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12/12/2009 08:48:58 AM · #1 |
Looking to take some pictures of my friends daughter here pretty soon. These will likely be taken indoors with semi-poor lighting with my f/1.8 lens. I may also do some family shots with mom and dad as well. The daughter is toddler age and is always happy to see me, so getting her to smile and laugh shouldn't be a problem, but making sure I capture the moment will be. I don't want to spend half the photoshoot messing around with the camera settings.
I used this lens briefly on Thanksgiving and was less than impressed with my results. My initial images were blurred from too slow of a shutter. I tried upping the iso speed which helped with the shutter speed but then I got home and the images had a lot of noise. I think I used iso of 1600 with no flash.
So mainly looking for technical advice. What shutter speed should I be able to hand hold, at what setting does the noise from a high iso start to become really noticable. Should I be using a flash? etc. I only have the on camera flash and lighting will be limited. How do I get the most out of the on camera flash if I do need to use it? How far away from the background does the subject need to be to get good bokeh effect etc, etc, etc...and anything I didn't mention that might be relevant. |
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12/12/2009 09:10:18 AM · #2 |
1) Window light can be your friend.
2) Cut a hole in a ping pong ball and place over your flash to soften the light.
3) If you donĂ¢€™t have a tripod use a counter top, stool or other firm surface ( a cheep tripod costs only $15-20 at Wall mart).
4) If you donĂ¢€™t have a remote shutter release, use the timer in your camera. |
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12/12/2009 09:14:38 AM · #3 |
Hi Matt - where to start . . ?
I guess firstly a 20 D with a Canon 1.8mm lens is more than good enough to get the sharp clear pictures you are after, but as you have rightly concluded you need to get the balance of light, shutter speed, iso etc sorted.
For a 20D I would probably be reluctant to go above iso 200 if you want a really crisp portrait, maybe 400 at a push, and I would suggest a shutter speed of 125 upwards would be a good safe starting point - so if you look at fixing those two variables the next question is where do you get the light to allow you to proceed ? For many people using available window light and reflectors can work very well (and a reflector can simply be a big bit of white card - nothing fancy ). A tripod if it's available might help reduce blur, as will a greater DoF - just because the lens goes down to f1.8 doesn't mean you want to go there with it . . .
So get them to come over in the morning or midday , set-up near a window, catch all the light you can and see how you get on. I probably wouldn't even use the onboard flash personally.
This shot was taken exactly as described - no lighting and no fancy reflectors, just a window and a sheet of white card.
Message edited by author 2009-12-12 09:15:10. |
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12/12/2009 09:53:18 AM · #4 |
Handheld, Ambient window light, ISO: 800, f4.0, 1/100 sec. using a Nikon 85mm 1.4
Handheld, Ambient window light, ISO: 400, f5.0, 1/80 sec. using a Nikon 28-70mm 2.8
Handheld, Ambient window light, ISO: 800, f3.2, 1/60 sec. using a Nikon 28-70mm 2.8
Personally, I would up the ISO and not worry about grain too much. Handheld at 1/100th of a sec. is fairly safe unless you move too much or your subject does. For the aperture...start at f4 and go wider if you need more light. Blur (bokeh) is also a good thing in this case. Hope that helps.
I'd be surprised if the 20D can't take a respectable image at ISO 800. Just don't crop too much in PP making the noise grains larger. Make sure you nail your crop in camera. My opinion, a nice soft toddler portrait is fine. The hyper, psycho sharp stuff has it's place but this isn't one of those scenarios...unless the toddler's a Dragon Fly, of course.
Message edited by author 2009-12-12 10:01:09. |
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12/12/2009 11:27:15 AM · #5 |
| Thanks I think I'm going to try some test shots out with the techniques provided before doing the actual shoot. Now what's the difference between soft focus and out of focus. Is soft focus just a slightly oof image or is there more to it than that? |
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12/12/2009 11:56:54 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by bmatt17:
Thanks I think I'm going to try some test shots out with the techniques provided before doing the actual shoot. Now what's the difference between soft focus and out of focus. Is soft focus just a slightly oof image or is there more to it than that? |
My "rule of thumb" is to make sure the eyes and nose are sharp. The leading eye is the very most important. A sharp nose and blurry eye's usually not what the client wants. "Soft" just means, Not Tack Sharp which is fine, unless the image is very soft and that might bother some viewers.
Brett Walker is probably my favorite Portrait Artist BUT way too dark for the work you are about to do. However, he breaks every single possible rule to great effect which isn't for everybody but he has grainy, blurry, oddly cropped, dark images that really make a statement. The images I posted are pretty tame by comparison and more along the lines of what you might be able to accomplish in a low light, window type of setting. The more light the merrier and don't forget to bring a reflector to bounce light onto any dark shadows that form.
Good Luck!
Message edited by author 2009-12-12 11:57:47. |
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12/12/2009 12:06:34 PM · #7 |
If you are 1.8 lens, you don't want to open it up to 1.8....then you will get parts of your picture blurred. Not sure how much light you are expecting to get indoors...a simple solution is go to Home Depot and get a couple of 1000W Halogen Work lights..they are about $50 each. If you are good you can use them and then take them back the next day. In auto WB your photos will look slightly orange...so you need to switch your white balance to Tungsten. I'm using them today for an indoor shoot.
But to answer your question, anything slower than 1/80 is probably going to be blurry. Ideally you probably want 1/100 and faster. Of course ISO 100 is best, but you can shoot 200. And your Aperture should be whatever is best for the situation. If you want everything crisp and sharp you want to try and get as small as possible (remember small means a higher number!). So 5.6 - 8.0 should be perfectly fine. I'd try to avoid the on camera flash but if you have too...use something to soften it up.
Good luck. |
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12/12/2009 02:20:39 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by pawdrix:
I'd be surprised if the 20D can't take a respectable image at ISO 800. |
Hmmm . . as a previous owner of one I would not be overhappy taking portraits of this nature at iso 800 by choice on a 20D.
For arty / grainy type work - fine, but to give to a friend as a shot of their toddler ? Probably not.
Iso 100-200 would be the best choice, 400 at a push. |
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