first paying jobs coming up...AAAHHHH!

[fitz]

hey i got some acctual paying portrait sessions coming up, all on-location, all within a week...

1- family (mom. dad, 1 yr old son - in the evening)

2- senior portrait (early sunday morning)

3- 2nd grade soccer team portrait (evening)

any tips/reminders from anyone with portrait experience would be great...i'm still learning.

it was mentioned to me to use my 75-300 at about 175mm f/4 for good DOF compression but what about my 50mm...

Reflectors? tripod?

any pointer would be great!

[fitz]

nobodies has any adivce???? wow...

[tim]

Not if you only wait an hour for a reply.

You'd probably be better off buying a few books about this, rather than random tips from people on the net. If you're being paid you're expected to know how to do it pretty well already.

[KevC]

Every photographer should have a good tripod. evening shots can be done with flash, but tripod gives nice moody available light shots.

And yes, as tim said, books are really useful.

http://www.photo.net/portraits/intro

Good luck!

[nater]

I've never heard anybody say to use 175mm for a portrait. Seems like 50-85mm would do the trick, since you have an APS-C sensor. I'd imagine you'll get the best results by far with your 50mm.

Actually, for group pictures you might want something even wider. The Tamron 28-75 is a very popular lens for this type of thing. Unfortunately, you don't have much time before your gig...

[tim]

Sensor size makes no difference to the lens length you use, it's a crop factor not a magnification factor. The recommendations i've read say anywhere between 50mm and 120mm. Try it out with a friend, see which you prefer.

[Citizensmith]

Unless you are outdoors in good light the 75-300 will be pretty crappy for portraits. Stick to the 50 and fairly open to keep your subject nice and isolated.

And the basics. Make sure there is nothing growing out of their head in the background, make sure the exposure looks decent, and make sure the eyes are in focus. Oh, and shoot lots. Take 10 times the number they expect. Its digital, its not like it will cost you anything, and it gives you more ability to pick the photos with the best facial expressions.

[fitz]

ok i guess i was miss leading to a few people...i never said i hadn't done this stuff or practiced this before or even read books before...i was just looking for some last mintue tips from experience. in my discovery, experience is the best teacher and if yours can teach me more or give me a new tip that i hadn't seen in a book or word something different then by all means i am giong to ask everyone i can. sure can't have a discussion with the author of the book i am reading.

[nater]

Sensor size makes no difference to the lens length you use, it's a crop factor not a magnification factor. (snip)

Sure it does. If you're working in a finite amount of space (ie, indoors), for any given lens, your field of view will be smaller for the DRebel when compared to a 35mm full-frame camera. Suppose that a 75mm lens on a FF body is just barely wide enough to capture a group pose... then the same lens on the DRebel will not be wide enough (when shooting from the same spot).

[tim]

Sure it does. If you're working in a finite amount of space (ie, indoors), for any given lens, your field of view will be smaller for the DRebel when compared to a 35mm full-frame camera. Suppose that a 75mm lens on a FF body is just barely wide enough to capture a group pose... then the same lens on the DRebel will not be wide enough (when shooting from the same spot).

That simple detail is so obvious I thought it would be assumed. I'm talking about feature compression, fitting your subject into the frame is a rather basic, obvious requirement of a photo.

[nater]

That simple detail is so obvious I thought it would be assumed. I'm talking about feature compression, fitting your subject into the frame is a rather basic, obvious requirement of a photo.

Well, what's obvious to you may not be obvious to someone who's thinking about using a lens with 75mm miminum focal length for group portraits. That's why I made the original recommendation that I did, and then I thought you were saying that my advice was unfounded. Sorry about any confusion...

[tim]

You often get confusion on boards.

[Harry Settle]

I have resisted doing any paying portrait jobs until I am more proficient with my gear. I did one last year that I call my "50th Wedding Anniversary, Birthday, Sr. Pictures, family groups and I got married last month and was too stupid to have pictures taken at the ceremony". After seeing my shots the person that I did the job for paid me anyway. I have been selling reprints, made Christmas cards, graduation invitations etc. . . for the last 6 months off of the one job.

I did the shoot with less equipment than I have now. I shot with my 10D, 420EX, 50 1.8 and 24-135.

Check out your 75-300 for sharpness before you try doing any portraits with it.

Get a good tripod. I still have a cheap Sunpak and hate having to use it.