First shoot coming up

[spinxy]

Hi,

i just wanted to get some tips really,
i have a model visiting me soon so i will finally get some time to practice properly. shots i wil be doing are glamour, and they will all be location shoots in ayia napa so will be very bright, locations will generally be beachs, rocks, tree's, pool and by tropical plants.
i'm using a nikon D200 with 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lense
i won't have reflector's or lighting apart from natural light!

does anyone have any tips or pointer's for me,

would anyone know some good manual settings to try in this scenario
firstly to focus on model and get blurred background,
secondly to focus on model and still have background in focus

also i would like to try some sunset/sun rise shots, i realise this may be difficult with no lighting or tripod, would it be very benifical to buy a flash gun.
also again could some suggest some manual settings for this scene to start me off

Thanks for any help given

 

[JerryPH]

Yes, learn the basics of photography and get them DOWN before starting. In instances like this, you should be in one of the modes OTHER than ""P" mode on your D200. If you are not comfortable with full manual mode on your camera, that's a good sign to me that your skills still need polishing. I am not saying that you MUST shoot everything in manual, I am saying that if basic camera operation in full manual mode eludes you... its not time. Asking what manual settings are good... that's a clear sign that there is a weakness in your game plan right there. The right settings are IMPOSSIBLE to know unless you are on location.

1 - Everyone knows that the PRIME times to take pictures are just before dusk or right after dawn. If you want to shoot outside those times, you mostly likely will need light modifiers (heck it wouldn't hurt to have them, period!). That means flashes, lightstands, umbrellas, reflectors and so on and so forth. That also means understanding light AND knowing how to use all this equipment. For heaven's sake DON'T take pictures mid-day in bright sun... unless all you want are basically crappy results.

2 - As someone that is trying to get a quality portfolio, using a kit lens is simply out of the question. If you do not own something a little higher up the quality range... rent it (you can purchase the nice and sharp 50mm F/1.8 prime lens goes for under $110US).

3 - How good are your post processing skills? Glamour photography is one of those areas that if you want the best results, your PPing skills had better be right up there.

4 - You have the model... do you have a good makeup artist?

5 - To learn how to use off camera flash (almost a must in this situation), visit www.strobist.com find and study the links for Lighting 101 and 102.

6 - Finally... you *did* think of having her sign a model release form, yes? Just a thought.

Good luck!

 

[spinxy]

cheers for the help, yeah i know i'm a beginner and have lots to learn.

the strobist website is very useful indeed,

you don't happen to have a website like this as a tutuial for the d200 and the manual settings as i know this is something i struggle with.

also can you reckoment some more lense's that would be good for me, maybe just below mid range price bracket!!

thanks for your help

sorry forgot to mention, yes i have some experience with re-touching using photoshop which i am still learning and improving!!