studio portraits for children

[JMitchell1317]

Hi,
I am having trouble with motion blur when photographing children inside. I use a Nikon D200, and usually use aperture priority (various settings tried)using an 18-200 mm lens (as close as I can get to the subject - usually about 40-50 mm) ISO - about 250 or so. I've tried setting white balance on auto or pre-set. I have an SB600 flash, but it seems to over expose the skin when I use it. I also use two continuous lighting stands moving them around to try and get the correct lighting so the lighting is usually not low. I'm not sure if I have an incorrect setting on my camera that I'm not aware of, or just what I'm doing wrong. I can't seem to get the shutter speed fast enough to go with the aperture setting that I"m looking for. Any suggestions? Thanks alot.

[Digidave]

This is one of those situations where you will have to compromise some. First let me say just that White Balance will not help with subject blur. Next, you may want to think about raising your ISO to 400 or even 800. Raising your iSO from 200 to 400 makes for a 1 stop difference & going from 200 to 800 makes for a 2 stop difference. A 1 stop difference in ISO means your shutter speed can be increased 1 stop. In layman's terms, that means going from a shutter speed of 1/60 to 1/120 of a second. A 2 stop difference is going from 1/60 to 1/240 of a second. Keep in mind that raising your ISO will also introduce some graininess to your photo. You'll just have to find a happy medium & something you are comfortable with.

I can't seem to get the shutter speed fast enough to go with the aperture setting that I"m looking for.

I'm not sure what you are going for here but keep in mind that when you go from f/4 to f/8 you are making a 1 stop difference in your exposure & your camera(being in Aperture Priority) will automatically change your shutter speed 1 stop(1/120 to 1/60). Keep in mind that I'm just picking numbers here for demonstration purposes. Your numbers will vary according to the amount of light you are working with & being indoors, I'll assume they aren't very good. You may want to switch to Shutter Priority & let your camera choose the Aperture, If you still can't get the shutter speed you desire, because your lens can't get the proper Aperture, your only other choice is to raise your ISO. The 3 of them work hand in hand.

I have an SB600 flash, but it seems to over expose the skin when I use it.

Try aiming the flash up towards the ceiling(Bounce Flash). This will brighten the entire area instead of throwing a beam directly at your subject. If this doesn't get enough light at your subject, try using a bounce card. Click HERE for a short video to see the concept of what a bounce card actually is & does for you. You can make your own with a piece of paper & a rubber band.

One last thing about using your flash. I'm not familiar with the D200 but on My D80 I have a maximum shutter speed of 1/200. In most cases this would be fast enough but I don't photograph children. If you need a faster shutter speed then what your camera is normally capable of, there is an option in the menu settings to go into Auto FP mode. On my D80 I find that under the pencil icon. This allows you to set your shutter speed to whatever you wish. I'm not exactly certain about all the techy stuff that's involved but I think it reduces your flash output a little.

I hope I didn't completely blow your mind here & you find something in my ramblings that you can apply. You just have to experiment & you'll get it after a while.

So, to summarize. To stop subject blur you need a faster shutter speed. The ways to achieve this are as follows.

1) Raise your ISO(200 to 400)
2) Raise your Aperture(f/8 to f/4)
3) Auto FP Mode when using a flash(found in your camera's menu)

[OsmosisStudios]

The 18-200 isnt the best lens to be shooting portraits with, either. Nikon's 50mm is so cheap, why not invest in one?

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by Digidave

This is one of those situations where you will have to compromise some. First let me say just that White Balance will not help with subject blur. Next, you may want to think about raising your ISO to 400 or even 800. Raising your iSO from 200 to 400 makes for a 1 stop difference & going from 200 to 800 makes for a 2 stop difference. A 1 stop difference in ISO means your shutter speed can be increased 1 stop. In layman's terms, that means going from a shutter speed of 1/60 to 1/120 of a second. A 2 stop difference is going from 1/60 to 1/240 of a second. Keep in mind that raising your ISO will also introduce some graininess to your photo. You'll just have to find a happy medium & something you are comfortable with.



I'm not sure what you are going for here but keep in mind that when you go from f/4 to f/8 you are making a 1 stop difference in your exposure & your camera(being in Aperture Priority) will automatically change your shutter speed 1 stop(1/120 to 1/60). Keep in mind that I'm just picking numbers here for demonstration purposes. Your numbers will vary according to the amount of light you are working with & being indoors, I'll assume they aren't very good. You may want to switch to Shutter Priority & let your camera choose the Aperture, If you still can't get the shutter speed you desire, because your lens can't get the proper Aperture, your only other choice is to raise your ISO. The 3 of them work hand in hand.



Try aiming the flash up towards the ceiling(Bounce Flash). This will brighten the entire area instead of throwing a beam directly at your subject. If this doesn't get enough light at your subject, try using a bounce card. Click HERE for a short video to see the concept of what a bounce card actually is & does for you. You can make your own with a piece of paper & a rubber band.

