 BetterPhoto Member |
portraits b&w A friend wants me to take some B&W pics of her children. some simple portraits. I take some good shots, but I would like some tips. head shots, head and shoulders? digital or film?what type of film? in the shade? use a light meter? I have a light meter to use. didn't want to come off looking stupid. What lense? I have a 28-105, 105 macro, and a 70-300 zoom.
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John P. Sandstedt |
First - use a fixed focal length lens of 90 or 135 mm, or a zoom lens that lets you function in that range. Your 28-105 will do nicely. This will let you take you portraits from a distance far enough away from your subjects that they will not be threatened, and you will have no surprises relating to distortion that often results when portraits are taken with wide angle lenses. Next, take your portraits outdoors - in open shade [in the shadow of a house on a bright sunny day.] Or, if you want to take your shots indoors, have your subjects sit where they are illuminated by light streaming through a window. In either case, your portraits will reflect "available" light; indoors you'll probably need to use a tripod. If you have photo-floodlights, try using just one light. Take a lot of shots; start out with the light at the subject's shoulder height and at a 45 degree angle to the camera. Move the light higher, closer to the camera for different lighting effects. Then you can try two lights. The first will be the "main light" - set it close to the camera and slightly above the axis of the lens. The second will be a "fill" light. Set it at a 45 degree angle on the side of the camera opposite the main light. Again, take lots of pictures, moving the position of both lights - however, the fill light should generally be placed at a distance somewhat farther away from the subject than the main light. You can use any brand of film. Try to stay with a slower ISO speed. However, if you don't have a tripod, I've taken great portraits - hand-holding my camera loaded with ISO-400 film. I rely on the camera's meter - so I can't offer suggestions regarding use of your light meter. There are those who will say that it's use is the only way to go - I've had great success even though I don't own.
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