Beginner Advice for portrait kit

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Mossberg

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I would like to try taking some portrait photos and would welcome some advice regarding kit and how best to use it.

I have a Canon EOS700D with a Canon 18-55mm and 75-300mm lens (I presume came as part of a kit but got the camera 2nd hand).
I have also purchased a Yongnuo 50mm f1.8 prime lens, again 2nd hand. Not expensive so I thought worth a try.

I have seen recommendations to use an 85mm for portraits but would welcome advise/comments.

My use will be strictly amateur so not looking for professional quality.
My thoughts are full person and also perhaps waist upwards and perhaps a little closer.

I like the idea of depth of field blurring the background to enhance the person in the photo which is why I bought the prime lens, but that is a 50mm so not sure how that will cope with the waist up or closer images.

So, a few questions.
Is the 85mm a good purchase for my requirements.
Is there a reasonable non Canon lens that will work for what I want to do to keep costs down - likely to purchase 2nd hand anyway.
Are there any YouTube or similar videos that are good to learn from regarding indoor but possibly outdoor portrait photography that would suit my equipment.

Thanks for your help.

Mick
 
Work with what you have and learn to get the most from it, then think of getting additional kit to solve specific problems you've encountered.

With the right technique in the right situation you can blur the BG to nothing with any lens; especially a 300mm. And your camera is a 1.6x crop sensor, so the resulting recorded FOV for the 50mm lens is equivalent to 80mm... essentially the same as the often recommended 85mm on a FF camera.
 
What you have will get you good portraits......what will get you better portraits is your communication and relationship with the sitter. Save your money but invest your time with YouTube videos on how to speak , act and be with your sitter ....then put it into practice
 
Sak66, stomac, thanks for your responses, great advice so thank you.
And I didn't know that about the crop sensor so it looks like what I have is ideal.

Understand about the communication. Nothing worse than a forced smile and I have read about putting people at ease and keeping the mood, but will certainly look out for that on youtube.

Thanks again. I will keep my money in my pocket until I get some experience and encounter situations/problems that can be overcome by specific kit.

My regards

Mick
 
The major resource you need is free and in abundance, its all around you, you just need to learn how to use it to your advantage

LIGHT
 
troutfisher said:
The major resource you need is free and in abundance, its all around you, you just need to learn how to use it to your advantage

LIGHT
Click to expand...
Indeed, and I am sure there is much to learn on this subject. Again, any links on good YouTube tutorials etc would be greatly received. There a so many things on YouTube that seem to just want you to subscribe or buy something so having recommendations will certainly help.
Thanks for your reply.
 
You might find it worthwhile to expend a few quid and buy a programme called by click downloader
 
Mossberg said:
Nothing worse than a forced smile and I have read about putting people at ease and keeping the mood, but will certainly look out for that on youtube.
Click to expand...
You’ll not find anything useful for this on YouTube.

Unfortunately, it’s both the easiest bit and the hardest. It’s all about your personality, and you may need to start working on how you subtly change your personality to suit.

For great portrait photographers this is simple; but they have no idea how they actually do it. Some people may be able to break down how relationships work, but honestly if you’re not at ease with people it’s really difficult.

But it’s also simple, be confident, smile, be fun. If people believe you know what you’re doing they’ll relax.

As for YouTube portrait help. You’re probably searching for the wrong things.

Dead simple searches:
Natural light portraits
Outdoor portraits
Environmental portraits

You need to learn to ‘see’ light; which isn’t that difficult and becomes 2nd nature.

There’s no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ light; but like clothing, it can be inappropriate. As a rule we’re mostly looking for soft light to make ordinary people look their best, more dramatic harder light for beautiful people.

The only extra kit I’d recommend is a reflector. Though at some point you might want the 85mm. It’s not that expensive and was my no1 lens shooting portraits at weddings on crop sensor cameras. I hated the 50mm on crop, but others find it works fine; should be ok for waist up (3/4) portraits.
 
Mossberg said:
Nothing worse than a forced smile and I have read about putting people at ease and keeping the mood, but will certainly look out for that on youtube.
Click to expand...
You’ll not find anything useful for this on YouTube.

