Portraits

[Steveo31]

Hey yall...

I'd like to get your opinions and expertise on this situation. I'm taking photos for a friend of mine for a talent agency. One, I don't know what kind of photos they need, and I'm not going to be able to find out. I guess the kinds of photos that are categorized as "fashion"?

Anywhoo, I believe I'm going to have to change some settings on my camera this time. I don't have a handheld light meter, so everything I have read in books is out of the question.


On the EOS-3, you can spot meter 11 different focusing points. The E-TTL flash (550) bases it's exposure on the focusing point in question, no? So if that is the case, I am thinking I can enable that whole 11-point thing (CF 13-1). From there, I can focus on her face or whatnot, and shoot away, while the camera/flash judges the exposure from her face, as that is where I am focusing.

I hope that wasn't too confusing. :D

In addition, I am thinking about purchasing the off-camera shoe (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=12972&is=REG) for shoots like this, where I can control the direction of the light. On camera flash isn't exactly flattering in most cases.

From reading a link (http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/) someone gave me (very helpful) I've come to the conclusion that I need to do something like this:

Focus point chosen by me
Av Mode
Averaging metering mode (all areas, not center or spot)
FP mode (using 160VC)
Softbox

What do you guys think?

[Steveo31]

Cmon fellas, no takers? :twisted:

[Conk]

I hate to see a thread like this go unanswered. I also can't believe that nobody is taking the time to answer it. There are some fairly knowledgeable people here in portrait photography. I am just starting out. I have no flash meter yet, so I am playing hit and miss.
What you have described sounds workable. I use full manual when shooting. Also, I'm not sure what you are using for light other than your 550.
If need be, send me a pm and I'll help where I can but be for-warned, I'm relatively new at my portrait shooting.

[John_T]

The only thing I might say is, if your 550EX is your main light source, clap a Stofen Omnibounce or the like on it to soften and diffuse the flash. The naked flash will likely be too harsh.

While portraits are primarily about lighting, lenses play a big role too. I would shoot within the 80mm to 135mm range. Certainly not wider.

[Steveo31]

Thanks Conk, I thought it was a little weird too.... I'll send ya a PM sometime :)

John- will do. I just finished throwing some velcro on my 550 for the Lumiquest Softbox I bought a while back and put the velcro that came with that on another flash. :D

Thanks guys!

[Belmondo]

Steveo31:
This is one of those areas that very few people understand really well. I feat it is too vast a subject to cover with simple, short answers. Obviously the big issue is lighting, and I read elsewhere in the forum that B&H's lighting catalog is over 800 pages. That should give some clue to complexity of the subject. There are tons of books available. That might be the best way to start.

Tom

[Steveo31]

Yeah, thanks Tom. I did some talkin to a few people from photosig.com and it's a very expansive topic.

[netadmin22]

As a beginner, the way I approached this was to set up my dRebel on a tripod, attached the 550 off to the side, set both camera and flash on manual, connect the camera to my laptop using the Canon remote capture software and USB cord. Trial and error quickly got me the results I desired.

I ended up with a couple reflectors to soften the flash and fill in the shadows.