Outdoor Portrait Advice Please...

[DestinDave]

My sister-in-law called last night and wanted to know if I'd take some "senior pictures" of my nephew. He graduates in a few weeks so the photos need to be mailed out with announcements in 2 or 3 weeks at the latest. I'm tied up the next 2 weekends so it comes down to today or not at all. The sun today is blinding but not a cloud in the sky. I went out this morning and scouted a few places that might provide nice bright shade later in the afternoon. I'm thinking of old downtown area - cobblestone streets, 1860s and 1870s brick buildings right to the street edge, lots of brightly painted doors, windows, shutters, etc - Quainttown, USA. Maybe a few in the park by a stream too.
Any suggestions on film, lenses, standard poses, etc. are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave

 

[duncanp]

a 50mm lens is always good for portraits as it gives natural proportions, a graduated filter is useful if sky is too bright as well... i will add to this post when i think of more..

low grain film would be good, but not one that is too contrasty or adds saturation to the image... preferable around ISO 100

For poses i would suggest shoting at eye level,

lighting is one thing to watch out for you dont really want backlit subjects unless you are using fill in flash. and when side lighting reflectors can be usefull not to get hard shadows..

Also in most cases try to keep most of the face in focus and if the background is too distracting opt for a wide aperture...