flags, other reflectors, and other bits and bobs one might use in a studio. I also have (and love) a Tether Tools Aero desk to hold my computer, hard drive, and coffee while shooting tethered.
I only very recently put a lot of this together, so I'm getting used to the changes from what was recently a two-speedlight setup and some muslin. I'm definitely more fond of the newer setup.
I'm setting up a little area of my home for a small home studio setup--again, mostly for product photography--so that I can get some shooting done at home too. The speedlights (Nikon SB-900 and SB-910) inside two Profoto 1.3' x 2.0' soft boxes will be my main lighting setup at home (using those Profoto stands that I replaced at the office), using mostly simple seamless paper backgrounding.
My setup is mostly for product photography, but also used for portraits. I use Profoto D1 Air monolights, which I picked up in one of Profoto's three-light kits--I went with their 250/500/500 W/s kit, so that I could open up the aperture a bit when I need to in my studio area, which isn't particularly large. (Their other D1 Air kits were a bit too powerful for most of my needs.) As I start shooting more people, I may add one 1000 W/s D1 Air head and a largish reflector.
The Profoto kit also came with three light stands, one 1.3' x 2.0' soft box, and one 2.0' x 3.0' soft box. I replaced the included stands with Avenger A5034 and Manfrotto MA231B stands (they're sturdier and wheeled), and have added (still waiting for it on special order) a Profoto RFi 3.0' x 4.0' soft box. I've also replaced the flat glass on two of the heads with the Profoto domes for better dispersion inside the soft boxes.
I also use miscellaneous backgrounds (mostly seamless paper, and various surfaces and texture pieces), grip gear, Matthews flags, other reflectors, and other bits and bobs one might use in a studio. I also have (and love) a Tether Tools Aero desk to hold my computer, hard drive, and coffee while shooting tethered.
I only very recently put a lot of this together, so I'm getting used to the changes from what was recently a two-speedlight setup and some muslin. I'm definitely more fond of the newer setup.
I'm setting up a little area of my home for a small home studio setup--again, mostly for product photography--so that I can get some shooting done at home too. The speedlights (Nikon SB-900 and SB-910) inside two Profoto 1.3' x 2.0' soft boxes will be my main lighting setup at home (using those Profoto stands that I replaced at the office), using mostly simple seamless paper backgrounding.
Welcome to the site! That's a hell of a setup! Have any pics of it?
Amazon.com: Profoto 901086 D1 Studio Kit 250/500/500 Air: Camera & Photo :eyetwitch:
headphoner
New member
The Nikon D4 with the Profoto Air Remote is my main stills camera. I chose the D4 mostly for its performance in low light, as the camera leaves this office routinely, and rarely with a flash when on the go. I have two of the Profoto remotes, one to keep on the camera, the other to trigger the flashlights for the Sekonic meter. The Profoto D1 Air heads are not equipped with Pocketwizard receivers, and I like to be able to meter each flash individually when necessary (which the extra remote allows me to do easily.
This is one of the shelves of our rolling grip cart, which has a bunch of weights, clamps, grip heads, flags, reflectors, folded stands not currently in use, extension arms, a couple of boom arms, and other things that help me jury-rig an almost infinite number of things I might need.
This is a shot of most of the stills shooting setup. Right now there are three rolls of 53"-wide seamless paper (black, white, gray) on the background stand for product shots. We also keep several rolls of 107"-wide seamless paper handy in those same colors for shooting people. Given the standard-height ceilings, I'm limited here to shooting either shorter to average height models, and/or seated shots. When we need more height, there's a fully equipped studio we can rent just a couple of minutes away.
In the shot above, you can see we're just using white reflectors on the sides. In the next week or two, we'll be building flats for either side, and a white flat to mount above the setup (again, mostly for product shots).
By the way, almost every single thing that touches the floor here is wheeled. It makes life sooo much easier.
The tether table setups are by Tether Tools. There are two of them, one for the computer, one for holding miscellaneous stuff (and/or a larger monitor)--and a cup holder for my ever-present coffee! I absolutely love these Tether Tools tables. I have these two tables on two Avenger stands of differing heights. The shorter of the two setups I use as a stand-up desk even when I'm not shooting.
This is a closeup of the shorter Tether Tools table setup. You'll see the Tether Tools table is actually mounted to a horizontal Manfrotto crossbar, on the other side of which is mounted an adjustable-height Manfrotto vertical bar. On top of that vertical bar (not pictured) is a Really Right Stuff BH-55 LR ballhead that holds the D4 (via a Really Right Stuff L-Plate).
By the way, if you want to use this cross-bar Tether Tools setup with a rolling stand like this one (Avenger A5012)--as opposed to a tripod--look for a part (the only such one I know of) by Matthews called the Baby Ballhead Adapter (because the Manfrotto crossbar mounts to a 3/8" screw mount, which is found on tripods, but not on any of these types of stands).
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