General

[pghp8ntballer]

Hey guys, my first born child came 6 days ago and we want to get some nice pictures taken. Unfortunately, it's not cheap to do, as many of you probably know. So I would like to do the MCB thing and DO IT MYSELF!!

I ask for your assistance for a basic lighting and camera setup. I have a Nikon Coolpix L110 (12.1 MP 15x opt. zoom) and my wife has a Sony Cybershot DSC-WS690 (16.1 MP, 10x opt. zoom). Mine is a larger DSLR-esque camera but is not one and hers is a standard point and shoot pocket camera but is newer. Neither has different lens options. I have a decent tripod.

It will be a sunny day today, which gives very nice lighting in our dining room for pics. But beyond natural light, I do not know the first thing about lighting. I have halogen stand lights. Will they work? Standard light bulb flex arm room lamps, like you would find in a kids room, sell at wal mart for under $20?

I plan on using the dining room table draped with white crushed velvet. Just boxes, pillows, other objects underneath to make a landscape I guess?

This is my most recent attempt, using natural light in the same room with the crushed velvet and a box, with the Nikon camera.



I appreciate the help guys and will post the results.

[chopper duke]

Well, photography is all about light. Natural light is the best to shoot in, but don't have other lights on as well because then you get mixed lighting.

I don't think either of the cameras you listed will shoot in RAW which in unfortunate. Just make sure you get a proper exposure and shoot away.

[pghp8ntballer]

Ok. We looked up a few how to' online for baby shots. They all said natural light is best.
My camera might shoot RAW but I doubt it. Beyond that, I do not know much about photography; exposure, white balance, etc. I guess I should just use the auto settings and let the camera do the work?

[chopper duke]

For now, Auto will do the trick, but read up here and there on what makes a good photo. It will help your baby photos stand out among all of those others out there.

[Arson24]

if your just starting out
look around for this book, tons of info and super helpful!

[sparky]

Originally Posted by Arson24

if your just starting out
look around for this book, tons of info and super helpful!

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/a...652D0C943F.jpg

This book should be sold with every camera.

Post your results when you are done

[pghp8ntballer]

will do! still working on it. About 2/3 through all of the pics. Then we got to load them. Got one or two fun pics to do too.

Whats this? A book that should be sold with every camera? Thats like new cars! No one knows that you pay $xx,xxx for a brand new book that comes with a free car, but no one reads the book.

[Arson24]

Originally Posted by sparky

This book should be sold with every camera.

QFT!!!

[Kermit]

Constant lights aren't bad by any stretch, you just have to have a lot of them and it can get VERY hot in a hurry. Whenever I do video interviews at work, I use basic clamp lamps like these-


Personally, flash is my suggestion for photos, there is a reason most professionals use flash instead of constant lights. I wouldn't worry about that right now though. I'd suggest just learning to use the light around you. Go for a shoot close to sunset or early in the morning, learn up on the rule of thirds, and just keep the camera in an auto mode for now and you'll be surprised what kind of images you can crank out real quick.

Have fun, happy shooting!

[pghp8ntballer]

Ok, most of these have been done up in iPhoto, but this is all natural light beyond that. 224 pics total. Here are a few, tell me what you think!