Basic portrait

rob91 · May 14, 2008

Ok, so there's this guy who wants me to take a pictures of him and his wife for a Christmas card. I was hesitant at first because I have no experience doing this but figured it's worth a shot. So, what I'm looking for here is some advice because I know close to nothing about this. Lighting is probably important, I only have these small lights that came with a lightbox kit, I'll bring them along and see what I can do. I'll try to get even lighting, and expose for their faces? I imaging I'll be going to their house, just try to find a nice place to sit them down/pose and go from there.

I'll be shooting with a Rebel XT, and have the choice between a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and a canon 50m 1.8. Any recs which is better to use?

Thanks guys.

shorty6049 · May 14, 2008

a couple good rules for portrait style shooting (and i'm no expert, but this is what i've learned) . First, you want to have a main light. This light will come in from one side (and probably slightly above the subject. ) hair-light is good , but not really necessary for a good photo. You will also want fill light so one side of their faces isnt draped in shadow. This can be in the form of a reflector, low-powered strobe, or even just a big white piece of foam core. you may also want background lighting.

Parago · May 14, 2008

rob91 said:
Ok, so there's this guy who wants me to take a pictures of him and his wife for a Christmas card. I was hesitant at first because I have no experience doing this but figured it's worth a shot. So, what I'm looking for here is some advice because I know close to nothing about this. Lighting is probably important, I only have these small lights that came with a lightbox kit, I'll bring them along and see what I can do. I'll try to get even lighting, and expose for their faces? I imaging I'll be going to their house, just try to find a nice place to sit them down/pose and go from there.

I'll be shooting with a Rebel XT, and have the choice between a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and a canon 50m 1.8. Any recs which is better to use?

Thanks guys.

If you're going to their house and the light might be kinda crappy, I'd definitely go for the faster lens. Do they want the old fireplace number or are you allowed to be a little creative?

I say when it comes to shots like these post-processing is key. make sure your exposure is spot on and you have eyes in focus - all the christmassy glow and bells and whistles can be added afterwards. But that's just me.
especially for a first time you want to focus on the important stuff.

Get Nik Color Effects plug-in for Photoshop (if you have Photoshop) and I say you're good to go. Good luck and keep us posted!

The card design itself.. will you be doing that or do they just want like a slim line print they can mail out?

Mike_E · May 18, 2008

Hi Rob, try going here for a bit of comparison

http://www.lowel.com/edu/foundations_of_lighting.html#2

Los Angeles · May 19, 2008

Christmas... Its May.

Parago · May 19, 2008

Los Angeles said:
Christmas... Its May.

Why don't you bookmark this page and come back in November then to post some suggestions? :greenpbl:

Mike_E · May 19, 2008

If the man wants Christmas cards now, shoot them now.

You're not meant to be passing judgment (or anyone else here) just taking photos.

I'd go with the 28-75mm f/2.8 because the less you have to crop the better the quality of your photo. With the zoom you will be able to fine tune the shot. The Tamron is also likely to be a bit better than the 50 at f/5.6 and under since you are unlikely to be shooting at f/8. Remember that the winter light does not look like summer light and you shouldn't allow the photo to look as though it was taken about this time of year. Even if you use natural light in June, with a little thought and a photo from the proper season you can adjust the WB and approximate the angle of the sun.

Merry Christmas!

AmFotog · Jun 20, 2008

generally for professional portraits I only shoot with a 180 lense (i use a hasselblad), and rule of thumb for simple overall lighting ratio(im not sure what kind of features your "models" have) but 1:1 is usually a safe bet, however depending on your clients you might have to figure out what is most flattering

mmcduffie1 · Jul 8, 2008

what that guy said :mrgreen:

shorty6049 said:
a couple good rules for portrait style shooting (and i'm no expert, but this is what i've learned) . First, you want to have a main light. This light will come in from one side (and probably slightly above the subject. ) hair-light is good , but not really necessary for a good photo. You will also want fill light so one side of their faces isnt draped in shadow. This can be in the form of a reflector, low-powered strobe, or even just a big white piece of foam core. you may also want background lighting.