The old time photographers considered one and a half times the diagonal of
the frame ideal.
In 35 mm photography this works out at approx. 70mm
Accepted focal lengths for the most popular formats are;
35 mm 80 to 120 mm
6x6 (including 6x 4.5) 150 mm
6x7 180 mm
To answer this question I usually say, "The one you've got".
With care in setting up the shot any lens can be used.
The decision on a suitable focal length can depend on the style of image to
be made.
With an interior environmental portrait made with a wideangle lens the important
factor becomes the lens to subject distance. If the subject is kept central
in the image and the head is placed approx. 1.3 (5 feet) from the camera it
will be relatively free of distortion. Obviously any limbs nearer the camera
will increase in apparent size. This is often seen in fashion shots.
Always use the slowest practical film stock for quality images.
When shooting with electronic flash studio units, 100 ISO is ideal as any faster
film will have the photographer running out of f stops even with small units.
Photographing by available light use 400 ISO or a slower film with a good tripod.
Relate any lighting to natural light with one sun in the sky and any other
lights are subservient to this light or are used to fill in the shadow detail.
This can be done with a second light or reflector.
One light or studio type electronic flash used in conjunction with a suitable
reflector can make excellent portraits.
Traditional portrait photographers used four lights;
Main light principal light called mainlight or keylight
creates form and modelling in the subject
Fill light fills in the shadow detail created by the main light
Hair light an effect light that highlights and enhances the subject's hair
Background light lights the background texture or shape and provides separation between the subject and the background.
Starting with one light beside the camera position raise the light until it
creates a shadow below the nose of the subject and keep raising it until the
eyes lose the light. (too high) Then lower the light until the eyes are well
lit., Then move the light to one side creating a loop shadow at the base of
the nose.
This loop lighting position will allow good general photography of just about
any person.
The shadow detail can be filled in by using a reflector or another light of
lesser power (fill light) placed beside the camera on the same side as the main
light.
With a second light another option is to place the main light in position and
use a reflector to fill the shadow detail using the second light as either a
background light or hair light.
Three lights. Main and fill lights with the option of the third light being
used as an effect, hair or background light.
The use of one light are more fully covered in the publication
The Lighting Workshop
For photography in the home studio of friends or models surprisingly not as
powerful as you may think. Size and power isn't everything the important
thing is how you use the lights.
As most portraiture is shot at f8 or f11 with the lights relatively close to
the subject (one or two people 3/4 length or closer) 100 ISO speed film will
be suitable and producing high quality images.
For full length shots or bigger groups with smaller units and the power starts
to run out changing to a 200 ISO film will give a one stop boost in speed.
Professional users obviously need more powerful units as group sizes increase
and at least 800 watt secs per unit while the home studio can get by with 250
watt secs, of power.
Beginners in studio photography get confused by the camera settings, metering
and shutter speeds.
Set the camera in manual mode and proceed from there.
The flash power will determine the f stop (this flash power is adjustable on
the power setting of the unit) and the flash duration becomes the shutter speed.
Flash duration varies between a 250th sec. (older units or full power setting)
to somewhere around 1/800 th. sec.
The flash unit power is measured by metering with an incident flash meter by
pointing the dome towards the camera position from beside the subject.
Set the camera in manual mode and use the regular flash sync. speed and adjust
the aperture to the meter reading .
If the subject or lights remain stationary the photographer can shoot from any
position without making any adjustment to the exposure.
Flash exposure is determined by the flash to subject distance.
Note;
Photographers are fooled by leaving the camera in aperture priority mode so
when they point the camera to the subject in the studio the meter reads the
exposure from the modelling light built into the unit. The modelling light is
only to guide the photographer in placing the unit but does not light the image,
the exposure is made by the flash tube itself.
Studio photography falls outside the general run of printing for the amateur laboratories so more often than not disappointing results are received. Normal practice in a professional lab. is to print for the highlight skin tones and the rest of the image will fall into its correct tones if the photographer has done their job properly.
In the amateur lab. the film scanner in the printer averages the scene and
prints accordingly. Anything outside the normal requires the operator to override
the automated machine. A lot of studio portraiture falls into this category.
The answer is to get to know the printer in the lab and ask for the print to
be made with normal highlight skin tones and not to worry about anything else.
An example of this is when a fair haired person wearing a light coloured top
is photographed against a dark background. The machine averages this and the
result is a washed out person and a awful grey background. Photographers then
blame themselves for the poor print quality when the printer needed to override
printing settings for an increased exposure for the person which will also deepen
the background tone.
The lighting ratio in studio terminology or photography of people is the difference
between the mainlight and the fill light.
This is usually expressed as a ratio like 1:3 or 1:5 whatever.
While this is quite logical it is difficult to relate to while busy setting
up the lighting for a shoot so it is much easier to think or express the ratio
in f stops.
The lighting ratio fulfils many functions.
The first obviously the amount or depth of shadow detail in the finished portrait.
But it can also control the drama and mood of the image.
For general use the following ratios are good starting points
Babies and small children 1/2 stop
Young children up to teens 1 stop
Everyone else 1 1/2 stops (ideal ratio for use with colour film)
Dramatic portrait older person 2. stops
Theatrical shot 2 1/2 stops.
Yes and no. Electronic flash is colour balanced for daylight film and can be
combined with daylight without any problems.
Tungsten lighting as used in the modelling light of the studio flash unit or
household lighting will normally upset the colour balance of the image and produce
an orange cast with daylight type (regular) film..
Some photographers take advantage of this by using a slower shutter speed to
record a small percentage of the modelling light which produces warmer skin
tones.
The technique is called dragging the shutter.
When working indoors during daylight hours, advantage can be taken of the ambient
light available as a fill light.
Position the main light (studio flash unit) as normal and make a flash power
exposure meter reading to establish the f stop. Say f8
Then set the meter to the f stop and make an ambient light exposure meter reading
off the shutter speed. Say f8 1/8th. sec.
To establish the lighting ratio we adjust the ambient light to suit with the
shutter speed.
An exposure of f8 1/15th. sec. underexposes the ambient light by one stop.
Changing to f8 1/30th. sec. gives a 2 stop ratio.
This is an ideal ratio in a modern light toned room subduing the room tones
so they don't distract from the principal subject the person. The shutter
speed selected is controlling the density and tone of the background.
For general shooting it's probably not worth the extra expense. Most so
called amateur films are very well balanced for general shooting, people, places
and things while some professional films are balanced for particular purposes.
Such as the Kodak Portra films or Fuji, Agfa, equivalent specially formulated
for shooting people. The film isn't as contrasty as normal stock and retains
better shadow detail. For studio shooting the Portra NC is ideal while the VC
works better outdoors.
So the professional films are worthwhile if you are going to use the complete
film during a session or similar subject matter.
All round you, ask friends but at the start insist they understand that you
are learning and can't guarantee the results.
As skills improve have a set-up that you feel confident will produce a good
picture of the person. This image will be for them.
Then you can carry on and make pictures for yourself, experimenting and learning
as you go.
Once you can confidently photograph with the equipment you have and consistently
make good pictures you can approach prospective models with a "Time for
Prints" arrangement.
Looking at pictures, in books, magazines, the internet or simply day dreaming.
Let the model inspire you by recording their personality or mannerisms.
People you meet. When you meet someone who inspires you to want to photograph
them, tell them and describe the image you would like to make of them.
They will probably be flattered that you have asked and can be reassured by
showing them a portfolio of existing work.
Professional photography is as much about business as it is about photography.
To be successful it essential to be good at business.
While it can be a very enjoyable pastime many find this enjoyment goes out the
window when the business gets in the way of photography.
Selling photographs is no different from selling any other product in the marketplace.
This fact is overlooked by budding professionals.
If your serious in your need to turn professional complete a small business
course before making the decision and formulate a marketing plan talking this
over with your accountant and bank manager.
