First Photo Job! Senior Pictures

[gsgary]

Yep, me too! I thought "seniors" were elderly folk until I visited this forum.

They are where we live, maybe he meant 3 set of incontinence pants

 

[SoonerBJJ]

Gotta love "how do I take photographs" and "how do I watermark my work" in the same post. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I would worry about learning how to make images good enough to steal before I put too much effort into a watermark. Nah...

 

[Robin Usagani]

Do a bit of research about VERTICAL and horizontal composition choices. Do NOT shoot a boatload of horizontals where her forehead is chopped off,and her chin is 4mm from the bottom of the frame, and she occupies 25% of the frame, and the remaining 75% of the frame is empty,dead space.

The single, biggest mistake I see beginners making is to shoot "portraits" in horizontal mode, with loads of dead space, and a very small bit of person in the middle of the frame. Nothing screams "untrained!", "no art background!", "newbie!", "no clue!" louder than horizontalitis.

Something like this Derrel?

 

[eliz250r]

I know you are nervous but just relax, everything will be fine! However, I wouldn’t charge for this session. If you do it at no charge your client/friend will understand you are practicing & there isn’t that “great expectation” feeling of every image being spot on. Not to mention you can relax more. You would hate for the pictures to not be everything they ever wanted & you charged them. You do not want any potential/future clients not wanting to work w/ you based on what you did when you were learning. (That’s how I feel any way)

I’m a noob just like you & haven’t charged a cent yet. I just feel I’m not at my maximum potential & I still have a lot to learn (especially doing this on my own). Like you I have tons of questions!! Not to mention I need to build my portfolio, then I need images good enough to use in my portfolio…LOL. However, I am an assistant to a photographer & that has helped me tremendously! See if you can’t hook up w/ a photographer or two & go out with them. If you are able to do this don’t expect them to stop & explain everything as they are doing it. Just assist them in any way you can, from lugging extra equipment around to holding the reflector. You learn so much by watching & listening… then ask questions after. You will be amazed what you will pick up on after a few hour session!

Good luck to you!!
;-)​

 

[KmH]

I fixed that for you:

 

[Derrel]

Do a bit of research about VERTICAL and horizontal composition choices. Do NOT shoot a boatload of horizontals where her forehead is chopped off,and her chin is 4mm from the bottom of the frame, and she occupies 25% of the frame, and the remaining 75% of the frame is empty,dead space.

The single, biggest mistake I see beginners making is to shoot "portraits" in horizontal mode, with loads of dead space, and a very small bit of person in the middle of the frame. Nothing screams "untrained!", "no art background!", "newbie!", "no clue!" louder than horizontalitis.

Something like this Derrel?

I was thinking of avoiding "portraits" more like these:

p297772704-4.jpg

and

p119967730-4.jpg

 

[Gaerek]

Do a bit of research about VERTICAL and horizontal composition choices. Do NOT shoot a boatload of horizontals where her forehead is chopped off,and her chin is 4mm from the bottom of the frame, and she occupies 25% of the frame, and the remaining 75% of the frame is empty,dead space.

The single, biggest mistake I see beginners making is to shoot "portraits" in horizontal mode, with loads of dead space, and a very small bit of person in the middle of the frame. Nothing screams "untrained!", "no art background!", "newbie!", "no clue!" louder than horizontalitis.

Something like this Derrel?

I was thinking of avoiding "portraits" more like these:

p297772704-4.jpg

and

p119967730-4.jpg

Yeah, there's a big difference between:

"I'm making an artistic statement by shooting a vertical subject, horizontally."

and

"I didn't know I could turn my camera 90 degrees and still take a photo!"

 

[KmH]

"I'm making an artistic statement by shooting a vertical subject, horizontally."

Lots of artists invoke "artistic statement" but then can't explain what statement they were wanting to make, beyond "I liked it better that way".

 

[Gaerek]

"I'm making an artistic statement by shooting a vertical subject, horizontally."

Lots of artists invoke "artistic statement" but then can't explain what statement they were wanting to make, beyond "I liked it better that way".

True...see that all the time here. At least it works with Schwetty's shot...not the one's Derrel linked...

 

[Derrel]

"I'm making an artistic statement by shooting a vertical subject, horizontally."

Lots of artists invoke "artistic statement" but then can't explain what statement they were wanting to make, beyond "I liked it better that way".

True...see that all the time here. At least it works with Schwetty's shot...not the one's Derrel linked...

Uh, Gaerek, the two shots I linked are examples to avoid...and they were shot by Schwetty...and posted here recently...I linked to them as examples of what NOT to come back with...

 

[Robin Usagani]

But the thing is derrel you have to think about the finish product. A lot of my pics will go on a flush mount album where these pics will be on a spread. Vertical photos typically won't make a good spread.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Here is one

 

[Kbarredo]

I never knew horizontal portraits meant newbie. When was this rule invented. I knew vertical was mostly used to avoid dead space but can't you just crop it out.

 

[The_Traveler]

I never knew horizontal portraits meant newbie. When was this rule invented. I knew vertical was mostly used to avoid dead space but can't you just crop it out.

Answers:
1) Well, now you do
2) January 12, 2001 at 3:15 ET (and it wasn't invented, it was a law passed by overwhelming secret ballot of the world's good photographers)
3) Cropping off pixels leads to many pixels lying on the floor causing people slip (and to poorer quality in final images.)

 

[iKokomo]

What if I want her laying on the beach, showing the whole body? Would that be acceptable for horizontal?