streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Hello friends,
I’ve always been a street guy with little interest in portrait photography. I loved to look at other peoples work but always thought how hard can that be? Real hard, and my hats off to all of you that do this for a living! I have a grand-daughter coming and figured I do a little pre-portrait practice. I have a Nikon D7100. I read a lot of good things about the Nikon 35mm 1.8G lens so I bought one. In the last couple of months I have been taking indoor no flash pictures of anything and everything, the dog runs now when he sees me coming! With the lens pretty much wide open to get maximum bokeh I have not been happy with 99% of every picture. So the research begins. I conduct a “sweet pot” test. I put my D7100 on a tripod, aperture priority, auto ISO, spot metering, no flash, shooting a magazine cover on a wall 5 feet away. Here is what I found at 100%. 1.8 to 4 is junk, 5.6 is ok, 6.7 is great, 8 is ok, 9.5 is like 6.7 and all is solid the rest of the way until 22 which is more like 4. I wish I had done this test back in August. So here is my question. Do I take all my portrait photography at 6.7 and forget the great bokeh? I’m was thinking about buying an old 50mm 1.4D as I’ve read great things about it but I read great things about the 35 1.8 too. Thanks for the help.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

1) Stop with the "sweet pot" you do not live in Colorado.

2) the 50 1.4 is probably worth a shot.

3) if you can afford it, the Sigma 18-35 1.8 is pretty awsome.

wisner Loc: The planet Twylo

Portrait photography is about lighting, posing, and expression; these are what make great portraits. Get these right and the equipment becomes secondary.
Here is a great quote from Arnold Newman:
"We don't take pictures with our cameras. We take them with our hearts and we take them with our minds, and the camera is nothing more than a tool."

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Are you auto focusing or manual focusing ?? Do you have a "protective" filter on the lens ??

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

T

Thanks, I can't stop laughing!

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Auto back button, I have a B + W uv 010 on the lens.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

The "bokeh" remark sort of left me at the starting gate. The reply commemt about "lighting, posing and expression" is the difference between a portrait and a snapshot. Add composition and mood.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

You may want to repeat the test without the filter and manually focusing in live view with magnification .....

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Ok thanks, I'll give it a try.

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

Sorry John don't understand why. I would like some nice bokeh in my pictures.

RJNaylor Loc: Delmar, New York

You may want a longer lens if you want good bokeh or more your subject away from the background. I have found the 35 1.8 to be really sharp from 2 on ... You could do a lens test to see where your focus is. Shoot at a 45% or greater angle at something with letters all along it. The 7100 can adjust for back or forward focus if needed.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Bokeh is the quality of the out of focus areas.
Shallow depth of field is what you get when you shoot at wide apertures.
Some lenses have really crappy bokeh at wide apertures.
You can't get more bokeh.
It's about quality, not quantity.


As an extreme example, have you ever seen a shot done with a mirror lens?
The out of focus highlights are dounut shaped.
Some consider that bad bokeh.
More on bokeh HERE.
I never use the term.

The rule of thumb I learned in photo school for portraits was twice the normal focal length.
For an APS-C format, a 70mm, for full-frame 100mm.
Your mileage may vary.

streetmarty Loc: Brockton, Ma

This is interesting. 45* angle and go through all the stops again. Correct? Will do. Thank you.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

I'd go for a longer focal length lens- the 50mm1.4D should give you better perspective for portraiture than a 35mm. It'll also allow you to move her a bit farther from the background. You didn't mention her age- don't shoot down on her, neal down if you have to to shoot at eye level, but don't shoot "up her nostrils". You may want to use the pop up flash on low power just to give a catchlight in the eyes, but don't let it overpower the ambient lighting or the illumination will be too flat and there may be "red eye"- this can be corrected in PP. If you don't want to do this try to use a reflector or something to give a highlight to her eyes Don't face her body square on to the camera, but have her at an angle to your camera position. She can then turn her head towards the camera. Talk to her to get good expressions rather than just saying "smile". Ask about things she likes to do, her best friend, etc. When you pose her hands and arms, be aware that if they are the closest to the lens they will appear larger than life. And no filter on the lens if you want sharp images.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

Get rid of the 35mm it will make her look like she has a big nose. Focus on her eyes. I like a long lens 135mm at f2.8 on crop camera. This way you can get a good blur in the background that she will have at least 5' back of her. Your focus must be off. since the magazine cover should be sharp if the focus is correct with any lens opening. When you lower you f/stop the depth of field is greater so it is in focus. - Dave