One last thing about using your flash. I'm not familiar with the D200 but on My D80 I have a maximum shutter speed of 1/200. In most cases this would be fast enough but I don't photograph children. If you need a faster shutter speed then what your camera is normally capable of, there is an option in the menu settings to go into Auto FP mode. On my D80 I find that under the pencil icon. This allows you to set your shutter speed to whatever you wish. I'm not exactly certain about all the techy stuff that's involved but I think it reduces your flash output a little.

I hope I didn't completely blow your mind here & you find something in my ramblings that you can apply. You just have to experiment & you'll get it after a while.

So, to summarize. To stop subject blur you need a faster shutter speed. The ways to achieve this are as follows.

1) Raise your ISO(200 to 400)
2) Raise your Aperture(f/8 to f/4)
3) Auto FP Mode when using a flash(found in your camera's menu)

Er, F4 to F8 is 2 stops-you forgot about F5.6 in between!!!

First of all you want a plain background;
Set camera to AV mode;
Get exposure reading from subject (Make a note) try for aperture of F4;
Change to Manual mode-using settings gained from AV mode;
Up shutterspeed two stops; (If you were getting 1/60 @ F4 you now want 1/250)
turn flash on (manual) 45 degrees aimed at ceiling to subject;
Take your shot-"chimp" the monitor-adjust shutter speed to suit.

P.S. If you rubber-band a white business card to back of flash,this will get a gleam in subject's eyes.

Regards, Ken

[kelleyrie]

completely off topic but that little girl in the attachment lloks like Reagan from the Exorcist movies

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by kelleyrie

completely off topic but that little girl in the attachment lloks like Reagan from the Exorcist movies

I thought more like the Afghan girl that Steve McCurry photographed for National Geographic-especially the eyes,Regards, Ken

[Digidave]

Er, F4 to F8 is 2 stops-you forgot about F5.6 in between!!!

OOPS!! Yes you are correct. Thank you for that correction Ken. I confuse myself sometimes!

[Eberbachl]

Originally Posted by Digidave

This is one of those situations where you will have to compromise some. First let me say just that White Balance will not help with subject blur. Next, you may want to think about raising your ISO to 400 or even 800. Raising your iSO from 200 to 400 makes for a 1 stop difference & going from 200 to 800 makes for a 2 stop difference. A 1 stop difference in ISO means your shutter speed can be increased 1 stop. In layman's terms, that means going from a shutter speed of 1/60 to 1/120 of a second. A 2 stop difference is going from 1/60 to 1/240 of a second. Keep in mind that raising your ISO will also introduce some graininess to your photo. You'll just have to find a happy medium & something you are comfortable with.



I'm not sure what you are going for here but keep in mind that when you go from f/4 to f/8 you are making a 1 stop difference in your exposure & your camera(being in Aperture Priority) will automatically change your shutter speed 1 stop(1/120 to 1/60). Keep in mind that I'm just picking numbers here for demonstration purposes. Your numbers will vary according to the amount of light you are working with & being indoors, I'll assume they aren't very good. You may want to switch to Shutter Priority & let your camera choose the Aperture, If you still can't get the shutter speed you desire, because your lens can't get the proper Aperture, your only other choice is to raise your ISO. The 3 of them work hand in hand.



Try aiming the flash up towards the ceiling(Bounce Flash). This will brighten the entire area instead of throwing a beam directly at your subject. If this doesn't get enough light at your subject, try using a bounce card. Click HERE for a short video to see the concept of what a bounce card actually is & does for you. You can make your own with a piece of paper & a rubber band.

One last thing about using your flash. I'm not familiar with the D200 but on My D80 I have a maximum shutter speed of 1/200. In most cases this would be fast enough but I don't photograph children. If you need a faster shutter speed then what your camera is normally capable of, there is an option in the menu settings to go into Auto FP mode. On my D80 I find that under the pencil icon. This allows you to set your shutter speed to whatever you wish. I'm not exactly certain about all the techy stuff that's involved but I think it reduces your flash output a little.

I hope I didn't completely blow your mind here & you find something in my ramblings that you can apply. You just have to experiment & you'll get it after a while.

So, to summarize. To stop subject blur you need a faster shutter speed. The ways to achieve this are as follows.

1) Raise your ISO(200 to 400)
2) Raise your Aperture(f/8 to f/4)
3) Auto FP Mode when using a flash(found in your camera's menu)

I don't have anything to add to this subject, except to say that I find your posts extremely informative and enjoy reading them.

Thanks for being so helpful.

[Digidave]

I don't have anything to add to this subject, except to say that I find your posts extremely informative and enjoy reading them.

Thanks for being so helpful.

Thank you so much for showing an interest! That's the nicest thing I've heard all day. Although, I did just get out of bed.

[sarahdavis]

Originally Posted by Eberbachl

I don't have anything to add to this subject, except to say that I find your posts extremely informative and enjoy reading them.

Thanks for being so helpful.

I would also like to say the same, I really appreciate the people who answer questions like this in such detail. It's nice reading it sometime in other people's own words, hearing it all explained in all different ways. And I have to admit, I didn't realize he forgot f5.6 until it was pointed out either.