mode for photo shoots

[usn85]

what mode do you all use for modeling or portrait shoots? i know a small depth of field is good for most shots so do you vary the aperature in the aperature mode or shoot tv mode and vary the speed? this will be done outside in midafternoon daylight. or perhaps manual mode? Thanks so much

[Jim Bryant]

Best time to shoot is when the sun is lower in the sky, you get a better quality of light. Get better color and it's warmer looking. By the quality of light I mean both the color temperature and the strength. The color temperature of light determines how the colors of the objects you are photographing will be rendered. When the sun is low either in the morning or afternoon, its rays are longer and contain more of the red, or warm, end of the color spectrum. The lower the sun, the longer the rays. That's why sunsets and sunrises are red. When shooting at mid-day, the sun's too contrasty and you get shadows underneath the eye, unless you use fill flash.

When the photographs are taken later in the day they are more to be pleasing and flattering than the bluer light of midday. It's one reason why some photographers usually prefer shooting any kind of picture -landscapes, people, wildlife - made early or late in the day.

Another reason is that the angle of the sun makes for long shadows, creating contour, or what photographers call modeling. And that's where the direction of light comes in. The rule of thumb is generally to make photographs with the sun (or any other light source) coming from over one of your shoulders at about a 45 degree angle to the subject. This way, the subject's features will cast a shadow on one side, creating a three dimensionality to your two dimensional image.

IF the sun is directly overhead, it will cast shadows, but the ones you don't want. Usually you'll get those big black blogs in the eye sockets and under the chin and nose areas. If the person is wearing a hat, you might not see the face at all. You might want to check out the people pictures in magazines and books. When you see the pictures that really grab and strike you, stop and analyze them. What kind of light was it, where was it coming from? It's good to get a friend to shoot and experiment with the different types of lighting. Then you can see the results before practicing on a client.

Originally Posted by usn85

what mode do you all use for modeling or portrait shoots? i know a small depth of field is good for most shots so do you vary the aperature in the aperature mode or shoot tv mode and vary the speed? this will be done outside in midafternoon daylight. or perhaps manual mode? Thanks so much

[usn85]

ok great thanks. as far as what mode to shoot in? Av, Tv, Manual?

[lputman]

If you are comfortable shooting manual, then do that. If not, I would shoot Av mode and let the camera decide the shutter speed.

[usn85]

awesome, thanks

[Jim Bryant]

Don't know if that color and direction of light helped you, but I normally shoot on the AV. I select my f-stop and let the camera select the shutter speed. Sometimes I select the fstop and shoot on manual, bracketing my exposures, using the various shutter speeds.

[photomom2008]

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

Best time to shoot is when the sun is lower in the sky, you get a better quality of light. Get better color and it's warmer looking. By the quality of light I mean both the color temperature and the strength. The color temperature of light determines how the colors of the objects you are photographing will be rendered. When the sun is low either in the morning or afternoon, its rays are longer and contain more of the red, or warm, end of the color spectrum. The lower the sun, the longer the rays. That's why sunsets and sunrises are red. When shooting at mid-day, the sun's too contrasty and you get shadows underneath the eye, unless you use fill flash.

When the photographs are taken later in the day they are more to be pleasing and flattering than the bluer light of midday. It's one reason why some photographers usually prefer shooting any kind of picture -landscapes, people, wildlife - made early or late in the day.

Another reason is that the angle of the sun makes for long shadows, creating contour, or what photographers call modeling. And that's where the direction of light comes in. The rule of thumb is generally to make photographs with the sun (or any other light source) coming from over one of your shoulders at about a 45 degree angle to the subject. This way, the subject's features will cast a shadow on one side, creating a three dimensionality to your two dimensional image.

IF the sun is directly overhead, it will cast shadows, but the ones you don't want. Usually you'll get those big black blogs in the eye sockets and under the chin and nose areas. If the person is wearing a hat, you might not see the face at all. You might want to check out the people pictures in magazines and books. When you see the pictures that really grab and strike you, stop and analyze them. What kind of light was it, where was it coming from? It's good to get a friend to shoot and experiment with the different types of lighting. Then you can see the results before practicing on a client.

Well Jim, I don't know if it helped out usn85 or not but it sure did help me out. Thank you! I took some photos outside the other day and it looked like the kids were football players, I couldn't get it right. Maybe this will help. Thanks for the lesson!

[usn85]

actually the color and lighting is probably more important as i was reading about the 45 degree angle for some in home studio lighting i ordered also. makes sense the same would apply outside as well. thanks

[Palladius]

I'd try as hard as you can to really nail manual mode, if you're not comfortable with it already. It really helped me, and I'm not even that proficient with it yet. If you've got a camera where the shutter and aperture are controlled by different wheels then it's not too bad.

The brilliant thing about digital is you can just practise away to your hearts content. It sounds really sad, but I've spent a pleasant couple of evenings just sitting taking photos of stuff in my room! It really helps you learn... for instance, to your eyes, your computer screen looks roughly as bright as the wall behind it; but it's not, not even nearly.There's more than four stops difference, and two between one wall and the other.

I found, shooting in Av or Tv, that I wasn't really getting the exposure... now I've got a tiny handle on that, I can spend my time getting confused by other stuff!

[usn85]

well i have the technical side of manual mode down, but what is the practical use of it, if i can just use Av mode? If I am shooting for Av in manual and I decide to lower or increase the shutter then I will just be lowering the exposure, right? I could also lower the exposure with my second knob in the Av mode as well anyway. Or am I thinking of it wrong?