portrait help

mikie2084

I am in need of some portrait help. I found a beautiful field that my wife wants to take mothers day photos in with her sis and I. Problem is I am 6'2, they are 5'0 and 4'11, how do I pose us without me looking giant compared to them? Another problem is they are not model size and i dont want to make them feel worse by a wrong angle shot. Also the flowers are a beautiful yellow and was going for blue shirts, do you guys have any better choices? My gear is d40 kit lense, 55-200 vr, tamron 17-50 f2.8, nikon Sb600.

Thank You

Mike

Sachis2112

I start this by saying that I am no portrait photographer. However, I am fond of the combination of blue and yellow. Also, if you are sitting and the ladies are standing behind you with a hand on your shoulder or something similar, you can kill 2 birds with one stone. Is there any particular reason why you would all need to be sitting or all standing? It might force you get really creative with posing but it's just a thought. Good luck!

mikie2084

No theres no certain reason for all to be standing, but I like you am not a portrait photog. Blue was our choice too. Lense choose is my biggest issue and how to use my speedlight correctly.

Thank you for your time to post.

Hackbone

How about a small foot stool and you're sitting down on the ground with your elbow resting on the stool. This should drop you down enough to their height when they also are seated on the ground. Have them sit in a traditional cheer leader doublehook pose where they are on their bottom and both legs bend back toward the same side from the knees. You wife could be kneeling behind you and resting on your shoulder. Hope this helps some. Think heads and try not to have all the heads on the same plane wether vertical or horizontal. Triangles are powerful posing arrangements.

I would use a longer lens if possible and the speed light will be trial and error. A good point to start might be on AV at 5.6 with your flash set to under expose about a stop. It would be helpful if your group was in a shaded area. If your are in the sun try to expose for the background and set your flash to light the subjects. You might have to set your flash at 2 or 3 over exposed depending on the brightness of the sun on the background.

mikie2084

We just tried that out on the floor and I think its a great idea, how do I put her sis in it on my other side and make us not look like we are falling over to the left or right?

mikie2084

Hackbone thanks for the info, It really helped! im going about an hour before sunset just to experiment and try to get things right. I was thinking my Tammy might distort alittle so was going to try the 55-200vr. The 5.6ap really helped a lot too, i was nt sure what to use.

Thank You

Mike

Hackbone

Mike, the 5.6 is just a starting point in open shade so don't treat it as gospel. Just take your time and test shoot the two others until your get the exposure you want. If your in the bright range for the bkg you generally have to bump up your flash to overexpose, if your in the shaded area you have to under expose the flash. Just take your time and test.....don't get frazelled(sp).

mikie2084

Too late for me not to get frazzled, can you tell? I always want perfection and i know im not there yet!

ivar

Mike, did you get your shots yet? care to share them?

angevin1

ivar wrote: »

Mike, did you get your shots yet? care to share them?

d00d...Mothers day is THIS Sunday

Or were you thinking of Mothering day?

ivar

angevin1 wrote: »

d00d...Mothers day is THIS Sunday

Or were you thinking of Mothering day?

I don't know how it works there, but over here we give the photos/presents on mothers' day, so we'd have to shoot it prior to that

mikie2084

Sorry guys been busy, i wish ia had time to do some post processing, tking some flowers out of my wifes face and sucH. I only have elements 8 and havent mastered it yet.

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Hackbone

Nice photos of tress. Not being mean but you have toooooo much negative space for my tastes. You've seem to have some great expressions but they are overpowered by the bkg. Can you crop in some? You have very nice exposures and color. Big congrats on that, it's difficult to do outside. #6 is a great pose for a larger person, hide the width but get in really close to show off the personality.

Take some of these and turn them up side down and see what jumps out at you. You might be susprised how the intended viewing focus changes. Keep going, your got a good start and bring out happy expressions.

mikie2084

Yea was told by others the same thing, i just keep doing it! I didnt have time to crop and get them sent off, so this is what she got, she cried when she saw them so even though technically they aint perfect it did the job for a first time portrait photog.

THANKS

MIKE

kevincaophotography

Hackbone is on the spot. Portraits usually highlight the person, and the subject(s) can get lost in all the attention the negative space (the field) receives. Honestly, the height issue, really isn't an issue for me. Typically men are taller, there's no shame in that visually. I was not thrown off by it at all! I enjoyed the set up you had, just crop the images tighter and they'd be absolutely perfect. I understand you want to highlight the beautiful field. Just because the field isn't in the entire frame, doesn't mean it's not there. Being surrounded by the flowers (even cropped on you and your family) can give you the depth that you want in the field. When tighter, place the subjects (you and your family) to one side of the frame (2/3 of the frame - right or left), and leave the other 1/3 of the frame for a nice bokeh of the field.

Keep up the good work! I enjoyed them!