First Time studio photoshoot

[Daviiiiiid]

Hey all. I recently got my DSLR and have spotted a nice studio that I can rent to have a simple photoshoot with a couple of friends.. nothing fancy.. dressed simple/casual..

What I'd like to know is just some tips to get some great pictures..

On white or black backdrops. I might have some equipment too.

Apparently the place looks like :
http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/l/kj/09/2/17/208/r4/7202fcm_20.jpeg

I am shooting with a 450D (might get 40D soon) with no flash yet.. working on getting a 430ex too..

What kind of settings, positions, tips would be good ?

Thank you very much to all of you.

I tried looking for some other threads but could really find what I wanted :)

[Skrim17]

can you use all the lighting? What time of day are you shooting? What lens?

Shoot RAW and watch your hisotgram. Make your models feel comfortable, keep them smiling and happy. try untraditional angles. Have FUN.

[Daviiiiiid]

Yeah of course! the main idea is to have fun. just a little activity to celebrate our college graduation! It's going to be shot during the day where there should be lots of light, the studio is located to get loots of natural light and it's going to be in a few months when the sun is gonna be all up and shiny!

I'm not too good with histograms as I am still pretty much a beginner at photography. I just know how to play with ISO, white balance, aperture.. the basic stuff..

for studio shots where should the flash be bounced? or is it just depending on the pose..

thanks skrim17 for the first reply :)

[Skrim17]

read here (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml), you know more than you think.

[Daviiiiiid]

quie a nice read.. i skimmed through it.. what I did understand after just 2 minutes is .. how it goes from left to right as dark to light and .. it just shows how much of each tone of brightness goes where.