What do you recommend for portraiture?

I am mostly interested in location work. In fact, if possible, I'd like to do all of my portraiture as location work.

Then get a bounceboard, a stand and a sandbag and you're good to go!

Also consider getting the SU800 control unit for the flash so that you can use it off-camera without using the built in flash.

Working with available light and one lightsource, and of course posing and composition, should keep you busy for awhile...

Good luck!
 
Yeah, I'm gonna go to Borders this week and pick up two or three books on portraiture and lighting for portraiture, I'm not just looking into equipment, but also what to do with it all. I mean, I know how to use my camera, lenses, and SB-800, but any additional lighting and that's a bit out of my current grasps. And of course, posing is something I know little about. And composing portraits is probably different than the usual landscapes and macro work I do.
 
Trenton, I would highly advise you get over to the bookstore and just find some books that show pro portrait work. Examples to look at, and learn from. There is a very large book that I recently saw that is basically just photos from The Gap store of famous people modeling GAP clothes.... The photographer list is awsome, the photos are just plain beyond great. You will get ideas on what to do from looking in books like this....... Then just get a friend, grab you gear bag and go take some photos. Study them, and retake. Save the $$ spend fest for later.. Until you develop your style,....... how are you goin to know if you prefer a 50mm, 85mm 105mm prime etc, or, if you even need one of these??? My 17-55 f2.8 Nikkor has let me pull off some pretty incredible face shots, and I have only recently picked it up. That said, my wife decided I needed a 50mm f1.4 nikkor and that was one of my presents for xmas. OK that will do, thank you very much... Now to figure out how to best use that particular lens etc.
 
Thanks for your reply. I'm mostly concerned with lighting then, if the 70-200 will be a good lens for portraiture. Is an SB-800 a shoe flash, 'cause that's what I just got yesterday for Christmas from my parents.

The SB-800 is excellent. For advanced useage you may consider a second or third one or studio strobes.

You are going to love the 70-200. I just got one too, and it is crazy sharp compared to the 18-200 that I also own. A superb lens!

The strobist site is fantastic (lighting 101 and 102 are FANTASTIC for a good base in lighting!)... and there are a few REALLY good books on portraiture on Amazon.
 
The SB-800 is excellent. For advanced useage you may consider a second or third one or studio strobes.

You are going to love the 70-200. I just got one too, and it is crazy sharp compared to the 18-200 that I also own. A superb lens!

Yeah, I'm gonna see what I can do with one for a few months and then maybe pick up some studio strobes or just another SB-800 or two. It really depends on how much money I have left over the 24-70 and 70-200. I'm sure I can do some good work with one SB-800. Especially if I utilize i-TTL Nikon CLS.
 
You don't need any more equipment to get professional results.

You've got a light, you've got a camera, you can use them wirelessly, you're more than good to go.

Learn how to use one light before you start nuking your models.

Not to sound like a jerk, but slow down.

equipment doesn't make photographers.
 
You don't need any more equipment to get professional results.

You've got a light, you've got a camera, you can use them wirelessly, you're more than good to go.

Learn how to use one light before you start nuking your models.

Not to sound like a jerk, but slow down.

equipment doesn't make photographers.

I was wondering when someone was gonna tell me that. Maybe someone above already has. But you're absolutely right, Sw1tchFX, I was getting ahead of myself. I just set up my SB-800 on a tripod, my D300 on a tripod, metered for focus, and let rip about forty self-portraits, check the General Gallery shortly if you want to critique me.

Thank you everyone for your replies, you have all been very helpful. It's much appreciated. Now off to upload some pictures, learn from my mistakes, buy some books, and listen to you guys. Good luck to me. :]
 
Its true you dont need more, but I have so much fun with my SB-800 and 2 strobes, I cannot tell you how much.

You will quickly find out CLS is merely OK. Once you go manual control of the off camera SB-800 results improve even more and results are more consistant.

This past Christmas I placed the SB-800 on the TV stand and pointed it upwards to the ceiling and an umbrella and strobe and shot it into the room. It was great. Every shot was perfectly lit with no shadows and I had enough light to place the lens into it's sweet spot of F/7.1 for a nice deep DOF for all pics. What was nice is that I usually end up lightly underexposed and raise it about a 1/2 stop in PP... not this time. With this setup, all pics came out sharp, well detailed and properly exposed out of the camera. I needed do nothing but convert to JPG for good results.
 

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