Indoor toddler pictures

robin

Hi! A friend asked me to take pictures of her daughter for her first birthday (total compliment, but im nervous) and I'm kind of new to the 60D. I have a zoom lens, the horrible kit lens and the nifty fifty. I also have a speedlite. She wants to take the pictures inside and I have no idea how the lighting will be. Any advice would be appreciated! I'm thinking that I will mostly be using the 50mm but I also want some shots of her sitting at a little table (not just close-up portraits).

Burtamus

You should do well enough. Remember to bounce the light to get the softest shadows. Also lift out the little white card to get highlights in the eyes. I do weddings as a second photographer with my 60D, SpeedLite 580 and the 18/135 kit lens. I did spend about $13 on a Stofen diffuser. My head photographer (boss) said my pictures rival his best shooter. Most of that is playing with and understanding your camera. ;-)

Auston

@robin - Don't be nervous, just remember to stay focused on the task at hand and you will be fine. ;)

Toddlers can be tricky critters to photograph, (I almost put shoot but didn't want to sound like you was hunting one). The nifty fifty will be awesome, but I want to point out the 1.6 crop factor due to the 60D body, so you will be effectivly using a 80mm. This might make shooting indoors a bit cramped.

For the lighting your speedlite well come in handy. I would recommend getting there a little early and take some test shots of the rooms you will be in and adjust your settings from there. You might want to look at having your speedlite angled to bounce from the celling to give good even light. I am possitive you know this, but try to avoid straight in harsh flash. It isn't good for the image. :)

On some settings, you should have no trouble getting a f/2.8 with the speedlite helping you out. I would suggest using a shutter speed around 1/400 and an ISO of 200. This should help you freeze the flighty little monsters. =)

And the last thing is which horrible kit lens do you have? I have the 18-135mm and have got some fairly good shots with it indoors at the range you will be shooting.

I hope this helps get you heading in the right direction and tell her I said happy birthday.
Auston