Posing and photo help

[funkychunkymonkey]

Im trying to get some nice looking professial looking photos for a christmas gift for my mom. All my walls are white, I have black chairs and a few curtians I can use for backrounds (red, brown and tan). One of the outfits is a black top and one is purple. What should I be thinking for backrounds and poses? I know I want one sitting and one standing. Oh these will be taken with a sony alpha camera by a amature photographer (my best freind). Any advice? I want these to look good.

 

[Frantasmic]

I'm not a pro, but it appears you want to imitate a studio shot, which is good. However, you are probably forgetting the lighting, either depending on the natural light or the flash, both of which will probably turn out to be inadequate to mimic the studio session you want.

So, I'd suggest going outside just before dusk. I think you will do better in a natural setting outside (soon though since the time changes this weekend).

If you do decide to continue with an indoors shot, I'd use a darker background and, even if you aren't attempting some budget lighting, I'd move lamps around and behind the photographer, pointing at the subjects to get as much illumination on them as possible.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

If I put the lighting behind the photographer dont I have to worry about shadow? i recently used two of my cheap target adjustable head lamps to get a studio quality shot, so Im not so worried about lighting but more where to put it. Ive decided to use my kitchen (almost completly empty, gatta love moving!) for a studio, since its got awsome lighting and outlets for my lamps.

 

[Frantasmic]

I didn't mean directly behind the photographer, but directed at the subject(s).

 

[gwishmael]

Please don't take offence to this but it sounds like you are trying to make filet mignon out of bologne. Create the images outside and play it safe. Your target lights are small light sources which create harsh light to shadow transitions. These harsh transitions tend to pronounce features such as noses (making them look larger then they are) and wrinkles (making them look deeper). That is why studios don't just buy them instead of paying $750 for a light and $700 for a good 4x6 foot softbox to modify the light. Your kitchen is probly too small because your subject really needs to be about 3-4 ft from the background inorder to minimize having shadows on your background. You also need to make sure that you don't go any wider then 50mm (like 24mm) with your lens so that you don't get oddly disproportioned features. What ever is closer to the camera will look larger. The wider the angle the more it is pronounced. I can't really sudjest any poses because I don't know your body types and personalities. They are both key information. This is one of many reasons studios insist on having consultations with clients before thier sessions.

 

[Experiment_626]

There are resources online for those who want to achieve good results but can't justify spending big bucks (such as a hobbyist photographer). They can help you figure out how to save some money. You could try this blog from Larry Becker (he's one of the guys behind Kelby Training) at http://larryscheapshots.com/. Another one that might have some promise is here: http://diyphotocheapodepot.blogspot.com/

Or, as stated above, you can try to shoot outdoors on a cloudy days or in a large shaded area for soft, even lighting.

As far as posing goes, you can find books on the subject at places like Barnes & Noble and/or Borders, and naturally, at Amazon. Try to find one that gives you general techiques for how to pose men, women and children, as well as groups, rather than just showing you photos. There's a certain logic you can apply to different situations that will serve as a good starting point.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

So a fallow up-
I did it, the pictures came out great. The only sad part was the fact my lamp shade melted (and gave my hand a nifty burn, which I had to hide in the photos that I was in). I think they look pretty good considering outside wasnt a option (6pm=pitch black) and the fact I didnt take most of the photos.

taken by me and then edited to have a softer look.

 

[MICKEY88]

great job, I'm glad you didn't let the naysayers discourage you

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

great job, I'm glad you didn't let the naysayers discourage you

diddnt really have a choice, it was indoor or nothing. Its too darn cold to be outside and a secondary perk is the lady helping me got some great shots I took of her kids since they "told" me how they were going to pose and DEMANDED I take there picture

 

[MICKEY88]

diddnt really have a choice, it was indoor or nothing. Its too darn cold to be outside and a secondary perk is the lady helping me got some great shots I took of her kids since they "told" me how they were going to pose and DEMANDED I take there picture

too cold..??? seriously, how cold is it where you are

 

[GrillMouster]

Hey, Funky. I hope you don’t mind me having a play with your image.

Step-by-step sent to you via PM.

Because I’m on an office computer without a calibrated monitor I didn’t do any color adjustments, which I would have normally done at the very beginning. In total, this took just a few minutes. The adjustments are subtle, but I think they add a little more depth and help bring attention back to where it belongs, your eyes. There’s definitely more that could be done, but I didn’t want to spend more than a few minutes on this.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

was only 10 degrees last night here. Thanks gill, i appreacate your advice, I tried it on a photo Im not alowed to post (my friends kids) and it looks great. also what program would one need to color just certain areas of a black and white photo? I so wanna learn to do this but photoshop is so expensive.

 

[GrillMouster]

Ten degrees?!?!?! BRRRRRRRR! Stay warm.

