Portraits - YIKES!

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Archive 2008 · Portraits - YIKES!

exitoffnine
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p.1 #1 · Portraits - YIKES!

I've spend about a year getting my gumption up to take a stab at portraits (more than casual snaps at family gatherings and kids' games). Lots of insipiration from this forum and the helpful folks....that's the good news. The bad news: I spent about 3 hours yesterday trying to get some decent shots of my kids while roaming a local campus.

My conclusions:

a) I hope to he&% it's easier to photograph the kids of other folks - My kids either i) angrily posed when I stopped them or ii) when I told them to relax, be themselves and play - I got the kind of purposeful, over the top lunacy that I love so much at home (but not prone to pictures - e.g. two boys going at each other).

b) Dynamic Range problems plagued me. This time of November (I hope that's the problem) in New England the sun angle is HARSH. Even early a.m. the sun is and stays low so the only hope for a decent shot is in a mellow shadow area if you can find it. The more fun spots with filtered sun, etc. were just a wash out with light lines that made everyone look like technicolor zebras. I don't think there is a fix for this other than shade and time of year.

c) Lighting - YEESHHH!! - So, taking portraits in shade or mild shadows, I figured I'd need some flash. Most of the time my 430ex was pointed up with a home made (and rather effective indoors) diffuser that further pushed the flash up and about.
Sometimes it seemed to work wonderfully....other times not. Most of the time I worked in ETTL and tried to compensate the flash down a few stops where the pictures showed overexposed on the monitor. I was shooting mostly in Aperture Priority.......which brings me to my other question: (this is a really lame question)

When I shoot with the external 430 ex on ETTL, is it correct to assume that the internal light meter is calculating to INCLUDE the light from the flash at what it is set at? Makes sense but when I'd turn it down a few stops, the light reading in the camera didn't seem to move. Also, not sure I "get" why you'd make that adjustment in the flash if you could just do it in the camera.

I'm VERY slow at PP and I'm trying to pick out a few decent ones to crop, touch up and post. I'll do so in a few days. Frankly, it was pretty stressful!

Nov 10, 2008 at 01:53 PM

dmacmillan
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p.1 #2 · Portraits - YIKES!

Sorry you were stressed. How old are your children? Are they adolescents?

I think children under 14 or 15, whether they are yours or not, may not be the best subjects to use when you are first learning. Three hours is pretty long to tie them up, their attention span isn't that long and therefore they probably ran out of patience.

I've never been a big fan of on camera outdoor flash for fill. I suggest using two large pieces of foamcore, one white and one black. You can kick in light with the white and subtract light to create direction with the black when you can't kick in light.

Brilliant sunlight is harsh this time of year. It makes for stunning landscapes but can be problematic for portraits. Down here in the South, there have been some sporatic clouds that bounce the setting sun, giving a beautiful rosy hue. Start out at the golden hour, a little before sunset. You can get some great portraits with fall leaves more subdued. They'll add a splash of color without being garish. Shoot beyond the point you think you've lost the light. Take a tripod and shoot down to 1/30 or 1/15, f 2.0 or 2.8 @ 800 ISO. The light takes on a special look in the gloaming.

Leave the flash at home. It sounds like you spent too much time fiddling with the flash and not enough time thinking about other aspects of portraiture. I think the most important element in successful portraiture is rapport with the subject. I would much prefer to view a technically imperfect portriat of a relaxed, happy subject than a technically "correct" portrait of an uptight, unhappy subject.

Doug

Nov 10, 2008 at 02:11 PM

exitoffnine
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p.1 #3 · Portraits - YIKES!

Thanks - you seem to hit most of it on the head.

My kids are almost 13, 11 and 9 - and yes, they were good sports but got impatient.

You're dead on - adding the flash gave me a few really good shots but added to the stress level.

You're also dead on re: landscapes - I spent last year this time getting some great shots of old factories, abandoned buildings, ---all benefitting from the light. And then this!!

I'll throw a few up here when I get them done for an independent analysis of how "bad it went!"

Nov 10, 2008 at 02:33 PM

georgefun99
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p.1 #4 · Portraits - YIKES!

Aperture Priority...external 430 ex on ETTL, is it correct to assume that the internal light meter is calculating to INCLUDE the light from the flash at what it is set at?

I originally thought the same as you and also tried it. From my experience I believe the assumption is wrong. When using Aperture Priority mode the camera sets the shutter speed using ambient conditions ignoring the flash, that's why you had to "turn down" the flash with negative exposure compensation.

The way to get ETTL working best for you in this situation is to use Manual Mode, set both Aperture and Shutter speed yourself, then the ETTL will automatically compensate for the difference much more reliably. I use this often and usually get very good results. You will still need to adjust compensation on the flash depending on the background lighting situation, brighter backgrounds require brighter flash for balanced exposures.

The high contrast/high dynamic range situation is the hardest to manage and where the more experienced photographers really stand out against "the rest of us". I will consider myself Semi-Pro until I have mastered these more difficult lighting situations, my friends consider me a Pro but I know that I am still learning and think of myself as a relative newbie on this site of masters.

Doug's comments are great, he knows this stuff.

Also, not sure I "get" why you'd make that adjustment in the flash if you could just do it in the camera.

The answer to that comment/question combo depends on which body you have, and is your 430EX the first version or the newer version II?
(The 430EX-II and 580EX-II can be fully controlled in the camera menus on the newer bodies, 40D+50D, XSi, 1DS MK-III to name a few).

Edited on Nov 10, 2008 at 02:37 PM · View previous versions

Nov 10, 2008 at 02:35 PM

mbellot
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p.1 #5 · Portraits - YIKES!

exitoffnine wrote:
I've spend about a year getting my gumption up to take a stab at portraits (more than casual snaps at family gatherings and kids' games). Lots of insipiration from this forum and the helpful folks....that's the good news. The bad news: I spent about 3 hours yesterday trying to get some decent shots of my kids while roaming a local campus.

My conclusions:

a) I hope to he&% it's easier to photograph the kids of other folks - My kids either i) angrily posed when I stopped them or ii) when I told them to relax, be themselves and play - I got the kind of purposeful, over the top lunacy that I love so much at home (but not prone to pictures - e.g. two boys going at each other).

All three of my girls are the same way (8,5 and 5). Lunatic is about the mildest setting. They are (typically) better for others (school and dance photos for example), so I'm sure that part of it is the relationship factor.

exitoffnine wrote:I'm VERY slow at PP and I'm trying to pick out a few decent ones to crop, touch up and post. I'll do so in a few days. Frankly, it was pretty stressful!

PP comes with time and practice.

Nov 10, 2008 at 02:35 PM

Steady Hand
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p.1 #6 · Portraits - YIKES!

dmacmillan wrote:
Sorry you were stressed. How old are your children? Are they adolescents?

I think children under 14 or 15, whether they are yours or not, may not be the best subjects to use when you are first learning. Three hours is pretty long to tie them up, their attention span isn't that long and therefore they probably ran out of patience.

I've never been a big fan of on camera outdoor flash for fill. I suggest using two large pieces of foamcore, one white and one black. You can kick in light with the white and subtract light to create direction with the black when you can't kick in light.

Brilliant sunlight is harsh this time of year. It makes for stunning landscapes but can be problematic for portraits. Down here in the South, there have been some sporatic clouds that bounce the setting sun, giving a beautiful rosy hue. Start out at the golden hour, a little before sunset. You can get some great portraits with fall leaves more subdued. They'll add a splash of color without being garish. Shoot beyond the point you think you've lost the light. Take a tripod and shoot down to 1/30 or 1/15, f 2.0 or 2.8 @ 800 ISO. The light takes on a special look in the gloaming.

Leave the flash at home. It sounds like you spent too much time fiddling with the flash and not enough time thinking about other aspects of portraiture. I think the most important element in successful portraiture is rapport with the subject. I would much prefer to view a technically imperfect portriat of a relaxed, happy subject than a technically "correct" portrait of an uptight, unhappy subject.

Doug

+1
Well said/written.

Very good advice to heed.

Nov 10, 2008 at 02:37 PM


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