Portrait photographer Tanya Goodall Smith has put together her own portable studio.
She will give you her best tips on how to choose the right equipment, and how you can carry all those things with you when you don’t have assistants. This is a great tutorial for photographers you like to arrange photo shoots at their clients’ homes.
Camera & Lenses
I’m using the Canon 5D Mark III, which performs really well in low light. This is ideal when working in-doors. A typical lens for portraits is the Canon 85mm f/1.8 prime lens. This lens is incredibly affordable and works great, but sometimes I’m stuck in a small space and need a wider angle out of sheer necessity, which is why I splurged on the Canon 24-70 f/2.8 Mark II zoom lens and it’s on my camera 75% of the time. This lens is versatile and tack sharp. I also have in my bag a Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime, which I only use if I need the extra depth of field or speed in low-light.
Lights & Modifiers
I’m always tempted to buy large studio lights, but I exercise a little restraint and stick to lightweight and durable Canon Speedlite 430EX flashes. I have Pocketwizard Flex TT5 triggers for my flashes but actually prefer the much more affordable 4 Channel Wireless Trigger for External Speedlights by Cowboy Studio for a simple lighting setup.
Backdrop
While you can get a portable backdrop system for as little as $40, I knew I’d be hauling this thing around from place to place, and I wanted to invest in something durable and light weight. The Manfrotto Background Support System I’ve been using since 2011 has held up very well and it also comes with a handy carrying case.
While I’m sure there are camera bags made specifically for hauling all your gear, I just happened to have a giant Ogio rolling suitcase, which fits all my gear (except the backdrop supports and light stands, which have their own carrying case). I can literally carry all my gear from the car in one trip with my backpack camera bag, light stands and backdrop support bags slung over my shoulder and wheeling the rest in the Ogio bag.
Read the full article over at SLRLounge.
Source: SLRLounge
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