Outdoor lighting for engagement portraits

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Smridevan
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p.1 #1 · Outdoor lighting for engagement portraits

I'm interested in doing some outdoor lighting shoots with my Nikon speed lights (SB 800 and SB 900). It will be for portrait engagement shoots during the late afternoon with perhaps backlighting from the sun. I have a small Cheeta soft box. What would be the best setup for this kind of shoot? Should I use just one speedlight with the soft box or should I get a dish for more portability? What kind of stand and how high should I use it? Should the speedlight be angled down at 45°? I'm a newbie with lighting. Any advice would be appreciated.

Aug 09, 2012 at 06:28 PM

BruceF99
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p.1 #2 · Outdoor lighting for engagement portraits

Check out Neil vN's blog for lots of ideas:
http://neilvn.com/tangents/

Aug 09, 2012 at 07:13 PM

Smridevan
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p.1 #3 · Outdoor lighting for engagement portraits

Thanks Bruce for the link! That's a great site!

Aug 10, 2012 at 04:19 AM

aztwang1
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p.1 #4 · Outdoor lighting for engagement portraits

Smridevan wrote:
I'm interested in doing some outdoor lighting shoots with my Nikon speed lights (SB 800 and SB 900). It will be for portrait engagement shoots during the late afternoon with perhaps backlighting from the sun. I have a small Cheeta soft box. What would be the best setup for this kind of shoot? Should I use just one speedlight with the soft box or should I get a dish for more portability? What kind of stand and how high should I use it? Should the speedlight be angled down at 45°? I'm a newbie with lighting. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have a 36x36 EZYbox for sale on this forum in Buy & Sell. Works great or outdoor couples type shooting. The same type as listed in that recommended read.

Aug 10, 2012 at 08:06 AM

misterOphoto
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p.1 #5 · Outdoor lighting for engagement portraits

That IS a great site- thanks x2

Aug 10, 2012 at 09:04 AM

BrianO
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p.1 #6 · Outdoor lighting for engagement portraits

Smridevan wrote: ...What kind of stand and how high should I use it? Should the speedlight be angled down at 45°?

The height of the stand depends on the flash-to-subject distance: the further away, the higher it needs to be to keep the same angle.

What that angle should be depends on several factors, including the subject's features (deep-set eyes or shallow?), clothing (wide-brimmed hat?), pose (looking up at the camera or down at a ring or bouquet?), etc.

In addition to Neil van Niekerk's site mentioned above, also check out his books:

http://www.amazon.com/On-Camera-Techniques-Digital-Portrait-Photography/dp/1584282584

http://www.amazon.com/Off-Camera-Flash-Techniques-Digital-Photographers/dp/1608952789

The first one is especially good for those just starting out.

Aug 11, 2012 at 02:23 PM

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