So my wife (who generally does not like having her photo taken, and is quite uncomfortable in front of a camera) surprised me recently by asking me to take some maternity shots of her (she's 30 weeks). To my shame I told her I would need a dedicated flash - and got the green light to buy one This shows that she's serious! Now that I have an SB-600 I have to deliver...and I am totally new to portrait photography. I'm thinking I'd like to aim for mono shots with a dark to black background, but don't know if this is a realistic goal. I have a D300, so the flash will work off-camera. I'm also thinking I should be trying for a mix of natural light (from a window) and flash, but that is as far as I have got with planning. I have a Nikon 18-200 3.5-5.6 GED, and a 50mm 1.8 D prime.
Any tips would be appreciated! Also, any suggestions for an "object" that I could use for practice that approximates human skin tones?
Hopefully I can post some pics later - if my wife approves them, that is
cheers,
Colin