Trying to reduce travel gear...

CThomas817 · Feb 20, 2019

I am a newborn photographer and I work without an assistant. I use a studio setup in my clients' homes so I am already bringing tons of gear and props with me and setup takes forever. This includes two lights, which I have needed for family and sibling shots. I only use one for solo poses of the baby. I use a Westcott 50x50 softbox on my key and a 51" PLM on my fill. I am looking to grab an 86" PLM to replace both modifiers and use one light. Do you think I will be able to get away with this without any harsh shadows? I don't want to have to bring a reflector stand for fill because it defeats the purpose of reducing gear. Thoughts appreciated.

tirediron · Feb 20, 2019

Multiple lights almost always trump a single light.. That said, you may not always need it, so leave it in the car 'til you know what your set-up is going to be. An 86" modifier in an average family home seems like a big piece of kit to me... I'd be going with a couple of 42" umbrellas. (Oh, and I think you meant, "photographer of newborns...)

Designer · Feb 20, 2019

CThomas817 said:
I am looking to grab an 86" PLM to replace both modifiers and use one light. Do you think I will be able to get away with this without any harsh shadows? .

A large source is good for groups, but you will still need a fill light. The shadows will not be harsh, but they will appear to be more like "shade" rather than shadows.

Overread · Feb 20, 2019

A few thoughts:
1) Divide your gear into specific sets and containers in your car, starting with the most common and basic and then having a new container for each expansion setup. This way you can go to the car and grab your generalist bag and then any others you need. The idea is that by standardising your setups and simplifying their storage into segregated sections you can cut down on the amount of stuff you have to bring in at once.
Note - this approach works well, but you've also got to have that "all in one" bag (or at least mostly all in one) for days when you know you're going to turn up and need it all and perhaps walk further than normal and thus want to cut down the number of bags or back and forth trips.

2) Go in and have a chat and check out the area first, I'm sure you do it already, but this ties into point 1. By having an idea what you need you can grab and choose what should work best without having to lug and setup everything

3) Practice - yep can't get away from this one. The more houses and places you setup in the quicker you'll get without rushing and without realising it. You'll get a better feel for where lights and gear needs to go and what you need as well as what you don't need or what doesn't work. This can't be sped up, only experience and trial and error and more shooting will help you achieve this.

4) Calm. Don't rush yourself and be sure to set your times so that you don't have to rush. Rushing always makes things last longer because you're more likely to make mistakes or leave things out which all require fixing. A calm, relaxed attitude helps a lot and you'll work faster for it without realising it

Note the big risk with kit steamlining and simplification is that you can run a higher chance of getting "stuck in a rut" where your skills fall back on tried and tested shots from a limited pool. I'm not saying every shot and every place has to be one huge experiment; just don't let your desire to be more time efficient cut into your creative approach too much

ac12 · Feb 20, 2019

As was said, I would look to stage your lights.
- 1 kit for the newborn; small umbrella or soft box

You do not need a 50x50 softbox for a newborn even with the mother in the pic.

- 1 kit for a couple or small family group
- 1 kit for a larger family group

The idea is what @tirediron and @Overread said.
Just bring in and use what you need, not the entire studio.

When I first started, was going to get a 60 inch umbrella. The guy at the store talked me out of it and to a smaller 42 inch umbrella. And I was glad he did. I did not think about how clumsy and difficult it would be to use and for people to walk around it in the average home, especially if there are small kids that tend to be accident prone.

An 86 inch PLM is 73 inches in diameter, or just over 6 feet. That leaves you with less than 2 feet total space above and below the PLM before you hit the average 8 foot ceiling. And a 6 foot diameter PLM takes up 6 feet of horizontal space. The large size would restrict where and how I could use it.

Derrel · Feb 20, 2019

Some great advice!

Braineack · Feb 21, 2019

ac12 said:
An 86 inch PLM is 73 inches in diameter, or just over 6 feet. That leaves you with less than 2 feet total space above and below the PLM before you hit the average 8 foot ceiling. And a 6 foot diameter PLM takes up 6 feet of horizontal space. The large size would restrict where and how I could use it.

yeah 42" umbrellas work well in tighter places and low-ceilings, and are super easy to transport. I often carry (4) of them tossed into my stand bag...

CThomas817 · Feb 21, 2019

Thanks for the advice. I am, in fact, a very intellectually and adaptively advanced newborn, who explores her budding creativity by taking photographs.

Joking aside, I find even the light from the 51" PLM to be a bit too directed, especially using it as a bounce where I find there is more falloff. I am trying to emulate the light from a large window, so the smaller my modifer the more artificial the lighting appears. I don't mind it for other types of work but for newborns I am looking for a large, wraparound source.

I do always leave extra gear in my car, but in 95% of situations I need to use it all. Once in while I get a white or ivory adjacent wall to bounce, but otherwise I need both lights. I guess the overwhelming advice is change nothing and deal with it lol.