Senior Portraits. Advanced (Need help)

xxWesxx · Apr 4, 2014

Well, ive been in the photography game for about 3 years now. Im 18 years old. I have a HUGE portfolio built. Now done with the background story. Im shooting tomorrow a senior's portraits. Now I have shot portraits before, but I have never been good at posing the subjects. Any suggestions? Any tips? Also, What kinda aperture would be a good aperture to set for a clean crisp photo, with a soft background. Now I realize alot of the settings are dependent on the weather, and how bright the sun is. I have a Cannon Rebel T3i 18-55mm Kit lens. I also have a 75-300MM Cannon Lens. Thank you so much for the help!

-Wes

tirediron · Apr 4, 2014

Posing. Generally, with seniors (high-school seniors) you want poses and locations which show personality; what the person does, "who" they are...

f8

xxWesxx · Apr 4, 2014

Okay! Ill look at some of those videos. Much appreciated!

glun · Apr 10, 2014

Try this site out too: https://www.obaz.com/lookbook/287
A summary pictures of different poses.

hirejn · Apr 11, 2014

Being able to control light and posing are the minimum requirements for professional portraiture, and you're saying you're not there yet with posing. You can get there with posing, and lighting, if you learn and apply fundamental techniques. When it comes to selling portraits, what flatters matters, and posing has the power to flatter and unflatter, just as much as light. Quantity of portfolio is not as important as quality. What's more important than building a portfolio at this point is educating yourself on light and posing so you can elevate your imagery. I would highly recommend studying some videos on CreativeLive and KelbyOne. Lindsay Adler has some good lighting and posing classes, and there are others. You have to master light and posing for portraiture; even if you shoot in a style that looks candid, you must understand how certain light patterns model the face and body. When you learn and apply the basics, you'll have a good foundation for something professional.

runnah · Apr 11, 2014

Make sure your spots have wheelchair access, watch for tripping hazard and brush up on your CPR.

TWright33 · Apr 11, 2014

xxWesxx said:
What kinda aperture would be a good aperture to set for a clean crisp photo, with a soft background.

For someone to have as much as experience as you claim, this is a strange question to ask for someone who is self claimed "advanced"

gsgary · Apr 11, 2014

most seniors i know pose with one of these https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=z...ections%2FDIY%2FZimmer%2520Steps.html;392;523

IronMaskDuval · Apr 11, 2014

TWright33 said:
xxWesxx said:

What kinda aperture would be a good aperture to set for a clean crisp photo, with a soft background.

Click to expand...

For someone to have as much as experience as you claim, this is a strange question to ask for someone who is self claimed "advanced"

Numbers are just numbers. If I kept all of my shots, I'd have a digital portfolio so big, it would ooze out onto paper.

IronMaskDuval · Apr 11, 2014

xxWesxx said:
Well, ive been in the photography game for about 3 years now. Im 18 years old. I have a HUGE portfolio built. Now done with the background story. Im shooting tomorrow a senior's portraits. Now I have shot portraits before, but I have never been good at posing the subjects. Any suggestions? Any tips? Also, What kinda aperture would be a good aperture to set for a clean crisp photo, with a soft background. Now I realize alot of the settings are dependent on the weather, and how bright the sun is. I have a Cannon Rebel T3i 18-55mm Kit lens. I also have a 75-300MM Cannon Lens. Thank you so much for the help!

-Wes

As unhelpful as this may sound, why don't you just shoot at different apertures and look at the results and keep the one you like best...???

runnah · Apr 11, 2014

IronMaskDuval said:
As unhelpful as this may sound, why don't you just shoot at different apertures and look at the results and keep the one you like best...???

You're right, it was very unhelpful.