New to hobby and looking to gain portraiture experience

I just got my second prosumer type DSLR and I am very interested in learning more about photography and not just taking glorified snapshots anymore. My equipment is somewhat limited at this time but I do have a ton of time on my hands. I have been researching lighting, posing, comp etc for portraiture but in the two "sessions" I have had, I only actually executed one or two of the things that I learned. I suppose that this is just the way it goes and I will need more experience. Does it seem reasonable to ask people I know to model for me for practice. I want to start with people I am somewhat comfortable with then move on to strangers. I am a school teacher and am off for the summer, so time is not really an issue. Let me know if you guys have other thoughts. Thanks.

I'd suggest you take some classes since you have a bunch of free time. See if there are any day or two sessions or free/cheap classes around you or at a local college. Then, in between you could practice what you've learned on friends. Check out the services needed section on here as well and inquire about accompanying people on shoots for the learning experience.

Can you post any of the work you've done so far, the gear and techniques you used to make the photos, and the type of postprocessing you did? You'll almost certainly get some good advice that will help you in your next shoot.

Yes, it's definitely reasonable to ask people you know to come and model for you - just make sure they know you're practicing, make sure they have the right expectations.

Thanks for the advice. You are probably right about taking some classes over the summer.

Nathancarter- I will post some of the stuff I have done. As far as equipment goes I only have a gripped t2i with a 50 1.8 and the kit lens. I am saving up to get some speedlights but for now I am pretty basic. I did however purchase Photoshop and don't have much of a clue how to you that yet either. The learning curve is very very steep. I will dig through some photos that I have taken and go ahead and put them up.

The T2i and 50mm 1.8 are perfectly adequate for portraiture. IMO, when doing portraits, using your lighting properly is more important than the body or the lens.

As for Photoshop, Adobe has some good free training on their site. I've been through the Lightroom training but not the Photoshop training yet.

http://tv.adobe.com/sh​ow/learn-photoshop-cs5/

Here are a few of the pictures that I have taken that I am most happy with. I obviously know that I need to improve and getting direction towards that end is what I am hoping to gain. I know some of the processing, lighting, comp etc aren't great in the pictures but that is the whole point of why I am here. I was briefly a member of a different forum where I was just slammed with explanation on how to improve. This site collective seems to be of a better makeup.

Niccas9 wrote in post #12542990
I want to start with people I am somewhat comfortable with then move on to strangers.

That's the path I've taken. To the point of my family members telling me "no more pictures." But, it has been really good practice.

Look back through the images you posted. One sticks out as the most well-lit of the bunch. The others appear to have no consideration for lighting at all. You don't have supplemental lighting, but you can work with available light.

Your first investment should be a reflector. Those fold up deals are insanely cheap. I think mine was purchased for less than $10. Reflector allows you to have the sun at the model's back and use that reflector to collect and bounce the light back onto your subject from a 45 degree angle to add some shadows and contour to the person.

Which pic? The LAST ONE! The lighting is phenomenal!

dave

snyderman wrote in post #12588466
Look back through the images you posted. One sticks out as the most well-lit of the bunch. The others appear to have no consideration for lighting at all. You don't have supplemental lighting, but you can work with available light.

Your first investment should be a reflector. Those fold up deals are insanely cheap. I think mine was purchased for less than $10. Reflector allows you to have the sun at the model's back and use that reflector to collect and bounce the light back onto your subject from a 45 degree angle to add some shadows and contour to the person.

Which pic? The LAST ONE! The lighting is phenomenal!

dave

Dave, you are completely right, that is is the only picture where the lighting was my M.O. I used some clamp on things I had around the house and turned it monochrome because the Kelvin didn't match on the bulbs. I am definitely in the early stages of learning and can see differences in the pictures from when I started actually trying to learn about light, posing etc. I am still not very far along but I am getting more conscious of those topics now. I am going to have a decent amount of time this summer to practice so I will post some updated shots soon.

Getting a reflector and flash very soon.

Thanks for the input thus far

I can immediately see that you need to separate the "internet experts" from the real professional photographer who knows his stuff if you want to take two steps forward for every two steps you take, otherwise you will be listening to someone who has actually never tried the technique he proposes that you try on your clients because he only read about it from another "internet expert" who "learned" it from another "internet expert" who never tried it either.

First of all NEVER shoot in bright sunshine with the sun as your main light EVER. Secondly, before you buy a fancy silver reflector to "bounce some nice sunshine back into the face of your subject" buy one of those silver dash board protectors from the auto parts store, go outside turn your back to the sun and bring the reflector up so it is fully catching the sunshine and reflecting it back into your eyes. Once you do this one time you will never ever subject any client to this torture nor will you ever listen to another "internet expert" ever again (hopefully.)

Just in case you are wondering about why the bouncing technique doesn't work the shot below is of my assistant which I shot at 12:31 P.M. on a bright sunny day with a silver reflector held off to one side "to bounce some of that nice sunshine" back into her face.

Benji

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Wow, not very flattery picture with the bounce technique. I have been reading some Scott Kelby books and he talked about shooting in the shade during sunny days and using OCF with softboxes, umbrellas etc. I just want a starting point and want to know what advice is legit and what is not. Any other suggestions on what direction I should go?

I believe that less is more, when I take pictures, I usually bring a flash and 2 lens,(most of the time I don't use the flash) even though I own a studio I prefer to shoot outside. the main techniques I use are the following: golden proportion, composition, and balance, the rule of thirds is always good to keep in mind but does not always work (some times you need to bend the rules )
As for color, if you are controlling the environment, then make sure your subject and the location are color balanced, however color can always be manipulated on PP as you already know. when taking photos I'm always looking for the soul of the moment, capturing what can not be taught.

make sure to learn to use your gear to the fullest ( know your camera left and right)
analyze your subject before you photograph, find the best angles and their best attributes
plan your pictures when possible
stay away from the direct sun light
learn about your lens so that you can get nice and crisp subjects.
hope this helps

pretty nice decent pictures there niccas... my 2 cents:

practice A LOT with friends, this will give you the mutant "hability" that most portrait photographers do have... talk with strangers -clients- and make them laugh in a middle of a session =P, then, try it on a payed session, if it works, go with it, if not, return to the friends... sons of friends... grandma of friends... try to see what fits more to you, not anyone can shoot kids for example -and i raise my hand on this one-

i think that your photos are... well... above average of a basic amateur, you have to keep improving, but to me it seems that you are in the right direction. kudos to alquimista, keep knowing your gear, study your models and find the very best angle and attributes... etc etc.

my best advice to you, try to shoot during evenings, the light will help a lot if your are shooting outside.

uh uh, another thing, ATM, YOU HAVE the very best equipment that you need to work. Never forgive that. Not because is a entry-level-camera, (as you may see it) means that you can´t do wonders with it.

good luck!