Must-have equipment for portrait photography

#TheShutterbug

As springtime comes around so does the desire to get portraits taken. Whether it’s with friends, family or maybe getting ready for senior portraits, you want to make sure you have the right equipment for such occasions. So here is a list of essentials for your portrait photography shoots.

1.The Right Lens: When doing portrait photography, having the right lens will go A LONG WAY to help your subject look just right. If you want a safe lens that would be good in almost any scenario, I would recommend going with a 50mm. But you can always go with something like an 85mm (one of my personal favorites) or even up to a 100mm or 135mm. Another great option would be a good zoom lens. Something like a 24-70 or 24-105 would work great!

2. Camera Flash: In my opinion, a flash is one of the most important things to have when trying to take high quality portrait photos. More specifically, Off-Camera Flashes. Having the ability to control your lighting makes it so much easier to get your desired look in your photograph.
3. Light Modifiers: Having an item to help change the way your lighting looks is right up there with having a flash. When using a flash, it is always a good idea to have a softbox to go with it. Other modifiers might be snoots to focus the light from your light source, barn doors to control the shape of your lighting, or even light umbrellas which help disperse the light in every direction.
4. Tripod: When using an Off-Camera Flash, you’re going to need something to set it up on and a tripod is likely your best option. You can also put your camera on it if you want to interact with your model and get more of a candid look to your photo.

Have more questions? Schedule a 1-on-1 in-person photo class at the Shutterbug (1 hr for $45) online or in-store! Need to rent a camera? Give us a call for availability at (503) 639-5088.