full length portrait

bb40

bb40

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Hi guys, looking for some advice on doing some full length portrait pictures. my wife needs some full length images for her new work and im just looking to get some info from you guys in the know as it's all new to me as i tend to stick to landscapes.These are for her after shots to show her weight loss achievement .I'm looking for help on locations ( indoor or out) lighting and lens. i only have 1 speedlight and lens choice is 17-55 f2.8 or 24-120 f3.5-5.6. any help greatly appreciated on set up and alike. thanks
 
I'd say generally, go for natural light with the speedlight for a fill. I found the 17-55 to be a superb lens for people shooting
You could also try bouncing the flash off the ceiling or a reflector/wall depending on your situ to soften the shadows and try and light from higher than camera to fake natural
As for posing, especially when trying to show weight loss, try and break up the mass of the model with daylight through the gap where arm meets body was one tip that sticks with me. Have a look round at some poses and emulate what you like
Hope some of that makes sense and someone with better teaching skills comes along soon :lol:
 
thanks for the info bruce. just a bit concerned on lighting as i've not used flash a lot. still on a big learning curve with that.
 
No problem, I kind of hoped you'd have some better responses after mine
I recently bought a black foamie thing on amazon to flag direct flash and use bounce for softer flashlighting. It works just fine, but as with all things we do, best practice is, er, practice :-)
Borrow a body and practice using various things and poses to get the desired effect
Whatever happens, it's great fun on the skills journey
The good thing with flash is, you can control the environment more, using fill flash to include the background (might have to raise iso) or as main light source, from a certain direction etc
Off camera flash is always more appealing, so maybe a couple of triggers and a stand would be handy. I use yongungo and they;re pretty damn good, even if I cant spell it haha
 
BruceMo said:
No problem, I kind of hoped you'd have some better responses after mine
I recently bought a black foamie thing on amazon to flag direct flash and use bounce for softer flashlighting. It works just fine, but as with all things we do, best practice is, er, practice :)
Borrow a body and practice using various things and poses to get the desired effect
Whatever happens, it's great fun on the skills journey
The good thing with flash is, you can control the environment more, using fill flash to include the background (might have to raise iso) or as main light source, from a certain direction etc
Off camera flash is always more appealing, so maybe a couple of triggers and a stand would be handy. I use yongungo and they;re pretty damn good, even if I cant spell it haha
Click to expand...

Yeah I've got they triggers too. Still experimenting with them if only work wouldn't keep getting in the way of playtime:D
 
IMHO, a longer FL is going to be more flattering considering this is to show weight loss. I'd use the 120mm or even longer. This probably means working outdoors w/ natural light/shade.
Using the natural light as backlight/rimlight and OCF for main lighting can be quite dramatic...do you have stands/ modifiers?
 
bb40 said:
Yeah I've got they triggers too. Still experimenting with them if only work wouldn't keep getting in the way of playtime:D
Click to expand...

Haha, you sound just like me
As with a lot of things on our quest for learning, sometimes the more we read, the less we understand for a wee while until the penny drops
I remember well thinking, what's sync speed, or a flag, or barn doors/snoot/honeycomb. Whats bounce flash, whats fill flash, whats a rim light/hairlight, broadlighting, short lighting and what the hell's an inverse square law..... I thought I was begining to understand all this
then you have a play with the toys, and surprising things happen
 
sk66 said:
IMHO, a longer FL is going to be more flattering considering this is to show weight loss. I'd use the 120mm or even longer. This probably means working outdoors w/ natural light/shade.
Using the natural light as backlight/rimlight and OCF for main lighting can be quite dramatic...do you have stands/ modifiers?
Click to expand...

thanks steven,i don't have any stands but i do have a 12yr old son who could double as one:). i've got about a week or two before she needs to send them off so i've not got much time for practice:eek:.she only sprung this on me last night!
 
BruceMo said:
Haha, you sound just like me
As with a lot of things on our quest for learning, sometimes the more we read, the less we understand for a wee while until the penny drops
I remember well thinking, what's sync speed, or a flag, or barn doors/snoot/honeycomb. Whats bounce flash, whats fill flash, whats a rim light/hairlight, broadlighting, short lighting and what the hell's an inverse square law..... I thought I was begining to understand all this
then you have a play with the toys, and surprising things happen
Click to expand...

Thats exactly my problem, Not too great at absorbing info from reading books etc, more of a show me how kinda guy:bonk:
 
bb40 said:
Thats exactly my problem, Not too great at absorbing info from reading books etc, more of a show me how kinda guy:bonk:
Click to expand...

The problem there is lighting being so subjective. One mans meat and all that
Have a look round flickr or google portraits and see what you like then try and reverse engineer it best you can
If you're ever near civilization in Dundee, give me a shout and we can compare how useless we both are. :thumbs:
 
BruceMo said:
The problem there is lighting being so subjective. One mans meat and all that
Have a look round flickr or google portraits and see what you like then try and reverse engineer it best you can
If you're ever near civilization in Dundee, give me a shout and we can compare how useless we both are. :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Yeah that won't even be a fair contest. Useless and me are best buds:banana:
 
bb40 said:
thanks steven,i don't have any stands but i do have a 12yr old son who could double as one:). i've got about a week or two before she needs to send them off so i've not got much time for practice:eek:.she only sprung this on me last night!
Click to expand...
Without modifiers, I suggest fairly flat/even shade lighting outdoors w/ maybe a little flash for fill...
 
Longer lens lengths are considered more flattering, work outside in overcast light. Easy. :-)
 
CharlotteM said:
Longer lens lengths are considered more flattering, work outside in overcast light. Easy. :)
Click to expand...

thanks charlotte, is it best to shoot straight on or at an angle for more "flattering" look
 
As long as the lens isn't too wide, you'll be ok. Keep the camera level and if you are shooting a full body them I'd have it around chest level. Ensure the subject is centre in the frame and there's not too much space above or below.

Lighting-wise if you have a room with a light coloured ceiling you could bounce the flash off it. Point the flash straight up and the light will go everywhere and be beautifully diffused. You may have to tweak the exposure as the flash light will spread out much further than normal. Give it a try and see what you think.
 
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