Post your Portrait shots!
- Thread starter Rick M
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Another with single off-camera flash with a diffuser and small reflector in a restaurant of my friend. To get a Low Key lighting that darkened the background that had about 40 people in the room, I used a stopped down aperture and close flash so the background disappeared. Inverse Square Law is your friend when controlling light fall off so it is possible to have a virtual studio anywhere you happen to be. This is 85mm 1.4 stopped down to f/11 and manual flash at 1/64 power very close to her face and a handheld 12in reflector for hair light to separate her from the background. This was during dinner so a 10 second setup and shoot.
Further notes on candids and lighting:
The hardest part of taking photos of amateur subjects is getting them NOT to smile. The face is more relaxed and natural and almost always looks more flattering than a big cheesy grin people automatically assume when a camera is around. That is why many of my candids are done at 200 mm so it is done before they notice and pose. I told her just before the about shot there were was something wrong with the camera and asked to watch to see if a light came on while I was appearing to be tinkering with it. She focused on the little light in the lens(that never came on of course, because it does not exist). Another benefit in getting true candids is not wearing much makeup, she had almost none except a slight amount of transparent lipstick. Most street makeup reacts unpredictably to Xeon flash. There are makeups which are intended for photography the pro MUA use. She is an actor so knows stage makeup, which is different yet again. It is more dramatic for stage because the audience is 15-100 feet away. She just turned 35 last weekend and feeling a bit old so I wanted a plain image to show her that she is as lovely as ever. She liked it.
The hardest part of taking photos of amateur subjects is getting them NOT to smile. The face is more relaxed and natural and almost always looks more flattering than a big cheesy grin people automatically assume when a camera is around. That is why many of my candids are done at 200 mm so it is done before they notice and pose. I told her just before the about shot there were was something wrong with the camera and asked to watch to see if a light came on while I was appearing to be tinkering with it. She focused on the little light in the lens(that never came on of course, because it does not exist). Another benefit in getting true candids is not wearing much makeup, she had almost none except a slight amount of transparent lipstick. Most street makeup reacts unpredictably to Xeon flash. There are makeups which are intended for photography the pro MUA use. She is an actor so knows stage makeup, which is different yet again. It is more dramatic for stage because the audience is 15-100 feet away. She just turned 35 last weekend and feeling a bit old so I wanted a plain image to show her that she is as lovely as ever. She liked it.
Another shot in a restaurant, in this case, a mother and daughter at the next table in a jazz club/restaurant. The daughter asked me to take a photo of her mother since I had taken some of the group as individuals before they started to play. I think she assumed I was the house photographer.
I enjoy those types of unplanned portraits and this happens almost every time I go out with larger lenses. They never ask when shooting with my smartphone despite is delivering some very nice images. The daughter was in her late 20s so I figure her mother in this photo was late 40s or early 50s. I used a 85 1.8G at f/2.2 to blur the background, with one speed light off camera and her daughter holding a small folding gold reflector just out of the frame. They wrote me later saying it was the best photo of the mother ever and offered me a home cooked meal because the mother was an established chef and had a cooking program on TV 15 years ago. Total set up time was about 15 second, so getting decent shots with limited equipment is certainly possible in just about any environment if one thinks about the final image before even picking up the camera. A key part is visualizing it before deciding settings lenses or pose. I looked at mother with one eye closed to see as a 50mm lens would see to find flattering angles. With one eye, depth impression collapses just like it does for the camera so slight changes in viewing angles make a big difference. Moving my head slighting while talking to her gave me the idea of what looked best. A 1/2 inch to my left changed the appearance of her nose, as it appears larger, wider tip that was not as feminine looking. Getting her relaxed and not posing, for me usually means not smiling the way people do when a camera was present. She looked much better with smoother contours when she was not grinning for the camera. Women almost always look more intelligent and sophisticated of features when not broadly smiling. I had her lean her head slightly forward and chin 1/2 inch up which visually eliminated her slight double chin which also gave a narrowing of her nose impression.
I enjoy this type of shot, slight angles and shadow differences turn a face from rather plain to attractive erasing years of living. Although it was quick and dirty I tried using my Samsung Note 4 phone as a light meter and got a reading from her forehead and set the D800 for 1.5 stops down and set the flash in manual to 1/128th power (SB900)and got it close to her on the right side of the frame so there would be a lot of fall off to the bright wall behind her. I had a homemade grid on the head of the flash which controlled spread. Describing the process takes 10 times longer than just seeing the scene and doing it literally in seconds. Do it enough times and visualization to execution becomes sort of a fluid one-step processes, like driving a car. It takes far longer to break it down verbally than just know interactively with the off camber corner, of steering lock and carry speed that gets the corner done efficiently even though it involves complex physics concepts. When using a grid on a speedlight, if any softening is desired, putting a diffusing sheet between the flash lens and the grid softens the light but the grid still controls the beam width. I usually set the flash head to a wide beam, 24-35mm because zooming into 200mm field of view on the flash head can result in hot spots in the projected beam. Without a grid, beam width zooming can be a useful tool in limiting the spread of a flash head when not using any modifiers. I think I captured her soft feminine nature, with a lovely soft musical speaking voice and manners.
