I was recently interviewed by my friend Sandra Coan all about her course The Missing Link. (watch the interview here) As one of her students, I am always gushing about her course and how it truly changed how I photograph my Newborn and Family sessions on location. The Missing Link was (and remains!) one of the best investments I have made for my business to date because not only was the class easy to follow, but you can also immediately implement Sandra’s techniques into your own style of photography.
Speaking from my own journey, I was looking for a way to photograph my on location in-home family sessions using more film and NOT having to be dependent on the available light at my client's home. Being a Family Photographer in NYC, most new york city apartments are small and having enough light to use film, is usually challenging but NOT anymore.
After I watched The Missing Link, I immediately did an audit of my gear and decided that purchasing a few new items was going to be a good investment for me to accomplish my goal of shooting more film during my family sessions. I also needed a photography kit that was extremely portable that I could easily carry.
I wanted to share with you what I use and bring with me to every single newborn and family session that is on-location whether it’s a New York City apartment, home in the Hamptons or update New York. I love that I am always prepared and I hope this helps you too!
Listen to my Podcast interview with Sandra Coan here
To see my work using this setup - Visit my blog posts here, here and here.
The Missing Link - This course truly reshaped my family photography in new york city. I have watched this over and over again and each time, I pick up new tips to use. I 100% recommend this course to every single person who asks me "if they should buy it?” and my answer is always “YES!” buy it! I have already made back all of the money I used to invest in the course and my additional photography gear. It’s SO worth it!
Photography Gear
Profoto B2 250 AirTTL to-go Kit (one light): This incredibly powerful little light is amazing. I love how small and portable it is. You can use this kit anywhere in the home because the battery pack does not need to be plugged in. I also love this kit because the light has a builtin receiver and does not require me to purchase another piece of equipment to get it to sync with my camera. The light comes in a crossbody bag that I carry and inside I add my universal remote, diffuser, and extra batteries too!
I purchase the one light kit but I wish I purchased the two light kit just to have a backup handy.
Profoto B2 250 AirTTL to-go Kit (two lights)
Profoto Air Universal Remote: I love this universal remote! It’s easy to use and can be connected to ANY camera that has a hot-shoe. So I can use it on my Nikon D850 or my film camera bodies the Contax 645 or Nikon F100. If I wanted to use a Hasselblad with a leaf shutter, I would just need a sync cord to make it work.
Westcott 7’ Parabolic Umbrella - Black and White - I’m so glad Sandra recommends these huge parabolic umbrella’s late last year. They are incredible and completely affordable!
Westcott Diffuser: you’ll need this to pair with your umbrella
Westcott 43” Deep Umbrella - This is another smaller umbrella option from Westcott that does pretty much the same thing as the larger 7ft umbrella. For my smaller NYC apartments, I bring this umbrella so I’m not knocking into any furniture during the session.
Westcott 43” Diffuser: you’ll need this to pair with your umbrella
Light Meter - I have a Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Light Meter. I purchased this several years ago and use it all the time. It’s a workhorse and easy to use. If you want to create pretty photos, you are going to have to invest in a good light meter.
Cheetah Stand - C8: I have been using Cheetah Stands for a very very long time in my wedding photography business. So I pack one up in my tripod case, along with my umbrella, so everything is in one bag.
Manfrotto Tripod Carrying Case: You can use any carrying case to hold your gear. For me, I just used what I already owned which was this Manfrotto Tripod case.
Kamrette Lyra Camera Backpack - I’ve already gushed about how much I love the Lyra Camera Backpack from Kamrette. It’s functional and pretty which for me (I know completely vain!) are super important.
Westcott 6-1 Reflector Kit: If you want to bring in a little more light into a dark situation, having a set of reflectors is going to be your new best friend. I use the white reflector the most and it’s light enough to carry when I’m traveling to a session.
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