Prom 101

[Greg McCary]

A friend of mine ask me to try and take some pictures of her daughter for her prom. The whole class met at Berry College this afternoon. This is my first attempt and anything this serious but might start doing more of it if I can figure it all out and make a buck or two. The dress was a nightmare. Made of some reflective material it was very hard to expose. Flash fill blew it out. I wanted to try something different from the other photographers there so I took my Yashica 124G and made a couple of traditional black a whites to add to the digital ones. Here are three of my personal favorites. Any tips for the next time will be appreciated.

[jkriminger]

Greg, love the B/W..I think the crop needs to be tighter ..a little more room on top..less on sides?

on the first one..and second..just a suggestion..maybe you can get them hugging sideways, but faces looking towards you..like shes hugging the beam in the B/W..?..would lessen the reflective dress and bring some of his dark suit in.

[Greg McCary]

Thanks Rod. I cropped it for an 8x10 since I am going to allow downloads from my site with a password so it will be easier on the parents to get prints made. I will play with it some more.

[Tyson L. Sparks]

Hey Greg, the first one could use a little fill flash. The man's face has a shadow one it.

The second on looks real good to me, I would say print it.

Last one, pretty darn good. I could see a crop there but I know its hard due to the full length profile. Alison would be better to advise you there. But I like it!

Good job there Greg, atleast I think so.

[Tyson L. Sparks]

Did you take any 1/2 or 1/4 shots (head shots)

[Didache]

Greg .. you did a very decent job there considering it was your first time with this kind of shot. I doubt any of us, except the portrait specialists, would have done much better. I am sure the parents (and the kids) would be more than happy with them.

Cheers
Mike

[Greg McCary]

Did you take any 1/2 or 1/4 shots (head shots)

Yes I did, I PMed you the password to check them out.

[PrevailingConditions]

Greg,
Very nice shots with some difficult lighting. I agree with Tyson on the first one. The guys face is a little dark. Probably would have benefited from a reflector at camera left. Good expression on their faces. I think the second gets my vote, but I too would like to see the head shots.

PC

[Greg McCary]

Here is a few more. I am editing as you suggest. Thanks for your help.

[Greg McCary]

Anyone wanting to see all of the pictures the password at my site is berry08. I am sure the parents wouldn't mind the extra help.

[Tyson L. Sparks]

How did you shot these, auto, manual ? What kind of PP did you do? Raw?

[Greg McCary]

How did you shot these, auto, manual ? What kind of PP did you do? Raw?

I shoot all manual except AF and shot in RAW format. Tried to rely on the histo more than usual. Processed in Lightroom and PS7. Really not a lot of processing. Color, shadows, lights and darks. Cloned a couple of people out of one and small bits of trash out of some. The B&W's were shot with Kodak 125PX expired 05 suggested by Aaron. Low grain and super tones. Developed in Tmax @ 5min.
The Pro photog on site was charging $80.00 for one shot from one spot.

[Alison]

You did a pretty good job to be honest. Nice colours. Posing is good. Great exposure.
Love how you framed them in the gazebo.
I would prefer to see the blacks in the B&W's looking a little blacker, by adding a little more contrast, but that's just me. Although, you said they were film? In that case maybe I should pinch your B&W's and use them as a reference for my own conversions lol.
If this is your first attempt, you did a FANTASTIC job! My first attempts are AWFUL!
Great job Greg! :thumbsup:

[Greg McCary]

You did a pretty good job to be honest. Nice colours. Posing is good. Great exposure.
Love how you framed them in the gazebo.
I would prefer to see the blacks in the B&W's looking a little blacker, by adding a little more contrast, but that's just me. Although, you said they were film? In that case maybe I should pinch your B&W's and use them as a reference for my own conversions lol.
If this is your first attempt, you did a FANTASTIC job! My first attempts are AWFUL!
Great job Greg! :thumbsup:

Yes Alison the B&W's are film. Nothing was done in PPing to them but cleaned from dust spots and cropped. Thanks for the compliments. It means a bunch coming from someone of your calibur. I can't take credit for the poses, they just knew what to do and I waited for them to get in the right spot. I just suggested the spots.