Portrait Lighting -- Learning Thread

07/12/2006 01:04:34 PM · #126

Wednesday bump

07/12/2006 02:00:52 PM · #127

Originally posted by idnic:

Wednesday bump

Got any tips on photographing a group of people? A co-worker friend of my wife has asked me to photograph his family. I have lots of studio equipment, lights, softboxes, etc., but I've never used it to shoot a group. I think my biggest question is how to pose them, but any other advice might be useful as well.

07/12/2006 06:07:05 PM · #128

Originally posted by micknewton:

Originally posted by idnic:
Wednesday bump

Got any tips on photographing a group of people? A co-worker friend of my wife has asked me to photograph his family. I have lots of studio equipment, lights, softboxes, etc., but I've never used it to shoot a group. I think my biggest question is how to pose them, but any other advice might be useful as well.

I like to pose families very casually - all on the floor or sitting on the grass, etc. I don't try to get a "formal" look, but a more conversational one instead. My favorite trick (when there is a kid in the group) is to have a kid tell his/her favorite joke. No matter how stupid the joke is, his family will always laugh cause their kid is so cute -- then you get natural expressions on everyone. I'll even keep shooting while the kid is telling his joke and everyone is looking at him - sometimes makes the best shot of the group.

07/12/2006 06:26:34 PM · #129

Those sound like good ideas. Thanks Cindi!

Tamron SP AF 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6 AD Aspherical IF for Canon

07/12/2006 06:30:40 PM · #130

Originally posted by micknewton:

Those sound like good ideas. Thanks Cindi!

My pleasure. Can't wait to see the results, Mick. :)

NerdJNerdBird

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

07/13/2006 02:25:56 PM · #131

Joey said in a post a while ago that he uses a flashlight (2 million candle spotlight) with a peice of wax paper over it for some of his shots. Does anybody have any tips on how to properly use this?

07/13/2006 07:16:05 PM · #132

Originally posted by NerdJNerdBird:

Joey said in a post a while ago that he uses a flashlight (2 million candle spotlight) with a peice of wax paper over it for some of his shots. Does anybody have any tips on how to properly use this?

Sorry, I've never tried with flashlights. Perhaps you should PM Joey and ask him about his technique.

07/14/2006 02:01:10 AM · #133

Uhhh Cindi, I think I may be in trouble here. The guy that wants me to do the group photo stopped by this evening to chat. It turns out he doesn't have a group of people for me to shoot... nope, he has a WHOLE FRIKKIN ARMY!!!

The group he wants me to shoot consists of forty-eight people! He wants me to shoot his entire extended family, with several different groupings, both large and small. One of them actually is an Army soldier returning from Iraq.

The logistics alone is scary, and I have no idea what to charge for something like this.

Got any more of those good suggestions lying around anywhere? :D

mpeters

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

07/14/2006 02:13:17 AM · #134

Mick,

I'm no idnic or Cindi for that matter, but...

For the big group: Take an ladder with you, probably between 6-10 feet. Set some people on the outside for boundries, ask everyone to fill in the gaps, kids sit on the floor/grass/whatever, count to three and wave your big straw hat around so some of the kids look in the general direction of the camera and fire away. You'll also have some ADD or ADHD adults so the hat might work well. Seriously ;)

Set up a station for the smaller groups and run through, have some fun with them(some of the adults will need some cajoling). "I didn't come to this place to get my pic taken", and, "Why do we need to do this anyway?"

$$$: I've done a couple of sizable groups this way, you shouldnt have too much post processing on these types. Charge enough to help pay for that 5D(or at least enough to put some food on your table:)) I would charge an hourly rate between 40-50/hr including travel time/post processing + prints at a fair price(you should sell several). These $$ spread over several families make it pretty a pretty reasonable price for them.

To add... That joke trick sound great Cindi, i'm going to try it next time i have the opportunity. MIck: I forgot to say that you need to stand up on the ladder. :)

Message edited by author 2006-07-14 02:20:32.

carisakD70

Nikon D70

07/14/2006 07:40:32 AM · #135

Mick, I just did some at a family reunion last weekend. I think the largest group had around 30 people in it maybe. I used a large open stairwell for the shot (we were in a convention center). The biggest thing is to make sure that you can see everyone's heads, and take lots of shots...the more people the more shots you will have when someone is looking away...picking their nose...LOL something other than looking at you. I say this and then the first pic I took is the proof I am showing them! I also brought one of my backdrops and my lights for posing the smaller groups. I was at the reunion for 4 hours and charged $200 for being there. The prints are posted on Pictology and the family can then order from there. I gave out a lot of business cards, and also had them sign up with their email addresses so I could notify them when the pics were online. My prints are pretty reasonable, 8x10 is like $8.

07/14/2006 10:19:44 AM · #136

Some good advice in the two replies here, Mick. Definitely you'll need a ladder or put them on a staircase so that you can see all of the faces. Also shoot lots and lots of shots at a couple of different exposures. You can replace heads in photoshop to create a shot with no blinks or people looking away. As for lighting a group that large, you'll either need some hella-big lights ..... or use sunlight! It will be hard to get them all to fit - what's your widest angle lens?

07/14/2006 10:58:19 AM · #137

Mark and Carisa, thank you very much for all the great info and ideas. I really appreciate it.

