Generally, I bring a small studio
light setup, muslin backdrops, and
drapes in a variety of colors. Be sure
to bring clothespins for your drapes
and clamps for your background. I
always bring a main camera and a
backup camera in case something
happens. Bring plenty of memory cards so you don’t run out of space if you
get really inspired. I bring reflectors to take advantage of available light
and better control my studio lights. Even though I like to handhold the
camera for a lot of poses, I always bring a tripod for longer exposures. A
more detailed list is available at the back of the book in Appendix E. If you
can afford to, set aside a complete light kit for on-location use only. As
your business grows, your time becomes more and more valuable. The
time it takes to tear down your studio setup, pack it up, and then set it
back up after the session is significant. If it takes two hours to prepare for
an on-location session, you’re wasting money!
It would be a good idea to visit the location in advance of the session.
You’ll want to visit the home or location at the same time of day as the
session to analyze the lighting conditions. Pay attention to ceiling height.
It can be difficult to set up a full light kit in a home with low ceilings. If
you are a male photographer, bring a female assistant whenever you meet
with the client at her home or other location.
Ideally, you will want to photograph her during daylight hours at her
home. You can pull beautiful ambient window light into any scene you
create. I try to take advantage of north light whenever possible.
When photographing on location, you may find yourself working with
mixed lighting. Carefully meter each light source for the best-possible
results.Above—It is always great when you have
art as a background (note placement of
subject against background). One 6-inch
grid covering a 375 watt Calumet back-
ground light was used as a main light to
photograph the mask of her face. I used
my Sekonic meter to measure the ambi-
ent light in order to properly set my ex-
posure. My camera was set to ISO 400
and mounted on a Manfrotto tripod. I
used an f/8.5 aperture to maintain de-
tail and set my shutter to^1 / 4 second to
bring in the ambient light.Right—Take
advantage of unique features of your
subject’s home, especially areas with
large amounts of available light. This
image was created by first using a
Sekonic digital light meter to get the in-
cident light reading off of her right
cheek. I used all available light for this
image. Available lighting is great when
you’re on location. You save so much
time by not having to set up lights. I al-
ways bring a reflector on location so my
assistant can bounce light wherever it’s
needed.
PREPARING FOR THE SESSION 35