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Share your best portrait tip.. please!

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Bram Bos

Bram Bos

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Eindhoven, NL
Hey all..

I used to do mainly landscape and still life photography but in a
couple of days I'm going to do a little portrait photography (B&W)
as someone is willing to model for me.

Please share your best portrait photography tip with me! I'd be
much obliged. Or show me your fave portrait and explain how
you did it (distance from model, depth of field, lighting, etc.)..
I'm really eager to learn and I'm sure a lot of others around here
would appreciate it as well!

thanks!

Bram----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.pbase.com/brambos
 
Bram the best suggestion I have is to take lots of pictures. Since its digital it will not matter. Take the candid shots too, even when they are not expecting it because some of those will be your best shots. Pay attention to where your lighting is coming from and how it hits the subject. If you are using the FL-40 flash and not studio lights then use the diffuser because it will help. I am sure you probably know all of this. Concentrate on your framing and I bet you the best shots are the ones that you get that come naturally. If you someone is going to model for you be sure you have looked at enough pictures of others to get an idea of the poses you want them in if thats the way you want to go. If you are going to shoot that way the more of an idea you have and the better organized you are the better you will do. If you look at enough stuff that is out there you will know what you are looking for. Oh one last thing, let the model have fun because in my opinion it gives life to the pictures when you see lots of expression, smiles, parted lips and so on.

Hope that helps
Jason
Bram Bos said:
Hey all..

I used to do mainly landscape and still life photography but in a
couple of days I'm going to do a little portrait photography (B&W)
as someone is willing to model for me.

Please share your best portrait photography tip with me! I'd be
much obliged. Or show me your fave portrait and explain how
you did it (distance from model, depth of field, lighting, etc.)..
I'm really eager to learn and I'm sure a lot of others around here
would appreciate it as well!

thanks!

Bram
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.pbase.com/brambos
Click to expand...
--Jason Stoller [email protected] that special moment with a great camera
 
Hi Bram,

I am certainly no portrait expert.....but I enjoy playing around with it, and consider it among the most challenging of photographic tasks.

A couple of things I try to keep in mind:

1. Separate the subject as much as possible from the background. Have them physically positioned a good distance in front of the backdrop, use background lighting, etc.

2. Position the main (key) light at about a 45 degree angle from the subject, then experiment with the height of the light......moving it up and down while noticing the effects of the modeling light's shadowing.

3. Experiment with the positioning of the fill light(s). I usually place mine at a slight offset from the lens axis....but this varies with subject. Set the output of the fill light(s) to a stop or two less than the key light.

There are MANY good books (and web tutorials) on lighting and portraiture. After reading a ton of stuff, the best advice I've found is "there are no absolute rules." If the results look good, then the techniques were good.

Will be looking forward to seeing your results with your model. Have fun, be relaxed, and help her/him to relax as well.

Best wishes,

David-- http://www.mongoosephoto.com
 
Fine the best looking people you can it will may your pictures look
better...LOL

Robert
 
Hi Jason!

Thanks for the tips! You're right! I'll try to take some
unexpected candids.. Those may turn out more natural
than the posed shots. I'm going to use available light btw.

thanks!

Bram
Jason Stoller said:
Bram the best suggestion I have is to take lots of pictures. Since
its digital it will not matter. Take the candid shots too, even
when they are not expecting it because some of those will be your
best shots. Pay attention to where your lighting is coming from and
how it hits the subject. If you are using the FL-40 flash and not
studio lights then use the diffuser because it will help. I am
sure you probably know all of this. Concentrate on your framing
and I bet you the best shots are the ones that you get that come
naturally. If you someone is going to model for you be sure you
have looked at enough pictures of others to get an idea of the
poses you want them in if thats the way you want to go. If you are
going to shoot that way the more of an idea you have and the better
organized you are the better you will do. If you look at enough
stuff that is out there you will know what you are looking for. Oh
one last thing, let the model have fun because in my opinion it
gives life to the pictures when you see lots of expression, smiles,
parted lips and so on.

