Questions need Answers

[Teresa]

I need answers to a few questions!
I am asking because you guys in here seem to be more apt to what you are doing than me and I only want to get better...not worse but apparently that is all I am doing...is getting worse!
I have been suffering an ear infection for the last 2 months (procrastinated because I was in Tennessee and thought it was just the elevation in the mountains...)and today my A game is really thrown off because it is so bad today that I haven't a lot of balance...I just got out of shower and almost fell over it is so bad.
I have a photo shoot at 2pm with a 19 yr old girl (that I grew up with so it isn't a paid shoot).
I have all my backdrops, a box fan (floor fan to blow her hair....is that not a good thing to use?), a folding chair for her to "pose" on...what kind of poses could I do with that? And how do you get the photos where the subject is looking up at you and the lower half of the subject is blurred (like blurring the background) since my camera doesn't really have that option? Do I stand on a ladder or step stool and lift my camera as high as it will go or even hold it up in the air and shoot down? How do I acheive that look?
Anything else you would like to let me know?
Also, I have 2 lights, a tripod for my camera and my backdrop support (about 6-7 ft wide) so if someone can please draw me a diagram to show me how to position the lights so i dont get harsh shadows, that would be great. I have looked online everywhere and everyone is different and I have tried about 4-5 different ways and no luck so far.

 

[SpeedTrap]

You are going to need the widest apature you can 2.8 or larger, you will also have to play with the distance from the subject. It will make a difference how far you are from the subject and how large or small of a DOF you want.

As for the light position, put them at 45 deg to where you put your camera and start there, move them as you need to.

Read this http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

 

[Teresa]

i have done the lights on the same side before...45* from camera and one 45* behind subject

then i did one on one side BEHIND camera and then the other 45* in front of subject pointing backdrop so i dont get much of a shadow

then i did one on one side of camera 45* and then I did one 45* of subject pointing at subject

also, i have done the lights about 2 ft taller than subject, i have done them the same height as subject and lower than them and still get the same effect in every photo i take

 

[Mrsforeman1]

Also when they say a larger aperture...they don't mean a larger number. You may already know that though. And Speedtrap:
Would larger than 2.8 actually work? I wouldn't know because my lens won't allow it.

 

[SpeedTrap]

Speedtrap:
Would larger than 2.8 actually work? I wouldn't know because my lens won't allow it.

If your lens will allow it, I have a 50mm f/1.4 in m bag and I have used it right down to f/1.4

 

[Teresa]

that is the lowest mine will go is 2.8

 

[Chris of Arabia]

For future reference, this forum is intended to be a gallery for displaying your finished work, not for discussing the technicalities of lighting setups. Hope you don't mind that I move this across to a more appropriate forum for the discussion to continue.

 

[Teresa]

nope that is fine

 

[Sideburns]

get on a ladder and open your aperture up as wide as possible. That will get your effect your looking for...hopefully. It depends on how long your lens is and how far you are from her.

Perhaps just try some more traditional shots.

Are you going for normal like...studio poses and graduation pictures kinda thing? or does she want something sexier? You could always bend her over the chair...or have her sitting backwards in the chair...
If she's wearing a dress, there's lots of fun ways to keep you interested when viewing a picture.

Experiment. I'm sure she'll have fun if you're confident in what you think might work and if you're not questioning too much. Just relax and try to have fun.

 

[Teresa]

i just have the lens the camera came with..the on camera lens...that you can zoom in and out. i dont have a wide lens, a tele photo lens, or a conversion lens...just have my plain ol camera lens

studio poses, she has evening gowns, street clothes, cutesy outfits, etc
what do you mean bending over the chair?

my aperture goes from f/2.8 to f/8

 

[SpeedTrap]

You are yoing to run into limitations with your camera, this is why you see most people are shooting DSLR vs PS.

PS did you ever try to take the picture of your slaves to see if they are going off at the right time? The reason I am asking tou to do this is because looking at your other pics, the slaves are not fireing at the correct time.