Can't screw this one up, need advice

[AnnaBee]

Hi All,

I was offered a really amazing opportunity to have my photos be the illustrations in a book.
The book is about a type of self defense, is already written, needs 200 photos illustrating the moves, etc.. and the deadline is at the end of July.

I'm just starting out as a photographer and the author of the book is the owner of the gym/self defense school I go to, and he saw some pictures I took of a previous belt test and liked them. I really want to do a good job, but I just have my Nikon D5000, the kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6), and my SB-600.

It's going to be fairly close range, but I need to be able to get close-ups without getting too up in their faces, so I was thinking of renting a lens for the shoot.

I was thinking along the lines of a faster lens with a wider aperture, to get more detail and background blur, and maybe a bit more of a zoom.

I've never done this kind of photography before, and I was hoping you may be able to give me some suggestions about what type of lens I should rent (if I should even rent one at all), and what else I might need to be fully prepared.

Thanks in advance for any advice/direction you can give me.

[candleman]

quite a big task.. tough assignment.
personally i'd use off camera flash, with several flashes on softboxes/umbrellas
but you may not be conversant with off camera light and its not a simple thing to learn... and then do consistent high quality job right off the bat.

if it were me... and i was brave enough to accept.
i would:

use a tripod and work at the same focal length if doing a series, so framing is the same

use manual settings (uncluding the flash and WB) so you get exactly the same exposure every time

a lens that is sharp and has low CA is pretty important (focal length to be determined by you)

keep the background clear of reflections of you or ugly things like light switches

make sure the floor and walls are clean, and the fighters have clean feet and clothing.
clothing must have no logos unless you feel like contacting the label owner and getting a piece of paper signed.


thats all i can come up with right now

[IainM]

A good opportunity! scary, but he who dares wins and all that, so good luck!

I would suggest going to the library and looking at other books in the same category and see what they do. Also, I imagine lighting is the key - perhaps renting some lighting gear might be wise.

Finally - get some practice before the shoot! try things out first.

[AnnaBee]

Hi Candleman,

Thank you so much for your reply.

I've been reading about off camera flash, but like you said, I really don't think I'll be able to get it all together and learn how to do it well that quickly.

I'll get a tripod. Although, if all the pictures are taken in the same frame, won't it get kind of boring? Well, I guess since they're supposed to be educational illustrative as opposed to artistic...

For the manual exposure, I guess what I'll do is first put the camera to "P," see what the camera chooses and then switch to "M" and dial in the camera recommendations. Also, if I do want a shot that shows some motion blur, I'll have to switch to "S" because I don't know yet how to pair up the aperture to the shutter speed yet and keep the same exposure.

"CA" is chromatic aberration, right? I can help this by using a telephoto lens, correct? I was considering the Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 ED IF AF-S. Does this sound like it might be a good fit for this setup?

Also, thanks for mentioning the background and noticing the details. I've really been working on noticing stuff like that, I always seem to notice it only once it's on my computer, so that was definitely important.

Thanks for all your suggestions, and I'm sorry I have so many questions. I really want to accept the job, and I think I can, I just need to do all my homework first.

[AnnaBee]

Originally Posted by IainM

A good opportunity! scary, but he who dares wins and all that, so good luck!

I would suggest going to the library and looking at other books in the same category and see what they do. Also, I imagine lighting is the key - perhaps renting some lighting gear might be wise.

Finally - get some practice before the shoot! try things out first.

Thanks for your reply.

Candleman and you both talked about the lighting. I was hoping to do it outside early in the morning. If I do this, do you still think the light boxes and off camera lighting is so important??

[Jim Bryant]

[QUOTE=AnnaBee; I'm just starting out as a photographer and the author of the book is the owner of the gym/self defense school I go to, and he saw some pictures I took of a previous belt test and liked them. I really want to do a good job, but I just have my Nikon D5000, the kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6), and my SB-600.

I've never done this kind of photography before, and I was hoping you may be able to give me some suggestions about what type of lens I should rent (if I should even rent one at all), and what else I might need to be fully prepared.

Thanks in advance for any advice/direction you can give me.[/QUOTE]

-- Just starting out as a photographer. "I think you are in over your head" --

[AnnaBee]

Jim Bryant. I appreciate your response, but I think I'd be more in over my head if I was always afraid to take on a new challenge.

The worst that can happen is that the pictures won't come out good, and he won't use them for the book, but it will have given me an invaluable learning experience.

I'm not charging him for it, so he has nothing to lose and we both have everything to gain (for him, free pictures if they come out good, and for me, a great addition to my portfolio and resume, and experience, and possibly recommendations if he's happy).

Originally Posted by AnnaBee

Jim Bryant. I appreciate your response, but I think I'd be more in over my head if I was always afraid to take on a new challenge.

The worst that can happen is that the pictures won't come out good, and he won't use them for the book, but it will have given me an invaluable learning experience.

I'm not charging him for it, so he has nothing to lose and we both have everything to gain (for him, free pictures if they come out good, and for me, a great addition to my portfolio and resume, and experience, and possibly recommendations if he's happy).

.... and possible bad mouthing and no repeat business if he's not happy.

~Eric

[AnnaBee]

Originally Posted by maxharvard

.... and possible bad mouthing and no repeat business if he's not happy.

~Eric

Nope, he's a friend and he knows I'm an amateur, and he wouldn't smear my name. If the photos are not up to par, he'll just pick out a few good ones, blow them up, and hang them up on the walls of the gym instead. Like I said, it's only a win win.

Originally Posted by AnnaBee

Nope, he's a friend and he knows I'm an amateur, and he wouldn't smear my name. If the photos are not up to par, he'll just pick out a few good ones, blow them up, and hang them up on the walls of the gym instead. Like I said, it's only a win win.

... and the models (who can badmouth you) won't be annoyed with a reshoot?

Honestly, if it's a "win win" like you said and you've already made up your mind, why ask for second opinions?

~Eric