best advice for portraits

[kiffy]

hi guys, as a very recent convert to dslr im starting to get my head around how a dslr works, rather slowly to be honest... slower than im used to, or would like. anyway one thing i want to do in the future is portrait photogrphy. im not looking at setting anything up which would involve me creating backdrops and spending loads on studio lighting as all i want is portraits of family and friends. althogh i dont mind buying parts if they would make a real difference id prefer not to. i simply want to take the best shots i can with my current setp which is below. im after some basic advice on the best way to take portraits for an absolute beginer. for example if you could give me one tip, what would it be? one think ill mention incase it makes a difference is i really like black & white portraits

canon 550d
canon 18-55 zoom kit lens f3.5-5.6
canon 70-300 zoom f4-5.6
canon 50mm f1.8
tamron 90mm f2.8 macro
nissin di622 flash
tripod & remote shutter release

[amk1977]

Hi Kiffy,

The best two portrait lenses you have there are the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and the Tamron SP90 f/2.8 and I would tend to stick to those. These will give you a nice bokeh and seperate your subject from the background. Obviously, using the lenses wide open, will give you the softest background but may render your subjects a bit soft too. It all depends on what look you are trying to achieve. Stopped down though, both are razor sharp.

Concentrate on the eyes, as these in general should be the sharpest things in the shot. Remember though, that using those lenses wide open will result in a very shallow depth of field, so stopping them down will help to bring both eyes into focus. Take notice of your surroundings and avoid messy backgrounds that will detract from photo.

Use the flash to bounce light off of the ceiling if portraits are taken indoors, as this will help illuminate the subject nicely. Also, experiment with fill flash outside in natural light. Don't be afraid to have the sun behind your subject, as using the fill flash will remove shadows from the face. Dial in some negative exposure on the flash though, otherwise it may blow the highlights out. A diffuser for the flash would be a good investment. Another thing you might want to invest in is a reflector. You can get some 5-in-1 reflectors on ebay for under £20.

I too am a fan of black and white photography. Most of the portraits of my nephews in my gallery are monochrome. I mainly use the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 or the Tamron SP90.

[kiffy]

thanks mate, VERY helpfull
i guessed my two prime lenses would be better for portrait work than the zooms so confirmation gets me one step closer..

[amk1977]

Hi Kiffy,

No problem. Also, if you're taking photos of the kids, I recommend you stick to the 50mm. In my experience, the focus speed on the Tamron is woefully slow and if the kids are tearing about all over the place, you will really struggle to capture anything in focus. For posed shots, the SP90 will be fine, but when the rug rats are at play, I'd go with the nifty fifty.

[kiffy]

ive hardly used the camera yet, although ive had it almost 3 weeks now ive just not had time... but ive also noticed the tamron is slower focusing, and has a louder focus motor.

its funny be im pretty good at picking things up as i am a bit of a gadget freak, well total gadget freak actually. but i feel totally out of my league with a dslr and dont know why.. itll come, i know that but im looking through this forum and various maagzines and books ive just bought and its like 'what the hell am i looking at?' ive never felt this way and dont like it one bit...

[amk1977]

Originally Posted by kiffy

ive hardly used the camera yet, although ive had it almost 3 weeks now ive just not had time... but ive also noticed the tamron is slower focusing, and has a louder focus motor.

its funny be im pretty good at picking things up as i am a bit of a gadget freak, well total gadget freak actually. but i feel totally out of my league with a dslr and dont know why.. itll come, i know that but im looking through this forum and various maagzines and books ive just bought and its like 'what the hell am i looking at?' ive never felt this way and dont like it one bit...

It'll come to you the more you familiarise yourself with the camera, so don't sweat it. I've had my Nikon D90 since March and I'm still discovering new things about it and how to use it in certain situations, to give better results. Its just a case of memorising those settings and applying them to similar conditions.

At the moment (because we've had a break in the weather) I've been experimenting with the fill flash, while the Sun is behind the subject. I would like to use my reflector more in these lighting conditions but, ideally you need a helper to hold and position it, while you take the shot. Its been pretty windy too and I didn't fancy trampling through dog poop, chasing after a huge circular reflector, so I just stuck to the flashgun.

Today I got some AF extension tubes for the Tamron SP90. If you thought it was slow to focus before, you should see it with the tubes on lol. Why it should affect it, I don't know as it has its own focus motor, but its definitely slower. The tubes sure do shorten the focal length too. Infinity focus is now about 6 inches from the lens hood!!

BTW, what were you shooting with before the Canon 550D?

[kiffy]

two cameras, a cheap (around £90) samsung compact that i carried in my camelback when out on my bike, i use this to photograph areas around my village to put on the archives of my website.. archives that together with some friends now total 3000 photos. i also had a lovely bridge camera.. konica with 18x zoom. didnt use it that much but an amazing camera that i really didnt want to sell, but i know if i kept it id be tempted to use it and not use the slr... and having blown so much money the past 3 weeks i couldnt take the chance.. and selling it bought another lens for the slr... only downside to the slr at the moment, well apart from empty bank account is having it i know im gona be tempted to take it out more, which means i wont be able to take my mountain bike.