Onto the lenses since my lighting is all sorted

So I'm doing a shoot of kids in a school.. Normal portrait style photos, some groups photos, etc.

My setup is like this: https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1185617

[-----------[---------------Subjects-------------]------------]

8-10 ft between me and subjects

[---------------12ft wide backdrop ---------------]
YN-560 (RF-603 trigger) w/softbox --- YN-565ex (RF-603 trigger) w/softbox
(Me w/ T3i - no pop-up) RF-603 trigger

I'm shooting with a T3i and the kit 18-55mm lens. I'm wondering if this would be a good enough lens to capture crisp, sharp shots or should I move up to something else (rented) for the shoot.

I don't want to grab a 50mm because it might be difficult to manage shots needing to be so far from the subject(s).

What another great lens for such a shoot or is the 18-55mm good enough??

I did ask a similar question in an older thread, but as time has past and I've come to learn the capabilities of this lens vs. what I've seen out there, I just want the best lens for the shoot since I can likely rent it.

Thanks in advance!

You really want the 50 to limit perspective distortion for the individual portraits. The distance you dont want, is actually your friend. It makes for a much more flattering perspective. You can make decent photos with the kit lens, as long as you use it correctly.

Hi gonzogolf - Good advice and I guess I should run with it.

Whats your advice for the group photos? Use the 50mm as well? I want to minimize the time it takes to shoot (swapping between 50mm and kit lens) since there are over 100 kids in total. Each gets a portrait and group picture..

Thanks in advance for your help

Pulled out some older images from one of the older non-stabilized versions of the Canon 18-55 EF-S lens. Seems to have worked, as long as the light was decent.

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clickfinish wrote in post #14512379
So I'm doing a shoot of kids in a school.. Normal portrait style photos, some groups photos, etc.

My setup is like this: https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1185617

[-----------[---------------Subjects-------------]------------]

8-10 ft between me and subjects

[---------------12ft wide backdrop ---------------]
YN-560 (RF-603 trigger) w/softbox --- YN-565ex (RF-603 trigger) w/softbox
(Me w/ T3i - no pop-up) RF-603 trigger

I'm shooting with a T3i and the kit 18-55mm lens. I'm wondering if this would be a good enough lens to capture crisp, sharp shots or should I move up to something else (rented) for the shoot.

I don't want to grab a 50mm because it might be difficult to manage shots needing to be so far from the subject(s).

What another great lens for such a shoot or is the 18-55mm good enough??

I did ask a similar question in an older thread, but as time has past and I've come to learn the capabilities of this lens vs. what I've seen out there, I just want the best lens for the shoot since I can likely rent it.

Thanks in advance!

DC Fan thanks for the share! Those look great! I don't entirely doubt the 18-55 kit lens, I just wanted the best lens (other than the 50mm) as an option or suggestion.

I wont have any monolights, just the light from the ceiling and my flashes in softboxes. Someone had did the pictures last year under the same conditions and they came out fair, but he seemed like he hated life and he made the kids feel like he did.. LOL

He didn't edit or touch up the final prints and that's where you can see the loss potential for some great pictures.

Nearly all my gear for the shoot is in, so I'm going to be testing at home some time next week. I'll let you know how it works out!

DC Fan, gonzogolf and others

Other than the 50mm what are some nice choices to use for this shoot? DC Fan's shots are nearly exact to some of the scene.

Thanks

clickfinish wrote in post #14516640
Hi gonzogolf - Good advice and I guess I should run with it.

Whats your advice for the group photos? Use the 50mm as well? I want to minimize the time it takes to shoot (swapping between 50mm and kit lens) since there are over 100 kids in total. Each gets a portrait and group picture..

Thanks in advance for your help

My rule of thumb when shooting groups is to use the longest focal length I can given the space to work. The same issues tend to crop up if you work too close with a wide angle lens, the people in the front row appear much larger than those in the back. So if you have room to back up and use a longer lens do it. But sometimes you dont have that space so make it work as well as you can.

Hi gonzogolf - Just so I'm clear, what do you consider wide and what do you consider long in this situation?

Boy that question looks funny

Thanks again

Well if your only lens is 18-55 18 would be wide, and 55 would be long. I wasnt trying to be lens specific so much as I was trying to instill the concept. I wish I had a link to an older thread where a guy did group shots with a 300mm prime. He probably had to be 100 feet or more away, but they were fantastic because he could isolate the subjects against the background so much better with the longer lens. Thats overkill for most purposes, but since you are working with a zoom its easy to test. When you shoot a group just go back as far as you can and zoom to the longest focal length you can to get them all in. If you want to compare to see the difference, take a second standing as close as you can to still get them in with the lens zoomed to its widest setting.

gonzogolf thanks for the clarity .. Boy I learn so much with the help of you all! Thanks again..

I received my lightboxes today and hopefully my continuous umbrella lights tomorrow. I plan to setup and take some test shots at home.

I'm so worried about getting the right amount of area for a full 8x10 properly cropped photo. I'd hate to have to crop the image and add side bars/edges to the picture to "fit" it all in an 8x10.. Maybe I'm not saying what I mean correctly

Just remember 8x10 you lose a little on the wide side so as long as you leave a bit of room to crop on the edges you are fine.

Got it.. Thanks again gonzogolf .. Surprised I didn't get many folks with lens suggestions for studio shooting but ok, you've helped enough! I am going to snag the 50mm lens anyhow, but I'm not sure how many shots I'll be able to use it in.

If you have good light, then you dont need a perfect portrait lens. If you had a bigger budget I'm sure we would have flooded you with lots of options.

gonzogolf wrote in post #14534377
If you have good light, then you dont need a perfect portrait lens. If you had a bigger budget I'm sure we would have flooded you with lots of options.

Absolutely makes sense now! But yes, I believe I will have sufficient lighting..

(MODIFIED)
[-----------[---------------Subjects-------------]------------]

8-15 ft between me and subjects

[---------------12ft wide backdrop ---------------]
YN-560 (RF-603 trigger) w/softbox [] Constant umbrella light [-----] Constant umbrella light [] YN-565ex (RF-603 trigger) w/softbox
(Me w/ T3i - no pop-up) RF-603 trigger


Thanks again

Why are you mixing continuous light and flash?