A photo shoot just for fun coming up. Any tips?

[AMOMENT]

A friend of mine is having me photograph her little girl who is almost one for a potential holiday card. It is for free, of course, and she is a close friend so the pressure is not on and this is not at all serious. I am looking foward to getting to shoot other subjects. It's this Saturday and will have to be indoors because it is going to be cold. I only have my nikon d3100 18-55mm lens it came with and my 50 mm f/1.4. I have no extra lighting equipment etc. Any suggestions on how to set up the scene/ distance to stand away/lens/ settings? etc. I have a general idea and will have to see the room to asses the lighting/exposure but won't be able to do so until that day.

 

[AMOMENT]

Here's what I am thinking. Tell me if I am wrong. She will probably be wearing red. I plan to use a white sheet as a background and to put her in a spot that has as much light as possible but in front of a window unless the window is covered with the sheet. I can use my pop up flash if I have to but can diffuse it with a piece of paper over my flash or perhaps use a piece of white cardboard paper to bounce light off the ceiling. I will get on her level and use my 50mm with an aperture anywhere from 2.8 -5.6 at the most!

 

[MLeeK]

Get low. Then get lower. You are forever looking down at your kids in at least a little angle.
Back up. All of your shots are so incredibly close in that you can't fix any composition issues, you can't print to 8x10 because you have more than filled the frame. Plus you cut off important things. your compositions will be infinitely better if you'd leave some extra room in the frame.
Don't use flash. You said the room... That gives me nightmares for you. You don't have a speedlight you can bounce/tilt/swivel and anything you do with your on-board flash will become a nightmare for you. Go outside into the daylight? If you're stuck inside use your 50mm. And then you are screwed on the "back up" part. Hopefully the girl is tiny and you have plenty of room.
Use a shutter speed above 1/250.
Use minimal props. You seem to like to add stuff in with the kids and that's fine, but make sure it matches, flows and actually adds to the image instead of makes it busy.
Stop thinking "I can photoshop it out."

 

[AMOMENT]

Actually (tsk, tsk) my props (like my girls' monkeys) are usually a only resort to getting any photos. You see it is the "monkey" who is getting their picture taken. lol. I have NO PROBLEM going outside but my friend is hesitant because of the cold and since she is the mommy I have to oblige.

I do have a hard time backing up enough and you are right in that I fill up my frame. At first I thought that is what you should do, but I am learning that it is actually the opposite! So, wait, lol..I'm pretty much screwed because I don't have a speedlight and therefore should not try to bounce/reflect/diffuse light? If I don't use my flash and my ISO is up but I can't set my aperture wide open without losing too much DOF, and or can't slow my shutter, will I have enough light?

 

[AMOMENT]

This is totally for fun so I'm not anxious about it but wouldn't mind grabbing a few good shots for them. BTW thank you so much. Your suggestions have taught me so much and although I have not mastered them, I am listening and practicing!

 

[AMOMENT]

Sometimes to get low enough, I literally lay on the floor (which is completely fine with me) except if I am limited in space. I actually shot another shoot this past weekend and REALLY backed up to experiment with my compositon and DOF. I used my non-mobile child so shot at various distances. I am really looking foward to having another subject. My kids are my world, but this should be fun. I usuallu just practice on them because they are who are available.

 

[MTVision]

You can go pretty high with your ISO as long as you expose the photos properly. I usually have to use ISO 1600-3200 in my house! Noise reduction (in photoshop) helps but as long as the photo isn't underexposed noise should be minimal.

 

[MLeeK]

google for a DIY lightscoop. The on board flash will destroy you. White backdrop without a LOT of light for the backdrop alone is not a good idea. Any other color but white.

You have to think about YOUR abilities. What mom wants matters, absolutely. BUT if what mom wants is something you don't have the equipment or ability to shoot, then you can't do a good job for her and it's a waste of time. Explain to the mom your limits and that you need a BRIGHTLY lit room. Not just well lit, but BRIGHTLY lit.
The biggest lesson for EVERY photographer is to work within their abilities. Pushing those abilities isn't something you do when experimenting on someone else. You do that when you are shooting still life or your own kids.

 

[vtf]

I believe most of the responses to all your posts have given you tips already. Review them.

 

[Tee]

Please, for the love of all things photographic, do NOT use a sheet as a backdrop. It's going to look horrible. Don't believe me? Google youarenotaphotographer.com- there are all the reasons for you not to use one on that site. Just, please, please, please tell me you won't use a sheet. It doesn't matter if it's your friend and there's no "pressure". Guess what? There is pressure and that's ok. It's your name, your camera and she's giving you the opportunity to create something special.

Get some distance between the baby and background. Look at your handy-dandy depth of field calculator on your iPhone (you did follow the advice and download that, yes?) and get familiar with the distances you'll need to be at to get your subject in focus while still creating a pleasing background. On the app I have, I can plug in numbers based on the camera and model. I plugged in your camera and the 50mm. You can have a sink full of dishes and still get enough of a blurry background to make it pleasing. Ok, I'm slightly exaggerating but pre-plan your shots in your head. Know what f/stops you're using and how many feet away from the subject you need to be to maintain adequate focus and still create a shallow DoF. Keep that shutter speed up. Crank the ISO if it's warranted. Chimp your screen if you need. Do what it takes to be great.

And lastly- do NOT use a sheet as a backdrop!!!!

 

[gsgary]

I'm betting they will be blurry because of the low light, does she stop in all winter because it is cold ? shoot outside