Yes, I know, there are many threads like these, but I need some advice and am happy for anything you can tell me. After seeing the results of my portrait sessions over the last weeks the mother of a friend of mine asked me to take family portraits for her. This is a first for me and she even offered to pay me so I'm a bit nervous (I told her to pay me after she's seen the photos, so I'm not under too much pressure...).
The only camera I have is my Canon Eos 1000D with the standard lens (18-55) and the standard flash. I asked the family (two adults, two "children" in their twenties) to do the portraits outside but it might be raining so we might have to do it inside instead. I already prepared a panty hose to put over my flash because otherwise it just looks horrible and I do have a tripod. The family wants really natural portraits but I have no clue about poses.
So now to the questions:
- Is there anything I can do to prepare?
- What settings should I use for my camera? I usually shoot in aperture priority at a very shallow depth of field for portraits but that might be difficult with more than one person. I'm not completely comfortable with manual settings, especially as I don't understand the ISO value, yet ;).
- Are there any poses that look nice and not too forced for four people (outside and inside)?
Just to give you an idea, this is the kind of picture the friend of mine liked:
Thank you in advance for any tips you can give me :)!
No advice about poses, I've never done this but am sure you'll have good suggestions by others. About the ISO, the lower is always the best to avoid grainy pics, but if you shoot in aperture mode and see that the speed is too low, then you can higher the ISO to get a faster shutter speed. ISO corresponds to sensitivity, the higher it is the more it will catch details in low light. I don't know your camera to tell how high you can reasonably go without too much grain.
Also with a 18-50 it's better not to shoot at 18 mm for close -ups because it causes perspective deformation which is usually not flattering with portraits. 35 mm and above are best.
To prepare....start with one glass of wine....kidding- you need to relax :)
Here is my two cents- When using aperture priority a quick tip for portraits is match your aperture with the number of people in the photo. The camera of course figures out the rest but the rest is not that complicated and it's time to embrace manual mode- you'll have so much more control :) And what do women love? CONTROL :)
Your ISO is a way to introduce more light into your camera....but the price is high because the higher the ISO the higher the grain and for portraits you don't want grain. So a few things...if you need to shoot inside try to shoot during the day time hours- window light is your friend :) Try and get a "feel" for the environment you'll be shooting in prior to the shoot- if they are coming over to your place this should be easy! Place camera in manual mode- start with shutter speed of 1/125, aperture of f/4 and ISO of 400...walk around and test the light int he room....if your camera has an exposure meter this will help you make small adjustments as needed. If the exposure is too dark you need to bring up your ISO...I wouldn't lower your shutter speed when hand holding your camera (could make the photo blurry) and I wouldn't lower your aperture (could make the people blurry as well).
As for poses??? Try and search out photography sights on line- a lot of them have their family Christmas shoots up and you can get some ideas...remember to ask the people you are shooting if they have any ideas...do they want traditional or funky and fun?
First of all, make sure you get as much natural light coming in there as possible. Open all the curtains, blinds, whatever. That will help a lot. Get them in the places they spend the most time together as a family doing things they would normally do. In the kitchen cooking. Lounging on each other on the couch. On the floor of a playroom surrounded by toys.
I second ALL @heidievans73's suggestions. She is absolutely right! Since this is a friend, even though she's offered to pay you, this is a great time to jump into manual settings. I'm sure she will be patient with you during the session, and the wonder of digital is that you have the opportunity to review each photo and do it over if you want. Take your time and take advantage of this opportunity to hone your skills with people you're comfortable around. There is also some fantastic information on balancing shutter speed, aperture, and ISO here: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography.
@heidievans73 I'm going to start keeping a journal of 365 project tips. These are very helpful for those of us trying to improve our photographic skills (or just get some!) Thank you.
I'm with you when it comes to family portrait shoots - a tad bit nervous and intimidated because of self-doubt. I have done a few recently and thought I was doing my homework ahead of time by looking at examples done by others who are much more skilled than myself. It helped, but what I discovered was that I forgot most of the poses that I saw. I would suggest making a written list of poses or, better yet, create a "cheat sheet" with thumbnails of the poses you liked. That will give you the confidence that nerves might try to steal. Good luck! I hope you'll post a few of your favorites once you're done so that we can admire your work!
