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I have been in business since March - specuialising in kids portraits. I am making an OK living - and loving it ... but things are changing - and this is where I need the advice please.
SO far I have been taking the pictures at the client's location - invariably about the garden - and over the summer the reults havebeen great. BUT the evenings are getting darker and the wether is more unpredictable - and I sense that I will have to move indoors. Not all houses suit this.
The hitch is .... I am a lighting / studio virgin 
I feel that a portable studio would be the solution but I don't know where to start.
I have read a number of the related threads - but I feel that most of the posters have at least basic knowledge - that I lack.
I have a Canon 5D with a Hotshoe speedlite.
I don't know what to ask re : lights etc. I dont even know how to operate master and slave equipment ( blush ). SO far I have been able to get away with this lack of knowledge and shoot using soley daylight and fill-flash.
I am getting a number of Christmas orders now and I feel that I should raise my game.
Can you help me please ?
Tahnks so much
Some suggestions:
1. Look into short 1 or 2 day studio lighting courses that will give you the basics
2. Fit around the available daylight hours in winter, and re-schedule your clients
3. Look into devices like "the better bounce card" or the "Fong Flash diffuser" that give you "studio like" light with your existing flash.
4. Just before or after sunset you can get some nice shots with flash as fill-in.
5. Use your flash off-camera
Hope it hepls.
Mike
Agree with mike, if you say you are a lighting virgin then a course will benefit you greatly and ensure that any purchase you make you wont get frustrated and end up not using it!
Your local college might run a night class in studio portraiture - thats how I got into lighting.
A few months ago I bought a Bowens 500w travel kit. The gemini heads are quite easy to use with a little bit of knowlege. The battery for location use is brilliant and Ive charged it very little since getting it. It was quite expensive, £1089, but if your getting the work in it should pay for itself in no time!
Let us know how you get on!
Laura x
Just get elinchrom d-lites a background supportstand and white colorama background. Forget studio lighting courses and just concentrate on churning out as much high key images as possible, white backgrounds are more important to my clients than anything else in photo. take a look at my kids portraits in my portfolio, I average about £80 per hour between doing shoot manipulating photos and going to jessops to get them developed. I am not the most technically advanced photographer when it comes to studio lighting but i produce images that sell and with high key you cant go wrong. kind regards. james
Im my opinion if you want to branch out into some form of studio lighting, as Cai seems to want to do. Its important to at least have a basic knowledge of how to actually work the thing!
Not all clients want hi key white background shots. If you can do the high key and the studio lighting then the client gets the benefits of a photographer with more experties in more areas.
Fair enough "churning" out as many images as possible but I think its important to get it right spot on first time and doing a short course on the aspects of studio lighting will certianly not do your business any harm.
Laura x
I really apprecaite the responses - thank you.
I DO want to "Churn" out the shots - to a certain extent - It implies tht I have the technique down to a tee ..
But I feel that even though mastering the high-key shots is important - It is rather "venture" and I feel that it will date quite soon.
Perhaps a proper lighting course and understanding of the basics - will stand me in good stead for a more preditcable future.
Thank you though - I am off to investigate
Quote: mastering the high-key shots is important
Flat lighting with a blown out background is one of the easiest techniques to learn and I feel one that many portrait photographers stick to cos it's safe and repeatable. It is a good place to start and with kits like the lastolite hilite is portable.
The joy of high-key lighting is that you can set it up and forget about it and concentrate on getting the best out of your subjects. If you know the basics and can vary the lighting then you have more options for your clients and it can set you apart from the competition.
High Key is great for the younger generation, but alot of teens/adults seem to prefer the mean and moody low key stuff.
Understanding the basics will help you be more adventurous in the future. Good Luck.
Tony
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