Hello, can somone give some advice on a few images please

[ianpinion]

Originally Posted by The Littlest Hobo

I had taken some portrait shots of my wife but they were such a disaster i was made to destroy them. For some reason i really am struggling with them. I know households arent the best for lighting but mine are abysmal.

Oh dear Andrew, so what do you think went horribly so wrong? Was it the pose or the choice of background or the lighting or the depth of field that wasn't quite right or a mix of all four? Or were you using the wrong focal length coupled with too small an aperture?

I think the simplest portrait shot to do is one where your subject is gazing out of the window. You set them up so they are either sitting or standing at approximately 45 degrees to the window. Make sure that the area behind them in shot is free of any clutter. Then you can take a series of shots, some just head shots, some of the head and upper torso using just the light coming through the window. This directional use of the available light is what improves the quality of the end result. I'd use an aperture between f2.8 and f4 and try to keep the shutterspeed above 1/60th of a second by adjusting the ISO if needs be. You could also try doing a low key portrait shot using candlelight as that normally works quite well to. If you're trying to take shots using a flashgun, then it's best to use the flash off camera and remotely fire it. Again it would want to be positioned about level with your subject off to the right or left, depending which way your subject is facing. It's also best to use a diffuser to spread and soften the light, as if it's too harsh it will wash out the natural skin tone and make them look like they've been shot at.

[The Littlest Hobo]

Good grief, thats a lot to go at. Thanks very much

[ianpinion]

Well Andrew, you weren't very specific as to what you didn't like about the shots you took of your wife. I'm just trying to ascertain what it was that you thought spoilt them, but there are so many things that could have potentially done this, without you indicating which ones then it's almost impossible to give you advice on how you can improve it. So I just gave a few general pointers to get you started off on the right foot.

[OldBoy]

Originally Posted by The Littlest Hobo

Its like having two private tutors in here. Thanks for the help chaps.

I had taken some portrait shots of my wife but they were such a disaster i was made to destroy them. For some reason i really am struggling with them. I know households arent the best for lighting but mine are abysmal.

Will have to spend this week reading up on portrait photography and see if there are some hints/tips

You took pictures of your cat in the house, so it shouldn't be any different to take pictures of people. She made you destroy them sounds like she didn't like them, but then again not many people like their pictures, so they could have been OK. Most people have a side they like, so try again from a different angle and reduce the light use so there is a lot of contrast and the results may be better.

[The Littlest Hobo]

Hi guys. I know i could post this elsewhere in the forum but you guys have been very helpfull so thought i would ask here.

I need to take a picture using a white and a black infinity curve to explore exposure. I have tried basic ones using a4 sheets of paper etc and they worked well. The item i am trying to photograph is a rather nice old Becks beer pump i have so about 1ft in height. Can i use anything around the house to use as a curve?

[The Littlest Hobo]

Oldboy, they werent very good so i understood why she wanted rid of them.

When i get 5 mins i am going to have a go at Ians suggestions and see how they work. Last night was a practise of exposure and contrast. I did the coloured pencils on a textured tile shot last night (in fading light). I was shocked to discover a few things.

1) I have never really paid any attnetion to exposure as i tend to shoot in RAW and deal with it later.
2) Exposure control is really quite quick and simple
3) It makes a shocking difference to the pictures
4) Its probably best to stick to doing it in ACR when out shooting handheld because it can make the shutter speeds very slow if you are trying to over expose with reasonable iso levels.
5) I am very shaky even using a tripod. I took some pictures using the self timer and they were a million times better than when i did it myself. I think a remote release off ebay will be worthwhile

[ianpinion]

Hi Andrew,

I've found this useful pdf file on how to build your own infinity curve. It might give you a few useful pointers.

[The Littlest Hobo]

Thanks Ian. I had found that one last night whilst looking and it looks a bit more than i want to go through. I was hoping an old white bed sheet or something equally easy to find at home might suffice.

I did find a link to one a guy set up at his window with a chair, some books and a bit of gaffer tape. Trouble is the biggest sheet of paper i can lay my hands on is A3 at the moment. Suppose a shopping trip on sat is required.

[dan123]

i like the link ian, i also want one, i may crack out the power tools at the weekend, be more fun than buying one,

get a roll of wallpaper it might work, if youve got any spare rolls turn em over to the white side, that will allow you to get a larger size curve, thats if its a proper white, some arent, youll get there eventually,

dan,

[The Littlest Hobo]

This was my first attempt (5 mins to get it set up and take the shot before i took my son swimming).

I know i cut the handle off but this was taken with no extra light, 2 pieces of a3 paper taped together and no processing.

Do you think black would work better