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06/15/2011 09:20:11 AM · #1 |
So I have several family portrait sessions lined up this summer. I haven't done many group shots mostly just individual portraits. The family shot I have done all seem to have a focus problem, so I need your help.
Here is what I am noticing: 1 or two of the people are in focus but anyone closer or farther to the camera becomes unacceptably out of focus. I'm sure it has to do with the settings I am using so what settings do you guys use when doing family portraits.
Here is the settings I am currently using: Between f7 and f9 ISO between 200-400(anything higher gets too noisy on my camera) and the shutter speed just depends on if I am shooting out doors or in studio.
Here is an example of what I am talking about, the boy on the left and the girl on the right are a bit fuzzy. This has been processed so it's not as obvious but before processing it was even worse. My settings were f 7.1 ISO 400 shutterspeed 1/160
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06/15/2011 09:37:09 AM · #2 |
| As the boy on the right is in approx the same plane as the lady in the middle (and certainly more so than the other boy, who appears to be sharper) and you were at F7, my guess would be tht this is not a DOF issue. As you are only using a kit lens, I wonder whether it is just a little soft towards the edges. Not unusual for a lens to be sharper in the middle than towards the edges. I'd be doing some focus tests at different focal lengths and apertures to try to identify exactly when the problem is occuring. If it seems to be a lens issue, and if you are being paid for these portraits (and thus your clients are expecting images of certain quality), then maybe it's time to invest in some higher quality glass? |
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06/15/2011 09:57:13 AM · #3 |
| as an aside, all black shirts on a black b/g don't look so good :) |
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06/15/2011 10:12:28 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by smardaz:
as an aside, all black shirts on a black b/g don't look so good :) |
These were not actually family portraits, they were infant shots she wanted a couple of quick shots with the family and the baby. She wanted black on black so the baby would stand out. |
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06/15/2011 10:23:42 AM · #5 |
as for shooting groups, have fun. relax. be creative. arrange the family around mom. get some ice-breaker shots and outtakes to loosen them up and get them used to you clicking away.
as for technicals, break down and get either the 24-70L or an 85. if you're going to be charging people, you owe it to yourself and them to be shooting with better glass. your body should be fine, as long as you have decent lighting. if you don't have decent lighting, well, you might need to invest in that, also.
after shooting the formal portrait, this family asked for a 'goofy' shot. because of time constraints (i was shooting in a restaurant that was getting ready to open for lunch and they needed the dining room i was using), i told them ok, one shot. and this was it, one unscripted, spontaneous shot. followed by a real quick equipment breakdown...
good luck!
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06/15/2011 10:27:22 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by sjhuls:
Originally posted by smardaz:
as an aside, all black shirts on a black b/g don't look so good :) |
These were not actually family portraits, they were infant shots she wanted a couple of quick shots with the family and the baby. She wanted black on black so the baby would stand out. |
You have to warn customers like that about "floating head syndrome". |
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06/15/2011 10:29:44 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by Spork99:
Originally posted by sjhuls:
Originally posted by smardaz:
as an aside, all black shirts on a black b/g don't look so good :) |
These were not actually family portraits, they were infant shots she wanted a couple of quick shots with the family and the baby. She wanted black on black so the baby would stand out. |
You have to warn customers like that about "floating head syndrome". |
Would a couple of hair lights helped the situation? (would it have provided an outline of the clothes?) |
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06/15/2011 10:54:49 AM · #8 |
Thanks for the advice guys, yes I do want a better lens. I have one in mind that I want when I do get one. But I am one of those weird people who don't believe in going into debt for anything even for business. As far as owing my customers, they are getting a slamming good deal from me, because I know my equipment isn't up to where it should be. Once I do get a better lens and better equipment you better believe I will be charging more.
I feel like removing this photo, I didn't post it for a critique other than the focus. I know it's not the best shot. I focused my energy on getting good shots of the baby. This group shot was an afterthought and I didn't even get paid for it. |
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06/15/2011 12:18:56 PM · #9 |
Have you changed the custom function no.4 (on your camera) to 1 or 3 and tried using the * button on the back of the camera for focusing? I started focusing this way after someone on this site suggested it and I haven't looked back.
I can't comment on L glass quality since I'm still on a kit lens, but I *can* say that I get better focus from my kit lens using this method. |
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06/15/2011 01:37:54 PM · #10 |
If you think it's a focus issue and you feel your aperture was a little big, use the depth of field calculator and input your settings to see the total depth of field for this shot. You need your camera type, focal length, approximate distance from subject (focal point), and your fstop.
I ran a quick calc based on what I thought and used 35mm for your focal length and at 5 feet from the subject using f7.1 showed a total depth of field of 1.69 feet. So wherever you focused, there was 0.71 feet of focus in front of that point and 0.99 feet of focus behind it.
When I had portraits done for the family, the photographer was using an aperture of f11 at a shutter speed of 1/100 at ISO 100 or 200 all taken within 5 to 8 feet of us. They had pro studio lighting using an Olympus E500 or E520 on a professional studio tripod.
ETA: Given  Qiki's suggestion above about the image degradation at the edges, you could also put a little distance between you and the subject. That would give yourself some border on the photo and ensure the family is kept within that sweet spot. It would also help you with different crop sizes and such. (right now you are at a 2:3 ratio which is good for a 4x6 print but not so good for an 8x10.) Thirdly, you would increase the range of your depth of field making everyone sharper.
Message edited by author 2011-06-15 14:01:10. |
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