Portraits

I recently got a nikon D3000, which is a great camera but is very difficult to take self portraits with. Even if I manage to get it focused properly, I can never angle it or myself quite right. Any tips?

Use a tripod (or a pile of books stacked on the table) and the self-timer. Position a broom in your place as you set-up the camera. Use a wider angle (zoom) to compensate framing errors (which you can crop later in the computer). After you finish focusing, turn off AF (go to M) before pressing the shutter button, run to position, knock off the broom and take it’s place, blink once, twice or thrice while the red light is still flashing, then smile with both mouth and eyes, freeze that pose until you hear the click, breathe, then pick up everything that was thrown to the floor. Repeat process until satisfied with the result.

From Pablo Picasso’s Weeping Woman and Van Gogh’s Self-portrait, what emotions do you think the portraits are trying to convey? Using colours and lines you observed, explain your answer.

Sara, when doing the portraits, the artists might have felt something. So when you see one what you feel might be what it was meant to convey. It might vary from person to person. Or it might be just what they might have been feeling. It is good that the painting is that good and that the viewer has empathy and emotions. I have seen Van Gogh’s self portrait. At that time he was trying to impress a barmaid. She asked him if he could give her anything. He asked what she wanted. She said his ear would do fine. So he cut off one of his ears’ and gave it to her. So the bandage on his face. If you have read Lust for Life, in it you will see that he starved most of the time. So the bony appearance would result. The barmaid I think was appalled. So he would have felt sad. That too would be evident. Then who would like to record such a thing in a self portrait. That goes to show he had an ego. Van Dyke rebukes him once saying that it is all a sham. But if you like paintings its not really necessary to know all that went on behind it. If it makes you happy, like his Sunflowers or dirty like his Potato Eaters, that’s all that matters. Then you have an artistic bent.

I have a Canon EOS 1000D and I read through the manual and everything, but there are so many settings and things to remember. I am interested in photography so I will eventually learn how to use all the settings, but I’d like to know which settings are best for outdoor portraits on a sunny day. Should I use P, Tv, Av, M, etc. The ISO, metering mode, etc. Any tips are also welcome
Thanks

Camera manuals tell the user how to control the shutter speed, lens aperture, ISO, white balance and generally how to use the camera

What you are asking is how to be a photographer.

That is something that will take some study on your part especially when it comes to shooting specific subjects.

In the case of shooting portraits, indoors or out, will require you to learn about portrait lighting, portrait composition and subject direction.

There are NO portrait settings on a fully adjustable camera like your fine 1000D. You no longer have a P&S camera that does everything for you. Now you are going to have to learn how to use your camera to get the shots you want.

Here is one link you may find helpful, but in the end, the fastest way to learn what you are asking is to take a class in photography.

Link on lighting:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/

Here is a checklist:

* Shoot in the shade to prevent harsh shadows
* Set the white balance for shade
* Use a medium telephoto lens
* Shoot with the lens aperture either wide open or one stop down
* Direct the subject into poses that are faltering for their face (you will want to visit a number of sites which have photos of people posing for portraits

I’m really stuck between an A3 size and an A2 size. The portraits are different people from a variety of different nationalities in lead pencils and going to have a pattern on them with markers (in specific areas). It’s for my Grade 12 Art assignment, and there will be 4 or 5 portraits.
I want them to be "wow" worthy, but I don’t know if A2 sizes of them is TOO much.

Suggestions, opinions?

I wish I knew the European size measurements. Since I don’t, I’ll say that the command in art these days is to go big. Small sizes demonstrate timidity or fear because people usually choose those sizes when they lack confidence.

That said, if you don’t have the time to get large pieces done, go for a medium size canvas.

And a last thought: there aren’t many lead pencils left today. I believe you are most likely using a graphite pencil.

what is a good standard setting for shooting portraits outside?Ive tried many different settings on my camera even the preset ones and it seems like i cant get it right. ive tried the f/16 sunny rule and it still doesnt look right. It seems like whatever i try it always seems a bit blown out.

Expose for the sky so you keep the nice natural light and then add a fill flash.

This will give you a well exposed sky (blue with clouds instead of all white) and then you use a flash to fill in the light for your model.

I have recently started getting offers to shoot people at their parties and take senior shots and i tried the 50mm but the AF does not work with my camera body. I am about to cover a graduation party and i want something that’s AF compatible and gives me great portraits. Also, i am low on budget so please let me know what’s the cheapest i can find? Thanks!

You will want to stick with Nikkor AF-S lenses when using your D3000, but do not want to be bothered manually focusing your lens.

The AF-S 50 mm f/1.4 would be the choice in the instance

I live in Winter Park, Florida. Want to have my senior portraits taken soon. I want a beach session. If you have any experience with choosing a photographer for senior portraits within these areas, please recommend. Thank you!

if you can’t do a beach session leu gardens is very pretty. I got married there in April with the flowers and the lake in the back drop made it very pretty.

I just want to hear your suggestions about what camera lenses to use use if you want to…

Take sharp portraits. A lense that captures face and body well. When you photograph outfits or fashion and makeup pictures.

Secondly, I wonder if there’s any good lense for concert photography? I guess I should look for a tele-zoom. Some people say they make pictures more blurry. Is this true or just a myth?

Thank you.

Good portraits can be taken with any quality lens, however something in the 50mm-85mm range is good on a APS-C sized sensor (ie entry levels & prosumer DSLR’s). I use either a 50mm f1.8, a 50mm f2.8 macro or an 85mm f1.8.

Concert work – well depends on how close you are & how much light there is. If you’re some distance from the stage you’ll need something with some reach – a good general purpose lens would be something like the 18-200mm. If its dark, you’ll need a lens which is capable of wide apertures (ie f2.8). Unfortunately, to get a combination of long reach AND wide aperture costs a great deal!

I have a canon 50d. I recently purchased the canon 50mm 1.4, but I am not super with the focusing system. When shooting kids, it takes too long and I miss the shot. What are some other lenses that will work for portraits? I’m not looking for an L lens. Too much money. Anything in the 400 price range is good for me!

The lens should be focusing on that camera just fine. You may have a technical problem. The AF on my 50 f/1.4 just stopped working. They have a reputation for that.

Until you get it fixed, focus manually and pre-focus. Focus on an area where you suspect the subjects will move through and get the picture.

Good luck and have fun. A working 50mm f/1.4 is a perfect portrait lens for an APS-C camera like the 50D.

I’m just getting started into professional photography, and made basic price list. I’ve been told that it is insanely low, but since I am just getting started I don’t want to charge more than I am worth. I wanted to compare myself to other home based photographers. What do you charge for Family Portraits, Individual or Couples, and Senior Portraits?

Research, Research, Research.

I started my own home studio 2 years ago. A year into the business I got a chance to talk to a fellow Photographer, he took my Senior Photos about 20 years ago. He since has closed his studio and works out of his home now. Anyways he told me no matter what your costs are you still need to be competitive. Check what other photographers are charging in your area. And then compare that to your expenses.

Working out of my home I save on some of the overhead of a traditional studio, no rent for example. So I can lower my prices a little. Still you don’t want to go to low or people will think your not the best and will go somewhere else. Which is why I said be competitive. You need to have prices close to at least what the other photographers in the area are charging.