What kind of lighting do I need?

[brandy wilkinson]

I have a Nikon D90 and a 50mm 1.8 lens to shoot portraits in available lighting indoors. What kind of lighting could I use instead of strobes that is portable. Reflectors? Flash? Also what kind of lighting do I use when I am photographing using that lens on a very overcast Seattle day outside?

Thanks,
Brandy

[RexK_Cozumel]

Honestly with a 50mm f1.8 on a D90 indoors you do not need verey much light to take a properly exposed photo. However your depth of field will be very narrow and might be too narrow depending on the style of portraits you want. As for lighting.. there is not much out there that is as portable as a speedlight.

When photographing in overcast days you really only need a reflector for a little fill. The sky will act as a natural softbox so you will get very soft lighting. If you already have a speedlight however you can use that as your main light and the ambient as fill. Or if you have a reflector and a speedlight you can use the ambient light as the main the reflector for fill and the speedlight as a rim light.

Lighting really depends on a lot of different factors and will vary a lot depending on the situation, concept, photographic style etc.

[brandy wilkinson]

Currently I have no reflectors, flash or anything but the lens and camera. What I notice that I don't like in the exposures is the the photo is dull..no contrast. Even indoors with the 50mm, i sometimes get a dull photo. I guess this is where I bend the light for my photo instead of moving my subject around the room?

Thanks,
Brandy

[RexK_Cozumel]

I suggest that you read up on lighting. Some good books to get you started would be Light Science and Magic by Fil something.... and for portraits the book Skin by Lee Varis

If you are working with ambient light only and have no reflectors it is all about picking the right time of day and the right location. I can not really help with specifics because I am not familiar with the location you are shooting in. But here are a few general pointers.

1: Shoot in the early morning or evening hours. They are called the Golden Hours. The light during these times will be a lot better. Noonish sun will cause your images to be washed out and dull looking. The problem with shooting during these times is that the exposure and lighting will vary greatly so you need to be fast.

2: If you find yourself in a situation where you are shooting in less than ideal times find open shade to place your subject. This means that you want to find a tree or building or whatever and place the subject close to the edge of the shade. Not in deep shade unless you want your subject to be underexposed or your background to be overexposed. Be sure that the are completely in the shade tho. nothing is more distracting than a bright line running across the persons face.

3: Almost anything can be used as a reflector. I once used a $100+ million dollar reflector for a shot. It was a skyscraper in NYC. Just happened to be throwing off this golden light from the setting sun. I have also used white buildings, billboards, etc. You need to pay attention to the light around you.

ok thats all for now. I have a ton of other tips but dont have time to type it all right now.

[brandy wilkinson]

I am thinking of getting the 5 in 1 reflectors. I don't know how to use them though. How do I get the light to reflect onto the subjects body and face? Do I use two reflectors? One to reflect the sun and the other to bounce it to the subject??

[RexK_Cozumel]

When using reflectors think of it just like a mirror. But only better because it is a mirror that you can bend. If you want to light the entire person using a reflector just get a bigger reflector. Multiple reflectors work as well but get a little troublesome to use/setup. If you want to wrap the light around your subject a little then you just bend the reflector a little like a potato chip and you can shape the light.

The problem with using reflectors is it that you will need a stand or someone to help hold it. Also forget about trying to use a large reflector when it is windy. Even a little bit of wind will really cause a lot of problems when you are using a 6' reflector.

And another thing. If you are getting the 5 in 1 deals I think they have some that can act as a diffusion panel. Those are pretty nice because if you can't find a nice shady area you can just throw up a diffusion panel and create your own shade. Of course it will not be large enough to do full body work. Unless you are using some gigantic reflectors... They make them that big. check out california sunbounce. Very nice stuff but expensive.