I tried this with Erin Friday (leaves still mostly green here) and my pics do not look amazing. I need to work on them PP and I'll post later...

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In all of the shots she is in full shade - taken between 3:30 and 5:30 yesterday afternoon. All were shot with 70 to 200 mm f2.8 stabalized lens with most wide open at f2.8. All are at ISO 800. The one with the red vine is at f11 because she wanted it to show clearly. I took my flash with me as I thought we might have to do some fill work but finding good shade negated the necessity. #10877557

Yes Peter she is indeed a lovely young lady, and I don't remember to many during my school days that looked as nice, but it is probably my memory rather than reality.

I am glad to do it for her Susan - it was actully fun for me. I have not walked the whole campus in many years. It has sure changed since my father started teaching there in 1955 and even a lot since I last taught there in 2002. #10878309

So one more question-I am struggling with DOF-too much and not enough.

With the first shot, you used f 2.8, but all of her is in focus. Were you standing a bit back? What was the focal length? Just asking because I am having a tough time with this!!! #10878739

Elaine a rule of thumb is that the longer the focal length, the closer the subject, and the wider the f stop the less DOF.

Taking the first shot as an example this is F2.8 at 180mm so I was a ways back. Even with that you can see the very back of the tree starting to drop out of the sharp focus area. I shoot portraits with the 70 - 200 f2.8 most of the time so that I can stay back from the subject so they feel a little more natural than when a camera is in their face. I also tend to shoot this lens at the f2.8 setting in order to isolate the subject from the BG. Normally I shoot from 85 to 135 mm which is a flattering focal length for most faces as it flattens the features slightly due to the telephoto effect. There are all kinds of discussion on this but that is my standard. I got a little long on this one for some reason at 180mm. Just too lazy to move I guess. One thing you can always do is set up your shot and the do a DOF preview.

I am so used to shooting people shots I don’t even think about camera setting most of the time because they come naturally to me. I was a company photographer for Nevada Bell telephone company for almost 2 years an during that time I only shot people 8 hours a day 5 days a week unless I was in the darkroom. Most of that work was done with either a 35mm with a 135mm lens or a twin lens reflex with a 105mm. That is why I seldom shoot people now because I was so burned out on people as a subject.
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I didn't realize you took photos of people for 2 years-that would burn me out too. What was done with these photos, since it seems like you took so many of them? Sounds like a huge company. #10879458

I went from the Co. Photographer to marketing, then a stint running the computer center, then accounting, then to AT&T in 1984, and back to Nevada Bell in 1987 running applications programming, then to systems programming and in charge of the mainframe center. Eventually as the company changed I ended up with all internal communications and systems from telephone to desktop support and all aspects of computer hardware and software support and programming. Finally they added operator services - operator assistance (basically your long distance operators and directory assistance (411 calls) to my existing duties. I retired with 30 years service in 2001.
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