Sweet 16 Photoshoot

[LuckySe7en]

It's confirmed. I've been volunteered to handle the photoshoot of my little cousin's sweet 16 and I'm freakin out over here! Please help!

First of all, I'm not getting paid a dime. And I did not volunteer myself but since I need the experience and practice, I agreed.
With that being said, I need all the help I can get. More than likely it'll be an outdoor shoot. All I currently have is a rebel xs with the kit lense. I'm allowing myself a $500 budget for lighting and any other equipment I'll need. So far I've found a Canon 430EX II that I plan to purchase within the next week. I'm completely lost when it comes to strobes or any other type of off-camera lighting but I assume these will be critical.

I need to know what other things will I need to get in order to have a successful shoot? I don't expect professional quality photos and neither do they. But I would like to deliver the best possible results I can. So please, what would you get? Lens, filters, lighting, flashes, reflectors, etc.

Thanks in advance

 

[puyjapin]

if its outdoor why do you need additional lighting?

 

[puyjapin]

reflector yes, kit lens should do the job

 

[MissCream]

if its outdoor why do you need additional lighting?

I always use a flash outside to get rid of any shadows...

 

[LuckySe7en]

if its outdoor why do you need additional lighting?

see this is exactly what I mean. Would the natural light be enough? Do I even need the 430ex? Thanks for the quick response

 

[LuckySe7en]

if its outdoor why do you need additional lighting?

I always use a flash outside to get rid of any shadows...

what type of flash do you work with?

 

[Rosshole]

With reflectors, what you see is what you get...

 

[puyjapin]

why cant you just use curves adjustment layers if there is a few shadows to sort out?

 

[MissCream]

I just have a cheap $23 speedlite that I got off ebay. I stand it straight up and I have a piece of white cardboard cut out and and elastic around the bottom to attach it to my flash for a diffuser. This probably makes no sense so I'll draw a diagram.

 

[tirediron]

The first thing to do is establish what sort of end-product is expected? Are you wanting to / being expected to turn in professional-quality glamour shots, or is the goal simply to record the event?

Regardless, lighting is a must for outdoor shooting. In order to suggest what to get, we need to know what you have. What I would take to this shoot as a MINIMUM (and I'll assume that your goal is to turn in the highest possible quality of product) are lenses that cover the wide/ultra-wide (10-12mm on an APS-C body) to medium long (200mm), at least one, but preferably two speedlights/strobes (one with remote trigger) one large reflector and one large diffuser, and a circular polarizer.

 

[puyjapin]

i did this outside with no reflectors or anything, looks ok to me

 

[tirediron]

why cant you just use curves adjustment layers if there is a few shadows to sort out?

Really?

 

[puyjapin]

well that is what curves is for isnt it, that sort of thing, create a layer mask adj curves or levels till your shadowy bit is about right, invert it then paint out the bits you wanted lighter
how about this, looks ok no?

 

[MissCream]

well that is what curves is for isnt it, that sort of thing, create a layer mask adj curves or levels till your shadowy bit is about right, invert it then paint out the bits you wanted lighter
how about this, looks ok no?

The white is blown in her scarf.

 

[puyjapin]

what has that got to do with any problem shadowing. unless the authour of the post is going for more glamour type shots what is wrong with natural light