Need help with setup for 6 week old baby shoot

[allinschenk]

I'm going to take some pictures of a friend's 6 week old this weekend and wanted to get some insight on possible setups. I usually shoot outdoors in natural light, but did just purchase a Speedlite to start getting some practice. I'm planning on bringing a beanbag as I've seen recommended here along with some black velvet to cover it. I will be shooting with a Canon 60D. Should I aim to find a good window and then place the bean bag a few feet from it? I have heard of people clamping the black velvet onto a curtain rod, but wasn't sure if this would work for me since I don't own any studio lighting. Any tips/suggestions would be much appreciated

 

[RockstarPhotography]

I'm going to take some pictures of a friend's 6 week old this weekend and wanted to get some insight on possible setups. I usually shoot outdoors in natural light, but did just purchase a Speedlite to start getting some practice. I'm planning on bringing a beanbag as I've seen recommended here along with some black velvet to cover it. I will be shooting with a Canon 60D. Should I aim to find a good window and then place the bean bag a few feet from it? I have heard of people clamping the black velvet onto a curtain rod, but wasn't sure if this would work for me since I don't own any studio lighting. Any tips/suggestions would be much appreciated

Best thing I can say when shooting baby's or kids is watch the lighting!!!!!....you want the light as soft as possible otherwise there delicate skin will blow out easy. you really need a softbox with you speedlight for kids. even umbrellas can be a bit harsh. keep the power low and the softbox close and you should be ok. If you don't have a softbox, look for something you can either bounce the flash against or through. I've used cheap white bedsheets as both shoot throughs for kids, and bouncing material for adults. cheaper the better. low thread counts allow more light through. This is a case where more money is not good!!...lol

 

[allinschenk]

Thank you for the post! I've got some more research to do