Help the inexperienced please.

Brad714 · Dec 20, 2007

Hello, I am not a photographer by any means, but an illustrator. I am in need of advice from experienced photographers that can help me out. I want to take some photos of my wife as my model for reference for my artwork which is fantasy based. Somewhat in a comicbook style but with a touch of realism. I want to take pictures of my model in black & white with various props. I need somewhat dramatic lighting so I can see a full range of tonal values. I will be taking pictures inside a small 10x11 room with lighting from a window coming from the right hand side. The walls are a light gray. I have a simple Kodak EasyShare C763 camera with no attachments. What setting do I use on my camera to get decent shots that will suit my needs? Should I use some focuse lighting and cover the window with fabric? Please help. All advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Brad

Happy Hour · Dec 20, 2007

Are you looking to do something like this?

This was done with a sony p200 cybershot (pocket cam) It was shot with normal room lighting and a black sheet behind me. Then edited with a free easy to use program called picasa. If this is what you want to acheive I would have no problem editing them 4 u. Let me know

hyakuhei · Dec 20, 2007

Here's a tip,

Use a credit card or other small reflective surface to bounce your flash off a ceiling or wall, given your shooting in a small room it'll give you some nice effects. I've used this trick a number of times and gotten strange looks from people...but great photos.

mrodgers · Dec 20, 2007

hyakuhei said:
Here's a tip,

Use a credit card or other small reflective surface to bounce your flash off a ceiling or wall, given your shooting in a small room it'll give you some nice effects. I've used this trick a number of times and gotten strange looks from people...but great photos.

As I read around on this forum, I was wondering about something like this. Would a small mirror be of any benefit as well? Time to raid the wife's makeup kit and steal her compacts?

JerryPH · Dec 20, 2007

Just make sure its a straight mirror (I prefer a white card, it diffuses better). You will look suspect as a competant photographer if you open "your" compact, place it against the flash and dump a whole bunch of blush on top of your camera. :blushing: