p.1 #1 · Indoor portrait advice with 70-200 2.8 / 80-200 2.8 and D700
I'm trying to take face closeups indoors... but since the Sigma 70-200 doesn't have VR, I find myself having to shoot wide open at around 1/200. When I do this however, I only get part of the face in focus... now obviously it has to do with DOF being too shallow, but I can't really step down because I'd have to bump up the ISO beyond 6400, which is something I don't want to do...
This is kinda crazy though that Auto-ISO is at close to 6400 even at 1/200, because it's not like it's candlelit where I'm shooting. So what gives? What, close-ups in normal indoor light can only be shot with VR or on a tripod to get the whole face in focus? Or should I just use flash / or additional lighting? Any advice would be appreciated... I'm new to this whole thing.
p.1 #5 · Indoor portrait advice with 70-200 2.8 / 80-200 2.8 and D700
I would have tried a longer shutter speed and smaller aperture (f/ 3.2 or 3.5 for your particular lens), depending upon how still you can hold your camera. The general rule of thumb for shutter speed is the inverse of focal length (1/200th second if shooting at 200 mm). If you can't hand hold a slightly slower shutter speed, maybe you need to use a tripod and/or a flash.
p.1 #8 · Indoor portrait advice with 70-200 2.8 / 80-200 2.8 and D700
Tripod or bounce flash. Granted, tripod only works if you've got time to set up and your subjects are patient, but if you have white or light colored walls and/or ceiling, bounce flash does wonders, and can look just like natural light.
p.1 #9 · Indoor portrait advice with 70-200 2.8 / 80-200 2.8 and D700
epuja wrote:
can u post an example?
Here is one -
Although I really like this picture actually... but it shows what I'm talking about. This was at f2.8, 1/200 and ISO 6400... although this one actually didn't need to be shot at 1/200, as I was at 135mm.
p.1 #12 · Indoor portrait advice with 70-200 2.8 / 80-200 2.8 and D700
if you want a bit more DOF... set the lens to 70mm.
the above picture has nothing wrong.. it looks good actually.... so long as the eye(s) are focued, blurry face is not a problem.
p.1 #14 · Indoor portrait advice with 70-200 2.8 / 80-200 2.8 and D700
Sounds good... yeah, no I didn't really expect it to look different, and I actually don't mind the rest of the face being OOF here. I just figured with the crazy high ISO I could get away with stepping down at least a little, but 1/200 alone required 2.8 and ISO 6400. I didn't realize that the lighting at my house is worse than an indoor gym... hehe
Yes, I will have to learn more about lighting in the near future. Is there a good book I should start with?
For studio gear, there are lot's of web tutorials, just Google-around.
~Ted
Thanks for these. I'll take a look. The question I have is... is lighting something that requires a lot of pre-planning and setup? Not that I am necessarily lazy, but what if you are just shooting something spontaneously? I am also looking into getting an external flash, as I currently don't have one.
p.1 #19 · Indoor portrait advice with 70-200 2.8 / 80-200 2.8 and D700
m_appeal wrote:
The question I have is... is lighting something that requires a lot of pre-planning and setup? Not that I am necessarily lazy, but what if you are just shooting something spontaneously?
Yes and no. The simplest use of a speedlight is on the camera and one of the best results with this technique is for fill flash outdoors. An example of the next step, that's a little more complicated but yields better results, is to get the flash off the camera. For impromptu portraits and close candids, put the flash on a remote cord and hold it at arms length to create better contrast, better shadows, and to provide some catchlights in the eyes of your subject. Or bounce the light off a white wall to mimic soft window light, or off a low white ceiling to create softer light that wraps around your subject better.
A great starter modifier that's easy to set-up and transport is an umbrella. The Phototek Softlighters are great all-around tools because you can shoot through them, use them as reflectors, or reflect and diffuse at the same time. They're cheap too. http://www.owens-originals.com/photec%20products/Photek%20Softlighter.html
Whatever you do, I recommend you start with just one light and experiment before going whole hog on a handful of speedlights or studio lights.
Yes, that's probably what I can do... I'm just a little surprised... I didn't think the conditions required the extra lighting.