Portraits.....tell me what I need to know! Need to know what I should or should not be doing when taking portraits...any suggestions/help is accepted...

dlinquist

Need to know what I should or should not be doing when taking portraits...any suggestions/help is accepted

notnoBuddha

Some may well point out the shadows in the third one,and others may question the focus that seems to kinda of be soft - often the idea is to have tack sharp focus on the eyes. A silly little thing that I notice is all three are located with the head at darn near the top of the frame - if these are put into a picture frame all three will have said frame resting on the top of his head. And yes I understand that at times some pictures have the top of the head cropped off - and at times it works. Just my first impressions.

dlinquist

Thank you....Yes I notice the shadows on the 3rd one I think the light was not right, placement etc. I took these with a nifty 50. I had it on AF and focus on the eyes...what would I do to make it sharper? I agree with the head being in the top... I was trying to fill the frame.

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

dlinquist wrote:

Need to know what I should or should not be doing when taking portraits...any suggestions/help is accepted

thats a very large - generic question - impossible to answer short of watching you actually work. So, in a nutshell in the answer: Keep your mind on the subject instead of on what you "should" or "should not" be doing and pay attention.

dlinquist

Thanks....I appreciate it....I am so consumed with doing the right thing....settings, placement, etc....but i am not happy with this nifty fifty....everything I have read and pictures I have seen are much clearer than the pic i have taken!

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

dlinquist wrote:

Thanks....I appreciate it....I am so consumed with doing the right thing....settings, placement, etc....but i am not happy with this nifty fifty....everything I have read and pictures I have seen are much clearer than the pic i have taken!

yes yes i know - it is confusing and most camera instruction manuals are written either by an engineer (no offense to engineers) or by someone who assumes that you, like them, have 20 yrs of prior photo experience.

The worry and the need to "get it right" "do it perfect - like in the camera mags" will drive you crazy. The hardest thing is getting the "image of perfection" out of your head. Until you do you will not really see what is in front of you but rather what is in your head as "how it should look." It never will.......go out....forget everything you know....have fun!

dlinquist

do you have any experience with the nifty fifty? I know it is good in low light and the 1.8 the ap is wide open. In situations like photos outside in bright light....should I shoot in av mode and change the ap to a higher #/setting? I use the little red focus dots and focus on the eyes. right? also how far away from them should i be? I know my zoom is my feet!

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

Are you using a polarizing filter for the outside shots ?
It may help with his skin tone not washing out so bad.
I ran these through perfect photo suite 6 portrait feature.

Meives Loc: FORT LAUDERDALE

photogrl57 wrote:

Are you using a polarizing filter for the outside shots ?
It may help with his skin tone not washing out so bad.
I ran these through perfect photo suite 6 portrait feature.

photogrl57
I like the skin tone better with your touch up.

ShakyShutter Loc: Arizona

All good advise. In addition don't be afraid to use fill flash on most people shots outdoors. If nothing else it will put a little sparkle in the eyes. In the case of the first two a little flash may have made a lot of difference by not only cleaning up the color and adding sparkle to the eyes but you may have been able to stop down a little more darkening the background a little adding a little drama and separation.

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

ShakyShutter wrote:

All good advise. In addition don't be afraid to use fill flash on most people shots outdoors. If nothing else it will put a little sparkle in the eyes. In the case of the first two a little flash may have made a lot of difference by not only cleaning up the color and adding sparkle to the eyes but you may have been able to stop down a little more darkening the background a little adding a little drama and separation.

i second that and would add you could also buy a gold/white sided reflector for very little money and get an assistant to hold it for you and bounce a little fill light. Plus having an assistant (doing it for fun and to help of course) gives you one more pair of eyes to maybe spot something you don't.

xseabee Loc: Northern California; Northern, Colorado

With all said above. Has anyone tried this software sometimes advertised here on UHH. I see it is on sale for $39.
http://www.portraitprofessional.com/

photogrl57 Loc: Tennessee

xseabee wrote:

With all said above. Has anyone tried this software sometimes advertised here on UHH. I see it is on sale for $39.
http://www.portraitprofessional.com/

Yes I used to have it but deleted it from the computer ... It's a decent program ... as long as you remember that less is more... It's way to easy to overdue and make people look like barbie dolls instead of human beings.

xseabee Loc: Northern California; Northern, Colorado

photogrl57 wrote:

xseabee wrote:

With all said above. Has anyone tried this software sometimes advertised here on UHH. I see it is on sale for $39.
http://www.portraitprofessional.com/

Yes I used to have it but deleted it from the computer ... It's a decent program ... as long as you remember that less is more... It's way to easy to overdue and make people look like barbie dolls instead of human beings.

Good point. Thank you. :thumbup:

Mickey88 Loc: Central Florida

I use it for my portrait work and for my model porfolios, the key is to use it sparingly to keep photos looking natural,

xseabee wrote:

With all said above. Has anyone tried this software sometimes advertised here on UHH. I see it is on sale for $39.
http://www.portraitprofessional.com/