It’s time to get more serious about your Family Portraits!
Shooting family portraits, either for yourself or for paid clients, is a common task for photographers to be enlisted into doing. But if you are new to family portraits, or to photography in general, maybe you are finding yourself wondering about what sort of kit you should have if you want to be doing more family portraits. Maybe you usually specialize in sports photography or landscape photography and your cousin Jane asked you to take care of the family reunion portraits this year.
Whatever your reason for being curious is, we have you covered. In this post today we will be sharing with you our thoughts on the ideal family portrait kit setup for the Fujifilm X-Series photographer. Now if you’re ready, let’s get into it.
The Camera: Fujifilm X-T2
For the camera in this kit we felt like there was really only obvious choice, and that was the incredibly popular Fujifilm X-T2. This camera is the perfect Fujifilm body to be implemented into a family portrait photography kit.
If you want to know more about it you can also check out our full review on the X-T2:
“There is a whole lot to love about the Fujifilm X-T2. It’s got some of the best autofocus of any Fujifilm camera and is very reliable in most situations. The build quality is top notch and that continues to add to its reliability as we found after dropping the camera. The overall ergonomics will appeal to so many people, but not me. I prefer the rangefinder style camera body offerings. Then there is the image quality. Overall it’s fantastic.”
Other camera options: [amazon_textlink asin=’B01A8DUR74′ text=’X-Pro2′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d031e3d6-7013-11e8-8f4d-ab092f423995′], [amazon_textlink asin=’B01NCVNDPO’ text=’X-T20′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’cbaf1a45-7013-11e8-9947-33206056c34c’], [amazon_textlink asin=’B0759G8F8N’ text=’X-E3′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c635951f-7013-11e8-abbc-7f3e3c854b77′]
The Lens: XF 16-55mm F2.8
It is no secret that I am a fan of prime lenses, but in a family portrait situation it can pay dividends to have a versatile lens that doesn’t require you to change your position to fit more or less family members. In the Fujifilm system the lens for your needs is the Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8, it’s got almost everything you could want with excellent sharpness and a constant F2.8 aperture.
You can also learn more about this lens over in our full review of the XF 16-55mm F2.8:
“The Fujifilm 16-55mm f2.8 LM WR is an exceptional lens in pretty much every way when it comes to the image quality. The lens is sharp–sharper than most of the company’s primes in fact. It also gives us great bokeh, excellent colors and everything that a photographer could ask for including weather sealing.”
Other lens options: [amazon_textlink asin=’B016XNJ2GK’ text=’35mm F2 R WR’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’bfa437d5-7013-11e8-a585-1d031e261323′], [amazon_textlink asin=’B01KNXOCO8′ text=’23mm F2 R WR’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b20d0fc5-7013-11e8-9329-d91fd40f21f5′]
The Lighting: ORLIT RoveLight RT 610 TTL Monolight
The line between speedlights and monolights are getting smaller and smaller these days. Where in the past speedlights would be a go-to for family portraits, now with monolights becoming much smaller and more portable with wireless triggering and built-in battery packs. The ORLIT RoveLight RT 610 is one of these new wave portable monolights that packs a ton of power into a small and portable package. It also supports TTL, which is an excellent feature to have where Family portraits are concerned.
You can pick up an [amazon_textlink asin=’B075RXGSMB’ text=’ORLIT RoveLight RT 610 TTL’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’757729cc-6b41-11e8-89da-3188b51f79c9′] on Amazon for [amazon_textlink asin=’B075RXGSMB’ text=’ORLIT RoveLight RT 610 TTL’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7035083e-6b41-11e8-9905-3166af651d63′].
You can also learn more about this monolight over in our full review:
“If you’re a photographer looking for a monolight that isn’t super expensive, then the ORLIT RoveLight RT 610 TTL Monolight could be what you want. You’re not getting Profoto’s quality here with the build or the design, but you’re getting consistent results. You’re also not getting Profoto’s consistency when it comes to flash duration or full color consistency. But at the same time it’s not far off. This light is more tailored to a hobbyist more than anything else. It’s nice. Can you use it for professional gigs? Totally. In fact, at the moment it is my main light. It simply works.”
Other Lighting options: [amazon_textlink asin=’B071HVLCHS’ text=’Profoto B1X’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’f9f21cbd-6b41-11e8-a375-0107a49c344e’], [amazon_textlink asin=’B01DVKBQEY’ text=’Godox Thinklite TT685S TTL’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’01c2b108-6b42-11e8-9432-290ba848ea86′], [amazon_textlink asin=’B01C69XVIK’ text=’Interfit S1′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’088f697a-6b42-11e8-a0a9-3f1722e95883′]
So, there you have it, our picks for an ideal family portrait setup for you Fujifilm X-Series photographers out there. This kit, or any of the alternatives mentioned, will do really well for anyone looking to shoot better family portraits with their Fujifilm kit.
Feedback? Questions? Comments? Drop them below and join the discussion!
