Newborn on the way. Lighting?

matt62485 · Jun 12, 2012

Want to get a few lights for when our newborn arrives. would this kit suffice? and, what kind of DC power supply would i need to power both? I'm not sure if 2 is overkill or not, but for the price it's cheaper to get 2 now as a kit, then piece it together later

Flashpoint FP320MPWK Portrait Wedding Monolight Kit FP320MPWK

Buckster · Jun 12, 2012

That should work fine for you.

On DC power, they work with the Flashpoint II battery power pack : Buy or Learn at Adorama

matt62485 · Jun 14, 2012

awesome. what about reflectors? colors/sizes? want some budget stuff to get me started. trying to order what i can before august (when shes due!)

Buckster · Jun 14, 2012

matt62485 said:
awesome. what about reflectors? colors/sizes? want some budget stuff to get me started. trying to order what i can before august (when shes due!)

Reflectors are easy. You can buy them from Lastolite or any of the other regular photo gear manufacturers, or just use white foam-core poster board from Walmart, which honestly will work just as well, IMHO, for far less money. For size, the bigger they are the more diffused the light will be, given the same relative distances between flashes and subjects, of course. For babies, a couple feet in diameter or per side is fine. You don't need 6' panels for such small critters.

You'll want a way to hold them in place. I use light stands with reflector arms, but you can use spring clamps, tape, or whatever just to prop them up or hold them in the positions where you need them, or if you have an assistant handy, they can hold them while you shoot.

For babies in particular, avoid colors and use white ones to keep skin tones their natural color and to soften the bounced light. Silver and gold reflectors make light crunchy and harsher and so they aren't recommended for baby shots, which should, again just in my opinion, remain soft and cuddly looking. If you really think you need a bit of warming, you can use a warming gel over the light or warm it a bit in post production, which would be my preference because it gives the ultimate control over how much and where and so on, and if you don't like it, it's easy to return to 100% "natural" - the big advantage to working digital these days, IMHO.