I think one of the biggest problems is that they're not having a family reunion. He just decided that he wanted a family album to give to his mother as a present. I�ll be doing several group portraits, and they will probably be on different days. I think the largest group will consist of twenty-eight people. We talked about shooting it at a park or something, but since this is Oregon, we may not have the option of shooting outdoors. He says that his home isn't large enough for a group that size, and my garage/studio isn't either. Either way, it looks like I'll be doing several sessions. As I said, the logistics alone is scary. LOL!

07/14/2006 11:00:21 AM · #138

Mick -- look around town for a building with a nice lobby or staircase - maybe a library or museum? Then call ahead to make sure they would let you shoot there. Even a group of 20 or so will be tough to pose without a staircase or a hillside.

07/14/2006 11:19:40 AM · #139

Originally posted by idnic:

As for lighting a group that large, you'll either need some hella-big lights ..... or use sunlight! It will be hard to get them all to fit - what's your widest angle lens?

I have a 17-40mm for the 5D, and a 10-22mm for the 350D. The largest sub-group will be twenty-eight people. If they're skinny enough, I should be okay. :D

I'm hoping we can shoot it outdoors, but this is Oregon so we can't count on it. I have four B400 monolights, but only two softboxes. My studio is in my two-car (20'x24') garage. We can't get everyone together at one time, so I'll have to shoot multiple sessions.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/14/2006 11:27:36 AM · #140

/temporary thread-jacking

yes, its a portrait, but not being shown for its lighting style....

For those who asked.... that is "Him". :D

3 months & counting... looks like a keeper!

/end thread-jacking

Edit to mention - he's not a redneck, this shot was taken during one of our fishing/photography outings on his boat. I like the hat! lol

Message edited by author 2006-07-14 11:29:35.

margiemu

Canon EOS-20D

07/14/2006 01:18:10 PM · #141

I've gotten some decent family reunion shots with people grouped on picnic tables. Some sitting on the table, some sitting on the bench, some standing next to it. 48, though! That's a LOT of people! Good luck!

carisakD70

Nikon D70

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

07/14/2006 01:29:13 PM · #142

Cindi...he looks a bit ornery! But in a good way...giggles

07/14/2006 01:36:25 PM · #143

Originally posted by carisakD70:

Cindi...he looks a bit ornery! But in a good way...giggles

I'm 5'2" I need a 6'4" ornery-looking guy around to keep people from messing with me! lol Actually, he looks amazingly GQ in a suit and is about as nice a guy as you'll ever meet.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/14/2006 09:11:44 PM · #144

I'm not sure where to go next with this thread. How in-depth do you guys want info on lighting? Do you want more basic info? Do you just want a place to post related questions knowing they will be noticed? Let me know your opinions, please.

margiemu

Canon EOS-20D

07/14/2006 10:28:55 PM · #145

Congrats on the 3 month milestone!! Is he aware that he will come second to DPC in your life? Seriously, he looks like a nice guy.

AS for the portrait stuff. What I would find helpful is the description of a certain lighting setup, examples of how you set it up, and the pictures that you took given that setup, and then an assignment to try something similar. Is that possible? Which is sort of what you've done so far.

Leok

Pentax K10D

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 EX DG for Pentax

07/14/2006 10:32:25 PM · #146

Here are a few from a shoot I just did of a mom and her two daughters, feedback would be appreciated. They were taken in my home studio with two strobes and a slave flash I was trying to use to get a white background. I know the images all look a bit flat, I don't quite have my color management set right, see this thread

How is the lighting otherwise? If I want a completely white background what is the best way of doing this - do I need another strobe that is as powerful, or more powerful than the existing ones? At the moment one strobe is firing into a brollybox, the second into a silver lined brolly. I'm a bit limited in that my studio is about 4m by 4m (approx 13 feet square).

I'd be interested in exploring post processing more in this thread too especially what different people do to smooth skin without it looking too plastic.

07/15/2006 01:01:27 AM · #147

Originally posted by idnic:

I think you should do a photo shoot of a very large group of people, then show us how you did it, complete with photos of your setup, and then tell us how much you charged them. ;P

Seriously, whatever you decide is okay with me. I wanted to participate with some natural light shots, but I couldn't get the time. Now you're doing studio portraits and I have even less time. I also have a problem with models, as in I have none.

Maybe you could walk us through a typical portrait session, from start to finish, and every little detail in between. I think that would be very interesting.

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 EX DG for Pentax

07/15/2006 01:11:32 AM · #148

Originally posted by micknewton:

Maybe you could walk us through a typical portrait session, from start to finish, and every little detail in between. I think that would be very interesting.

That's a great idea, Mick. I'll work on that over the next day or two and try to give as much info as I can possibly think of. :)

Leok, I'll critique your shots in the morning (its 1am for me now), hope you don't mind.

Margie - I have the next assignment in mind -- much the way you described... i've just been waiting for everyone who wants to participate to catch up :)

Message edited by author 2006-07-15 01:14:12.

Leok

Pentax K10D

07/15/2006 10:19:02 PM · #149

Originally posted by idnic:

Leok, I'll critique your shots in the morning (its 1am for me now), hope you don't mind.

No worries, I love that you are up at 1am and feel the need to explain rather than just heading off to bed. It exactly the sort of thing I'd do. My wife doesn't understand this at all....