set up lighting for infants

[kimspics]

Hey yall, I am redoing my in home studio for some infant portraits....I read to use "soft light" If I buy a soft lightbulb at Lows..will this be ok ??? are LED lights considered soft ??? what does anyone suggest..I do not have fancy studio lights

[Quo Fan]

Soft light is light similar to light on a cloudy day. Soft light doesn't give harsh shadows. It illuminates more evenly, without blowing out spots.

You can DIY it by using a white bed sheet between the light and your subject.

That 50mm f1.4 prime is awesome for baby photos.

Can't help you much on low-cost DIY options. I usually use two Canon flashes with umbrellas, triggered remotely with ebay triggers. For the low DOF detail shots, I take the 580exII off the stand and on to my camera, using ETTL and bouncing it off the umbrella over my shoulder. I tune down the other flash to -2 ETTL and get in nice and close at f2.0 or so.

I find the hardest part about baby photos is catching expressions. They change quickly.

[i speak in math]

Soft light is a result of the relative size of the light source. If you have a light that is very small relative to the size of the subject, the light will be harsh and contrasty. If you have a light source that is large relative to the subject, it will be soft and nice.

How do you make the light source bigger?

Many opt for the cheap white shoot through umbrella. The flash hitting the umbrella makes your light source essentially the size of the umbrella. Large source = soft light. Of course this also entails buying a light stand, umbrella swivel and the umbrella which can put you back $100 total. Not a bad investment by any means.

You can also use a white sheet in the same way you use the umbrella. Shoot the flash from behind, through the sheet and toward your subject. The larger the area your flash makes on the sheet, the larger your apparent light source.

[sk66]

Cheap starter kits can be bought. Something like THIS would work well enough.

I went with stands/ umbrellas that will hold my Nikon flashes as being more useful to me. (on site/off site and using Nikon's CLS)