Decent Lighting / Low Cost for Intimate Model Shoot

No hot shoe so...... ?
No big deal. Make sure the flash you buy has a servo mode OR buy a hot-shoe optical trigger (one a buck on Ebay). You won't shoot in daylight (because optical triggers suck in daylight) but indoor it works great. Just keep the on-camera flash at minimum power, so that it does not affect your photo (unless you need some fill light).

As a geek myself, I can assure you that being an IT guy will help you understand that stuff (I did an Excel sheet with logarithms to understand what an F-stop is and an I wrote code simulating light hitting an object before I really felt comfortable with the definition of hard vs. soft light... but that's another story), but grasping the theory is not everything. I've been reading tutorials for 3 months or so, but every time I convince a friend to pose for me for an hour or so (it happened about three times up to now), I'm EXTREMELY disappointed of the results.

An advice I can give you: pick the LARGEST room you can find. Small rooms suck for learning. You get a ton of light reflected back and forth between the walls and it mixes in the direct light from your umbrella. As my place is not huge and all walls are white, I've tried convincing a friend to pose for me in the night in an uncrowded location, so that there would be no reflection. But guess what... girls are not comfortable giving smiles and sexy looks in deserted places in the middle of the night... Can you blame them? :)

Ciao & good luck!

Haha wow, nice... you're awesome! Unfortunately I understand this is basically like learning how to golf, u not gonna go out there and even hit a 200 yard straight drive for at least weeks, maybe months, trust me, I know, LOL, but not that I am disrespecting the photography profession (ugh oh, I know....) but first, I dont have time to go through thousands of shots and improve like that, and maybe I didnt word it properly in my op, but this project of mine is nothing like shooting Giselle for the cover of Vogue or something... one typical shot I think I would have is an underwear shot that frames between the upper stomach to mid-thigh... I will have almost no facial shots, and if I do, I actually dont care how the face turns out because thats not the focus. I know this may be heresay to some model photographers out here and there, but I am doing this for a specific purpose, and I know I will have to accept "good enough" here more than anything, because frankly, I dont have time to learn or to wait for the project to get under way, so I am screwed either way. So I will be more than happy to spend tons more time later to learn more about high end pic taking, but for now, I will just need stuff that is good enough for clients/visitors to see the product and I'll have to accept that, just like 15 years ago I had to accept that I will not be breaking 80 in my first year of golf, even though I would not e against it.

And ya, the room thing, again with time as premium, no budget, unfortunately it has to be a basic small bedroom for privacy and control. Dont worry, when I started making thousands a week, I'll rent a studio to shoot! But again, I doubt that will actually lead to increased sales! And this girl will do whatever I tell her to do, so no problem there, haha.

On the no hot shoe problem, there's the possibility of using the camera's flash to trigger the slaves built into the off camera lights, though you'll have to be careful about it lighting your set in a bad way. Perhaps the use of a small flag and mirror system could divert the flash to one or both of the off camera flashes, and also away from the scene you're shooting.

A bit of DIY action with something like this: Amazon.com: Seagull SYK-5 Wireless Remote Flash Slave Trigger with Red Eye Reduction: Camera & Photo taped over the camera's flash, then use the PC sync port on it to connect to a wireless remote trigger, like this: Amazon.com: Yongnuo RF-603 C1 2.4GHz Wireless Flash Trigger/Wireless Shutter Release Transceiver Kit for Canon Rebel 300D/350D/400D/450D/500D/550D/1000D Series: Camera & Photo using a cable like this: Amazon.com: ePhoto PC2PC 12-Inch Male to Male Flash PC Sync Cable Cord: Electronics would sync the external flashes without affecting the scene, but you'd want to be careful that covering the flash like that wouldn't cause it to overheat and melt something.

Trying to do this on the cheap, without getting a proper D/SLR to shoot with, is going to be painful, I think.