Hope that helps
Jason
Click to expand...
----------------------------------------------------------------------Amsterdam, The Netherlands http://www.pbase.com/brambos
 
Hi David!

Thanks! I'll keep it all in mind and I'll share the results if they
turn out well!

cheers,

Bram
DF said:
I am certainly no portrait expert.....but I enjoy playing around
with it, and consider it among the most challenging of photographic
tasks.

A couple of things I try to keep in mind:

1. Separate the subject as much as possible from the background.
Have them physically positioned a good distance in front of the
backdrop, use background lighting, etc.

2. Position the main (key) light at about a 45 degree angle from
the subject, then experiment with the height of the
light......moving it up and down while noticing the effects of the
modeling light's shadowing.

3. Experiment with the positioning of the fill light(s). I
usually place mine at a slight offset from the lens axis....but
this varies with subject. Set the output of the fill light(s) to a
stop or two less than the key light.

There are MANY good books (and web tutorials) on lighting and
portraiture. After reading a ton of stuff, the best advice I've
found is "there are no absolute rules." If the results look good,
then the techniques were good.

Will be looking forward to seeing your results with your model.
Have fun, be relaxed, and help her/him to relax as well.

Best wishes,

David
--
http://www.mongoosephoto.com
Click to expand...
----------------------------------------------------------------------Amsterdam, The Netherlands http://www.pbase.com/brambos
 
Well Bram I don't know if this qualifies as a portrait but I have been experimenting with 3 regular strobe units and the E20n. The strobes are positioned 1. main at about 45 deg to left, 2. fill behind and above camera, and 3. hair light 90 deg to right and using a long "snout". Everything in the setup is home-made and very inexpensive. Plain old white foam boards are used as reflectors.

The pup is about 5 weeks old and very hard to get to stand still. I must have shot 25 pics and this is the best one! Hope you like it.



A 600k version is available at:

http://www.digicamplus.com/E10/Pup/Mudgie.jpg

--www.DigiCamPlus.com - Some of the best digital photos on the Web!Is one of your's there?
 
Now that's a really cute pic! I think that definitely qualifies as
a portrait though my model will probably be less hairy :-)

Thanks!

Bram
DigiCamPlus said:
Well Bram I don't know if this qualifies as a portrait but I have
been experimenting with 3 regular strobe units and the E20n. The
strobes are positioned 1. main at about 45 deg to left, 2. fill
behind and above camera, and 3. hair light 90 deg to right and
using a long "snout". Everything in the setup is home-made and
very inexpensive. Plain old white foam boards are used as
reflectors.

The pup is about 5 weeks old and very hard to get to stand still.
I must have shot 25 pics and this is the best one! Hope you like
it.



A 600k version is available at:

http://www.digicamplus.com/E10/Pup/Mudgie.jpg

--
http://www.DigiCamPlus.com -
Some of the best digital photos on the Web!
Is one of your's there?
Click to expand...
----------------------------------------------------------------------Amsterdam, The Netherlands http://www.pbase.com/brambos
 
Bram Bos wrote:
Bram,

I'm probably not qualified to comment here as I've never taken a portrait photo but I will anyway, Most of the first time portrait photo's i've seen on here are technicaly good to my eye anyway but the victims always either look very self concious or terrified.

Advice, put your victims at ease before you shoot them ;-)

Brian.
Bram Bos said:
Hey all..

I used to do mainly landscape and still life photography but in a
couple of days I'm going to do a little portrait photography (B&W)
as someone is willing to model for me.

Please share your best portrait photography tip with me! I'd be
much obliged. Or show me your fave portrait and explain how
you did it (distance from model, depth of field, lighting, etc.)..
I'm really eager to learn and I'm sure a lot of others around here
would appreciate it as well!

thanks!

Bram
--
Click to expand...
Bram Bos said:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.pbase.com/brambos
Click to expand...
 
I too lack all the expertise, but here's a tip that works well for me - I read it in a book yesterday.

My favorite & most photographed subject (after the pets) is my wife - but she tends to get a set or (to my eye) artificial expression to her face, while looking into the lens. It works well to have her look away - then on the count of 3 turn face & look into the lens. There's an instant when the expression is natural & full of life. Shoot!
Bob
 
There are a lot of great suggestions here, Bram. Let me just add one:

Engage your model.

If you're able to make a mental connection with your subject (and, thus, bring out your subject's personality), you'll have a successful shoot.

Best of luck!

eileen
 
Bram Bos said:
Hey all..

I used to do mainly landscape and still life photography but in a
couple of days I'm going to do a little portrait photography (B&W)
as someone is willing to model for me.

Please share your best portrait photography tip with me! I'd be
much obliged. Or show me your fave portrait and explain how
you did it (distance from model, depth of field, lighting, etc.)..
I'm really eager to learn and I'm sure a lot of others around here
would appreciate it as well!

thanks!
Click to expand...
Bram,

Before my daughters were born and I had time to do it, I did extensive model portfolio/portraiture in and out of studio. A few things I learned...

use some sort of hair light or bounce to give the hair sheen. Shoot about 10-15 "blanks" then tell the model "alright, I'm ready". It puts a somewhat tenous model at ease. Put a mirror behind you so the model can see what

she looks like from your perspective. If the session goes well, and she's a model, have her sign a "model's release". You'll never know when you might be able to use a shot from the session for ad or print work.

...make some fine images...

Angelo
 
BramB Bos -

My best advice.. BREAK ALL THE RULES!!! Don't try to follow any templete, but experiment on your own. If you have "chemistry" with your model so much the better, but break the mold, be bold, do something totally off the wall..

Below are a couple pics of a model I shot.. I had only an E-10, a tripod, and a decent hotel room for the night. Both pics were shot INTO a mirror, with the room dark and the only lighting a 75 bare bulb reflected into the mirror from a diffferent angle.. The mirror "softened" the pic, the bare buld immitated sunshine, and she was very "relaxed." Oh, if you do this clean the mirror first.. These pics have been circulated more than a few times, but I like to use them as examples of breaking the rules in a minimalistic approach.. Both shots were sold many times over and made both of us a significant amount of money.. One was in a Thai magazine on the cover. The caption read "So your in love..." Go figure!!!

Good luck..

BKKSW



 
Only thing I can add to all of the below, is keep it fun, If it becomes work the gigs up..

lot of easy setup samples here. If you see one you like let me know Ill try and break it down for you
http://www.pbase.com/mackey/galleries

Like Jason said, take lots of pics. Also you can have someone model for you thats not really expecting anything but to practice with you. Keep it comfortable, upbeat, and fun. Music, snacks, and no dead air in your conversations. And if possible have a plan! decide what you want before you start, ist not always possible for me to do it, but its a good rule of practice, my problem is, omce I see the model under the lighting, I may do a complete 180 on my thought process. Which brings up my last point, keep the model involved! Prompt their ideas, and make sure they are not afraid to ask quetsions or to try any pose they want.

have fun
regards
Bram Bos said:
Hey all..

I used to do mainly landscape and still life photography but in a
couple of days I'm going to do a little portrait photography (B&W)
as someone is willing to model for me.

Please share your best portrait photography tip with me! I'd be
much obliged. Or show me your fave portrait and explain how
you did it (distance from model, depth of field, lighting, etc.)..
I'm really eager to learn and I'm sure a lot of others around here
would appreciate it as well!

thanks!

Bram
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.pbase.com/brambos
Click to expand...
-- http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mackey135/njdigitalservices.htm 'I have discovered digital photography' Livin life at 5 megapixels!
 
How do you go about selling photos to magazines? Do you submit them with a price? Or do you ask if they're interested first? Thanks, J-
BKKSW said:
BramB Bos -

My best advice.. BREAK ALL THE RULES!!! Don't try to follow any
templete, but experiment on your own. If you have "chemistry" with
your model so much the better, but break the mold, be bold, do
something totally off the wall..

Below are a couple pics of a model I shot.. I had only an E-10, a
tripod, and a decent hotel room for the night. Both pics were shot
INTO a mirror, with the room dark and the only lighting a 75 bare
bulb reflected into the mirror from a diffferent angle.. The
mirror "softened" the pic, the bare buld immitated sunshine, and
she was very "relaxed." Oh, if you do this clean the mirror
first.. These pics have been circulated more than a few times, but
I like to use them as examples of breaking the rules in a
minimalistic approach.. Both shots were sold many times over and
made both of us a significant amount of money.. One was in a Thai
magazine on the cover. The caption read "So your in love..." Go
figure!!!

Good luck..

BKKSW



Click to expand...
 
A tripod at eye level wil help you hold your camera, but will also enable you to do proper framing and keep the shoot controlled. Record view off for better shot to shot times. Medium shots are more interesting than headshots. Doing medium shots, don't make the mistake to have the face in the middle of the shot with a lot of air above (this is where a tripod is very handy) And keep on telling her how good she's doing, while giving some suggestions to improve the image.

Good luck!

Bart
Bram Bos said:
Hey all..

I used to do mainly landscape and still life photography but in a
couple of days I'm going to do a little portrait photography (B&W)
as someone is willing to model for me.

Please share your best portrait photography tip with me! I'd be
much obliged. Or show me your fave portrait and explain how
you did it (distance from model, depth of field, lighting, etc.)..
I'm really eager to learn and I'm sure a lot of others around here
would appreciate it as well!

thanks!

Bram
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.pbase.com/brambos
Click to expand...
 
john a said:
How do you go about selling photos to magazines? Do you submit them
with a price? Or do you ask if they're interested first? Thanks, J-
Click to expand...
Mostly you get lucky. I did it by offering low cost portfolios to very attractive young ladies and then working with them to get agents. Part of my contract with them (since the initial portfolio low price) is a cut of any published work. It seems to make everyone happy, and I got to meet many interesting people.. So really the agents do the selling, but if you get enough of them out there you tend to get lucky. In the beginning I had little experience in the local I worked in and found agents eager for the portfolios and they'd talk the ladies into smut. I learned and moved on to protect my clients.. In some parts of the world money is very tight, so I'm not sure if I did them a service by doing this or not, but I can sleep at night..

Of course, this was inbetween assignments of my real job.. But I like to be busy and I liked the subject matter..

BKKSW
johna said:
BKKSW said:
BramB Bos -

My best advice.. BREAK ALL THE RULES!!! Don't try to follow any
templete, but experiment on your own. If you have "chemistry" with
your model so much the better, but break the mold, be bold, do
something totally off the wall..

Below are a couple pics of a model I shot.. I had only an E-10, a
tripod, and a decent hotel room for the night. Both pics were shot
INTO a mirror, with the room dark and the only lighting a 75 bare
bulb reflected into the mirror from a diffferent angle.. The
mirror "softened" the pic, the bare buld immitated sunshine, and
she was very "relaxed." Oh, if you do this clean the mirror
first.. These pics have been circulated more than a few times, but
I like to use them as examples of breaking the rules in a
minimalistic approach.. Both shots were sold many times over and
made both of us a significant amount of money.. One was in a Thai
magazine on the cover. The caption read "So your in love..." Go
figure!!!

Good luck..

BKKSW



Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Bart -

It's true the tripod is a necessity sometimes, but have you ever tried renting a studio with the lighting on rails? You can often well set up studios on the cheap and it sure can make a difference..

BKKSW
bartP said:
Good luck!

Bart
Bram Bos said:
Hey all..

I used to do mainly landscape and still life photography but in a
couple of days I'm going to do a little portrait photography (B&W)
as someone is willing to model for me.

Please share your best portrait photography tip with me! I'd be
much obliged. Or show me your fave portrait and explain how
you did it (distance from model, depth of field, lighting, etc.)..
I'm really eager to learn and I'm sure a lot of others around here
would appreciate it as well!

thanks!

Bram
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.pbase.com/brambos
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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