Inexpensive Light kit: I am going to take some photos of a newborn and prefer not to use speedlights so the flashes do not disturb the baby. the photos will be in the home. Any...

alolewis

I am going to take some photos of a newborn and prefer not to use speedlights so the flashes do not disturb the baby. the photos will be in the home. Any suggestions of an inexpensive constant light as I prefer not to speed a lot of money as the lights would only be used a few times. Any other suggestions of shooting photos of a newborn? i did the mother-to-be and father-to-be in a maternity shoot which came out good, now want to continue with the newborn after the baby is born. Thanks.

Daryl New Loc: Wellington,New Zealand

Will be interested in answers....

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

I am a construction guy. Clip style work lights have served me well in a pinch. Just clip to a chair or door etc. In this age I would use a 60W equivalent LED in soft white lamp. If you you incandescent set the white balance for that.

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

I am a construction guy. Clip style work lights have served me well in a pinch. Just clip to a chair or door etc. In this age I would use a 60W equivalent LED in soft white lamp. If you you incandescent set the white balance for that.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I would use a flash, but in bounce mode. The light is diffused enough that I think it would bother a baby less than bright constant lights, and the quality of light would probably be better.

CO

I've used continuous lighting and didn't like it. The continuous light can make people squint and it can become stressful for the model after a while. Another thing is they do nothing to help freeze motion. The brief flash from a strobe or speedlight won't cause people to squint and the brief duration can help freeze motion.

You could use a shoot-through umbrella to soften the light or use a reflective umbrella. If you use a speedlight with an umbrella adjust its zoom head to its widest setting. You could also bounce flash to make the light much more diffuse. Here's something to consider. Get a swivel umbrella bracket and a light stand. Kupo makes very sturdy ones. I have one that I use with my Nikon SB-700 speedlight and a 33" silver umbrella. I use a PocketWizard Mini-TT1 on the camera and have the flash on a PocketWizard Flex-TT5.

Vietnam Vet

if you can place the baby about 10 feet from a window you will get great window lighting.

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

Maybe consider an on-camera light? I have one of these, which cost me only $50. It fastens on to the light shoe, but it doesn't flash. You turn it on, dial in the right color value, and you're set to go.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

alolewis wrote:

I am going to take some photos of a newborn and prefer not to use speedlights so the flashes do not disturb the baby. the photos will be in the home. Any suggestions of an inexpensive constant light as I prefer not to speed a lot of money as the lights would only be used a few times. Any other suggestions of shooting photos of a newborn? i did the mother-to-be and father-to-be in a maternity shoot which came out good, now want to continue with the newborn after the baby is born. Thanks.

If you use speedlights, first of all they will not be disturbed if you bounce them. You will also get the kid with pupils wide open and if you set up your lighting correctly, some nice catchlights in the pupil. Babies move unpredictably, and a bounced speedlight will do a better job at minimizing blur than a window, which I would wholeheartedly recommend if shooting a less fidgety adult.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

alolewis wrote:

I am going to take some photos of a newborn and prefer not to use speedlights so the flashes do not disturb the baby. the photos will be in the home. Any suggestions of an inexpensive constant light as I prefer not to speed a lot of money as the lights would only be used a few times. Any other suggestions of shooting photos of a newborn? i did the mother-to-be and father-to-be in a maternity shoot which came out good, now want to continue with the newborn after the baby is born. Thanks.

I always liked shooting in from the sunlight coming through a window or door so that the light reaching the child is diffused (not in direct sun light). My exposures were based on the child's face. I liked to shoot wide open so backgrounds went out of focus and dark. The trick is not to stand in the way of the light source but just to the side of it so the natural sunlight can reach the child. I also used this lighting technique for portraits. It is an easy set up that will give you nice results. Please experiment with this BEFORE you shoot the kid.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

jimmya wrote:

The negative reviews on Amazon make it clear that this product is a piece of crap.

TJBNovember Loc: Long Island, New York

Dave327 wrote:

I am a construction guy. Clip style work lights have served me well in a pinch. Just clip to a chair or door etc. In this age I would use a 60W equivalent LED in soft white lamp. If you you incandescent set the white balance for that.

I would agree with Dave, also you can drape a sheer piece of fabric over the lamp to further soften it.

leftj Loc: Texas

alolewis wrote:

I am going to take some photos of a newborn and prefer not to use speedlights so the flashes do not disturb the baby. the photos will be in the home. Any suggestions of an inexpensive constant light as I prefer not to speed a lot of money as the lights would only be used a few times. Any other suggestions of shooting photos of a newborn? i did the mother-to-be and father-to-be in a maternity shoot which came out good, now want to continue with the newborn after the baby is born. Thanks.

A decent camera/lens combo and existing in-home lighting or natural light from windows should be all you need.

aflundi Loc: Albuquerque, NM

alolewis wrote:

... Any suggestions of an inexpensive constant light as I prefer not to speed a lot of money as the lights would only be used a few times. ...

A North-facing window (or time it so sun doesn't shine directly a window) and a white wall or sheet, or a $1 foam-core board as a fill light reflector. Is that inexpensive enough?