LEAVING FOR 1ST SHOOT SOON....last minute questions!!!!!

AMOMENT · Oct 1, 2011

Grantid, this is a free shoot for a casual friend, it is my first official shoot for someone other than family. I had no choice but to schedule it for 1:30; not best time of day. However, it is mostly overcast. I am shooting two girls.....children...age 6 and 4. There will be shots of the two of them together, candid, and separate. I have a 50mm lens with f/1.8......(no zoom capability) ...and a standard lens that my Nikon d3100 came with...18-55mm. I know I am going to have to increase my DOF to get both girls in focus. I was wondering if someone could give me some ideal positions of myself in relation to the girls to achieve them being in most focus and the background blurred. I'm currently playing around with a DOF calculator.On my lens...you can adjust to infinite..is this what i want? I need a quick crash course explanation. This shoot is really just for fun........=) thanks!!!

tirediron · Oct 1, 2011

There really is no "ideal" position. Here's the best tip I can offer: TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even if you spend the first half-hour doing nothing but experimenting, bring your DoF tables with you, bring a measuring tape if you need to, and frame the shot, then review it, look at all the important parts and if any are of out of focus, or not sharp enough, use a smaller aperture or move farther away from the subject. Remeber too that a shorter focal length (eg 18mm) has much more DoF at a given aperture and camera-to-subject-distance than a longer one (eg 55mm). Good luck.

ManhattanShutterBug · Oct 1, 2011

AMOMENT said:
I need a quick crash course explanation. This shoot is really just for fun........=) thanks!!!

Even though the shoot is just for fun, waiting until a few hours before your shoot to learn is a bad idea.

Anyways the above advice is great, good luck with your shoot!

AMOMENT · Oct 2, 2011

thanks everyone!!! Manhattanshutterbug.....I didn't necesssarily wait.........I have only had two days to prepare (since we orchestrated the unofficial shoot)..........I am by no means a pro.....just did a favor for a friend. They knew I was practicing and offerred. I, being a perfectionist, wanted to cram as much photog. knowledge in as possible. I am learning, studying, and practicing on a regular basis.

tirediron · Oct 2, 2011

Well.... :addpics:

Bitter Jeweler · Oct 2, 2011

Are.......you......bringing.......reflectors........to
.....help......bounce.........fill.........light........back.
.......at......your......subjects........to .........help
.........tone.........down...........the ............
shadows.......you.........will.....get.......in
........such.........harsh.........lighting.........conditions.
......?

Stradawhovious · Oct 2, 2011

Bitter Jeweler said:
Are.......you......bringing.......reflectors........to
.....help......bounce.........fill.........light........back.
.......at......your......subjects........to .........help
.........tone.........down...........the ............
shadows.......you.........will.....get.......in
........such.........harsh.........lighting.........conditions.
......?

Wow. You must have gone to the "William Shatner School of Writing Good".

AMOMENT · Oct 3, 2011

I'm not complaining. I'm very grateful for all the tips and cc I have been receiving. Thank you! Will post pics soon. This was a question I had prior to the shoot so I was obviousely not able to post pictures.