Check mine from weekend I did one and was rathe worried, I couldnt get my flash to work so we headed out side, I tried all sorts of settings! Getting 13 people to look and smile in on direction with none blinking is harder then I thought. Candids are a lot more fun the are the way forward i think and obviously everyone is in natural scene....that way they are stronger memories! I was mocking my own camera skills by saying "all shout out the photographer is very average" which they all did and then they all burst out laughing ! Depends what kind of family you're working with I guess.
I would suggest using a tripod whenever possible. You could set it up and then still have the spontanetity it sounds like they want, just within an area you can view through your camera to get the shots you want. That way you have some more control over shutter speed, aperture, etc. You can go with a slower shutter speed or larger f# with a tripod depedent on lighting.
i agree with all of the above...most of all be prepared to roll with "life'....have a vision for you portrait and then some backups for that vision lol...sometimes the best results are the "happy accidents"- trust me, i have been there!
well the others have given GREAT advice! and although I can't tell you exactly what to do for posing, feel free to browse the portraits on my site... I started doing photos exactly like you - for a friend - about a year ago... I've done about 15-20 sessions in the last 14 months. And I'm just beginning to be a little more comfortable. But I still get nervous before each one! I've done families, kids, and couples... most of the time, if you are relaxed and chatting with them, and especially if they know you, the posing will come naturally.... you just have to give a few directions to make it perfect. though I did photograph one family that was incredibly awkward to pose, the rest have gone well! Good luck, and post the results here please!
my site is www.sacred-snapshots.com - and the slideshow at the top is my portfolio for portraits... hope it helps a little :)
Oh, yes, and I agree with those above who said the candids are most fun... know what your family wants (posed vs. candid) and get most of their preference, but throw some of the others in as well... I always take shots of the family as we're walking across the park to a new spot to shoot... and get a few as they are setting up / getting settled in for the next pose - sometimes those turn out the cutest!! :)
All the above are great. I even print out ideas so I have them handy and as a quick reference for poses, etc.
MUSIC - it makes a huge difference. Ask the clients what type of music they like, and put it on. Makes people more relaxed. Good luck, and mostly... have FUN!!
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Also with a 18-50 it's better not to shoot at 18 mm for close -ups because it causes perspective deformation which is usually not flattering with portraits. 35 mm and above are best.
Here is my two cents- When using aperture priority a quick tip for portraits is match your aperture with the number of people in the photo. The camera of course figures out the rest but the rest is not that complicated and it's time to embrace manual mode- you'll have so much more control :) And what do women love? CONTROL :)
Your ISO is a way to introduce more light into your camera....but the price is high because the higher the ISO the higher the grain and for portraits you don't want grain. So a few things...if you need to shoot inside try to shoot during the day time hours- window light is your friend :) Try and get a "feel" for the environment you'll be shooting in prior to the shoot- if they are coming over to your place this should be easy! Place camera in manual mode- start with shutter speed of 1/125, aperture of f/4 and ISO of 400...walk around and test the light int he room....if your camera has an exposure meter this will help you make small adjustments as needed. If the exposure is too dark you need to bring up your ISO...I wouldn't lower your shutter speed when hand holding your camera (could make the photo blurry) and I wouldn't lower your aperture (could make the people blurry as well).
As for poses??? Try and search out photography sights on line- a lot of them have their family Christmas shoots up and you can get some ideas...remember to ask the people you are shooting if they have any ideas...do they want traditional or funky and fun?
I ramble....hope this helps somewhat :)
I second ALL @heidievans73's suggestions. She is absolutely right! Since this is a friend, even though she's offered to pay you, this is a great time to jump into manual settings. I'm sure she will be patient with you during the session, and the wonder of digital is that you have the opportunity to review each photo and do it over if you want. Take your time and take advantage of this opportunity to hone your skills with people you're comfortable around. There is also some fantastic information on balancing shutter speed, aperture, and ISO here: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography.
Good luck - can't wait to see the photos!
my site is www.sacred-snapshots.com - and the slideshow at the top is my portfolio for portraits... hope it helps a little :)
MUSIC - it makes a huge difference. Ask the clients what type of music they like, and put it on. Makes people more relaxed. Good luck, and mostly... have FUN!!