Yes, yes, understood, and again I would love to spend more etc., but not possible... but I do like your suggestions. Off of this, someone else had suggested on an even lower budget, how about using about 4 (500W) halogen worklights, and shine them through a thin white sheet set up around the shot? I heard some photo students do this as well. Cost would be under $50 and I can adjust. I know this is a totally ghetto set up, but all I care is the shot turns out "good enough."

Oops... I checked...
http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/DMCZS1.PDF
No manual mode and no way (that I could see) to adjust exposure (aperture and shutter speed) manually. I'm afraid you're out of luck.

I suggest a really old SLR. You can get a Nikon D40 with AF kit lens for less than the flash will cost you. Image quality far superior than the Lumix. No other way that I can see from the manual

Ya all it has is some scene modes, white balance settings, and ISO settings, thats it.

Haha talking about THAT, how about my camera that I havent used in years... my lovely Canon AE-1 Program? I loved that camera... if they still sell film, I have a decent flash for it too. But the thing is, so I take it with that, then what... I scan it in? Then I lose quality through my scanner and waste more time in the process for a possibly slightly better result, if that. If I could hook that up digitally I'd use it in a heartbeat!!!
 
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Shooting film is an option, but you'll need a decent film scanner (Epson V-something is something I read a lot of times in photography forums, but I have no idea) or a lab that scans (better quality, less investment, but more cost as you shoot photos). And also, as you're learning, you'll burn a lot of film. With digital taking a photo has almost zero cost (I say almost because of electric power and wear and tear of the camera, but nothing compared to film cost).

If I were you, I would use sunlight and your Panasonic at ISO 80 and Portrait mode. It's amazing (and often neglected) what you can do with natural light. You have two options for natural light:

1) PREFERRED OPTION: use a room (even a small room) with a large window as your main light and reflection from the opposite wall as your fill light. As a background, just pick up a large roll of paper at a stationer (like 5 x 5 feet or so) and put it as distant as you can behind the model (the bigger, the more distant you'll be able to put it). Again, white or black would be my pick. Black for models with fair complexions, white for models with darker skin.

2) Or, take the model to the beach (or anywhere outdoor where it is allowed to be half-naked, your garden or a friend's garden might work too) and use one or two of these 5 in 1 things:
Amazon.com: Neewer 110CM 43" 5-in-1 Collapsible Multi-Disc Light Reflector: Camera & Photo
(stay away from the gold though)

Ciao!
 
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Shooting film is an option, but you'll need a decent film scanner (Epson V-something is something I read a lot of times in photography forums, but I have no idea) or a lab that scans (better quality, less investment, but more cost as you shoot photos). And also, as you're learning, you'll burn a lot of film.

If I were you, I would use sunlight and your Panasonic at ISO 80 and Portrait mode. It's amazing (and often neglected) what you can do with natural light. You have two options for natural light:

1) PREFERRED OPTION: use a room (even a small room) with a large window as your main light and reflection from the opposite wall as your fill light. As a background, just pick up a large roll of paper at a stationer (like 5 x 5 feet or so) and put it as distant as you can behind the model (the bigger, the more distant you'll be able to put it). Again, white or black would be my pick. Black for models with fair complexions, white for models with darker skin.

2) Or, take the model to the beach (or anywhere outdoor where it is allowed to be half-naked, your garden or a friend's garden might work too) and use one or two of these 5 in 1 things:
Amazon.com: Neewer 110CM 43" 5-in-1 Collapsible Multi-Disc Light Reflector: Camera & Photo

Ya haha it seems the film camera is out of the question.. sad day for my AE-1... and it was getting so excited... :sad anim:

Some shots will be "compromising" in certain poses, and she will not be comfortable in public so...
The only room I can really use is a small room with double glass sliding doors, which is nice... thats where the positives end.
- Room is painted a dark red with white celiings
- Windows face north
What about: Use that reflector (much cheaper than I thought!) to reflect sunlight in from the outside into the room, and line up some white sheets around her to reflect more soft light back to her from the window... will that work? Then use the additional 1000W worklight to add light from behind another white sheet to anywhere that needs it?