Unfortunately, it’s both the easiest bit and the hardest. It’s all about your personality, and you may need to start working on how you subtly change your personality to suit.

For great portrait photographers this is simple; but they have no idea how they actually do it. Some people may be able to break down how relationships work, but honestly if you’re not at ease with people it’s really difficult.

But it’s also easy, be confident, smile, be fun. If people believe you know what you’re doing they’ll relax.

As for YouTube portrait help. You’re probably searching for the wrong things.

Dead simple searches:
Natural light portraits
Outdoor portraits
Environmental portraits

You need to learn to ‘see’ light; which isn’t that difficult and becomes 2nd nature.

There’s no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ light; but like clothing, it can be inappropriate. As a rule we’re mostly looking for soft light to make ordinary people look their best, more dramatic harder light for beautiful people.

The only extra kit I’d recommend is a reflector. Though at some point you might want the 85mm. It’s not that expensive and was my no1 lens shooting portraits at weddings on crop sensor cameras. I hated the 50mm on crop, but others find it works fine; should be ok for waist up (3/4) portraits
IMG_6710.jpeg
 
Thanks for your help. I take on board what you folks are saying and it really is appreciated.
 
sk66 said:
Work with what you have and learn to get the most from it, then think of getting additional kit to solve specific problems you've encountered.

With the right technique in the right situation you can blur the BG to nothing with any lens; especially a 300mm. And your camera is a 1.6x crop sensor, so the resulting recorded FOV for the 50mm lens is equivalent to 80mm... essentially the same as the often recommended 85mm on a FF camera.
Click to expand...
Some years ago I was reading an article in a photo mag by a photography teacher. He said he starts everyone out on a very basic camera and they learn basic's from there before they move on. Sounded like a really good idea to me. Lots to learn about posing I'd think and about using flash.
 
I did do a photography course over 20 years ago, but that was black & white and a lot of time was spent on developing. What I did learn was how bad I was at taking a photo as I looked through the viewfinder and focused my eye on the subject rather than the whole image. It taught me to look at the full image and that has been an important lesson. I find digital cameras with a screen brilliant for this. Thankfully the Canon EOS700D has this.
 
Mossberg said:
I did do a photography course over 20 years ago, but that was black & white and a lot of time was spent on developing. What I did learn was how bad I was at taking a photo as I looked through the viewfinder and focused my eye on the subject rather than the whole image. It taught me to look at the full image and that has been an important lesson. I find digital cameras with a screen brilliant for this. Thankfully the Canon EOS700D has this.
Click to expand...
Using the rear screen for photography is a poor substitute for a decent viewfinder. You’re introducing problems into your workflow that may trip you up later.

A properly held DSLR allows a very rigid platform minimising camera movement, and the viewfinder is usable in brightly lit environments where the rear screen will suffer reflections.

You’re absolutely right that you need to consider ‘everything’ in the frame, but for portraiture this becomes very easy, as your first move is to position your subject in the right light with a pleasant bg. Or in the case of a candid, position yourself so the subject has good light / background.

That way it only takes a cursory glance round the viewfinder to check before you start shooting. Then you can concentrate on expressions / body shapes etc.
 
Thanks Phil, great advice which I will gladly take on board. I get what you mean about the steady hold.
 
Mossberg said:
Thanks Phil, great advice which I will gladly take on board. I get what you mean about the steady hold.
Click to expand...
It’s the biggest issue w camera phones there’s no way you can hold a camera steady when it’s 2ft from your face.
 
A small and obvious point but . . .

Know how to use your camera. Know and understand how to use it instinctively, so that you can make changes and adjustments without any thought - a bit like changing gear on a car, we all do it automatically and without even knowing that we've done it.

This will allow you to concentrate on your victim subject and interact with them.
 
Very good advice Garry, thank you.
I need to learn where to find and adjust settings quickly and confidently.
 
Mossberg said:
Very good advice Garry, thank you.
I need to learn where to find and adjust settings quickly and confidently.
Click to expand...
Or - you need to learn what you can leave the camera to adjust so that you can concentrate on only the decisions you need to make.