I enjoy those types of unplanned portraits and this happens almost every time I go out with larger lenses. They never ask when shooting with my smartphone despite is delivering some very nice images. The daughter was in her late 20s so I figure her mother in this photo was late 40s or early 50s. I used a 85 1.8G at f/2.2 to blur the background, with one speed light off camera and her daughter holding a small folding gold reflector just out of the frame. They wrote me later saying it was the best photo of the mother ever and offered me a home cooked meal because the mother was an established chef and had a cooking program on TV 15 years ago. Total set up time was about 15 second, so getting decent shots with limited equipment is certainly possible in just about any environment if one thinks about the final image before even picking up the camera. A key part is visualizing it before deciding settings lenses or pose. I looked at mother with one eye closed to see as a 50mm lens would see to find flattering angles. With one eye, depth impression collapses just like it does for the camera so slight changes in viewing angles make a big difference. Moving my head slighting while talking to her gave me the idea of what looked best. A 1/2 inch to my left changed the appearance of her nose, as it appears larger, wider tip that was not as feminine looking. Getting her relaxed and not posing, for me usually means not smiling the way people do when a camera was present. She looked much better with smoother contours when she was not grinning for the camera. Women almost always look more intelligent and sophisticated of features when not broadly smiling. I had her lean her head slightly forward and chin 1/2 inch up which visually eliminated her slight double chin which also gave a narrowing of her nose impression.
I enjoy this type of shot, slight angles and shadow differences turn a face from rather plain to attractive erasing years of living. Although it was quick and dirty I tried using my Samsung Note 4 phone as a light meter and got a reading from her forehead and set the D800 for 1.5 stops down and set the flash in manual to 1/128th power (SB900)and got it close to her on the right side of the frame so there would be a lot of fall off to the bright wall behind her. I had a homemade grid on the head of the flash which controlled spread. Describing the process takes 10 times longer than just seeing the scene and doing it literally in seconds. Do it enough times and visualization to execution becomes sort of a fluid one-step processes, like driving a car. It takes far longer to break it down verbally than just know interactively with the off camber corner, of steering lock and carry speed that gets the corner done efficiently even though it involves complex physics concepts. When using a grid on a speedlight, if any softening is desired, putting a diffusing sheet between the flash lens and the grid softens the light but the grid still controls the beam width. I usually set the flash head to a wide beam, 24-35mm because zooming into 200mm field of view on the flash head can result in hot spots in the projected beam. Without a grid, beam width zooming can be a useful tool in limiting the spread of a flash head when not using any modifiers. I think I captured her soft feminine nature, with a lovely soft musical speaking voice and manners.
Attachments
Another quick group portrait, in the same jazz restaurant, 3 girls who saw me taking the photo of the mother and daughter above. This one using 85 1.8G at f/1.8 on camera flash SB900 set for TTL BL, which balanced the ambient with flash illuminated subject very well. There were not a lot of people in the club but all but two were women. It is funny how 65-70 of club, pub, sport bar patrons seem to be women here.I have never figured out where all the guys are, maybe home on their computer or home theater. TV is not that popular. Regardless of why, I enjoy it;>)
These girls were a lot younger, mid-late 20s, than the mother in the post just before this one.
These girls were a lot younger, mid-late 20s, than the mother in the post just before this one.
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
Very nice!
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
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Just This Once
As some of you have noticed I post a few photos of strangers who ask me to take their photos in public places, or in a studio. It is a great way of meeting people and many of my friends were met that way. Last night I was in a small cafe/club that I often visit, and mostly strangers visit to celebrate birthdays.It has in interesting creative interior design based on a book "Traveling Case of the Pregnant Spy". A girl approached me saying she heard I take photos and asked if I could take a group shot of the birthday party with her girlfriends. I said I wasn't very good with smartphone cameras but offered to use my own camera and would send the photos if they contacted me at the email on my business card. I took a number of photos and they seemed to like them, invited to join their girl-party and had a great time with some very personable, smart, happy, and attractive young women.
I used two flashes on the group shots, one handheld and the other on a simple clamp I connected to a chain for a metal hanging lamp. The girl on the far right was the birthday girl, just turned 28. I made arrangements to do some studio shots with the girl in the white blouse. She is 35 and has a great elegant look and mannerisms so I offered to fo some serious photos if she wanted and eagerly agreed
I used two flashes on the group shots, one handheld and the other on a simple clamp I connected to a chain for a metal hanging lamp. The girl on the far right was the birthday girl, just turned 28. I made arrangements to do some studio shots with the girl in the white blouse. She is 35 and has a great elegant look and mannerisms so I offered to fo some serious photos if she wanted and eagerly agreed
Flugelbinder
Senior Member
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
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Blade Canyon
Senior Member
Nice shot, Paul. Did you get the Sigma 135mm 1.8 Art lens? I bought it but have not really run it hard yet.
Horoscope Fish
Senior Member
Thank you... And yes, I did (finally) get a Sigma 135mm DG HSM. It's my new, awesome, studio-queen.