And btw, one more... will using a white satin sheet on the bed or over a chair cause too much unwanted light from below, should I go with a beige satin instead? Or will the added light help?
 
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cant wait for the result, sounds it could work with the reflection of the sunshine from the reflector, but i will wait for the other which have more experience for this situation to made some input. Don't forget to inform how is the result Jmaster. godspeed...
 
1000 W is nothing. I know it sounds like a lot, but it really is nothing.
A cheap speedlight (or flash) outputs 50 Ws of light in a super-short time. In order to freeze the model and have no motion blur at all, you'll need to shoot at 1/200 or so. 1000 W x (1/200)s = 5 Ws, that is a tenth of what a speedlight gives you. You'll need to shoot at 1/20 or 1/40 in order to keep your ISO low. Besides, as you don't have control over your camera settings, it will be even harder. If you go that way, make sure your model is completely still and consider a tripod.

Also, what about light temperature? Your worklight will probably be colder in temperature (more yellowish, less blueish) than sunlight, than as you mix them you'll need to use color correction gels or you'll have weird results.

What I'm saying is: if you already have a worklight, you can experiment with it, but don't buy one on purpose.

Using a reflector to send light into the room sounds doable, but I've never done it, then I can't comment much. However, out of all the available options, that's where I would put my money.

Red walls are a nightmare. I suggest that, at the very least, you hang a white sheet on the wall opposite the glass door. Best would be on all walls.

Concerning light coming from the bed sheet below the model: no worries, it will probably help rather than damage your photos.

Ciao!
 
1000 W is nothing. I know it sounds like a lot, but it really is nothing.
A cheap speedlight (or flash) outputs 50 Ws of light in a super-short time. In order to freeze the model and have no motion blur at all, you'll need to shoot at 1/200 or so. 1000 W x (1/200)s = 5 Ws, that is a tenth of what a speedlight gives you. You'll need to shoot at 1/20 or 1/40 in order to keep your ISO low. Besides, as you don't have control over your camera settings, it will be even harder. If you go that way, make sure your model is completely still and consider a tripod.

Also, what about light temperature? Your worklight will probably be colder in temperature (more yellowish, less blueish) than sunlight, than as you mix them you'll need to use color correction gels or you'll have weird results.

What I'm saying is: if you already have a worklight, you can experiment with it, but don't buy one on purpose.

Using a reflector to send light into the room sounds doable, but I've never done it, then I can't comment much. However, out of all the available options, that's where I would put my money.

Red walls are a nightmare. I suggest that, at the very least, you hang a white sheet on the wall opposite the glass door. Best would be on all walls.

Concerning light coming from the bed sheet below the model: no worries, it will probably help rather than damage your photos.

Ya the only control I have are some white balance settings and ISO Max of 400, 800 or 1600 (who the heck would wanna shot at 1600??? Wouldnt it look like sand just spilled all over the images?) I see what u mean about the light temps and brightness... I will def use a tripod, but then again I dont have a remote trigger so it will probably move a smidge when I press the shutter since the shutter is pretty deep.

Well since that reflector is so cheap, I may get 2 of those and get as much sunlight in as possible, but in S. FL in the summer, it rains so much that may really complicate things... anyways.....

Oh yea, I was never planning on exposing the red walls, I was going to use a white sheet to cover the far side from the window, and then the 1-2 reflectors from the outside through the sliding doors, and maybe another sheet next to/behind the camera while shining the halogens through to the the front of the shot to balance out the sides... I during noon that wont do much, but if its a bit cloudy or I need something more, it cant hurt right? Having it be like 5000K wont hurt my photo too bad I dont think.

So beige or white doesnt matter? Then I'll do some research of some of the good sites and see what they use... it seems there is no standard there, even within like a VS site, so I'll just stay away from the high saturation colors and get whatever is cheapest and "sexiest".

Continued thanks!!!
 
