Please advice me on portrait photography...

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Stany Buyle
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Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Stany Buyle »

I am very interested to learn about portrait photography but I don't know anything about that. I could buy a book, but there is this forum...

I have a D700, what lens would be very good?
Do I absolutely need softboxes and that kind of stuff, I have a SB800...
What aperture should I work to get optimal results, shutter speed, iso?

I recently was very impressed with a picture on Dpreview made by Raymond Bradleu:
Image
in this link: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=31550222 (thread which is underwhile deteted...)

Thanks in adbvance for your help.
kindest regards,

Stany
I like better one good shot in a day than 10 bad ones in a second...
http://www.fotografie.cafe
Leen Koper
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Leen Koper »

Studio portraiture is that simple, that is extremely difficult......

The most important thing is lighting and knowing what it does to your subject. That 's why it is important to use a studioflashlight with a light that you can see what your result will be. (What is the name of that light in english?)
With just a SB800 you won't be able to predict what the light does. Besides, studiolights are pretty inexpensive these days. For about 200-300 euro's you will have a set of two (Chinese made) lights, a good set to start with. You don't need more to start; if you like it afterwards you can always buy more expensive ones.
These two lights will be your main light and your fill. Your main light will be right over your head and 1 1/2 stop below your main light. The main light, to start, will be at about a 30 degree angle from your fill and about 10-30 degrees above the head of your subject. You can use your SB800 to light the background.
As you are using a D700 I would start at F5,6 or F8 at 100 ISO for your main light. Focal length of your lens about 85-135 mm.
Start with a softbox (the easiest way) on your mainlight. This allows you to feather the light in an easy way and produce a wonderful soft lighting. For your fill light I would advise a silk umbrella to diffuse the light.
This is the easiest way to start.

Posing is a different art. As you are not that far away, I think about 250 kilometers, please do come to my studio and I will arrange an amateur model so I can demonstrate the basic lighting and posing techniques. Please do it rather quick, preferably within a few weeks, as I am retiring and will try to sell my studio.
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Leen Koper »

You can bring someone with you, of course, preferably someone who understands Dutch, but, if needed, I can manage to speak understandably in French, English or German.
If it is too far or to complicated, we can come to you as well, but we won't have the facilities of a studio, of course.
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by pam.meier »

Hi Stany, glad you have Leen to help you out.
It is best to really try it out and see for yourself.

Actually, I don´t like the image much you posted. I hope I´m not sounding too negative.
It is a very impressive portrait, but the pp is way overdone on top and not consistent overall, so it falls apart in too smooth and original.
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Thanks for the invitations /// and some more questions...

Post by Stany Buyle »

Leen Koper wrote:Studio portraiture is that simple, that is extremely difficult......
The most important thing is lighting and knowing what it does to your subject. That 's why it is important to use a studioflashlight with a light that you can see what your result will be. (What is the name of that light in english?) With just a SB800 you won't be able to predict what the light does. Besides, studiolights are pretty inexpensive these days. For about 200-300 euro's you will have a set of two (Chinese made) lights, a good set to start with. You don't need more to start; if you like it afterwards you can always buy more expensive ones. These two lights will be your main light and your fill. Your main light will be right over your head and 1 1/2 stop below your main light. The main light, to start, will be at about a 30 degree angle from your fill and about 10-30 degrees above the head of your subject. You can use your SB800 to light the background. As you are using a D700 I would start at F5,6 or F8 at 100 ISO for your main light. Focal length of your lens about 85-135 mm. Start with a softbox (the easiest way) on your mainlight. This allows you to feather the light in an easy way and produce a wonderful soft lighting. For your fill light I would advise a silk umbrella to diffuse the light.
This is the easiest way to start.
Posing is a different art. As you are not that far away, I think about 250 kilometers, please do come to my studio and I will arrange an amateur model so I can demonstrate the basic lighting and posing techniques. Please do it rather quick, preferably within a few weeks, as I am retiring and will try to sell my studio.
Hi Leen,
Thanks so much for the invitation. I'm going to take this opportunity "with both hands..." See you in a couple of weeks...

