First lingerie shoot using Olympus C-5060 (NOT WORK SAFE)

cpeters · Mar 14, 2006

Good evening unto all,
As some of you know from the photography Q&A board, I was asked to do 2 lingerie shoots for friends, and was scrambling to make my own background, best way to light it etc. Well Thanks to all your help and great advice the first shoot went off smashingly! I am posting several here for you to critique. Mind you I have NEVER done this type of photography before, so all tips will be welcome. One is a little blurred I know. Once again a big THANK YOU to all who gave me advice and helped!

LaFoto · Mar 15, 2006

What a pity to see that part of her hair gets cropped off in both 2 and 3 and her fingers in 3 as well

. Sniff-sniff.
Photo 1 was only a test photo, I would assume? She is soooo centred in that one...
And for some odd reason your make-shift background sheet always looks more in focus than your model's eyes... that is another pity about these.
But she looks like she might be in for a re-shoot any time, hm?

cpeters · Mar 15, 2006

Yes to the first photo. The cropping is my fault. As the c-5060 realy isn't suited to this kind of work it was a pita to make sure she was properly focused in. And yes she is up for another shoot.

Big Mike · Mar 15, 2006

Iron that sheet, and move her farther away from it while shooting with a large aperture. This should help render the sheet out of focus which should help put focus on her.

cpeters · Mar 15, 2006

Hi Mike!
Ok, why iron the sheet if I may ask? Everybody else I spoke with to leave it wrinkled for contrast. Just wondering.

Big Mike · Mar 15, 2006

Well, maybe if it was uniformly wrinkled it would look better. As it is, it seems to take focus away from the subject. Of course, it does not help that the sheet looks more in focus than the subject, as Lafoto pointed out.

Christie Photo · Mar 15, 2006

Big Mike said:
Iron that sheet...

ehhhh... My feelings are it's fine like this. In fact, I would like to see some more texture/motion... maybe some draping.

Big Mike said:
...and move her farther away from it while shooting with a large aperture.

Absolutely! This will be the best, most important improvement.

Pete

zurkgirl · Mar 15, 2006

I agree with Mike, iron the sheet.

Christie Photo · Mar 15, 2006

LaFoto said:
What a pity to see that part of her hair gets cropped off in ... 3 and her fingers ... as well . Sniff-sniff.

Good catch!

Pete

cpeters · Mar 15, 2006

Thank you all for the great suggestions! Keep them coming! As I said I have never done portrait work before so am on a crash learning course here. I am also using a fixed lens Olympus, so need tips there as well. I'll get better as I practice (and have models towork with)

photo gal · Mar 15, 2006

Ok I am by no means a portrait photographer but here are my two cents anyway....Other than what has already been said......The thing that is bothering me the most is her posing...It just seems unnatural to me...awkward even......Sorry it's always hard for me to say anything negative! She is a very pretty woman!

cpeters · Mar 16, 2006

She was not a professional model in any way. I simpy let her pose as she wanted. Will try better next time.

xion · Mar 16, 2006

Wrinkles in background become prominent when there is the side light source at almost a 90 to 60 degree angle to the background. I usually iron the sheets, otherswise they becomes a distraction. With wrinkled sheets you have to shoot wide open and the model away from the sheet
so that the background creates a nice diffused effect.

'Daniel' · Mar 16, 2006

I agree, iron the sheet. However I think it's a bad colour choice. It clashes with the red. It also is just not a particularly nice colour I don't think. It clashes a bit with her skin colour also.

You seem to have focused on the sheet rather than her (did you use auto-focus?). I'd use manual focus in future. The subject isn't moving and you don't have to rush at taking the shots.

As has been said move her away from the backdrop and open up the aperture.

Another thing is the chair. I think you need to use something else. it makes the shot look very botched jobbish and amateur.

also, why are these shots landscape when the subject is only down the middle and its causing some of the subject to be chopped of? Try using portrait compsitions as well.