office shots

I can see several sides to this topic. The OP has a lack of experience, ZERO headshots in their portfolio, doesn't have a flash, is asking about using the pop up flash, won't be able to balance color temp between available, flash, fluorescent, and works for 'the boss', no experience directing people, and on and on. The OP is clearly not ready to shoot this.

But should the OP do it? Maybe. If there is no down side other than some pictures that don't work, and some people lost some productive time having fun trying to shoot pictures, then why not! Its excellent practice in a real world situation. So it depends on what the outcome would be if the OP doesn't deliver on whether av3nger should or shouldn't.

I would also recommend available light if there are ample windows with diffused daylight, or good interior lighting. That can easily be checked by av3nger bringing his camera to work for a day and taking some test shots to check the lighting. If av3nger is inexperienced in shooting portraits, why throw another wrench in the works by adding flash?

Shooting available light is easier for someone new, and the results can be very pleasing. I would recommend that if av3nger tests the lighting in the office and can get decent results, available lighting with a reflector or two would be the way to go. With a little practice on others before the shoot, it could go very well.

On the other hand, having the OP take a flash they are not familiar with, and try to use that to get a nice portrait shot could be far more difficult. There will be issues balancing the flash to avoid the black tunnel effect, color balance issues between the subject/flash and background/fluorescent​s/tungsten, plenty of settings that could get mis-set causing lots of frustration and troubleshooting time, and so on.

Ideally, flash is the way to go, or even better balancing flash and ambient together. But for someone new to portraits and using flash, natural light with a reflector is the option I feel would generate the best results in this situation.

Mum2J&M wrote in post #5732169
Shallow depth of field and noise issues. I believe having more sufficient lighting would be a huge benefit in that situation.

Shallow DOF and Noise issues... WHAT NOISE issues??? These are head shots, not sprint racing. You dont need a super fast shutter!

Kenski wrote in post #5732467
Shallow DOF and Noise issues... WHAT NOISE issues??? These are head shots, not sprint racing. You dont need a super fast shutter!

No, you don't, but unless the lighting is good enough, you would need to use a very small aperture, resulting in a "very shallow DOF", and unless you hadn't noticed, poor light can result in "noise issues"

But then, maybe you hadn't taken the time to look.

TJ

With your lack of experience, I would not do it...because he is your boss. I view it similar to giving him a haircut. Sure you could do it...but if you don't do it right he sure will look bad...and he WILL remember. If you have the opportunity to practice, practice and pratice some more before the shoot...then maybe. But otherwise I would pass.

shack wrote in post #5732653
With your lack of experience, I would not do it...because he is your boss. I view it similar to giving him a haircut. Sure you could do it...but if you don't do it right he sure will look bad...and he WILL remember. If you have the opportunity to practice, practice and pratice some more before the shoot...then maybe. But otherwise I would pass.

Bad comparison... once again, how do you think BARBERS and HAIRDRESSERS become what they are... They practice on their friends and family.... He already said they HIRED a professional and he did sub-par work and this is why they asked him... Obviously they know he ISN'T a professional... They want to try all their options probably... WHY NOT... Everyone has to get their start from somewhere...

Kenski wrote in post #5732789
Bad comparison... once again, how do you think BARBERS and HAIRDRESSERS become what they are... They practice on their friends and family.... He already said they HIRED a professional and he did sub-par work and this is why they asked him... Obviously they know he ISN'T a professional... They want to try all their options probably... WHY NOT... Everyone has to get their start from somewhere...

Sure they have to start somewhere....BUT NOT WITH HIS BOSS! A person wanting to be a barber or hairdresser might cut a friend or relative's hair but not their boss or even co-worker's hair. He said he is doing it and getting paid. They I bet they expect some level of compentency...and based on his original post...I can't tell if he has the skills to do it well. Like I said...practice a lot and then do shoot...and maybe he has a chance to pull it off. Blow the shoot...and his chances of doing it again are nil.

Kenski wrote in post #5732789
Bad comparison... once again, how do you think BARBERS and HAIRDRESSERS become what they are... They practice on their friends and family....

