First senior picture shoot

joshhuntnm

Well, first of all, she isn't really a Sr. I think she will be a Jr. next year. But, she was willing to let us practice Sr. Pics on her. My son (dawssvt) and I are trying to learn how to do this. C and C always welcome. He will likely be posting some that he took. My gallery is here http://joshhunt.smugmug.com/gallery/4738628_tZJMs#280689443_5UuG9

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i_worship_the_King

I like them...

I especially appreciate how you used the sun as a hair/back light. I've always been hammered about the importance of a hairlight in the studio...

Did you have to use any flash to balance (no exif :cry)?

[I think you added #5 while I was editing... Against #4 I point out the importance of that hair light - the 5th just seems dull, particularly on her blonder hair.]

joshhuntnm

i_worship_the_King wrote:

I like them...

I especially appreciate how you used the sun as a hair/back light. I've always been hammered about the importance of a hairlight in the studio...

Did you have to use any flash to balance (no exif :cry)?

Yes, most have flash. . .probably all.

On another note, is there a quick and easy way to copy the exif?

i_worship_the_King

http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1083138


However, these look like the exif has been stripped from the file, so that probably won't help you either. If you use adobe products and 'export for web' it conveniently strips out the exif. If you want to leave it, I always just 'save as' (actually, there's a little action I have that resizes to 800 on one side, 96DPI, sRGB, save as JPEG 10).

Swartzy

Good effort Josh. Please allow me to share some initial thoughts that may be of help:

Here are a couple things to consider when posing...especially the teenagers who haven't really "posed" before.

1. Avoid flat across shoulders
2. Avoid head on shots (meaning straight away)
3. Our job as photographers is to "compliment" the subject. Some angles work, some don't in regards to facial features such as noses, cheek bones, chins, etc.
4. We must continually speak with our subjects, getting them to relax, getting them to become comfortable and natural in pose. Also, move around while looking through the viewfinder.....get low....get high....get wide...get a cool angle that compliments your subject. You'll find while looking throught the lens what works and what doesn't...it should jump out at you.
5. Processing is of paramount. Use the curves layer and pop those images (there are several tutorials here on Smuggy as how to accomplish this). Learn some basic skin tone balancing/color correcting. Learning how to remove freckles, whiten teeth and eyes, skin smoothing, etc. are essential to produce that "Look" everyone wants.

There are many many more things to consider but those become instinctive with time and practice. Kind of like a golf swing....once learned it simply flows.

Hope these make sense.

joshhuntnm

i_worship_the_King wrote:

http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1083138


However, these look like the exif has been stripped from the file, so that probably won't help you either. If you use adobe products and 'export for web' it conveniently strips out the exif. If you want to leave it, I always just 'save as' (actually, there's a little action I have that resizes to 800 on one side, 96DPI, sRGB, save as JPEG 10).

hmmm. . .
If you go here http://joshhunt.smugmug.com/gallery/4738628_tZJMs#280686313_7LqGJ

and click on one of the pics, the info is there. So how do i get it into dgrin. I read the link above. What am I missing?

Rhinotherunt

Josh,
These look good. The backlight is great. I think you beat your son. :ivar


Some good advice has already been given... so not much else to say.

joshhuntnm

Thanks. I have been at it for a couple of decades. I am sure he will pass me like he did in basketball. I will never forget that day. Dad is both frustrated and proud.

Scott_Quier

Boost contrast and color in all of them.

1 - This is very nice. I would crop it just a touch tighter to remove the distracting bit of her right arm. BTW - these usually work better if your client is wearing long sleeves - this tends to help minimize the distractions and help the viewer focus on the face. It looks like you were using on-board flash - you have a funky shadow to her left. But, I don't see any catchlights in her eyes. Hmmmm

2 - Posture. Bright spot on her left shoulder. Love the rim light on her hair!

3 - That huge brown area is distracting. A different camera angle would solve that nicely. A little larger aperture would have blurred the background just a bit more.

4 - You cut off her fingers! The rest of this is very nice. Again, love the light on her hair!

5 - Dark and low contrast. A little fill for her eyes.

OK, I wrote that before I looked at any of the other responses. You say you have flash, but I don't see the tell-tale catchlights in her eyes. Strange - hmmmm

Overall, this is a nice series and could be much better with just a little tweaking....

joshhuntnm

Scott_Quier wrote:

BTW - these usually work better if your client is wearing long sleeves -

It is summer time in Southern New Mexico!!!

joshhuntnm

Scott_Quier wrote:

OK, I wrote that before I looked at any of the other responses. You say you have flash, but I don't see the tell-tale catchlights in her eyes. Strange - hmmmm

I am not sure it this is why, but. . .

I learned to day about about the flash limiting the speed of the shutter. (I have another post on that). I was trying to keep the apeture pretty open, but it kept being way to bright at times because the shutter speed woudl not go above 200 and the lens was 2.8ish. so, I dialed down the flash and the camera to try to compensate. bottom line, I am not sure how much the flash was firing. We also had my other son helping with a reflector.

Sam

In addition to some great advice you have received, one of the first things I noticed, and have noticed in other portrait shoots, is the facial expression is almost identical in all shots.

I think we as photographers need to pay attention to this, and make sure we get greater of a variety of looks.

Sam

Rhinotherunt

joshhuntnm wrote:

I am not sure it this is why, but. . .

I learned to day about about the flash limiting the speed of the shutter. (I have another post on that). I was trying to keep the apeture pretty open, but it kept being way to bright at times because the shutter speed woudl not go above 200 and the lens was 2.8ish. so, I dialed down the flash and the camera to try to compensate. bottom line, I am not sure how much the flash was firing. We also had my other son helping with a reflector.

Not sure what equipment you are using, but Canon Speedlights has High Speed Synch. It will allow you to take images at higher shutter speeds. The flash willdeliver the power you need while cycling at is highest speed. Meaning it will be on longer than the time the shutter is open.