Advice on taking portrait pictures

[grphx]

Hi. I"m buying a new camera tomorrow(Canon Rebel dSLR) and I have a friend who is coming over and she's going to let me take some pictures of her. I have been using a Canon Powershot A80 for the past 3 years and now I'm moving up to an SLR with it's normal lens and a wide angle lens. I can't remember the measurement of the lense but it is just enough to where it isn't a fisheye lense, but it goes let you take shots like the interior of a car and such.

As for the girl and what kind of pictures, they will be pretty much her posing. She was in art school and had to do figurtive drawings so I'm guessing she knows how to pose. She even oppted for those semi-nude pictures you see, like of the nude girl laying down to where nothing is showing, but it is clear she's nude.

Any advice on taking pictures of people like this, specifically girls? My "studio" is pretty much a white sheet to cover up my gross 70s style carpet and maybe another one to cover up the walls.

i've seen some cool pictures like of the girl's body(not sure what part, but there is some curves) and a drop of honey is on her body.
I'm pretty good with photoshop so I should be able to touch up any bad spots in her skin or adjust the colors(as far as photoshop will let).

I just need some examples of poses and stuff to tell her tomorrow.

 

[markc]

Some quick thoughts:

I wouldn't use anything wider than 50mm unless you have a specific reason to and really want the distortion that results from a wide angle. With digital cameras becoming so popular and everyone taking shots standing close using a wide-angle, I usually associate this look with snapshots.

Don't use on-camera flash. Try using window light with a large white board for a reflector.

 

[j_mcquillen]

I'm with Markc on this one...unless your going for a deliberately exaggerated perspective (big nose, wide eyes etc...) then a lens of around 85mm (on 35mm or full frame chip) will give you a much more natural and flattering image than wideangle.

 

[grphx]

Yeh I'm not a big fan of flash. Well she's fixin to come over. I'll be sure to post my results. I'm pretty much taking these pictures in my living room using a white sheet on the floor since my wallsa re white and I can edit the photos to look like it's a solid white wall(instead of the plaster stuff)

 

[Philip Weir]

I must admit firstly, you are game doing a shoot on a new camera without testing it first. I do a bit of model photography and find it beneficial to get some magazines with shots I or the client likes, and basically copy the poses with variations. Especially with nudes, the model, if new at it, can be nervous, so make sure you have some definite poses to start with to get her relaxed and not make you look like a pervert [I assume you're a guy] Take "Markc's advice. Flash is excellent if you know how to use it [not flash on camera] Trust his helps. Philip

 

[grphx]

I must admit firstly, you are game doing a shoot on a new camera without testing it first. I do a bit of model photography and find it beneficial to get some magazines with shots I or the client likes, and basically copy the poses with variations. Especially with nudes, the model, if new at it, can be nervous, so make sure you have some definite poses to start with to get her relaxed and not make you look like a pervert [I assume you're a guy] Take "Markc's advice. Flash is excellent if you know how to use it [not flash on camera] Trust his helps. Philip

Well I took em, and I havn't looked at all the inside shots I've taken yet(took like 200) but I saw the ones I had her modeling on my truck(outside) and they are way better than the inside shots. The lighting is poor in my house(just a light bulb on the roof). Here are a few...

 

[Philip Weir]

Hi GRPHX, Obviously you got in the swing of the new camera quickly, exposures look fine. Now to help you with some, I trust constructive advice. On the outside shots,
[1] shoot wider open to knock the background out of focus.
[2] be careful about getting girl looking off camera, it can be off-putting.
[3] I would have shot a much higher angle to make the shots look more interesting and more imaginative.
[4] get yourself a reflector for filling the shadows, easier to use than fill-in flash.
[5] Watch the angle of the models body, she has tendency in top shot to look pudgy.[fat]
[6] With your sheet background, you are better to crease it up rather than try and make it smooth.
I was going to attach a sample of a shoot I did a while ago using very little light, but at the moment don't know how to attach to the site. I will try later. By the way, wherabouts in the worls are you. Philip.