portrait of my monster-in-law

[liverlipsyyz]

my mother-in-law has been harrasing me to take a "glamour" shot of her because all i like to do is take candids of her with no make-up on or when she doesn't have her teeth in. so, being just an amateur, can anyone give me some good settings for my camera for a glamour shot? i.e. should i be in program mode or aperture mode? what are the best settings? i have a grey card and work in raw so i can hanlde the white balance in photoshop. i have an 18-55mm and a 55-200mm. which lens should i use? also, i'll be taking this indoors at night under household lighting (ceiling halogen lights). should i set up some lamps instead or some other kind of lights? also, i do have a piece of white poster board - should i use that to bounce some flash sideways on to her face (i have an sb-400 and it only tilts up and down so i'll have to shoot verticle to do that but i think verticle is best for portraits, maybe)? any hints would be greatly appreciated as taking a glamour shot of my mother-in-law seems to be an insurmountable task

[Wooglah]

It would be best if you could do it in daylight, by the window. Also, if she is not familiar with photography you could do it in black and white so it appears more artistic. Use low ISO settings, and if U must take pictures in evening with artificial lights, try playing with different sources and darkness, use shadows to enhance the lines... From your post I see that you see that photoshoot as something with soft light and almost no shadows, but that does not need to be the case, you can use shadows as an advantage and make great stuff with well positioned candles...

Oh yes, you should talk with her as she seems like a demanding person, and show her photos right there, so you two can get better results. For her to see what her pose looks like on a photo is a good thing, so she can do better...

I would use 18-55, but than again, I'm new in this and I'm writing this only because you need something and there are no answers yet... If anyone write something, you listen to them and not me Hope you dont find this post offending, just trying to help...

[PowerPix]

The title is funny......

[ejmccartin]

have you had the shoot yet? how did it turn out?
(gotta agree, the title is funny)

[ttosifa]

Originally Posted by PowerPix

The title is funny......

Way back when, in the dark ages, a show involving an alien named Alf used to be on TV. Alf was hugely popular. Anyway, he referred to her as "momster-in-law," which is funnier IMO.