Comments on: 8 Family Portaits Tips

By: Jennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:54:04 +0000

I meant “gig.” “Family portraits GIG.”

Oy.

By: Jennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:53:39 +0000

Oooo! The thoughts on storyboarding and groups of 2s and 3s are pure gold! Thanks for that! I never would have thought of that!

I may have my first family portraits give in August. *fingers crossed*

By: Globetrotting Bride

Globetrotting Bride — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:02:05 +0000

Great tips!! Thanks for sharing! We’re having a baby this fall so I’ll put them to good use!

By: Tami McNeil

Tami McNeil — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:46:52 +0000

Where can I get more info on my camera? I have a Sony a350. I love the camera but, have trouble using it properly and therefore get bad outcome. Where can I purchase a DVD on my camera and details about how to work it properly. I have checked with different people locally and no one can help me.
Please let me know asap…very frustrated!
Thanks for your time
Tami McNeil

By: daniel van

daniel van — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:55:36 +0000

i wonder to know how to make the color so soft like that…can you tell me please… i lke the color.
please e-mail me at (d_van04@yahoo.com)

thanks

By: Joey

Joey — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:53:04 +0000

Tip #9: Don’t crop people at joints. There are very few things more disturbing to the subconscious brain when looking at portraits than to see someone cut off at the knee, elbow, ankle, wrist, etc… (such as the lady on the left side of the example image in this post)

Tip #10: Don’t schedule outdoor shoots between 11:00AM and 3:00PM on clear, sunny days unless you’re A) not shooting in direct sunlight [ex: effectively using open shade, reflectors or diffusion panels] or B) have the correct lighting equipment and knowledge of lighting ratios so you can balance out the inevitably harsh sunlight.

Tip #11: If you want your clients to respect you as a professional, do not get the usage of your and you’re mixed up unless they haven’t made it past the 5th grade. It hurts everyone involved.

Tip #12: DO NOT CENTER THE SUBJECT IN YOUR VIEWFINDER. The only exception to this rule when you are first learning photography is if you are taking a meter reading or locking focus and then re-framing the scene. When you press that shutter, if your subject is in the direct middle of your photo you have lost the game (unless of course you were going for that ironic, devil-may-care, trendy, hipster kitsch look).

==========

For extra street cred and 50 cool points: Take your subject out to the beach at 12:00noon on a cloudless day without supplemental lighting or reflectors of any kind, center your subject in the frame (making sure to lop them off at the wrist and knee or ankle), add a super cool vignette in post (+10 cool points for taking laziness one-step further and using a vignette action you found on DeviantArt) and then sell the client a $200 11×14 print. You may then and only then call yourself an “accomplished, award-winning, professional” photographer.

At least that’s what flickr and craigslist are teaching people nowadays.

By: jpm8jpm

jpm8jpm — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:18:41 +0000

thanks guys for sharing! i love dps every time u email me i always find time to read all your posts! thanks and keep up the good work!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:19:46 +0000

Have just seen the next article – hyperfocal distance! Brilliant – just what I need. Thank you so much!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:18:04 +0000

Yes- I’ve got these great large aperture lenses but the short depth-of-field means photographing more than one person at a time is tricky, and it’s difficult to tell if anyone’s out of focus unil seen on a big screen. Using flash helps, but not always the effect I’m after – how can you set the depth of field securely for a group?

By: Liza

Liza — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:54:04 +0000

“The more people you have in a shot, the less time you have to create it.”

What do you mean by this? Just hoping you might expand on that thought some.