Shooting a friend with "challenging" features

[rmgreenstreet]

Hi, I'm Rob and I'm new to the photo forum. I think I've found the correct forum in which to post, but if not, please bump this to the correct area.

That being said, I have a dilemma. I feel like my shooting skills are on the higher end of amateur, and I'm working on progressing them even further. One of the ways I want to do that is to take new profile pictures for friends of mine on Facebook. It went well for a family I know, since they're all fairly normal looking people. The problem I have now is that I have a friend who is in her 30s, on the heavier side, and probably wouldn't be most people's choice for belle of the ball, and she wants me to do a portrait for her. I love her to death, but I'm afraid I won't be able to make her look good, at my current skill level. Hopefully the collective wisdom of forum members can help me out. Here's her profile picture, currently:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...20145498857.2057749.1089258279&type=1&theater

What I have available to me are:
-Several very nice natural backdrops from the downtown area of my city
-Nikon D3000
-18-55mm Nikkor dx kit lens with minimum aperture at 3.5 and max at 22, with 5.6 being the widest at the 55mm zoom
-old yashica 50mm f1.7 with a nikon adapter
-yashica 28mm f2.8 with nikon adapter
-yashica 80-200mm f1.4 with nikon adapter
--Keep in mind, even the nikkor lens has a 1.5x conversion factor, since the camera has the smaller sensor, and I'm pretty sure the manual lenses with the adapter have an even larger conversion factor. I may be working with closer to 400mm on the end of that telephoto lens.
-remote trigger for the camera
-one (1) Nikon sb-600 flash with remote trigger capabilities
-light stand and shoot through umbrella
-a collection of lighting gels including full CTO, half CTO, full and half CTB, and Window Green. The standard stuff.

I've been shooting for somewhere around 3 or 4 years, first with my former boss' original rebel for about a year, then breaking the 10k shot mark on the D3000 in less than 2 years. I know some basic compositional things like rule of thirds and lighting angles and subject-to-background, so I'm not a complete novice. I just don't know how to make women with less-than-appealing features happy with their portraits.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ceejtank]

Sounds to me like youre worrying about making her look different then she actually looks. She knows what she looks like. Take a well exposed image, with proper techniques, interesting background, process like you would any other shot. I doubt she's expecting you to take a picture of her and have Kim Kardashian pop up on your screen after you click the button....

 

[rmgreenstreet]

I hadn't thought of that. And, now that you've said it, I think you're right. My big worry now is that I'll accidentally over-emphasize something she doesn't like, but I can just delete those. You may have cured my trepidation in 4 sentences. Thank you.

 

[Derrel]

I looked at the Facebook shots and saw her in various settings. You're way over-exaggerating. Have her put on some makeup, fix her hair for 5 minutes, and have her put on a nice blouse and fire away. Have her keep her chin up and slightly "projecting forward", which improves the look of the chin and neckline on most people. Have her shoulders presented to the camera at an angle, and not square-shouldered to the camera. Emphasize her womanly bosom. Try a few shots where she is leaning on a table or shelf or desk, and the camera is aimed at her from slightly above the bridge of the nose. This emphasizes the face, and is often a flattering vantage point, and it ever-so-slightly increased the size of the head on-film (or on-sensor) and gives some very subtle visual "clues" to the viewer. Problem solved.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

I tend to agree with the sentiment above...taking a portrait of someone shouldn't be about making them look like something they're not. However, you can do you best to make them look good (according to societal standards/opinions).

A few simple things can make a big difference.
Don't pose your subject straight onto the camera, have them turn their shoulders/body one way or the other.
Since they will not be straight to the camera, think about which side of their face is closer to you (and which is farther). If you can, determine their best side and have that toward the camera.
Now think about which side of the face the light should be on. If you have your main light on the close side of their face (visible ear side), then you would be using 'broad' lighting. Broad lighting tends to make people look bigger.
If you put the light on the side of the hidden ear, you would be using 'short' lighting. Short lighting lights up the face, rather than the whole head and tends to make people look slimmer. So you will probably want to try short lighting.

Posing can make a big difference as well. For example, people who are heavier tend to have more chin/neck area...especially when in a pose that shows it off. But if they use a pose that tries to hide or de-emphasize it, they tend to look slimmer. One tip is to have them press their tongue against the roof of their mouth. Even better, have them extend their head forward away from their body. (many people have the tendency to do the opposite, which looks bad). This is an unnatural feeling, so you usually have to keep reminding them. To see how well it works, try it on yourself in the mirror....right now...go, I'll wait.
Another tip is to make your camera position higher than the subject, so that they are looking up at you.
Another benefit of shooting from above, when shooting women, is that you can emphasize their cleavage (if you/they want to).

All of these things can help, but a well exposed photo with a nice natural expression is still going to be your trump card. So having your subject feeling comfortable is key.

 

[rmgreenstreet]

Thanks for the advice. I'm the kind of person who wants to do it right the first time, or not do it at all, so I've gotten myself worked up over this. I guess i just need to calm down and stick with what I know works. Thanks for your support, both Mike and Derrel.

 

[sm4him]

^+1 to what ceejtank said. Plus, if you cannot take a photo that looks at least 100 times better than that profile pic, you should immediately sell your camera equipment and find a new hobby.
That is, without a doubt, one of the worst profile photos I've ever seen, and it has NOTHING to do with the woman's size. It's just blurry and awful; I'd say it looks like a mug shot, except those are at least usually in focus.
If THAT is what she considers to be one of the BETTER photos of herself--there is NO PRESSuRE on you whatsoever!

 

[ceejtank]

Thanks for the advice. I'm the kind of person who wants to do it right the first time, or not do it at all, so I've gotten myself worked up over this. I guess i just need to calm down and stick with what I know works. Thanks for your support, both Mike and Derrel.

Left out of the thanks.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

You need FLAT lighting. like gigantic window light behind you flat lighting.

 

[MonochromeB]

Angles, Angles, Angles. Nothing straight on, either from the side or front directly. eyes are always beautiful, so chin down and on the eyes.
Longer zooms have a bit of compression to them, that will assist you greatly.
Natural light is okay, but based on some of her FB shots, shadows may not be as flattering. Think about natural + fill light in a slip-on diffuser. If you are indoors, beware the down shadows cast by bouncing the flash off the ceiling.

Hope this helps.

Ben

 

[MLeeK]

Adding to mike's posing on shooting from above Shoot her from above eye level a bit looking up at you. The natural distortion will slim down the body as well as it hides that chin area he touches well on.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Shoot from above and have them layer clothing. And, yes, cleavage can be distracting in a good way. :thumbup:

 

[Vautrin]

Someone can be hideously ugly and make a fascinating portrait

A good portrait captures the essence of
a person, and appears to show you their soul.

Looks have nothing to do with it

 

[Mully]

I think you need to stay calm,confident and by doing so she will not see you feel under pressure and she will be more relaxed. A relaxed subject is easier to photograph.

 

[jake337]

Start reading!! These will help you get on the right track. There are not exactly rules, just guidelines one could follow from the knowledge gained by some seasoned portrait professionals.The Rules Of Good Portraiture

Facial Analysis in Fine Portraiture- Corrective Techniques

Benji's Studio Lighting and Posing Tutorial