what's your techniques

[walkien]

What's your technique to take portrait picture that make your model look skinnier, I tried to take some portraits of my co-worker, she complaints that she looks chuby.

Here's my set up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/HenryW/Misc/setup.jpg

and here's the result

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/HenryW/Misc/CRW_2160.jpg

Please give me some pointers, I'm new to studio lighting, and love to learn.

[Streetshooter]

The main light should be higher and more from the front...notice the line from her cheek....the fill should be cut by atleast a stop less power....a backlight would give more separation...but the biggest thing for me is.....in her eyes....you have 2 catchlights......move the fill to eliminate it's catchlight....that's a biggie........remember...there's only one sun....so always watch for catchlights and shadows.........don

[tim]

My only thought is the camera seems too close to where the model will be.

[Curtis N]

Try a 100 mm lens or just back up and zoom in.

[PhotosGuy]

she complaints that she looks chuby. Well, her face IS chubby! :D:D:D
But you can help her out. Try "Short lighting" her.

http://www.google.com/search?as_q=&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=Short+lighting&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&safe=images

;)

[walkien]

The main light should be higher and more from the front...notice the line from her cheek....the fill should be cut by atleast a stop less power....a backlight would give more separation...but the biggest thing for me is.....in her eyes....you have 2 catchlights......move the fill to eliminate it's catchlight....that's a biggie........remember...there's only one sun....so always watch for catchlights and shadows.........don
Streetshooter
Thanks for the input, I'll try it again this weekend.

Tim & Curtis N. the camera in the picture was just a setup, I was using my 70-200m lens and I was about 15 to 18 feet away from the model.

[Streetshooter]

maybe you shouldn't shoot her straight on....have her turn her face more towards a profile...just so her other eye is in the image...then she'll appear thinner.....but as they say...the camera don't lie...don

[walkien]

but as they say...the camera don't lie...don
Well, her face IS chubby!

:-) :-) :-). May be I'll try to photoshop it a titlle. Thanks for the link PhotoGuy, it's very helpful.

[Curtis N]

I was about 15 to 18 feet away from the model.
Ok. So the camera don't lie, her face is a bit chubby, but I still think she's cute. So you don't have a lighting problem, you have a model with a self-image problem.

Just tell her you uploaded her pic to a photography forum and everyone says she's beautiful and you captured her perfectly.

[mjordan]

It's a good thing you guys don't do portrait photography for a living. :D Her face is not chubby, it's round. Just like some people have narrow faces.

As said above, the main lighting is a bit too low. Raise it up a bit. Also raise your camera up a bit as well. From this picture it looks like you have the lens about her chin level. Get it up to at least eye level. Also, your lighting is flat. You have no nose shadow so it makes her face appear broader than it needs to. Reduce your fill light so it's a stop to a stop and half less than the main light. It appears here that your fill light was the same as your main light (or your main light was the same as your fill light).

Give that a try and post some more. And remember, a round face. Not a chubby face. ;)

Mike

[exDrebel]

I think it is a perfectly lit picture. So what if her face is slightly "chubby"? That is who she is....she wants a picture of her that doesnt look like her?:) Looks like she could turn her head another 5-10 degrees and cut down on the roundness.
I second that she is cute...once again, nice pic;)


Steve

[smittymike19]

hey its a fact of life. we all see ourselves as just a bit thinner, more muscular and a bit mor eattractive than we really are. the truth is this woman is a little chubby in the face. its ok she is still good looking, she just ahs a chubby face. if you look at her right cheek (her right not yours) you can see some flab (bad word) there. what i would suggest is to:
1. turn her head a few degrees.
2. have her lift her chin up a it to de accentuate the flab (bad word) under her chin.
3. shoot down on her a bit so she can look up a little which makes the face appear thinner.
Sorry about teh use of "flab" just cant think of a more politically correct term at the moment.

[ProAc_Fan]

In PS just grab the free transform handles and drag the image in to about 95% of the original. That should take about 10 lbs off the image. Remember to crop away the new white edges now visible.

Mike

[CyberPet]

OK, here's an odd-ball for ya... use the Liquify filter (not sure what it's called in English, it's the one you can make a "Joker" by pulling in people's mouth)... Use a big brush and just gently nudge it in the ridge edge (level with her cheek) and nudge it right to center. It'll pinch just a tiny bit and make her face more "slim" and yet not take away from her looks. Then just clone the bakground on the right edge to match the background.