Often asked by photographers which equipment do you recommend to capture quintessential Portrait Photography. I’ve written a comprehensive blog post on my favourites which I can’t do without.
Sekonic L-308X (Light Meter)
Sekonic L-308X (Light Meter)
A good light meter is essential, you will be surprised, I have taught a great deal of budding photographers in my workshops, and many have never used a light meter. Your digital camera can do significantly more than film cameras, but it is not a light meter. It has no lumisphere, it cannot measure the light output of flash prior to capture, it cannot measure the light output of multiple flashes in relation to one another and as a percentage of ambient light. Precise calibration for accurate digital exposures is essential in portraiture to create the right look and mood. You can’t meter flash/strobes by eye alone. I recommend the Sekonic L-308X, it’s simple to use and will ensure accuracy in your metering.
Profoto (Reflectors)
Whether you’re shooting in studio with strobes or outdoors, in bright sunlight or under clouds, the direction and strength of the light has a big impact on your images, and making the most of the available light can be the difference between a good photo and a great one. Reflectors are your secret weapon in portraiture, put quite simply reflectors bounce light. They enable you to control your lighting more effectively. With so many reflectors available its impossible to talk about them all. I prefer Profoto reflectors. In particular Silver/White Reflectors to create a bright more detailed portrait.
Posing stools and posing tables play an important role in my portraiture, a portrait session is after-all called a sitting. Therefore ones model or subject should be seated. Having a stool instead of a chair can be helpful if you don’t want the chair back to be visible in the pictures. Also when the client is sitting, options for placing his/hers arms and hands can be limited, so a posing table can help finding more poses.
Umbrellas are collapsible lighting modifiers that spread the light output into many different directions. Silver Umbrellas throw light everywhere within a 180 degree radius. The wide and even pattern of light created by a silver umbrella makes them perfect for lighting portraits. Umbrella’s will give your portraits a softer look, they are portable and easy to use, and very affordable.
Octa Softboxes are perfect for portrait photography thanks to its circle-like shape that generates an attractive and natural looking catch-light in the subject’s eye. The Octa shape also gives an equally soft or hard edge on all sides. They are portable and simple to use, and very affordable. My preferred sofbox is the Profoto OCF Softbox 2' Octa Light weight and easy to assemble producing amazing results.
Utilising a medium format camera has its advantages, but it is rather heavy. Traveling between London & Los Angeles, I wanted to find a light weight tripod. Carbon Fibre seemed to be the best option. However, you find these types of tripods can be quite expensive. Doing my research I found the Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 Carbon Fibre Tripod it became the answer to my problems. This lightweight reasonably priced solution delivers on durability and precision with its tilt motion assistance, it weighs a light 2.5kg!
Peli 1510 (Photography Cases)
Rory Lewis posing with his first Peli 1510, signed by Celebrity Clients.
