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Photography Q&A
How to get the most out of my gear for portrait photos
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<blockquote data-quote="hark" data-source="post: 772635" data-attributes="member: 13196"><p>I'm only going to comment on your lens question. If you look through posts by @<a href="https://nikonites.com/member-23493-kevy73.html" target="_blank">kevy73</a> you will see he is an outstanding wedding photographer who knows how to use gear. </p><p></p><p>Since you are using a DX body, the crop factor will definitely play into the focal length used. Typically we hear between 85mm to 135mm are good focal lengths for portraits (head & shoulders and/or headshots). But that is based on an FX body. Due to the crop factor of a DX body, you'd have to stand further back to get the same size image within your viewfinder as you'd see on an FX body. </p><p></p><p>So for head & shoulders or headshots, my suggestion is no shorter than 50mm - longer is okay providing you have room especially if you are indoors. While the f/1.4 aperture of your 50mm sounds tempting to use, don't do it without practicing and really understanding how it works. This is because you'd be working with such a shallow depth of field, many parts of her body might not be in focus especially when shooting somewhat close. The lens itself is fine, but you should stop down to at least f/4 or f/5.6 to make sure most of her face is in focus.</p><p></p><p>Your 18-105mm zoom is also an option for head & shoulders or headshots as long as you stay at 50mm or longer. When you stand close to someone and shoot at a wide focal length, you will distort your subject's face making the nose appear longer and the head slightly misshapen. For full body shots typically 35mm is good - but again you are on a DX body which means stand back a little further. The thing with wide angle lenses (or your 10-20mm zoom) is the edges of the frame get 'stretched' or distorted due to the really wide focal lengths. So personally I will suggest not even using your 10-20mm lens. </p><p></p><p>If you are outdoors and have a lot of room between you and your subject, shooting at the long end of your 18-105mm will be nice even for full body shots. When you use a long lens, there is more compression to the image. That means noses don't look distorted. And it means backgrounds can yield more pleasing bokeh providing there is a large distance between your subject and the background.</p><p></p><p>When shooting outdoors, keep watch of the highlights (bright parts of her face) and the shadows. If part of her face is lit by the sun while another part of her face is in shade (or even if her face is covered with dappled light from under trees), the light and dark parts of her face will be accentuated. And that isn't flattering. Either position her with the sun behind her (watch out for lens flare and make sure you use a lens hood at all times), or position her in an area where her face is completely shaded. If the sun is behind you and is bright, she will be looking into it and will probably squint.</p><p></p><p>Focus on the eye closest to the camera. </p><p></p><p>Oh...and I know you mentioned sexy clothing. If the time comes to photograph her while she's not wearing a lot of clothing, a bare arm, leg, or foot that is closer to the camera than the rest of her body can appear larger and out of proportion to the rest of her body when shot with a wide angle lens. And this has to do with the distortion of wide angle focal lengths. No one wants to see what appears to be a fat arm on a skimpy clad beautiful lady. Treat her with respect - obviously try not to ogle her during times she might not be wearing too much.</p><p></p><p>If you are shooting indoors with available light, do you have a tripod to use just in case your shutter speed isn't overly fast? Good luck and relax. You've got this! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hark, post: 772635, member: 13196"] I'm only going to comment on your lens question. If you look through posts by @[URL="https://nikonites.com/member-23493-kevy73.html"]kevy73[/URL] you will see he is an outstanding wedding photographer who knows how to use gear. Since you are using a DX body, the crop factor will definitely play into the focal length used. Typically we hear between 85mm to 135mm are good focal lengths for portraits (head & shoulders and/or headshots). But that is based on an FX body. Due to the crop factor of a DX body, you'd have to stand further back to get the same size image within your viewfinder as you'd see on an FX body. So for head & shoulders or headshots, my suggestion is no shorter than 50mm - longer is okay providing you have room especially if you are indoors. While the f/1.4 aperture of your 50mm sounds tempting to use, don't do it without practicing and really understanding how it works. This is because you'd be working with such a shallow depth of field, many parts of her body might not be in focus especially when shooting somewhat close. The lens itself is fine, but you should stop down to at least f/4 or f/5.6 to make sure most of her face is in focus. Your 18-105mm zoom is also an option for head & shoulders or headshots as long as you stay at 50mm or longer. When you stand close to someone and shoot at a wide focal length, you will distort your subject's face making the nose appear longer and the head slightly misshapen. For full body shots typically 35mm is good - but again you are on a DX body which means stand back a little further. The thing with wide angle lenses (or your 10-20mm zoom) is the edges of the frame get 'stretched' or distorted due to the really wide focal lengths. So personally I will suggest not even using your 10-20mm lens. If you are outdoors and have a lot of room between you and your subject, shooting at the long end of your 18-105mm will be nice even for full body shots. When you use a long lens, there is more compression to the image. That means noses don't look distorted. And it means backgrounds can yield more pleasing bokeh providing there is a large distance between your subject and the background. When shooting outdoors, keep watch of the highlights (bright parts of her face) and the shadows. If part of her face is lit by the sun while another part of her face is in shade (or even if her face is covered with dappled light from under trees), the light and dark parts of her face will be accentuated. And that isn't flattering. Either position her with the sun behind her (watch out for lens flare and make sure you use a lens hood at all times), or position her in an area where her face is completely shaded. If the sun is behind you and is bright, she will be looking into it and will probably squint. Focus on the eye closest to the camera. Oh...and I know you mentioned sexy clothing. If the time comes to photograph her while she's not wearing a lot of clothing, a bare arm, leg, or foot that is closer to the camera than the rest of her body can appear larger and out of proportion to the rest of her body when shot with a wide angle lens. And this has to do with the distortion of wide angle focal lengths. No one wants to see what appears to be a fat arm on a skimpy clad beautiful lady. Treat her with respect - obviously try not to ogle her during times she might not be wearing too much. If you are shooting indoors with available light, do you have a tripod to use just in case your shutter speed isn't overly fast? Good luck and relax. You've got this! :) [/QUOTE]
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