Ok, a couple of things have changed... I am not locked to get that halogen light anymore, so I am off that hook... which means, that + halogen color temp + hi temps + additional white screen for it + not be enuff light compared to sunlight being reflected in + my sucky P&S, + everything else u guys said + I may be able to afford a DSLR sooner than I thought thanks to a new job I was just hired for... but I wont be starting for a bit, and this project needs to actually start BEFORE I start the other job, so for now, I am going to BestBuy, getting the best camera I can for my project, and then later trade it in for something I really wanna keep and can afford.


So I think now this is what I need:


• 2-3 of those reflectors from Amazon to bring in daylight and cover part of my red wall opposite the window to shine back to the model
• A few non-satin white sheets to use as a backdrop and base, and maybe cover the rest of the red wall... I guess I can always add light pink/cream etc. later for variety...
•
• 1 (maybe 2 if I wanna shoot on a rainy day?) strobe flashes (used with DSLR hotshoe) If so which one(s)... I would still like best value and just good enough again for my purpose, dont need hi-mid or top of the line
• FYI, I have a flash from my old AE-1, lol... its the Sakar 22A, Guide No. 30 (ASA25) 60 (ASA100m)... is this good enough for my main camera flash + 1-2 strobes?
• and..... drum roll...... a DSLR.... I am just gonna go to the local worstbuy and pick one up, price doesnt really matter right now since its going on credit card and I will trade it in later... so now u know what I need it for, please help me choose one... I think for now I will just get one with the lens, too much of a pain to get separate lens and deal with that, esp since this will already be such a huge improvement from where I was right... so I guess we pick the one with best combo of body+lens (and for the sake of debate with others here or elsewhere, please succinctly state why u like that one best for me and my project... I just pray everyone agrees on 1!):


From BB:
• ($4300) Canon - EOS 5D Mark III 22.3-Megapixel Digital SLR Camera with EF 24-105mm Lens - Black
• ($2700) Canon - Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1-Megapixel DSLR Camera with EF 24-105mm Lens - Black
• ($1800) Canon - EOS 7D 18.0-Megapixel DSLR Camera with 18-135mm Lens - Black
• ($1700) Canon - EOS 7D 18.0-Megapixel DSLR Camera with 28-135mm Lens Kit - Black
• ($1700) Canon EOS 60D 18.0MP DSLR Camera Kit, Battery, 16GB Memory Card & 70-300mm Lens


Hopefully one of these will be good enough and I'll go from there. Sorry for all the other crap, but I am sure most of u r letting out a sigh of relief! Thanks so much for all your help!
 
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price doesnt really matter right now since its going on credit card and I will trade it in later...
Sorry, I'm not comfortable with your strategy. The money-back guarantee is supposed to be used if you're not satisfied with your stuff, not as a free rental method.

If everybody did that kind of free-riding, camera makers would have to raise their prices to absorb shipment, refurbishment and loss on sales of stuff that is not new anymore.

And, to be honest, the fact that you want to buy and return a high end camera rather than an entry-level one, just because you know you won't pay and regardless of the fact that for the first few weeks or months you won't be able to use any of those monsters to its full potential, is quite irritating.

Sorry that I was direct, but that is what I think.

What about renting your equipment? For a hundred bucks, you can use a mid-level DSLR for a week or so. It's a cheap, effective and honest solution.
 
price doesnt really matter right now since its going on credit card and I will trade it in later...
Sorry, I'm not comfortable with your strategy. The money-back guarantee is supposed to be used if you're not satisfied with your stuff, not as a free rental method.

Ok ok, I do owe u an apology... I didnt mean to sound like that but I just wanted to get this done, and yes, I guess my goals were misplaced, so I have changed them. My project remains the same but how about this:

All this talk about photography is really starting to make me wanna do this "properly" (= more agreeable to you guys) and own my first camera regardless of anything else... and yes even tho my financial/business situation may be changing (reason for the "price doesnt mater stuff" etc... thats all I'll say for now), I think u guys have really made a valid point now that I thought about it more.

