Portrait shooter. Need equiptment suggestions

ACRPhotography · May 18, 2011

I would like to get into the portrait aspect of photography, and my birthday is coming up soon, and I would like to make a list of things I would like. So I thought, why not get photography equipment!

I shoot with a Sony Alpha A230. For those of you who do shoot portrait, can you suggest equipment that I should definitely look into?

Lenses, flashes, etc. I would really appreciate it!

Big Mike · May 18, 2011

Strobist Starving Student SC1 Lighting Kit

ACRPhotography · May 18, 2011

Wow.......thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone have lens suggestions?

tirediron · May 18, 2011

What lenses and equipment do you have now?

bazooka · May 18, 2011

I 2nd Mike's recommendation... those Lumopro 160's are workhorses.

KmH · May 18, 2011

I think the Lumopro LP 160's are over-priced for what they do (the kit includes just 1 flash unit), and that 7 feet is to short for a light stand.

I don't recommend that kit.

ghache · May 18, 2011

7 feet is too short? i used 7 feet light stand quite alot and they are not to short. what do you use in a house? 12 feet light stands?

Village Idiot · May 18, 2011

ghache said:
7 feet is too short? i used 7 feet light stand quite alot and they are not to short. what do you use in a house? 12 feet light stands?

I use 9' generally. Sometimes the subject isn't always at ground level or you need a flash to be more than slightly higher than their face. It's always better to have it and not need it rather than to need it and have to get some way to raise your light stand up because it's not tall enough.

tirediron · May 18, 2011

ghache said:
7 feet is too short? i used 7 feet light stand quite alot and they are not to short. what do you use in a house? 12 feet light stands?

Yes, because as with tripods, you never want to use them to their full extent. My 12' stands rarely go above 9 - 10' and at that height, they're rock-solid. At its full extension, any stand is going to be shakey.

ACRPhotography · May 18, 2011

Right now I just have a kit lens.

I'd like to get a bokeh kit though :3

Village Idiot · May 18, 2011

ACRPhotography said:
I'd like to get a bokeh kit though :3

WTF is that?

SwiftTone · May 20, 2011

Village Idiot said:
ACRPhotography said:

I'd like to get a bokeh kit though :3

Click to expand...

WTF is that?

it's a kit with bokeh in it.

If you're using the lens for portrait, get something that will give you around 85mm. Prime with large aperature.

Sw1tchFX · May 20, 2011

sony makes an 85mm f/2.8 for under $200, that would be a good lens for portraiture.

Otherwise, i'd say get a cheap Nikon like an N75, some Fuji 400h, overexpose a stop on the shadows and look like jose villa