shooting a model today ... dun dun dun.. HELP

[Shadowbox]

Okay if I want to stay in A, where I am most comfortable and I up my ISO to 400 my SS will also increase, but I'm not sure how well my camera is with noise. I have noticed it in quite a few photos that were underexposed, never noticed it in any other photos though. One reason I have been nervous to raise my ISO.

Mine does have a light, that's right. There are 3 boxes, I can select which one I want to be the focus point and it lights up as I press on the shutter release. I thought you meant there was a separate light that blinked 'focus' lol. I'm a ditz sometimes, sorry.

 

[cgipson1]

Shadow... you CAN choose shutter speed in aperture priority, and it stays the same unless you change something... as you adjust your aperture, the shutter speed will change. Just pick the aperture you want, by the shutter speed it selects. If you recompose the shot, or move.. the shutter speed may change on its own due to more or less light.. so be careful with that. The aperture and shutter work together to get you the best exposure in A mode.. and in S mode. You need to think of them that way... as a team.... you strictly control one of them, and the other will do what the meter thinks is best based on your choice. So you do have control of both, based on what you choose.

Does that make sense? They all work together (ISO, Aperture and Shutter).. can't really change one without affecting the others.

you may want to stop down a bit.. forget the nonsense about creamy bokeh at 1.8.. until you can actually get sharp photos at 1.8. Better to shoot at F4 if you can get sharp photos there (with possibly a less creamy background) than to shoot at 1.8 and be out of focus.

 

[Shadowbox]

Agree! I will be trying to boost my own portfolio and hers so I will be doing what I am comfortable with and getting the best shots that I can and THEN I might play around with area's I am not as comfortable in. But, I take it seriously and I'm not looking to waste either of our time.

I do realize they all work together, I just wish I could have the option to override the camera decision if I wanted to, without having to go manual. I know that makes no sense.

 

[cgipson1]

Shadow, the focus indicator is on the image the VTEC44 posted.. I have circled it in orange for you, just in case you misunderstood what he was saying....

if it is a solid green circle, you are in focus... if you have arrows or it is flashing, then you are not in focus...

 

[cgipson1]

Agree! I will be trying to boost my own portfolio and hers so I will be doing what I am comfortable with and getting the best shots that I can and THEN I might play around with area's I am not as comfortable in. But, I take it seriously and I'm not looking to waste either of our time.

I do realize they all work together, I just wish I could have the option to override the camera decision if I wanted to, without having to go manual. I know that makes no sense.

Actually you do have an option to override the camera decision...... you can either change your EV.. or change ISO one stop at a time. In A mode, the aperture will stay what you selected.. but the shutter speed / exposure will change to reflect your choice of EV or ISO...

 

[Shadowbox]

Okay, I have never noticed the focus indicator on mine, I must be way too focused on the subject! I tend to tune everything else out. I have to work on relaxing instead of letting my anxiety take over and yes I've ready my manual and carry it with me haha.. people always mention that so before anyone does, I have it on standby!

I will step out of my little box and try to change SS via ISO or EV instead of sticking to the same old settings. I basically never change my settings unless I have to because of the light. I don't want to be a one setting kind of girl, but it's where I feel comfortable and where my nerves subside.

 

[subscuck]

but I'm not sure how well my camera is with noise. I have noticed it in quite a few photos that were underexposed

That's the key right there. Noise is always more obvious on an underexposed shot. With proper exposure, noise will be held to a minimum. Any good NR software will take care of what's there.

 

[Vtec44]

You may have another issue if the shoot is outdoor: too much light at f2.8. That will cause you to close the aperture down and as a result increases the DOF = you won't get that creamy background. I typically carry a 3-stop ND filter when shooting outdoor.

 

[kundalini]

If I understand this correctly, the goal is to provide her with useable portfolio material so she can forward them on to her own prospective clients. With that in mind, screw the artsy fartsy shallow DoF and blurry background treatments. Make sure she is tack sharp. This will mean you should stop down the lens to its sharpest apertures. You should be looking in the f/5.6 to f/f9 range. Once you are certain this has been done, then get cute.

I try to shoot with the sun behind and to the side of the subject, but if I can't do that what would be the best alternative?

Use your flash and reflector. An assistant to help handle this part would be high on my list of priorities.

Good luck.

 

[Shadowbox]

Thanks Kundalini, and everyone else for the advice!

Yes, the goal is to build both her and my portfolios and I wasn't trying to be artsy fartsy, I thought a nice creamy bg would look good in her portfolio compared to what she has now (up against walls with harsh shadows and crooked photos). I didn't realize it was purely an artistic choice.

My first goal is of course to make sure she is sharp in her photos. Which is why I am here asking for advice with this lens. I can get very sharp photos with my other two lenses and I use those in both auto and manual focus because with auto it never picks up on what I want it to so I tend to do manual but then I think the fstop only goes down to 4 on one of them so I have less room for error. Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[bennielou]

hey Shadow, one more thing......

It's ok to be nervous. It's a good sign that means you care about your work and your client. I still get nervous every single time I shoot. Just remember to breathe, and you are going to do spanky.

 

[kundalini]

I've gotten decent OOF backgrounds with the 50mm at f/5.6 before. The trick is to have the right distances. Camera close to subject, subject far from the background. This would probably mean you would need to be fairly close to the model for a head shot. I didn't tag the shot well, but I think this was one of my test shots at f/5.6. I realize this isn't shot with a model, but it'll give you an idea. TBH, the 50mm suffers from nervous bokeh when opened up IMO.

 

[Shadowbox]

Okay I like the look of that and I know it would look great with her but I am going to take peoples advice and get all the necessary shots first before being more creative. I have heard the tem nervous bokeh before, does this mean it isn't consistent or it's more jittery in look?

Thanks bennielou, I can't wait to get home with my photos now after getting all of this great advice. It gives me another layer of knowledge to work with.

 

[gsgary]

This is a photo I took for TPF challenge yesterday.

The orange was supposed to be in focus and it really looked like it was when I took it! I did quite a few of them and they ALL are like this. This one is the most sharp of the bunch.

ISO 100
SS 1/20
F1.8
50mm

Have you got your diopter on your camera set correct ?, leave your tripod at home it will get in the way

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

I would advise you to shoot at 2.8 or smaller on the aperture. Your softness is most likely due to shallow depth of field, but most lenses are soft wide open anyway. Also, not knowing which prime lens you are using, I would advise against focusing and then recomposing. Especially with such a short DOF as it is. ( Sorry Bennielou, you are my girl and all, but I had to disagree on that nugget of advice ) Also, typically the wider aperture is going to be used for separating your subject from the background with blur. Although a fast prime is useful in low light, in terms of portraits and such, it doesn't fix sh!tty lighting. If you want that sparkle in the eyes, you are going to need to use a strobe, or have a decent natural light source and really play your cards right. The ND filter is also a good tip incase your cameras shutter speed does not go fast enough to allow for a wider aperture in brighter lighting. Also, practice Kundalini's advice about knowing your distances. If you aren't getting the blur you want, don't be afraid to move your model further way from the background while maintaining the same distance from the camera.