You can achieve the selective color technique you asked about in Photoshop Elements. You can buy the latest version (8) for around $85, or you can find an older version for less than $50. It will do 90% of what most photographers need. There are other software packages, but because Photoshop is the industry standard, it tends to have more sources of assistance (forums, blogs, websites, turorials, books, videos, etc.) than any other.

Another popular package is Paint Shop Pro. I haven't used it, but people who have rave about it and say that it can pretty much do everything that Photoshop does for a fraction of the price. I just did a quick search, and there appear to be a few different versions. I don't know what the differences are, but I see Amazon has the "X2 Ultimate" version for just $25. Not to disuade you from purchasing this product, but 99% of the photo editing explanations you find on the web use Photoshop terms and tools, so you may be on your own and have to do some digging to discover how to apply them to the Paint Shop Pro world.

Free options include Picasa and GIMP. Again, I haven't used either of these, but Picasa manages your photo collection, simplifies the process of uploading the images to the Picasa photo sharing site, and it includes some fundamental photo editing tools. GIMP is supposed to be a really powerful free alternative and worth exploring.

Good luck!

 

[MICKEY88]

paint shop photo pro, will allow you to do anything you can do with photo shop, it has an easier learning curve than photoshop. with paint shop photp pro, there are many built in actions or one click ways of doing many things, which is great for beginners, as you learn and choose to take more control, it allows you to do just that. most plugins such as those from topaz labs, will also work in paint shop photo pro.

PSP has some nifty built in actions, such as blemish remover, teeth whitener, suntan, thinify..


GrillMouster is correct you will find more sources of help for photoshop.

I've never had any problems with paint shop photo pro, between the built in help files and online sources I've always found answers to my questions..

if you should decide to go that route, you can get Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 direct from corel for 49.99

 

[MarkBarbieri]

By 10 degrees, I assume that you are talking Celsius. If it were 10F, that would be below the freezing point of water. I'm not sure that humans can even survive in conditions like that. I certainly wouldn't want to try.

 

[MICKEY88]

By 10 degrees, I assume that you are talking Celsius. If it were 10F, that would be below the freezing point of water. I'm not sure that humans can even survive in conditions like that. I certainly wouldn't want to try.

Humans can... Texans can't...

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

10 F is not that cold. I live in wisconsin. Last winter I walked to work when it was -22F. Cold is when its -45 or so. 10 is not that bad but I would have needed a jacket and mines SO not photo cool. Its a security company jacket so it adds pounds too. Im really thinking of getting photoshop elements, what all can I do with it? I use gimp now but its a big PITA for me. I use photo explosion and windows photo editor alot too.

 

[photo_chick]

Please don't take offence to this but it sounds like you are trying to make filet mignon out of bologne. Create the images outside and play it safe. Your target lights are small light sources which create harsh light to shadow transitions. These harsh transitions tend to pronounce features such as noses (making them look larger then they are) and wrinkles (making them look deeper). That is why studios don't just buy them instead of paying $750 for a light and $700 for a good 4x6 foot softbox to modify the light. Your kitchen is probly too small because your subject really needs to be about 3-4 ft from the background inorder to minimize having shadows on your background. You also need to make sure that you don't go any wider then 50mm (like 24mm) with your lens so that you don't get oddly disproportioned features. What ever is closer to the camera will look larger. The wider the angle the more it is pronounced. I can't really sudjest any poses because I don't know your body types and personalities. They are both key information. This is one of many reasons studios insist on having consultations with clients before thier sessions.

You're making a lot of statements here that just are not accurate across the board. Maybe they hold for your particular shooting style, but not for everyone.

How the shadows fall depend on how you set the lights. You can work in a small area and with low wattage bulbs it's easier. You can shoot wider, it's all in how you do it. And if you want to separate the subject form the background and don't have a lot of space, try a rim light.

3 $10 reflector sockets from home depot + 1 $8 sheet of R-matte for a bounce board + 3 150 watt bulbs= a very basic setup for a confined space.

And it's spelled bologna.

 

[mom2rtk]

10 F is not that cold. I live in wisconsin. Last winter I walked to work when it was -22F. Cold is when its -45 or so. 10 is not that bad but I would have needed a jacket and mines SO not photo cool. Its a security company jacket so it adds pounds too. Im really thinking of getting photoshop elements, what all can I do with it? I use gimp now but its a big PITA for me. I use photo explosion and windows photo editor alot too.

Do you have a school age child? There are several places online you can purchase on behalf of a student at a discount. You will need to provide a copy of their school ID or report card.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Do you have a school age child? There are several places online you can purchase on behalf of a student at a discount. You will need to provide a copy of their school ID or report card.

Nope, but I can probally get it discounted through my mom who works at the univesty here.