Some more questions: You mention 85-135mm and you mention F5.6-F8... So I could use my 80-400VR?
Why all advertisements promote the nikkor 85mm F1.4 as THE portraiture lens, while in reality you shoot @ F5.6-F8???

Thanks in advance,
kindest regards,

Stany
I like better one good shot in a day than 10 bad ones in a second...
http://www.fotografie.cafe
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Stany Buyle
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Stany Buyle »

pam.meier wrote:Hi Stany, glad you have Leen to help you out.It is best to really try it out and see for yourself. Actually, I don´t like the image much you posted. I hope I´m not sounding too negative. It is a very impressive portrait, but the pp is way overdone on top and not consistent overall, so it falls apart in too smooth and original.
Hi Pamela.
I'm happy to read you. I would appreciate some advice from you as well. I've seen gorgeous portraiture work from you.
kindest regards,

Stany
I like better one good shot in a day than 10 bad ones in a second...
http://www.fotografie.cafe
Leen Koper
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Leen Koper »

You could indeed use your 80-400. But because of its weight it is not advisable in the long run.

It is such a pity nobody produces a nice 2,8/135 any more. It would make the ideal portrait lens. You mentioned the 85 mm, but in my opinion, it is at the short end on a full frame camera. It, however, will render wonderful images on a crop camera, just like the very much underestimated 55-200.
On full frame the Nikon 24-105 or the Tamron 24-135 would fit the bill and, moreover, both are nice walkaround lenses too. (The most wonderful portrait zoom lens ever has been the Tokina 60-120. Razor sharp and a wonderful focal length. Unfortunately it didnot sell very well)
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by pam.meier »

Leen, if you want a lovely 135 mm lens, it would be the Zeiss with f1.8
Here is a sample of a portrait of myself (not a self-portrait):
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=31024065

Stany, there is no general advice on portraits. But there are very good tutorials:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/po_big.php?t ... 872&page=1
At the top of the page you will find downloadable pdf-Files

If you want to make glamour shots, you´ll, of course, need a glamorous model ;)
Some simple set up with one side light and a reflector on the other side will do.

It is my experience that images of beautiful models will appeal even if lighting was simple.
The rest is in PP.
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Leen Koper »

[quote="pam.meier"]Leen, if you want a lovely 135 mm lens, it would be the Zeiss with f1.8

I do know. But I don't like its weight.
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by pam.meier »

Leen, this is correct. I would rather use the Nikkor 105 VR for portraits on my D3, if shooting longer than an hour.
Funny enough, even with studio lighting, I sometimes get motion blur with the Zeiss 135/1.8.
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Leen Koper »

It is almost impossible to get motion blur when using studio flashes. Just only if your flash heads allow an extremely long flash duration. Isn't it a motion blur outside the flash due to a long exposure time?
It is not the reason, but I always use a reliable studio stand. To me this works extremely easy, as I can use both hands for instructing my model and still return to my original camera position.

I always wonder why people use rather expensive lenses in portraiture in a studio situation. I own a 85 mm, but hardly use it any more in the studio, although it has a much better quality than the 18-105 zoomlens or the 55-200. I use these lenses more and more often and I love them both, despite their flaws.
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Guy Van Hooveld »

Leen Koper wrote:You can bring someone with you, of course, preferably someone who understands Dutch, but, if needed, I can manage to speak understandably in French, English or German.
If it is too far or to complicated, we can come to you as well, but we won't have the facilities of a studio, of course.
If you are still willing to organize such a mini tutorial, I am interested and can be the driver from Brussels to almost anywhere, and I do speak Dutch, French, English, and German...
Guy Van Hooveld
Nikon equipment, semi-pro photographer My website http://www.techniphoto.com My wiki http://www.techniphoto.com/wiki
Leen Koper
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Leen Koper »

Well, then the two of us can talk 4 languages together. ;-)

But, you and Stany are both welcome. The sooner the better!
Leen Koper
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Re: Please advice me on portrait photography...

Post by Leen Koper »

Some good advice on classical studio portraiture can be found on:

http://photocamel.com/forum/tutorials/1 ... iture.html
http://super.nova.org/DPR/

and to shed some light on basic lighting:

http://www.lowel.com/edu/foundations_of_lighting.html#2

Leen
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