BHamp00 Loc: Las Vegas

YouTube has many videos that can provide great insights into portrait photography... aside from viewing videos and perhaps supplementing your equipment, you will need lots of practice to become proficient.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

For starters, don't expect to equal the results of an experienced professional, but you should easily equal or exceed the results from the high volume "pro" who shoots one subject every two minutes in the school auditorium or gym.
Standard portrait lenses usually run around 85 - 105 mm, and have large apertures to get great bouquet. Someone above said the background is important, and that is correct; other things being equal, go for a simple background which has moderate contrast with the skin tones and hair of the subject. Light, as for all photography, is a major consideration and few amateurs understand it - we are all learning every day we shoot a picture. I'd suggest looking at the photos of Karsh or another top portrait photographer to see how they do things - there are many ways to be successful, and far more ways to fail.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

I neglected to mention that interaction with the subject to get relaxed poses and smiles, along with absence of distracting relatives giving advice. I've had way too many opportunities ruined by nosy folks trying to be helpful while knowing nothing about photography.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

==================

Yup!

Simple and direct.

-0-

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

Another tip to help with shadows. When you get your daughter in the right pose, place a sheet of white foam core board in her lap or prop it up near her lap. This will bounce light up from below and help reduce the shodows..(around the nose in this example.)

Also, as mentioned, plan to shoot several times. This allows you to review the first set of photos and then analyze and revise setup and shutter speeds, apperatures, etc.

Good luck with the project.

2mdman

First advice is don’t take any shots with figurines behind it. 😊

Seriously, you’ll want to make sure you get your composition right. Its not only the shooting that counts but the post-processing. Shoot mostly in aperture priority mode so you can put emphasis on depth-of-field. If indoor, check to see if you’ll need a flash. Get out and practice so you know what settings works best for your camera.

Other than that, go for it although bear in mind that as the photographer, you won’t be an active participant in all the action unless you’re going to just casually shoot.

Re Zues (Zeus?), I took away the figurine. Such a cute doggie!

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Dulcina, welcome to the Hog.
My suggestion is you start looking through uTubes untill you find one the you think is the look you want and gives good instruction. Then you need to practice until you're happy with your result.
If these Senior shots are important to you, you need to be very honest with yourself whether they are good enough.
The problem is that there are LOTS of variables that take many shoots to learn. You don’t want to look at your shots of her in 5 years and say, “god I was crappy then”!!!
There are LOTS of crappy senior shots out there being proudly displayed where they saved some money.
Anyway, again welcome and good luck!!!
BTW, Zues is a real dog, but cute!!! LoL
SS

riceman

I like to shoot head shots with as fast a lens as possible (i.e. low f-stop number). I use a 50mm 1.4 with my Nikon D7000 (crop sensor) and an 85mm 1.8 with my full frame D750. Wider lenses tend to take less flattering shots of people. If you have a slower zoom, shoot at longer focal length (200) as this can also have the effect of reducing the depth of field. Shoot on manual or aperture priority ("A" - as opposed to Auto on the Nikon selector dial, I think it's Pa on Canon) that way you can control the aperture (f-stop). This will allow you to get a shallow depth of field. Use a tripod if you have one. And if you do, turn off the vibration reduction (VR on Nikon), cant recall what Canon calls it, maybe VC? Use a background that is not distracting, but it d,oesn't need to be completely plain and keep the subject as far away from it as possible because you will want to blur the background. If shooting outdoors, avoid bright sunlight. Overcast gives more even lighting. If indoors, avoid harsh lighting and consider supplementing the light with portable lights or a detached flash unit to eliminate shadows. Focus on the eyes (or one eye for effect). Consider the rule of thirds when composing. Take lots of shots and adjust settings to see what works. Avoid HDR and excessive post processing as it can make your subject look unnatural.

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

[quote=dulcina79]What is the best settings or ways to do head shots.. Im going to be doing my daughters senior pictures to save money soon. As she graduates in May.. Time is coming way to fast for me and shes off to collage. Im trying to find the best settings to do head shots on her that wont look cheezy or coming out wrong with every shot. Im all new to this but ive always took pictures of myself but not of other people. I have a good camera now and I dont have to work with a webcam or cell phone anymore. I want this to be special andI think I got the lighting down pat on how to do that. Its the setting on which one is better to do them with. I want to be able to blur the background a little bit with her head shot. Like taking a pic on the rail road tracks. I want the background to be seen but not fully. Im not sure how to do this. ive downloaded apps that i can blur a back ground that way but i want it done naturally.

Im here to learn more cause I want to be able to do this regularly . Maybe I can make some money doing it. Depends how I do my daughters . THANKS

I think you have too much to learn before you can do head shots well. To blur a background you do not need more apps. You need to learn what f stops are and what they do. as well as tripod use and shutter speed. Then you need to learn lighting and all about ISO/ASA. Then of course posing and proper photo angles. Beside don't be cheap other than for your own use. Remember her head shot is going into the year book and you also need to know how they want the image and how high a resolution they want in the image. I know the school yearbook people want a certain pose and a certain lighting quality too so that all of the shots are printed similar on the year book page. At least go with the lowest cost package from the studio and then add your flair for your use. A bad year book shot you will never live down in your daughter's eyes. Sometimes the pros are your best choice. I know I have been a pro for years and an amount of lifetime training has made the photographer I am.
The shot below is unretouched except for resize to upload. You can see the kids exhausted look on his face as well as the rain. Sometimes a pro is best. Who do you take your car to a pro or the backyard guy?

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

A lot of good info for me on this subject. Especially, being an amateur/hobbyist. I generally have used my 50mm f1.8 prime for head portraits on a crop sensor. I borrowed a friend's Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro for one day to do portraits for a Veterans event some time ago. This was a better lens than my 50mm. And, I have discovered, that the 85mm, up to 200mm are your best choices. Another person I know uses an earlier version Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 on a D800 for portraits.

Rick Fox

Please don't practice portrait photography on something as important as your daughter's senior photos. In this case, I suggest it's prudent to hire someone who knows what they are doing! However, if you decide to press on with your DIY, please practice, practice, practice before the shoot!

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

I totally disagree with the first sentence!
Go for it! I agree practice and learn all you can about portrait photography. Portrait photography is serious stuff and not easy but it can be done. Know your deadlines and what the submission requirements are. If the school is like most than the pictures will be due in the fall. That gives you all spring and summer to see what you can do. If you are not getting the results you want you can always hire a photographer but don’t give up on your idea just because some people here think that if your aren’t a “proffesional” you shouldn’t attempt it. What is the worst thing that can happen? You don’t get images you can use and you hire someone to do it which is what you would have done anyways. The only thing you will have lost is your time. What you will gain hopefully is some time you would not have had otherwise with your daughter doing something fun together before she heads off to College. So my adittional advise to both you and your daughter from someone who has done it with my own son have fun with it. Don’t stress about it approach it as a fun project you are going to try together. Go to the schools library together and check out previous years yearbooks to get some ideas. Then shoot shoot shoot. At the very least you will end up with great memories captured in photographs.

dulcina79 Loc: PA

Ty . The railroads in our area no longer work anymore. They don't use them as they did back then. I would never do this on my own as my husband would be with me. Ty for ur advice it's much appreciated.

dulcina79 Loc: PA

Beautiful! Yeah this is something similar to what one pic I want to do with a dark back ground and just be able to see the from of her. U know not to use my flash with that shot and use natural lighting. Ur daughter is beautiful btw. I have a Coolpix b500 camera which zooms in very closely .