challenge

[dioptic]

Today I'll be taking some photographs of a lady who say she never likes the photographs of her. I've seen her before and to be honest, her looks are less the comely, much less. She wants some head and shoulder shots she can send to men she is correspnds with and to her son who is in the army. My setup is two stobes with reflector umbrellas and two backdrops, white and black. I'll be using a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens on a 20D.

Have you got any tips so I can produce photos she'll be happy with?

Thanks.

dioptic

[etaf]

be interesting to know why she does not like the photos
the best plan would be to get to know here a little and try to get her relaxed before the session.
are you taking the kit to her or is she coming to your studio.

[PhotosGuy]

Have you got any tips so I can produce photos she'll be happy with? It might be easier to just shoot yourself right now? ;)
Some people don't like their pics 'cause they're used to seeing themselves reversed in a mirror. If all else fails, you might try flipping the shot in PS.
If "her looks are less the comely, much less..." then you don't need to have her nit pick everything, so make it easy on yourself by...
Use a white background. No need to get cute or experiment here!
Put one umbrella right over & next the cam so there is soft light on her face. Put the other one the same distance away 45 degrees to the other side.
Ask her what her "best side" is & put the main light on that side.
Shoot wide open, or stopped down to no more than f/4 & be sure to focus on the eyes for every shot.
Show her small prints like she's going to be sending away. If she can see the pores in her skin in an 11X14" print, she will have something else to complain about. Tell her that "the size of the print affects the way she will look to other people", which is sort of true - if you can't see too many details...
Just show her 2-3 of the best pics so she doesn't get confused trying to choose between them.

That should give you a fighting chance. (Keep the gun CLOSE BY, off safe, with one in the chamber!) ;)
And let us know how it all came out!

[dioptic]

Thanks PhotosGuy,


I'll try your tips and hope for the best.

dioptic

[robertwgross]

Some people are very self-conscious, especially about their facial appearance. The least little thing can make a good photo appear unacceptable to some folks.

If skin texture is less than perfect, often a slight Gaussian blur will fix it up. Facial hair, however slight, can be a problem. Sometimes brighter frontal lighting can fix that. There is a bunch of flaws that can be fixed. Sometimes it is easier to keep back a distance and not go for an extreme close-up.

However, I try to concentrate on the right degree of smile and general mood that the portrait is supposed to convey.

---Bob Gross---

[dioptic]

Roberwgross,


Thanks. I'll see if what you suggest works.

Thanks.

dioptic

[d'homme]

I'd say ... take some relaxed available light (preferably window light), if you get a chance. People that don't like to get photographed tense up in front of a camera, and probably will even more so with all your equipment. Might be a light intimating. Remember the more relaxed the subject, the better the photograph (and I don't mean technically better.) A photograph where the subject is somewhat relaxed and working with the camera, is better than one taken with photographic precision ... in my opinion anyway. Ideally shooting at her place would be best. But if you're using a lot of your equipment, that probably won't work.