Shooting portraits, you mostly want to be concerned with DoF, so you're most interested in aperture. You don't need to be bothered with ISO or SS (within reason)

Here's what I do - and many other methods are just as valid.

AV mode, Auto ISO w a minimum SS of 1/250, which means that unless I'm shooting fast moving kids, I'm getting a sharp shot.
I personally like BBF as I'm more comfortable thinking that focussing and shutter actuation should be separate functions. This also allows me to use Servo AF, but treat it as one shot by simply releasing my thumb from the focus button.

That leaves me only deciding
Where I'm placing my subject in relation to the BG and the light
What Im framing
What I'm focussing on (nearest eye)
When to press the shutter.

That means I have much more brain power available for the relationship with the subject.
 
Great advice Phil - really looking forward to picking the camera up and learning it.
 
Just looked up BBF Back button focus - didn't know about this so a great tip - thank you.
 
Mossberg said:
Just looked up BBF Back button focus - didn't know about this so a great tip - thank you.
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It’s not for everyone
If you search this forum alone you can read hundreds of posts on the subject.

But for old fools like me, who cut their teeth on MF cameras, separating the 2 functions feels more natural. And as I’ve posted before, with a decent mirrorless camera it means I can have the AF ON button to use single point focus, and set the * button to eye focus. So without diving into menus I have a very flexible setup, mostly usable for people but easily switchable to objects.

Again; this is using what the camera can do to make my life easier.
 
Mossberg said:
I would like to try taking some portrait photos and would welcome some advice regarding kit and how best to use it.

I have a Canon EOS700D with a Canon 18-55mm and 75-300mm lens (I presume came as part of a kit but got the camera 2nd hand).
I have also purchased a Yongnuo 50mm f1.8 prime lens, again 2nd hand. Not expensive so I thought worth a try.

I have seen recommendations to use an 85mm for portraits but would welcome advise/comments.

My use will be strictly amateur so not looking for professional quality.
My thoughts are full person and also perhaps waist upwards and perhaps a little closer.

I like the idea of depth of field blurring the background to enhance the person in the photo which is why I bought the prime lens, but that is a 50mm so not sure how that will cope with the waist up or closer images.

So, a few questions.
Is the 85mm a good purchase for my requirements.
Is there a reasonable non Canon lens that will work for what I want to do to keep costs down - likely to purchase 2nd hand anyway.
Are there any YouTube or similar videos that are good to learn from regarding indoor but possibly outdoor portrait photography that would suit my equipment.

Thanks for your help.

Mick
Click to expand...


While it is important to have a proper photographic kit for portrait photography, you need to remember that the equipment is only as good as the photographer.

Even if you're worried about having the right or wrong equipment, you should believe in yourself to be able to get great photos.

Improvisation is part of the photographer's skills. Forget worrying about having the right or wrong kit, find some creative ways of getting interesting portraits.

The camera and lenses are just tools, don't be the bad workman who blames his tools. Be positive and believe in yourself, you can do it, you can do portrait photos. Don't "would like to try" do portrait photos, just simply "go and do" portrait photos.

Don't forget that as your skills improves, you'll improve your kit in your camera bag. Many photographers started with a new 35mm camera and a 50mm lens, and had to start from there, until they save up and build up their kit.

You can do it, regardless of what kit you have. Be positive.

And good luck.
 
Mossberg said:
I did do a photography course over 20 years ago, but that was black & white and a lot of time was spent on developing. What I did learn was how bad I was at taking a photo as I looked through the viewfinder and focused my eye on the subject rather than the whole image. It taught me to look at the full image and that has been an important lesson. I find digital cameras with a screen brilliant for this. Thankfully the Canon EOS700D has this.
Click to expand...
As others have said, you need to spend a bit of time familiarising yourself with the 'technical' side of the camera so that operating it becomes something you do, rather than something you have to think about - but once you have that familiarity one of the next things is to learn to spot 'distractions' in the background of a scene - bright highlights, posts appearing to stick out of your subjects head, etc - as often a small shift in camera position can avoid these.
 
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