Actually, its a perfect analogy. Hairdressers practice first on wigs mounted on fake heads. They aren't ready for human hair the first time they pick up some scissors. Once they cut their teeth on wigs for a few weeks, can show they can handle the basic tools and do some basic cuts, then they move on to human hair on people that want cheap cuts and don't mind the risk of getting a bad cut. After that, they move on to real cuts, family, friends, etc.

The OP hasn't shot a single portrait, has not used flashes, hasn't directed a person in front of the camera, hasn't worked on balancing flash/ambient, can't deal with color temperature differences, and so on. That's like picking up the scissors for the first time. Roll over, crawl, walk, then run. Running before learning to walk results it lots of scrapes and bruises

I agree that everyone needs to start somewhere, but since there are so many other options for practicing, thats where they should cut their teeth first, and I would recommend the OP start with family/friends first. But if the Op has nothing to loose by jumping right in, then yea, why the heck not. He may totally botch it up, but if there really is nothing at risk, its all an upside.

I still dont see the problem..... You could be a PRO and shoot a wedding and the B&G might not like what you done.... ok... SO WHAT.... you did your best...

if YOU were hiring someone to do a job, wouldn't you at least find out if they had the skills???? How do you know his BOSS doesn't know what he is capable of... MAYBE he is trying to give him his first big break....


hahahhaha... I just dont get some of you people.... He is here to LEARN.... Everyone just wants to SHOOT HIM DOWN..... Give him some suggestions.... "Hey, why dont you try this" "Use these settings" "Im in your area, let me show you how you might want to try this"


Why not tell him to grab a few people and do a few test runs a couple days before hand with a few different settings to try and get it right... Gueeezzz... Was that so hard?

NEGATIVITY... This board is full of it.. .NOT EVERYONE... but alot...

That is exactly what I told him to do. Practice, practice and practice some more. I don't care what they are trying to do...give him a break or whatever...I would make sure I knew what the hell I was doing before I attempted it.

My first wedding was for the sister in law.... They went LOW-BUDGET and hired a friend of the family and her exposure meter **** the bed on her 35mm.... So it was "HEY, RUN HOME AND GRAB YOUR GEAR!!!" Ummmm, are you sure.... Bingo, turned out pretty damn good... a few shots with HEAVY shadow but overall good.. they were very happy with the results..

True, but I'd ask what will the shots be used for & who decides what's good & bad. Try a test setup & image, & see if that meets the need.
I used to take a lot of "Here's Johnny" head shots for the company magazine & used window side light with a bounce card for fill. I wouldn't use that for a portrait for the Annual Report.

Unless you want snapshots, forget about using the onboard flash.

Cheapest way to shoot:
Windows can provide a great source of light. Throw a reflector in the mix and you can achieve great headshots. But, if you need consistent photos, the quality of light will change with time and you must know how to adjust for that.

Cheap way to shoot:
Since your budget allows for a 430ex, you can find a room with low white ceilings or wall, and bounce the light to soften the shadows on your subjects. A reflector will also come in handy to fill in potentially problematic shadow areas -- ie raccoon eyes.

Better way to shoot for your budget:
N/A

Nikos

ok... went pretty intense. i don't know who was more nervous - me or the people i was shooting. i guess that confidence comes in time. luckily today i had a person who helped me sit the people down, fix their ties/jackets and so on... don't know how the shots turned out, but when i saw them on the camera display they were ok.
two more people are going to come in tomorrow. and i have a question - how do i sit people down? what are the most common "shot positions"?

av3nger wrote in post #5744452
ok... went pretty intense. i don't know who was more nervous - me or the people i was shooting. i guess that confidence comes in time. luckily today i had a person who helped me sit the people down, fix their ties/jackets and so on... don't know how the shots turned out, but when i saw them on the camera display they were ok.
two more people are going to come in tomorrow. and i have a question - how do i sit people down? what are the most common "shot positions"?

Glad it went well--- show us some of the results.

stathunter wrote in post #5744477
Glad it went well--- show us some of the results.

will do... as soon as i get home.
i wouldn't say that it went well. it went ok. i was really nervous.