Studio shoot with my daughter in a couple hours, suggestions?

[JeffieLove]

Okay, so am doing a studio photo shoot with my daughter in a special dress that we found. I had a friend of mine who is going to school for photography do some pictures of her to use for her class... But now it's mommy's turn!

So here is a link to the pictures she already has done: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38821&id=126622550712644
The dress we will be doing pictures in is the white and pink one.

Sooo... Here's my questions...

I am thinking a black background will be better. Am I right on that?

I will be using those same flowers (I bought them originally to use in my own photo shoots but let my friend use them with my daughter) but I also bought a headband similar to this (http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.80306044.jpg) but without the flower. I did buy some flowers and bows to clip onto the headband though to make it stand out a little more. I also got some fake white daisies (the bunch that they have at walmart for $1... lol)... I am thinking maybe letting her wear her ballet slippers but she doesn't really do any of those super beautiful ballet moves yet. She loves to twirl on her toes with her arms over her head but that's about it lol. Is there anything else you can think of that might really add to this photo shoot?

And here's the big question...

My studio photography assignment for this week is to use 2 or 3 lights. 2 lights includes a main and a hair light. 3 lights is those 2 lights plus a background light. The only time we were shown where a background light will really add to the image is in a headshot. I don't plan on doing any headshots with my daughter... Mostly full body playful little girl type stuff. Any suggestions on "special" lighting that I could try? We have just about every modifier at my college that you could imagine. We have grids, we have the cone shaped reflectors that go right on the strobe, we have softboxes, umbrellas (shoot through and reflective)... That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Long story short, any suggestions on what you think I should use would be greatly appreciated I'm really looking forward to this shoot but I know I'll run out of ideas. I will have about 2 hours in the studio to work with her and I plan on using some of these photos on my photo wall that I plan on making

Thanks everyone!

 

[JeffieLove]

Nice....Alright, well no suggestions is good to... :roll:

 

[kundalini]

I'm actually trying an on-line lighting diagram program to demonstrate, but can't upload until after work.

 

[bluetibby1]

I would give advice but I'm just learning and not expericed in lighting yet. Sorry.

 

[JeffieLove]

I'm actually trying an on-line lighting diagram program to demonstrate, but can't upload until after work.

thank K

Will after work be any time within the next hour? LOL

 

[kundalini]

No, so let try to put it in words.......

But before I do that, I want to mention that you should really look at the poses in the link and try to improve on them.

Have your daughter's body turned ~45° to lens axis and place her weight on her back foot.

Main light: Place it opposite side of the part in her hair (assuming here that she parts on the right). Have a medium sized softbox at approximately the same 45° angle (parallel with the shoulders) feathered toward the camera. Have a fill light just beside the camera in a large reflective umbrella. You'll want the Main light to be 1-2/3 to 2 stops brighter than the fill. Have the Hair light snooted camera left slightly behind the back shoulder and set high above your daughter (enough for ~45° angle down) and pointed so that it will skim the back shoulder and catch the right side of her hair. Likewise, have this 1 2/3 to stops less than the Main.

Conference call in two minutes. Hopes this isn't too confusing.

 

[JeffieLove]

No, so let try to put it in words.......

But before I do that, I want to mention that you should really look at the poses in the link and try to improve on them.

Have your daughter's body turned ~45° to lens axis and place her weight on her back foot.

Main light: Place it opposite side of the part in her hair (assuming here that she parts on the right). Have a medium sized softbox at approximately the same 45° angle (parallel with the shoulders) feathered toward the camera. Have a fill light just beside the camera in a large reflective umbrella. You'll want the Main light to be 1-2/3 to 2 stops brighter than the fill. Have the Hair light snooted camera left slightly behind the back shoulder and set high above your daughter (enough for ~45° angle down) and pointed so that it will skim the back shoulder and catch the right side of her hair. Likewise, have this 1 2/3 to stops less than the Main.

Conference call in two minutes. Hopes this isn't too confusing.

I didn't take the pictures in the link. I let a friend use her for an assignment LOL

I will definitely use that set up. I think I got what you mean... Something like this:

 

[kundalini]

Acutally, I was having the Main light slightly behind the subject. What my little diagram isn't showing though, is to have the subjects nose pointing toward the Fill (umbrella) and the eyes looking back at the camera.

​

This will give you a "short lighting" pattern, where the shadow side is toward the camera. This is just something I've recently been reading with great interest on.​

 

[JeffieLove]

K!!!! I did it!!!!

I can't wait to share these pictures of my girly! She didn't quite get the thing with facing the umbrella but looking at me with her eyes, but we made it work anyway! I will be editing a few in a couple hours and will post them up. I LOVED this lighting set up! Thanks for your help!

 

[JeffieLove]

Here's the first one edited!!!