Upon another suggestion, I did some research on the T2i, and that it is a really awesome camera, the external mic will really be useful, and the video stuff is REALLY useful as well, esp the 60 fps for my occasional golf swing analysis... except for the slow burst speed, it seems almost too perfect. AND the freakin Canon software, totally forgot about that, AWESOME (what remote trigger, LOL). It seems on eBay I see some bodies only having been sold for about $300, so if I can trust the seller I'll use that as my target mark.


Now as much as that 70-200 lens sounds tempting, I'll probably skimp on that... maybe I'll get that later at some point. For now, I see a ton of the 50mm f1.8 lens sold for under $40 also on eBay in the last few of months, can that be right, seems too cheap? And there was one for $300, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II +EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens #L523, so....... I'm a bit confused about the suggested lens spec and different types. You guys know what my main project is, but I dont mind paying a little more so I can have a lens that can take a decent wide variety of photos and take decent videos, esp of the golf swing. The zooms r nice but I fear that will raise the price again too much that I dont need so I guess I'll buy a separate zoom lens later when I think I'll need it.


And since I have never bought photo equipment on eBay or the like before, is there a "fail safe question" u can ask the seller to see if he is a legit seller who didnt abuse his equipment? For example, if I were buying a golf club or a tennis racquet or other electronics, I would ask certain questions like why r u selling it, what level r u, etc., and then follow up his answers with some more questions to see if he is telling the truth. This is never a fail safe per se, but it will weed out the idiots who think they can get good dollar for some item that has a slight defect.

But thanks for your patience with me, trust me, its never my intentions to insult any of u guys with my stupid proposals, but I am dead serious on this project and my enthusiasm for photography ever since I was in school.
 
Hi!

I'm not familiar with the Canon System, but in general, if you're committed to learning, I would recommend a camera with two control wheels (aperture and shutter speed), and second LCD screen (to look at the settings without digging into the menus).

The cheapest Canon with these features is the 60D. You can save a lot of money with a 50D (you might still find a new one), same category of camera, just older sensor (not so great high ISO performance, but if you shoot with flashes or in the sunlight, that does not concern you).

These two cameras WILL BE ABLE to control flashes remotely, as long as they are Canon flashes (Cheap triggers, whether radio or even cheaper optical slave triggers, and Lumopro flashes might do the same thing for less money though).

The cheapest Nikon with those features is the D7000, but you can still find D90s new. I would suggest: hold a D90 and 50D in your hands, spin both wheels, see what they feel like.

Ciao!
 
Hi!

I'm not familiar with the Canon System, but in general, if you're committed to learning, I would recommend a camera with two control wheels (aperture and shutter speed), and second LCD screen (to look at the settings without digging into the menus).

The cheapest Canon with these features is the 60D. You can save a lot of money with a 50D (you might still find a new one), same category of camera, just older sensor (not so great high ISO performance, but if you shoot with flashes or in the sunlight, that does not concern you).

These two cameras WILL BE ABLE to control flashes remotely, as long as they are Canon flashes (Cheap triggers, whether radio or even cheaper optical slave triggers, and Lumopro flashes might do the same thing for less money though).

The cheapest Nikon with those features is the D7000, but you can still find D90s new. I would suggest: hold a D90 and 50D in your hands, spin both wheels, see what they feel like.

Thanks... it seems the 50D doesnt have a movie mode (really?) and the external mic thing is a real bonus, and I may be shooting a ton indoors in medium light, so the high ISO clarity might be important.. as far as the external flashes, I can use the hotshoe adapters to set off other strobes I thought, bec some earlier were telling me to do exactly that? And it seems like the 50D is more expensive than the T2i... I have always used Canons for most products, just one of those things, so unless they really suck, I'll prob stick with them, no offense to your advice! And as long as someone doesnt tell me the T2i is horrible for what u r trying to do and stick with the P&S instead, I just need to get something and get started... whats that about spend 20% researching and 80% doing? I think I am WAYYYYYY over my quota already!!!

But I am ordering those reflectors for sure to get as much daylight as possible, and then maybe 1-2 strobes that can be triggered with the hotshoe with a couple of white sheets and see where it goes... I'm sure it'll still be way better than anything I could do right now with basically nothing.
 

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