# Photo shoot??? Backdrop, lighting, setup, ect....



## triumf (Sep 12, 2007)

I am looking to launch a clothing line and I would like to do a very nice photo shoot, but I don't know what I need...?

-I would like to do a white muslin background, (i think... is that what the pro's use?)


-I have a nikon d50 to use.

-What should I use for lighting setup?

-Any other help would be much appreciated too!!!

Thanks,
Derek


----------



## chrisb2794 (Sep 12, 2007)

I can't answer your question, but try the commercial/product photography section of the forum. You may get a lot of anwers there.


----------



## Jeff Colburn (Sep 12, 2007)

If you don't know what background or lighting to use I would suggest hiring a photographer. There's a LOT more to taking good photographs than the equipment. If you don't want to shoot on location, and if you do be sure to get permission, then you need backgrounds, lights, exposure meter, props and models. Then there's posing, composition, post production with Photoshop and much more.

Hire a photographer for cash, or in exchange for some of your clothes, and you'll wind up with better images. Be sure to interview several photographers and check out their portfolios.

Have Fun,
Jeff


----------



## Awiserbud (Dec 2, 2012)

Jeff Colburn said:


> If you don't know what background or lighting to use I would suggest hiring a photographer. There's a LOT more to taking good photographs than the equipment. If you don't want to shoot on location, and if you do be sure to get permission, then you need backgrounds, lights, exposure meter, props and models. Then there's posing, composition, post production with Photoshop and much more.
> 
> Hire a photographer for cash, or in exchange for some of your clothes, and you'll wind up with better images. Be sure to interview several photographers and check out their portfolios.
> 
> ...



Excuse me for being blunt but i had to reply to this, only because replies like this really wind me up.
The guy has asked a genuine question about lighting and instead of answering his question you've cut him down and basically told him he's not capable of doing it himself.
How is anyone supposed to learn with replies like this? 
Yes there is a lot to learn about lighting, Its probably one of the most important aspects of photography once you've mastered the camera but he clearly wants to learn, and so what if his first results arn't perfect, tell the man what sort of things to buy and how to set it up and let him learn.
why would someone sign up to a photography forum, invest in a DSLR, and then go hire a photographer to do it all for him.

Rant over.

I'm probably not the best person to answer the OP's question, but i would suggest investing a small amount in a mini studio set up, you can buy a ready to go kit on Ebay for just over £150 (UK) which will include a white backdrop and frame to hang it on (muslin is normally the material used since it is relatively crease free material depending on quality) it will also in include lighting of one sort or another.
there are 2 options with lighting, strobe or continuous, continuous lighting is better for getting an immediate glimpse of how your result will look, but the downside is they can get hot and obviously use more power.
Strobe lighting (flash) being the 2nd option can be used in many ways, reflected through or against a studio umbrella, positioned inside a soft box, bounced off walls and other reflective surfaces and so on, the results vary depending on how the light is used and where its aimed at.
Strobe lighting will be triggered by your camera, either by using the built in flash to trigger the remote strobes (if your camera and strobes support it) or by investing in a trigger system to allow them to fire, (pocket wizzards come to mind, but can be expensive, cheaper ones available if you shop around)
If you plan on having a bash then good luck to you, you'll have lots of fun experimenting and trying different set-ups and methods, there is no right or wrong way to use lighting really, whatever works for you and gets the results you need, ideally your looking for minimal shadowing and good all round lighting for product shots, but sometimes using the light to create shadows etc can work too.


----------



## KmH (Dec 2, 2012)

Oh! Well - Welcome to TPF! :thumbup:

The thread died over 5 years ago.


----------



## Awiserbud (Dec 4, 2012)

hahaha, well there ya go, I actually stumbled across it on google while looking for studio lighting set ups, I guess i didn't think to look at the dates.. but either way i had to join TPF to post it so its not all a wasted cause.


----------



## 2WheelPhoto (Dec 4, 2012)

Awiserbud said:


> hahaha, well there ya go, I actually stumbled across it on google while looking for studio lighting set ups, I guess i didn't think to look at the dates.. but either way i had to join TPF to post it so its not all a wasted cause.



You can find enough active threads to post the same message!  Welcome to TPF


----------



## gsgary (Dec 5, 2012)

Awiserbud said:


> hahaha, well there ya go, I actually stumbled across it on google while looking for studio lighting set ups, I guess i didn't think to look at the dates.. but either way i had to join TPF to post it so its not all a wasted cause.



Don't buy that £150 crap you saw on ebay have a look here Studio Lights & Photography Flash Lighting Equipment UK Specialists! - Lencarta


----------

