Sony Diaries #1033: What's in my (lighting) bag?

Taking portrait photos is about capturing photons and I'm not ready to cede control of my lighting to the availability of natural or existing light at any photo location. At the same time, I realize that taking full control of lighting requires a closet-full of lighting gear. So I have to strike a balance: augment the existing light with my light, or vice-versa. Regardless of the ratio of existing to added, the added light should not call attention to itself.

In a previous blog post, I detailed my set-up for a group portrait. The setup here is for portraits of from 1-5 people.

The heart of this package is the Westcott Rapid Box Octa-S, and a Godox TT685S with a Godox X1T Transmitter. The two clips are for securing the reflectors to the light stands. And then there are the batteries.

In portraiture, a black reflector reduces or blocks out unwanted light, both quantitatively and qualitatively, falling on your subject, helping to accentuate the contours of the face and body. A white reflector does the opposite, "throwing" light into an area. The Neewer kit is a 5-in-1, with black, white, silver (more specular light effect), gold (adds warmth), and a diffusing material (for diffusing harsh light sources such as the direct sun).

Sony Diaries #1031: A quick and easy way to lighting environmental portraits

This is how it works for me, using a Sony A7III. Any mirrorless camera with a similar Live View Display and Auto ISO will work as well. I also use a Godox Speedlight on a 26" Westcott Rapid Octa softbox, firing it with a remote controller. As for lenses, I use a Sony 85F1.8 for half-body and a Sigma 50F1.4 for wider coverage.

Depending on how much ambient light you prefer, set your desired aperture (f1.8-2.8 for shallow depth of field), shutter speed (1/125 to minimize subject blur). Lockdown the ISO indicated as per aperture/shutter speed combination.

Turn on the Godox to Manual and start with 1/128 power. Adjust power accordingly based on subject-to-speedlight and degree of lighting preferred.

And that's it! Now you can concentrate on getting the best expressions from your subject.

Sony Diaries #1024: portable lighting setup for group portraits

I was getting tired of lugging around what looks like a body bag: a case of 2x 500W/S Elinchromes, stands, umbrellas, mounting rings, and extension cords to places that may not wall sockets. I could use battery-powered monolights but the volume of group portraits that I do doesn't justify their purchase. Recently, I was commissioned to shoot a group of 40+ at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Since I already have 2 Godox speedlights, I decided to add a third one (as backup), and a Godox X1T radio transmitter. Shown in photos is my setup (taken with my LG G5 cellphone.

 Sony A7III, Godox X1T Transmitter, Tamron 28-75F2.8

 Godox TT685 Speedlight with a Gary Fong Diffuser

  Godox TT685 Speedlight with a Gary Fong Diffuser

looking at the Speedlights from POV of the subjects

1/40 F5.0 ISO2500