Which lens do i use for a photoshoot?

[Makmedia]

Hi I am a Nikon user
I'm looking at setting up a studio soon and I was wondering which lens should I use on my nikon d90? I will have a white background with two light umbrella's and one continuos flashing..which lens people?

Thanks

 

[Tony S]

Learn more first if you have to ask this question.

 

[EIngerson]

The one that best fits your specific needs. Noone can answer a question like that.

 

[greybeard]

What camera/lens do you have now and what will you be shooting?

 

[Mot]

All of them.

 

[Makmedia]

Well I've currently got a Nikon D90 with a Nikon 18-105 VR lens..would it be advisable to use a 50mm 1.8d?

 

[EIngerson]

Well I've currently got a Nikon D90 with a Nikon 18-105 VR lens..would it be advisable to use a 50mm 1.8d?

I honestly think everyone should have the 50mm 1.8. It's cheap, cool and can acheive some amazing images.

 

[Kerbouchard]

What will the distance be between your camera and subject? Will your subject be one person, 5 people, a car?

Personally, unless your subject will always be the same, I probably wouldn't go with a prime lens. Instead something like the 24-70 would probably work better for your purposes.

As far as lighting, the continuous light you mention has me worried as well as the questions you are asking.

Are you sure you have thought about what you are doing enough to open a studio?

 

[kylehess10]

I have to agree with the first comment.

Knowing what lens to use is something you're supposed to question yourself with and have a answer to as well. I've used everything from a 10.5mm f/2.8 to a 300mm f/2.8 for portraits, so there's tons of options; it all just depends on the look you want.

 

[KmH]

A photoshoot of what?

I had a professional portrait studio and had 14 lenses, generally used 5 or 6 lights - main, fill, kicker, hair, rim, backdrop, and had 20 or so different backdrops.

You wouldn't use the same lens to shoot a group of 6, to also shoot just 1 person. By the same token you would use one lens to shoot a head shot, and a different lens to shoot a full body shot.

For some of the on-location commercial shoots, I needed 2 assistants and as many as 20 lights.

My go-to/favorite portrait lens was a AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II from Nikon, but it wasn't always the right lens to use.

Unless you know what you're doing, with only 2 lights your white background will usually be some shade of gray instead of white. That is because of the Inverse Square Law of light. Inverse-square law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To keep the background white you'll need a couple of lights on the background. Another problem many have white background, is when it is lit well enough to be white in the photo, a lot of the light you don't want bounces back onto the subject. Part of the solution for that is to keep the subject 8 to 12 feet in front of the background. How far depends on how reflective the white background is. If the background is really reflective 20 feet in front of it may not be enough.

If you don't already have it I highly recommend the inexpensive book - Light Science and Magic, Fourth Edition: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

 

[Josh220]

Make sure you ask your client this when you first meet them. Great opening line, they'll be hooked.

 

[Lisaloops]

You can't know much about your DSLR and lenses if you have to ask that. Take a step back and learn the technique and science of it all before you turn yourself into a... Dun... Dun... Dun... Fauxtographer!!!

 

[xjoewhitex]

All of them.

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