Newbie seeks enlightenment

[paulwoody]

A warm hello to all fellow shutterbugs!! I have been a member of POTN for a while now but have only just got round to posting myself on here. I have only been into photography for a year or so and have found myself drawn to studio work, portrait, glamour and nude but I also have a liking for a spot of wildlife photography. I would very much like to learn as much as possible from all on the glamour and nude forums. I have a wonderful partner who is always willing to pose for me and she is also very patient whilst I play with my settings! I have a basic studio set up, I plan to post some pictures soon for some C&C and hopefully just some general advice.

I am currently in the process of acquiring a 24-70mm f2.8 sigma and hope to upgrade to a full frame 5D Mark I in the future. I know what I want to achieve however advice and help in these fields are few and far between up here in East Yorkshire. I look forward to hearing from other enlightened members!

[710 Studio]

From my own (extremely limited) G&N knowledge, I would encourage natural light as much as possible. If it is NOT possible to have sufficient natural light, be prepared to sink a little bit more into lighting. G&N relies heavily on light and shadow. Sometimes, sharp boundaries between light and shadow are in order while other times subtle light and shading is in order. Softboxes, umbrellas, snoots, and barn doors can be your best friends. Your other best friends might be gels to alter the lighting.

That is my limited knowledge wrapped into a single paragraph. I hope you find it somewhat helpful!

[Mark_Cohran]

Welcome. I think you'll find most of the folks here are quite helpful. You'll get the most out of the forum, though, by asking specific questions or for help in solving specific problems. Good luck and happy shooting.

[AxxisPhoto]

Welcome to POTN!
Study as many different lighting techniques as you can. Everything from natural light to multiple studio light setups. Research the photographers that you would like to emulate, and use thier work as a starting point. When you start using studio lights, start with just one light and really learn exposure, compostion, and what and how light modifiers can give you the effect you are looking for.
And buy a good light meter!! I can't emphasize that enough! :)

[phr0ze]

I am currently in the process of acquiring a 24-70mm f2.8 sigma

The Tammy runs circles around that lens. Try to get the Tamron 28-75 2.8 instead. I owned that sigma for a while and I was never happy. Plus it's huge.

[jblaschke]

+1 for the Tamron 28-75. We've gotten it as the primary lens for The Wife's 50D and it's a high-octane performer, especially considering it is just a third the cost of the Canon L. The Wife has gotten some dazzling results using it in boudoir and glamour sessions. It's a great investment.

As others have said, study lighting. Find some photogs in your area that do this sort of work, and see if they'll let you tag along as an assistant in a studio shoot. Natural light is great, and properly used reflectors are a revelation, but once you start to understand key and fill lighting, why a hair light is important, and the advantages of grids and soft boxes, then you'll be able to start looking at photos in magazine spreads and reverse-engineer the lighting setups they used. When you can break a shot down that way, you can recreate some of the same effects yourself and understand the how and why.

Strobist is a great place to start. You can get a solid understanding of lighting principals in their posts over there (Lighting 101 is a must-read series) and the whole strobist approach is easier on the wallet than rushing out to buy a bunch of dedicated studio lamps before you know how to use them. Good luck!

[matonanjin]

The Tammy runs circles around that lens. Try to get the Tamron 28-75 2.8 instead. I owned that sigma for a while and I was never happy. Plus it's huge.

+1 for the Tamron 28-75. We've gotten it as the primary lens for The Wife's 50D and it's a high-octane performer, especially considering it is just a third the cost of the Canon L. The Wife has gotten some dazzling results using it in boudoir and glamour sessions. It's a great investment.

..snip..


+2 on the Tammy 28-75 F/2.8. Incredibly sharp lens and tremendous value. I don't use it for the type of shooting being discussed here. But just a great lens on my 5D.