CharleyL Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Gear recommendations for small portable setup for business headshots | |
If you really want to buy the setup, for just taking headshots with the same background, consider using a plain office wall painted with flat latex paint as the background. A small pocket camera of good quality that includes a hot shoe and built-in pop-up flash may be all you need. At least it's a good place to start and well within your budget.
There are backdrop kits containing backdrops, backdrop stands, lights, and soft boxes, if you want better lighting and a backdrop that can be used anywhere, you might want to consider one of these kits. I would avoid the ones with the bare bulb twisted fluorescents in favor of getting a couple of speedlites, stands, and small diffusers, but the speedlites and camera are going to need batteries that will need recharging between uses. Budget priced speedlites and a radio transmitter for the camera are available reasonably. Consider a Godox X2T transmitter designed for your camera brand, and two Godox TT600 speedlites. All three will cost you about $200 total. Budget priced backdrops and backdrop stands without lighting will cost less than $120. If a reflector is needed, buy a piece of white foam core from Walmart. All of this, except the foam core, can be folded and packaged in a 10 X 10 X 32" bag when not being used. Small folding reflectors are also available, but at a minimum cost of about $25.
Charley
Folding backdrop - Kate is a good brand. There are others cheaper
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=folding+backdrop+by+kate&crid=3R6VIO6RA0BAS&sprefix=%2Caps%2C57&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_1_0_recent
Backdrop stand complete without backdrop - There are cheaper, but not as well made. This is complete and nothing but the backdrop needs to be purchased separately.
https://www.amazon.com/Julius-Studio-Background-Photography- This stand will hold up to 10' wide backgrounds. The top is 4 sections, two that snap together and the end two slide over the center to allow for width adjustment from about 6' to over 10'. The stands are telescoping and attach to the horizontal piece with wing nuts on the bolts in the top of the stands. This is the stand that I have been using for out-of-studio work for the last 3 years.
JSAG283/dp/B072BCNRTY/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2GPRSJ1MWJ8N2&keywords=backdrop+stand&qid=1657116988&sprefix=backdrop+stand%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-9
Backdrop - Kate makes great backdrops that are wrinkle resistant and in many sizes and colors. 7 X 5 (horizontal) or 5 X 7 (vertical) will both fit the above stand.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=kate+7x5+backdrop&crid=17469FAMYAHU3&sprefix=Kate+7+X+5+%2Caps%2C77&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_1_9
Many colors and styles to choose from and all have a wide pleat along the intended top edge to slide the top pole of the stand into.
I always take a hand held steamer and distilled water to get the wrinkles out quickly after putting the backdrop on the stand, but most wrinkles from being folded will go away on their own in 1/2 hour or so. The Kate backdrops are really good for this kind of use. I carry 8-10 backdrops 5' X 7' in size folded and sealed in zip lock bags in a duffel bag along with the steamer and a quart of distilled water. The stand and all but the sand bags fit into the included stand carry case. For easy traveling, I frequently carry the sand bags empty, and fill them with locally available rocks, and other weight. Then return these weights when the shoot is complete. My studio sand bags have 1/4" gravel in them. It's easier to pick up if it escapes the bag. Sand tends to get everywhere and is harder to pick up, except with a vacuum.
You might even want to consider just using a piece of non shiny fabric of a flat office wall painted with non reflecting paint as a backdrop.
Godox X2T transmitter(for Canon Cameras - similar kit is available for other major camera brands) and two TT600 speedlites.
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Speedlite-Receiver-Transmitter-Compatible/dp/B081L37DGT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3CZH1ZE4LCEXK&keywords=godox+x2t+and+tt600+speedlite&qid=1657119673&sprefix=godox+x2t+and+tt600+speedlites%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-1
My field kit contains 5 of these TT600 speedlites and this X2Tc transmitter (For my Canon Cameras). They have been 100% reliable for the past 3 years, with the only misfires being caused by operator failures.
Camera needed - most any 10 mega pixel or higher camera that has a hot shoe for an external flash or flash transmitter should be more than capable of doing what you need easily. Be certain to buy the camera model and flash transmitter that are designed to work together. Godox makes a different version transmitter for use with each popular brand of camera. The small letter at the end of the transmitter model number denotes the camera brand that it is designed to work with c = Canon, n=Nikon, f=Fuji, p=Panasonic, etc.
You can forgo all of this expense if the office area is well lit and there is a wall with flat paint on it of a pleasing color to use as a backdrop and the needed light. Get a Walmart reflector (white foam core) and just use a fairly new cell phone as the camera. The camera battery will always be charged, and the ceiling lights in the office might get the results that you need. Remove the chin shadows using the foam core to reflect some of the ceiling light up into their face. Some experimenting will be needed, but you likely already have what is needed to do it this way.
Post questions if you need more help.
Charley
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