Portrait photography (Page 3): It allows you to easily view your subject(s)a lower angle. like Victoria's Secret and notice where they place the camera. Yes, boy do "I" know. When I...

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

[quote=The Watcher]
It allows you to easily view your subject(s)a lower angle. like Victoria's Secret and notice where they place the camera. [quote]

Yes, boy do "I" know. When I was about 10, I always conveniently dropped something to get that low vantage point!! Worked like a charm!! Only got slapped once!!
I now know why they call you "Watcher", in those days, they used to call me "Peeper"! :lol:
SS

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

The Watcher wrote:

The reason I suggested the swing out screen is because it make the camera similar to the medium format film cameras that most portrait photographer once used. It allows you to easily view your subject(s) when the portrait needs to be shot from a lower angle. Go out and look at the Captain's website or a catalog like Victoria's Secret and notice where they place the camera. The swing out screen or a right angle view finder, works best for me.
CaptainC http://clifflawsonphotography.com/

The swing out screen is a tremendous feature. Besides that mentioned above, I believe it helps in composing because you see the image as a two-dimensional image as opposed to the three-dimension image you see through the optical viewfinder.

amehta Loc: Boston

Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:

The swing out screen is a tremendous feature. Besides that mentioned above, I believe it helps in composing because you see the image as a two-dimensional image as opposed to the three-dimension image you see through the optical viewfinder.

Why does it have to swing out to do this?

roche8410 Loc: Arizona

Thank you all for the information. A lot of food for thought. Very thoughtful answers and are appreciated.

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

amehta wrote:

Why does it have to swing out to do this?

It doesn't have to swing out to have the advantage of showing a 2-dimensional image. However, the swing out feature is wonderful because it saves wear and tear on the photographer, lets the photographer comfortably shoot from low angles or high angles or sideways, and is just plain cool. It seems odd to me that some of the lower end cameras have the swing out screen, while some of the higher end ones lack the feature.

amehta Loc: Boston

Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:

It doesn't have to swing out to have the advantage of showing a 2-dimensional image. However, the swing out feature is wonderful because it saves wear and tear on the photographer, lets the photographer comfortably shoot from low angles or high angles or sideways, and is just plain cool. It seems odd to me that some of the lower end cameras have the swing out screen, while some of the higher end ones lack the feature.

I think the articulating screen is a potential weak link in the structure, and for the higher end bodies, build quality and ruggedness are important considerations.

Los-Angeles-Shooter Loc: Los Angeles

amehta wrote:

I think the articulating screen is a potential weak link in the structure, and for the higher end bodies, build quality and ruggedness are important considerations.

Might be so. But most of my shooting is in studio, so next camera I get will have a swingout screen.

jgitomer Loc: Skippack Pennsylvania

Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:

Might be so. But most of my shooting is in studio, so next camera I get will have a swingout screen.

An alternative to consider is to tether your camera to your computer. A seven inch tablet will give you about 24 square inches of viewing area as compared to your swingout screen's 5 square inches. If you tether to a desktop or laptop your viewing area can be as big or bigger than the finished print. ;-)

Another advantage of tethering is that if you do decide to set the camera at a low angle you don't have to bend over to see what you will get.

Jerry

pauleveritt Loc: Erie, Colorado

I am in the same boat as you are. I just sold off my two 50mm 1.8D lenses and bought the 35mm 1.8G lens to replace them. I also have the 18-55 VR and the 55-200 VR along with my 80-200 F2.8 for theater work. (I shoot dance.)

The 18-55 VR is a very good lens in close quarters. See attached. EVERYTHING you spend on gear has to be paid for by your customers. How much MORE will you make with a $650 Tokina over the $99 Nikon? As a professional you should always be thinking about it in these terms, ROI - return on investment.

The attached image was shot on a Nikon D90 with the Nikon 18-55 VR lens, hand held, standing back about 8 feet.

Santa visits Lafayette

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

pauleveritt wrote:

I am in the same boat as you are. I just sold off... (show quote)

This image is a great example of why portraits are taken with a focal length 1 and 1/2 times longer (or more) than the normal focal length for the camera. The unacceptable distortion here has created legs that appear far shorter than normal.

This could have been somewhat improved by shooting from the subject's waste level.

I know that the argument here will be that there was not enough space to back up from the subject to allow for a longer lens . . . but if it cannot be done properly full length, it would have been better to make it a 3/4 portrait.

If it can't be done correctly, sometimes it's better not to do it at all, or change the situation so that it CAN be done properly.

pauleveritt Loc: Erie, Colorado

I will add some detail to the above "Santa" photo.

There was a event with a LINE of people waiting to photographed and only about 30 seconds per person to shoot them. We had to get the party started after all.

I also shot it full length on purpose so that I could see how this lens performed shooting someone at full length. (I am a 10 year VIDEO guy with about 10 WEEKS experience as a photographer, so I am still learning!) After seeing the shots, I agree that the shots might have been better centered up on the waist instead of the chest. Hey, it is like I tell people, "PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE".

Personally for these, I am just really happy they were all in focus and the color is very good.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:

The swing out screen is a tremendous feature. Besides that mentioned above, I believe it helps in composing because you see the image as a two-dimensional image as opposed to the three-dimension image you see through the optical viewfinder.

Stereo (three dimensional) vision can't occur with only one eye in the viewfinder.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Los-Angeles-Shooter wrote:

Might be so. But most of my shooting is in studio, so next camera I get will have a swingout screen.

If it's that important to you to have a 'swing-out' viewfinder, why not add a small external monitor. Newer bodies have an HDMI output, and will send the LiveView to that port.
5-7" monitors are pretty cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/Aputure-V-Screen-VS-1-Digital-Sunshade/dp/B00FG709H6/ref=pd_cp_e_2

amehta Loc: Boston

Wall-E wrote:

If it's that important to you to have a 'swing-out' viewfinder, why not add a small external monitor. Newer bodies have an HDMI output, and will send the LiveView to that port.
5-7" monitors are pretty cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/Aputure-V-Screen-VS-1-Digital-Sunshade/dp/B00FG709H6/ref=pd_cp_e_2

If you're shooting in studio, you can also tether it to your tablet or laptop.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

amehta wrote:

If you're shooting in studio, you can also tether it to your tablet or laptop.

Not quite the same as either the articulated monitor or an external monitor.

With tethering, you typically don't get the LiveView, but only the image after it downloads to the tablet/computer.