twk123 Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 The side lighting on the LS's above look a little too harsh to me, creating too much contrast. To me you have great detail in the light side, then the shadow has none, being completely black. I thought the woofer pic was better balanced with softer lighting and balanced contrast. The evening sun at about 4:00 pm will give you those nice long shadows with a subdued sunlight look for the outdoor shots. I presume you are using a zoom lens. I'm thinking for a posed portrait picture of an individual or couple (which I don't think you're going to do at this kind of event) the ideal focal length is about 100, Be sure and get all the girls together sitting on the stairway. And of course, what could be better than the girls all doing the "Charlie's Angels fingers together back-to-back gun pose?" It's a classic. Thanks. That's one area I stink at....posing. I've only done a few "Portrait" sessions just as favors for free. I've never had to tell my Klipsch speakers where to put their woofers. Hey Youth here is one more B&H video. Its by Jerry Ghionis who is amazing and a great teacher. I shot my sister in law's wedding a few years ago and his tips made a huge difference. A big thing that helped me is to remind them to NEVER have their arms against their torso as it flattens the bicep and makes them look heavier due to perspective. Also, anything closer to the camera looks bigger and anything further away looks smaller. Good luck on the shoot! It can be stressful but its always such a rush to take your skills in a setting where you need to be spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Agree with WVUs comments. If there are other parents taking pictures, you will want to make sure that you are the alpha picture taker and that their eyes and direction should be at you until you are done. That is speaking from experience where everyone's eyes are all over the place. Usually at their parent. I am also a huge fan of candid shots. The side groups will get some of the best and relaxed pictures. Additionally, using a second light can really take care of the shadows and contrasting side issues. If you really want to have some fun, add a halo light above the subjects. Depending on the camera you are using, I always preferred to use a prime 50 or 85 on my camera for portrait photos. As WVU mention 100 was ideal. For me it was a personal preference. Canon makes a very decent cheap 50 that is not L glass, but takes a really good picture for the money and it is a relatively quick lens. Its a little more expensive but the Canon 85mm 1.8 is by far my favorite portrait lens. The 50mm 1.8 is great and better for group shots with a crop sensor but I found you need to stop it down a little or things get fuzzy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agile1966 Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 (edited) I completely agree with the 85. Also a great lens to shoot Volleyball. On the 50, the plastic body ones are not as consistent from lens to lens. We were lucky and didn't have the fuzzy issue. Edited October 8, 2015 by agile1966 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 8, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 8, 2015 Great, now I have 3hrs of videos to watch before this Saturday. LOL Actually....I'm sure the posing video will be immensely helpful because that is an area I know nothing about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 You should be able to adjust the flash no problem even when in commander mode. I haven't had my 700 on my camera in forever. But if I remember right you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 8, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 8, 2015 It seems like you can but apparently there is something I'm missing. Would you mind looking at yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 9, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2015 I found out you do it in camera instead of on the flash itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 9, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2015 Looks like I will be buying a D7100 tomorrow...figured it is a good time to upgrade from the D7000 since I will be taking photos of 30 kids this Saturday. Wish I was getting paid for it. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 9, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2015 I just looked at the Commander Menu on my camera....when set to Manual, the default is 1/1 which is FULL POWER! No wonder I have dramatic shadows in the photos above. Haha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Youthman, you are more than prepared! And you are worried about the posing? Ha! Well yeah, you are going to have to round up the guys because they won't have a clue what to do. Just understand, they are there just as accessories for the girls, like a hand bag. But the girls? The girls. Your job is to point the camera and then get the heck out of the way before they trample you down to get their picture taken for this glam shoot. They are dressed up like models, they've got the makeup going, they've got the hair just right. They are in their glory for this occasion, and nothing at this moment in their lives is more important than getting their pictures taken. Get any two girls or more together and they know exactly how to tilt their little heads in towards each other, wet their lips and how to smile coyly. If they are standing, trust me they just how to do the "hand on hip" thing to make them appear slimmer. Don't worry about posing the girls (except for the staircase shot) because believe me, they've got it covered. You'll be stunned as it will look like they've been practicing for weeks just for this moment. Oh yeah, don't forget to get "mommy shots." It's their last chance to be cool with their daughters, and since Mom just spent all the time and money to buy the prom dresses, the daughters are usually pretty cooperative at this point. It won't last, so take lots of pictures so the mommies will have something to prove to other mommies that at least at one time in their lives, their daughters tolerated them. Lastly, ask someone to take a pic of you, taking pictures of them. It's the least the other parents can do. One will be enough, and it will be your treasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapsnb01 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Looks like I will be buying a D7100 tomorrow...figured it is a good time to upgrade from the D7000 since I will be taking photos of 30 kids this Saturday. Wish I was getting paid for it. LOL Congrats! Supposed to be a significant upgrade over the D7000. Will be interested to hear your impressions after the big shoot with it this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 9, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2015 I've been considering upgrading for almost a year. Meeting with a seller today. Has a D7100 with only 1300 shutter clicks. He was asking $600. I offered $500 and he accepted. Should be abler to get $350-$400 for my D7000 so I won't have too much out of pocket to upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapsnb01 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 That's a good price for that camera, especially with that few actuations on it. You shouldn't have much trouble getting $350-400 for your D7000 either...they seem to be selling for that or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted October 9, 2015 Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2015 That 50mm 1.8 is exactly the lens I was talking about. Really a fantastic lens for the money. I don't use it a lot but it is a great little lens, very sharp, acts like a 70mm on a DX camera. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 That 50mm 1.8 is exactly the lens I was talking about. Really a fantastic lens for the money. I don't use it a lot but it is a great little lens, very sharp, acts like a 70mm on a DX camera. I and everyone knows what you mean by that, but... no it doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 9, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2015 Wouldn't it be 75mm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 That 50mm 1.8 is exactly the lens I was talking about. Really a fantastic lens for the money. I don't use it a lot but it is a great little lens, very sharp, acts like a 70mm on a DX camera. I and everyone knows what you mean by that, but... no it doesn't. If this comment implies what I think it does, we are about to embark on a photographic argument worse than capacitors... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agile1966 Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Lol. Let's leave it alone and all have a great weekend. Especially Youth who gets to play with a new camera!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdit Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Youthman, you can set the on camera flash to commander, TTL and set the sb700 to remote with the switch on TTL, that way the on camera flash will tell the sb700 how much power to use. I usually set the on camera flash power to -- (double dash) so it only acts as a trigger for the sb700, it also adds just a tiny bit of catch light to make the eyes sparkle. No need for radio trigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted October 10, 2015 Author Moderators Share Posted October 10, 2015 Bob, I'm a little confused at your advice. Youthman, you can set the on camera flash to commander, TTL and set the sb700 to remote with the switch on TTL, that way the on camera flash will tell the sb700 how much power to use. If I do that, wouldn't the on camera flash be part of the exposure? I usually set the on camera flash power to -- (double dash) so it only acts as a trigger for the sb700, it also adds just a tiny bit of catch light to make the eyes sparkle. No need for radio trigger. This is how I have it set now. My Settings In Commander Mode: Built-in flash set to --- Group A - TTL Group B - TTL The umbrella I borrowed is a shoot through since it doesn't have a reflective cover. If I'm shooting through, can the meter in the flash see the subject since it is on the other side of the umbrella? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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