Yes, another thread that asks that question of, "what's best to use, with what I already have?"

So here goes. I'm mainly a car photographer as well as a photographer for snowboarding. I have only done maybe 1 person shoot in my life, and that was a model WITH car. So I may be a bit out of my element here. I of course do hope to succeed as at least one photo will be used for a christmas card for the family I shoot.

A co-worker of mine is looking for some shots of he and his family (wife and two boys 3 and 5). They'd like some outdoor shots before all the leaves have fallen from the trees. We have set a date of this Sunday, around 3pm. The locations have already been mostly decided, however could be changed to different suggestions that may follow from you all. Pending weather of course, they will be partly sunny areas as well as shaded areas. Some over looking water, some with trees as the background. I currently own a 17-40 f4, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 15 2.8 fisheye. My camera will be a Canon 1D MarkIII. I have a Canon 540ex speedlight. I do also have one ab600. I don't however have power to supply it where we will be shooting. I'm currently thinking of only bringing the 24-70 and 540ex on this adventure.

I'm looking for any and all advice, suggestions regarding equipment, location types, poses (positions), etc. that can help me, help another.

Thanks!

-Curtis

Bring a big piece of foam core (just a few bucks at Michael's or Hobby Lobby) to use as a reflector. Have an assistant hold it for you; this will help add fill light or block harsh, uneven shadows.

For portraits, you generally want 50mm + I've heard that 80mm on FF is ideal (24-70mm on your 1.3x would cover it, so good choice) because the longer focal length prevents distortion that is evident when using wider glass.

Depending on your environment, use the Depth of Field to your advantage to isolate your subjects against busy backgrounds. f/2.8 @ 50-70mm would do nicely.

Hopefully someone more experienced than me can offer you advice as far as posing.

Good luck; let us know how it goes!

540EX? That's one I haven't heard of. I googled it and found a Canon 540EZ. That's the one that will do TTL but not ETTL, correct?

Good advice above from Chris.

Location - sounds like you have quite a few to choose from. Often a bright sky in the background will be a nuisance for you. A solid background of trees or leaves should work. Try not to have a tree growing out of someone's head.

I'd second the recommendations, I'd bring the 70-200 as well, helps to even out perspective and also is great for headshots or head and shoulders.

Have fun!

No the 540EZ will not work with your camera. It is not compatible with Canon's EOS digital cameras, only with their film cameras.

cwebster wrote:
No the 540EZ will not work with your camera. It is not compatible with Canon's EOS digital cameras, only with their film cameras.
Maybe since he owns it, he actually knows how/whether it works and its limitations.

I suggest bringing the 24-70mm and 70-200mm. As someone else suggested, bring a large reflector or foam core and an assistant. If at playground, let the kids play and take the shots with the 70-200mm. Family shots can be taken with either lenses. For me, my best shots are not posed shots with kids. Taking the pics while they play and while they interact with their parents seem to reveal those special moments best.

This shot was taken as he was playing on his patio. The other was taken while dad was telling his son to find the "birdies". both photos take w/ a 85mm at 2.0 on a 1Ds Mark II and my assistant was holding a reflector.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I apologize. I have a 580ex. I even verified what I had prior to making my original post and yet I still mentioned the wrong number.