looking for some help

I Live in Virginia beach

I have a canon 7d, 50mm lens and a 10-22 wide angle.


I want to get into portraits and I am wondering what would be a good place to start.

old buildings, on the beach, by a bridge, old train tracks. etc etc

place and poses I can suggest to a model so we don't sit around and stare at each other.


my lighting equipment is non existent so shooting inside isn't really an option.

I do have an extra bedroom with 1 decent sized window!

Nick, Any place is a good spot for portrait work, what you have to learn is to see the light or make the light. I would recommend getting yourself a reflector and tripod. And then practice alot!!! Learn what good composition is all about and how to pose folks properly. And of course nail your exposures.

Before having a "real" model come along, practice with friends and family who don't mind just hanging out while you experiment with lighting, camera settings, and composition.

You can also hire a professional model who will already know how to pose. However, don't misrepresent yourself - make sure the model knows you are a learning novice, not a seasoned pro.

Once you learn the technique its pretty easy to find places to shoot. If you shoot portraits at shallow DOF any park can be a great green blur behind the subject. But if you really want to improve portraiture, get some lights, or at the least a reflector. Taking a great model out to a great location and shooting in dull light with no light in her eyes would be a total waste.
And PS, dont you have an ocean nearby?

gonzogolf wrote in post #16002274
Once you learn the technique its pretty easy to find places to shoot. If you shoot portraits at shallow DOF any park can be a great green blur behind the subject. But if you really want to improve portraiture, get some lights, or at the least a reflector. Taking a great model out to a great location and shooting in dull light with no light in her eyes would be a total waste.
And PS, dont you have an ocean nearby?

Lots of them.
I am purchasing a reflector or two soon when I buy this 50mm 1.4


Also, I got most lighting and camera settings down well since I shoot skateboarding outdoors a lot.

Just poses and all that stuff.
I am gonna try finding a novice model off of MM and hopefully we can just work together and do a lot of work in the long run.

Nick:

You should check out Creative Live. There are lots of classes that are rebroadcast for free that you can watch to help you understand what you need to know to take good portraits.
http://www.creativeliv​e.com/
Up at the top of the home page is the word "watch" in green. Click on that and you will be able to see live classes as they are being tapped, and rebroadcasts of recent classes.

Nick, don't limit yourself to outside shooting just because you don't have lighting. You can use window light to great effect with something as simple as a white bedsheet diffusing the light through it.

It's not necessarily the gear, but what you do with what you've got on hand. With a 1.4 or 1.8 you've got quite a bit of latitude. Don't fall for the illusion that it's lack of gear. Get creative and makes things happen - bet you'll surprise yourself.