Portraiture advice/tips?

[A.M.D.A.]

I am going to be shooting some portraits in about a week's time - but the catch is - I really have almost NO experience doing so!

There will be perhaps 6+ people, they might bring their children and some family members too. It's actually going to be something like a family/friends/co-workers gathering, and my assignment is to photograph them "candidly" and maybe some "posed" shots. This event isn't the kind of thing that can be re-shot easily, so screwing up isn't an option.

Everything will most likely be done indoors, but if the weather is nice, then we might also go outdoors.

I will be using my current only camera (Panasonic FZ7K), also a tripod, monopod, and filters if needed (see my profile for complete gear list). I have assembled a makeshift "flash diffuser" for my camera's built-in flash, and have been practising with it. Do you think I should be needing an external flash too, such as the "slave" kind?

The biggest challenge for me at this time is to get poses/facial expressions right, and to avoid stuff like eyeglass flaring, etc.

If any of the portrait photographers here could give some advice/tips it sure would be greatly appreciated.

[Franglais]

My first advice when doing something important is - stick to what you know. Don't try out something new.

When I do a portrait the first thing I do is to set up a studio. It might just be a sofa with a neutral background and a nice lighting setup, but I don't want to have to improvise during the shoot. It's the space where my subjects come to be photographed. You might use a slave flash with your camera but I've noticed that nowadays lighting kits are often made up of a couple of very strong (500w) bulbs. The effect is easier to judge than a flash. They are relatively cheap - but if you put them in a standard lamp fitting make sure it doesn't catch fire..

Next thing is the camera. By all means set it up on a tripod, it frees you from having to look through the viewfinder. Just make sure that the camera is set up to fire instantly. None of this press-the-button-preflash-pause-zzz-flash business. To catch people at the instant where they have the right expression then the camera has to react instantly. Well that's how I do mine, anyway.

When you are doing the pictures - you'll find it's a harassing experience. First of all you have to shepherd people around and get them to come into your studio at the right time and in the right numbers. When they're there - you have to get them to do what you want at the right moment. This means talking to them, finding ideas, noticing things about them that you can comment on and get some reaction and being ready to press the button at the right moment.

Lastly - try to have some fun. It's never perfect anyway.

[A.M.D.A.]

Thanks for the helpful reply, Franglais.

I don’t have a real studio in my house, but there is a room which can be converted into a makeshift one. I'll see what can be done, and also make sure to follow your tips.

[Franglais]

Thanks for the helpful reply, Franglais.

I don’t have a real studio in my house, but there is a room which can be converted into a makeshift one. I'll see what can be done, and also make sure to follow your tips.

You can make a studio anywhere as long as you have a suitable setting and enough space for your subjects, you, the camera, lights.. Remember that you need to be at least 6 feet away from your subject for a single person and perhaps a little further for a group.

[A.M.D.A.]

You can make a studio anywhere as long as you have a suitable setting and enough space for your subjects, you, the camera, lights.. Remember that you need to be at least 6 feet away from your subject for a single person and perhaps a little further for a group.

The room is barely large enough. It also has some overhead fluorescent lights which provide good "daylight color". Now, the only thing I need is a good background, since the walls are covered in tiny paint spots and pock marks...

Thanks again for your help.

[Franglais]

The room is barely large enough. It also has some overhead fluorescent lights which provide good "daylight color". Now, the only thing I need is a good background, since the walls are covered in tiny paint spots and pock marks...

Thanks again for your help.

Flourescent lights are usually a problem rather than a solution. They might look like "daylight colour" to you but to the camera they probably look green-blue, plus they are usually overhead in the ceiling, the instant your subjects lower their glance their faces will be in shadow. If you add incandescent lights they will look red by comparison. And if you add a strobe it will look blue..

If I were you I would stick to one type of light source - incandescent (which means light bulbs or halogen). Preferably use two light sources, one 50% more powerful than the other. If you're in the middle with the camera then they should be at a little distance on either side, slightly above the subjects. That way you get a nice modelling effect on the faces with no possibility of getting dark eye shadows

I wouldn't worry too much about the wall. You probably won't notice small marks

[A.M.D.A.]

Flourescent lights are usually a problem rather than a solution. They might look like "daylight colour" to you but to the camera they probably look green-blue, plus they are usually overhead in the ceiling, the instant your subjects lower their glance their faces will be in shadow. If you add incandescent lights they will look red by comparison. And if you add a strobe it will look blue..

If I were you I would stick to one type of light source - incandescent (which means light bulbs or halogen). Preferably use two light sources, one 50% more powerful than the other. If you're in the middle with the camera then they should be at a little distance on either side, slightly above the subjects. That way you get a nice modelling effect on the faces with no possibility of getting dark eye shadows

I wouldn't worry too much about the wall. You probably won't notice small marks

Guess I am going to have to go incandescent-lamp shopping, because my regular desk lamps (60w max) do not output enough light.

[Pink Dragonfly]

I've not got much clue to the technical stuff, but it seems you've got plenty of good advice there anyway If there's going to be alcohol, get the studio photos early on, sober people photograph better than those not! Make sure you plod around with camera around your neck for some of the day, candid shots are often more fun for people to look at than staged shots. Especially kids will be a lot more relaxed, giving you much better expressions. I hope for you that weather is nice, to me nothing beats good natural lighting (you may need fill-in flash of course).

Good luck, and I look forward to seeing how you got on

Mette

[A.M.D.A.]

Thanks for replying Mette.

No, there isn't going to be any alcohol - we don't drink.

[Pink Dragonfly]

PS Try and get a wife, kids, girlfriend, whatever you may have, to be guinea pigs beforehand when you've set up your studio, so you can try out the different lighting arrangements and so forth to find out what works best! Then you can act like pro on the day

Mette

[natgaines]

AMDA- I don't mean to insult your experience at all but the biggest suggestion I have for candid shots might be something you've already thought of. For me, I can fix background blemishes, but it's hard for me to photoshop out a high chair, etc. Just keep an eye out in those moments and remove the natural things in the environment that might not look so great in your shots. It might sound easy enough but I've found I take a great picture, get so caught up in the moment and totally forget to check the environment. And getting test subjects for your lighting (and actually checking them in the computer if you have time) before hand is a great suggestion from Pink! Good Luck!!

Nat

[A.M.D.A.]

Thanks natgaines & Mette!

natgaines: I do occasionally end up with mistakes like the ones you mentioned (backs of chairs, etc.). Since I don't often shoot portraits, I really don't have much experience at all in this field of photography.

Great suggestions from both of you.

[A.M.D.A.]

Well, Tuesday was the “big day”.

At first I was a little nervous but as soon as more guests started arriving, everything sort of calmed down. No studio. I just wandered between kitchen/living room snapping shots when someone made an interesting expression, etc.

I ended up using both my FZ7K and *ist D. I had one over a shoulder while shooting with the other. Each captured its share of good shots, the PENTAX was great for image quality, but the Lumix was smaller, less intimidating – and most importantly – quieter!

I burned off at least 100 shots (combined), and many came out less than satisfactory. However, after reviewing the raw files in the computer, I discovered a few “gems”. Now all I need to do is place them onto a CD and send out… :thumbsup: