Portrait Photography with 18-55 kit Lens

aRafay83

New member
Dear nikonites

i would like to ask you do i able to shot portrait photography with 18 - 55 nikon Kit lens like professional

i need help like professional photography how can i do
 

egosbar

Senior Member
if you need too ask that question then clearly you are an amatuer which there is nothing wrong with but you shouldnt expect too shoot like a pro yet , read books etc and you will get better , the 18 - 55 is an ok lens but there are far better lenses then it for portraits , concentrate on good poses or natural shots with good backrounds and bokeh and focus on the nearest eye of your subject , practice good shooting tecniques so no subject blur with any lens and your on your way , good portraits a lot of the time have blurred backrounds where the subject really stands out ,use a wide open aperture on the 18-55 and you will get bokeh but as i said much better lenses , try the 1.8 50mm its cheap and better blur capabilities , but if you shoot wide open make sure you get the focal point exactly where you want it as i said normally on the eye

oh and the most important use the light right its very very important for great shots
 
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SteveH

Senior Member
Welcome to the forum!
I can't add anything as Egosbar has more or less covered it!

Take a look at the Portrait sub-forum, and you will learn a lot!
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
This is a very difficult question to answer without knowing a few things.

What is your photographic experience?
If you just got yourself a camera and think you can produce outstanding photographs like what you've seen in magazines or on the Net, think again. Photography is an Art and
basic techniques MUST be learned and applied in order to produce great photographs.

Do you want these portraits to earn money or would they be just for your family and friends?
Selling your work is a business and there are many pre-requisites before you can start earning money with photography. Of course, you may be lucky and sell a few here and
there, but if you plan to have a place of business, it's another story all together.

Tools used to make pictures (camera, lenses, lights) do not make a person a photographer. Only experience will make you progress and give you the insight to read light and create masterpieces.
Photography is just a light capture and the mixture of light and shadows can be anywhere from extremely pleasing to the eyes to literally disgusting. Only constant practice and study will make you create better pictures. No lens of camera will give you the knowledge. It's like any other field, practice, practice and failure will teach you the road to success.

Now maybe you could fill us in about yourself, how old are you, what are your goals and your equipment. Then we might be able to help you in your quest.

Good luck and welcome to Nikonites.
 

FastGlass

Senior Member
With the 18-55 you're going to want to stay at the 55 end of the lens. Getting close to the subject and using the 18mm end is only going to give you distortion. Like others said, not the best lens for portraits.
 
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STM

Senior Member
You can, but you will have to deal with something called perspective distortion. Shorter focal lengths will accentuate things nearer to the camera. This means areas like the nose and chin. For 35mm/FX the minimum focal length you should use for portraiture is 85mm. 105mm is better and generally considered ideal.
 

skene

Senior Member
Unfortunately, with the amount of information you have given us, would it be safe to assume that you are a self proclaimed sniper armed only with a watergun going into a battlefield filled with tanks.
This is the impression that I get. The same way you will have difficulties achieving amazing portraits with an 18-55mm. Now this isn't to say that it cannot be done, however there is more to shooting like a pro armed with a camera and a kit lens.
Get ready to invest some time on learning how to use the camera, light the subject and frame the shot. So the only good thing about this day and age is that you can get a plethora of information without even opening up a book. Watch YouTube videos and read up on the many threads that google can provide, as these will help assist you on your journey.

GL!
 

IsaacAlive

New member
This is a very difficult question to answer without knowing a few things.

What is your photographic experience?
If you just got yourself a camera and think you can produce outstanding photographs like what you've seen in magazines or on the Net, think again. Photography is an Art and
basic techniques MUST be learned and applied in order to produce great photographs.

Do you want these portraits to earn money or would they be just for your family and friends?
Selling your work is a business and there are many pre-requisites before you can start earning money with photography. Of course, you may be lucky and sell a few here and
there, but if you plan to have a place of business, it's another story all together.

Tools used to make pictures (camera, lenses, lights) do not make a person a photographer. Only experience will make you progress and give you the insight to read light and create masterpieces.
Photography is just a light capture and the mixture of light and shadows can be anywhere from extremely pleasing to the eyes to literally disgusting. Only constant practice and study will make you create better pictures. No lens of camera will give you the knowledge. It's like any other field, practice, practice and failure will teach you the road to success.

Now maybe you could fill us in about yourself, how old are you, what are your goals and your equipment. Then we might be able to help you in your quest.

Good luck and welcome to Nikonites.

big thumbs up. :)
 
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