1st Photo shoot tomorrow...EVER!!! Suggestions...........??

AMOMENT · Sep 30, 2011

A bunch of people in the community have seen my photography online. A few days ago I offered to do a photo shoot for free for anyone interested so that I could get more experience. I got a GREAT turnout! The family I'm shooting tomorrow (well actually their two girls) is going to be at 1:30. This is not the ideal time of day, I know but it was the only time we could correlate. I live in lower N.Y. and I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be overcast. I know to try and shoot with the sun behind me and in shade if possible. Since the girls are young and they want a candid shoot, I am bringing some fun toys "props" for them to interract with. Does anyone have any sugestions on camera settings etc? I have the Nikon d3100....and a 18-55 mm lens as well as a 50mm f/ 1.8 lens..........I'll take as many suggestions as possible!! Thanks!!
P.S. I chose the location and already know where the sun should be around 1:30.

Robin Usagani · Sep 30, 2011

Who told you to put the sun behind you?

Biggs88 · Sep 30, 2011

Well, your doing it for experience. Working with not ideal conditions is part of being a photog I guess. . .

I would bang a few photos, posed, with the 50mm with a near wide open aperture. Get the background nice and blurry. Use your pop up flash as a fill if the sun is casting heavy shadows on the subjects face.

Good luck!!!! Have fun! And take lots of photos. Look at the bad ones. Learn what you can do different next time to not get them again.

DisasterDan · Sep 30, 2011

If you're asking for settings, its kind of useless since we would have to be there to really have any idea. Good idea on props for the girls. I find that candids are much easier than posed portraits so :thumbup: on that. Set a focus point on thier faces or subject. Shoot wide open and get some good Bokeh! Also make sure your White balance is right for the setting. And most importantly have fun honestly. The pictures are for free so dont stress it and learn everything you can possible.

tirediron · Sep 30, 2011

First, clothing: Talk to the parents and make sure they wear appropriate clothing, that is NOT a black shirt and white pants (an exposure nightmare, you mind as well be shooting weddings), and that the colours are appropriate for the setting, meaning that if it's a park with lots of green grass and trees, DON'T wear green jumpsuits or you'll never see 'em! Ask the parents to bring some of their toys along as they will be familiar, and you'll likely get more natural actions. Keep your shutter speed at least 1/125, and preferably 1/250. I would NOT shoot at or near wide-open with your 50mm unless you ARE very comfortable doing and that and have a very good feel for what your DoF will be at a given camera-to-subject distance.

Set your camera to use a single focusing point and always place that on the eye(s). Hopefully the day will be a bright overcast. If you do use your pop-up flash for fill, have a diffuser available. Even a piece of tissue paper will work well. Keep your camera's rear LCD set to display blown highlights (The blinkies) and adjust exposure accordingly.

AMOMENT · Sep 30, 2011

AWESOME ADVICE! THANKS!!! Okay so here's a real newbie question......(maybe even 2)....1. How exactly would you position the tissue paper for best quality? 2. My camera has 11 autofocus points. I am pretty sure you can only select just one. Since I will be photographing two girls with a total of 4 eyes...lol....(sorry this is very beginner)...where and how do I exactly aim that one focus point dot? I'm thinking I should use the AF-C.......and wonder if dynamic or single point is better? I'm thinking dynamic. I'm assuming matrix metering is ideal for this. I tend to like to shoot all manual because on Shutter (though great for action).....I tend not to get the clarity I want. (which I'm sure is my flaw)
Also......I am still learning about DOF and am not quite sure how to calculate. I also don't have an i-phone so I cannot download an ap to do so. Any ideas? A typical setting I will use in a shaded area in mid day would be an aperture (with my 50mm) of 2.0-2.8......(if want greater depth...closer to 4) ....and a shutter most likely greater than 1/500.....ISO no greater than 400...almost ever. I usually select the shade white balance. I think my camera only has face priority if using the viewfinder. I hate using my camera's viewfinder...it is too slow. I practiced photographing my husband and stepson today and found that one of their faces were usually in focus while the other was not. Again....thank you for being patient.....can you help?

schwetty......a fellow photographer friend suggested it.....but also said, if shooting with sun behing subject, spot metering was prob best. What is your opinion? I am learning to view the lighting situation through my eye and camera and find the ideal settings myself.

AMOMENT · Sep 30, 2011

....adding to that....I have been getting some unwanted highlights on the face...=( I have manipulated the exposure, which helps.....but sometimes creates too many shaddows. I have only been studying photog for six months, so this is new to me. Here are a few of my photos , though not perfect at all....but at least one to show you where I am "at" ...all were post processed a bit. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

tirediron · Sep 30, 2011

In no particular order: Go here: Depth of Field Table for DoF tables that you can print off and take with you. When dealing with several sujbects, try and position them so that they're about the same distance from the camera. Realizing that with young children, that's easier said than done, KNOW your DoF and position your point accordingly. For example. Let's say that child one is 18" in front of child #2. Your DoF is 24" (12" ahead and 12" after the point of focus), pick a focus point that is about 1/2 the distance between their two eyes and focus there, so that you'll have about three inches of "spare" DoF ahead of the nearest child and 3" behind the farther one. In reality, 3" probably isn't enough, and you would need to stop down a little further. I see some WB issues in the above images, so consider shooting RAW w/ WB in Auto and correcting in post as required.