Just some quick pointers for taking informal portraits of people for things like theater production programs and non-profit newsletters.
1. Don't stand people in front of a glossy or shiny wall. Your flash will reflect and suddenly it looks like God dropped in to put rabbit ears on your subject. Similarly, do not put people in front of a window if it is daytime. Mmmm backlighting=bad.
2. Give them a day's notice and suggest that they wear something in a midtone, particularly if everything is to be printed in black & white.
3. Don't stand too close to them. Even the most dry-skinned person can have a glaring nose if you're too close. However, try not to include feet. You really only need from the elbow up.
4. Try to use natural light. Then you don't have to use a flash and you're less likely to end up with blurry photos. This is especially important if you've got a big group of people. If you've got to light up eight rows of people with the flash of a point & shoot camera, the back half is gonna be too dark.
5. Know your white balance. Set it for the appropriate lighting. Or be safe and leave it on auto.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment