Shooting senior portraits on super-tight budget. Help?

[Hillbille]

You are a teacher. Take some white poster board and a roll or two of tape and MAKE a reflector or two to use the light you will have. At this point it will be what you CAN do with what you already HAVE on hand. Try to get in a position where the reflectors (poster boards) can do you the most good. If there is a laptop available you can make a few test shots and look at them using the laptop and a card reader WITHOUT transferring them to the laptop - just read them from the card using windows picture and fax viewer. You won't need any other software.

White poster board. Poster board covered in aluminum foil. Then it's all geometry to get the best light you can.

Good luck with you shoot.


Hillbille

[PLLphotography]

whatever you choose to do....be sure to practive as much as you can before the shoots. last thing you want to do is guess and trial and error...

[kfreels]

Wow. All this advice and RDKirk nailed it earlier. On your crop camera a 50mm looks like and 85mm would on a full frame. It is just fine for the headshots you require which are just for the yearbook.
Likewise, I wouldn't screw around with a background. You'll only increase the risk of distracting shadows. Natural light is perfectly acceptable and as you already mentioned, an overcast day would do the trick. If you have shadows to deal with, get a white foamboard and have someone hold it as a reflector. On an overcast day the color may be a bit cool but you can always warm it a bit in post but that's a matter of personal taste.
If you want you can always take that aperture down to about f2.8 and it should be more than sharp enough and it would limit the depth of field somewhat.

[GerryDavid]

Originally Posted by tentoes

Oh I told the school to hire a pro, but they have no $ to. They know my abilities; I shot individual pics of the entire school (60 kids) in the park a few weeks ago on a fabulously overcast but bright day, which they're very happy with.

Photographers make a killing off of school pictures, there are probably tons of photographers in the area that would do it for sales only. Also, I thought schools didnt pay the photographer to begin with, that the photographers usually bribe the school, I mean give the school a % of the sales, so the school actually makes good money off of this?

[kfreels]

Originally Posted by GerryDavid

Photographers make a killing off of school pictures, there are probably tons of photographers in the area that would do it for sales only. Also, I thought schools didnt pay the photographer to begin with, that the photographers usually bribe the school, I mean give the school a % of the sales, so the school actually makes good money off of this?

Right. Often a photographer will setup and the schools provide that every kid gets their pic taken even if they aren't buying. They have the opportunity to sell to all the parents through pre-paid packages and the school gets a cut as a fund-raiser. The school itself pays nothing. The schools often get a student ID for each kid as a part of this as well as a photo to be used in the yearbooks and such. Seniors just have the option to bring in a personal photo to use in its place as long as it conforms to the publisher's printing standards (and the school's decency standards). I really think your school is going about it all wrong and is putting you in a tough position.

[bobbyz]

Sorry missed it buy why they have to be inside in crappy light? I would say shoot available light, cheapy 50mm f1.8 is plenty IMHO if budget is super low, no need for back drops, use a wall, door whatever and use that $2 foamcore reflector as mentioned already.

[Tomi Hawk]

Originally Posted by Numenorean

So you're telling me that there are no photographers in or near your town that can do this? Why is it even the school's responsibility? That isn't how it was when I had mine done.

Originally Posted by Daship

Any school I've ever been around the parents/kids pay for their photos.

Bingo ...

[irwaffles]

I'm still new to all this, but I'm taking grad shots for some people as well.

For gear I used t2i + sigma 50 1.4 + canon 430ex, although I would assume any flash would work.

I just grabbed a cheap background online and tacked it to the wall. I used one light/umbrella rig and whatever lighting was available in the hallway I was taking them in (and my flash), this is how they turn out:

Once again I'm still learning, and I did over-process but to my friends they tell me it makes them feel like a pro did it lol...


IMG_2208 by irwaffles, on Flickr


IMG_2196 by irwaffles, on Flickr


IMG_2171 by irwaffles, on Flickr

[drmaxx]

Originally Posted by Hillbille

You are a teacher. Take some white poster board and a roll or two of tape and MAKE a reflector or two to use the light you will have. At this point it will be what you CAN do with what you already HAVE on hand. Try to get in a position where the reflectors (poster boards) can do you the most good. If there is a laptop available you can make a few test shots and look at them using the laptop and a card reader WITHOUT transferring them to the laptop - just read them from the card using windows picture and fax viewer. You won't need any other software.

White poster board. Poster board covered in aluminum foil. Then it's all geometry to get the best light you can.

Good luck with you shoot.


Hillbille

There is almost no limit to your fantasy how to make a usable reflector. Get somebody to help holding up a windshield sun reflector, a large metal tray, white poster board, white linen, white foam insulation board, ....

[S.Horton]

So, did anyone else read "I'm a teacher at a small local high school..." as "I'm a teacher at a small midwestern high school... "?

I think what you're doing there is a good thing.

I know a teacher out in WI, and they have nothing, nada, and zero local photographers.

I guess when it gets cold enough photographers, like homeless people, go anywhere else.

[brokensocial]

Is there any way at all you could do this outdoors? We've shot seniors a few times...

Chicago Senior Photography <-- Dani outdoors in a park
Chicago Senior Photography <-- Paige outdoors, same park

Natural light makes it so much easier.

[ian_socool]

I know this is late, but here are some pics of my daughter(s) with a bedsheet, some clothes pins and bounce flash for motivation:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&notif_t=like