Professional photography generally is seen as an easy enjoyable option but truthfully
unless a niche market can be found it's a difficult road to pursue.
It's worth considering working part time to supplement income without all
the hassles of a full blown business and very little of the expenses. No rent
for a start.
If you were working for an employer during your spare time you would be paid
a suitable hourly rate for this work.
This must be the minimum starting rate and must include all preparatory time
spent.
The camera equipment can be charged out at 1% of its total cost per day of usage.
(this would be the cost if you had to hire the equipment) Adding batteries etc.
Film costs are charged at double their cost to you.
Prints can be charged to the client at 3 to 5 times the lab. cost to you.
When you think about this you need to take the film into the lab. for processing
, number and store the negatives. Prepare negatives for reprints and again making
two trips from the lab before giving them to the client.
Then you can't supply the client the prints in the envelope from the lab.
or they will say, "Oh is that where you get them done, what at a dollar
each?" So you must have some method of presentation of your work.
So added value is perceived by the client. This can include presentation folders
etc.
One of the downfalls I've seen is the poor quality of prints by part time
photographers using amateur laboratories. Always use a professional lab. even
if you pay a little extra (as a small operator the lab may have a surcharge,
but it is worth it).
A professional approach by you the photographer and the presentation of the
work will justify your charges and enhance your reputation.
Excuses such as, I didn't have the right equipment, The sun didn't
shine, this one didn't work and I'll tell you why. The client doesn't
want to know your problems they are only interested in the final result.
This process was made popular by fashion photographers wanting a different
look to their work.
A slide film which is normally processed E6 (a reversal process) to make a positive
image is processed as a negative or C41 process.
This produces a colour negative without the normal orange mask seen in a regular
colour negative.
As the results are generally unpredictable and exciting images can result from
this process.
Experiment with different films and printing to get a result that pleases. This
is not a process that suits or pleases everyone.
The resulting negative is very contrasty and produces saturated colour.
Because of this care must be taken with the lighting and works best with full
frontal light onto the face. (shadows tend to go black , devoid of detail, especially
in the eye sockets)
Reflectors are a big help and fill flash can be used.
Keep the images simple in composition using bold primary colours for good results.
Film speed rating. Rating the film at its normal speed will give near normal
colours
Halving the film speed. Or over-exposing by one stop will increase contrast
and colour saturation. This is a recommended procedure.
If your looking for normality I can't see the point in making prints this
way but if you and your lab. are willing to experiment ask the lab. to take
the first frame and make multiple prints and varying the colour with each. Check
the results, select the colour tones you like and ask the lab. to print the
rest of the film to that colour bias.
Not for the faint hearted this technique demands a free thinking anything goes
approach to shooting. When you ask yourself "What if" I do this or
that, don't hesitate "Just do it!"
This is not uncommon with some modern cameras but can be overcome by firing
off a small flash unit from the hot shoe fitting which triggers the slave unit
in the studio flash unit. The lighting from the studio flash units will be unaffected
if the small flash output is bounced of the ceiling.
Alternatively a sync. block can be purchased to fit into the hot shoe of the
camera . Nikon make a very good unit and is recommended.
Essentially it is a incident light meter that records the power reading out
in f stops.
The meter is placed in the subject position and pointed towards the camera,
the flash fired and the reading recorded.
Making the reading.
Cord in: In this mode the flash sync. cord is plugged into the meter and when
the go button on the meter is pressed the flash will fire and the reading taken.
Non Cord: The meter without any connection to the flash unit is held in position
while a assistant fires the flash to record the exposure.
Multi: If flash power is inadequate the exposure can be built up using multiple
flash. The meter will record both the number of flashes fired and the accumulative
exposure in f stops.
This is particularly useful in still life studio photography.
Example: with a flash power (one flash) equals say f11 and to have depth of
field to cover a f32. In a darkened studio open the camera shutter and fire
of multiple flashes to achieve the aperture required.
1 flash = f11
2 flashes = f16
4 flashes = f22
8 flashes = f32
To increase the exposure by a stop requires double the power for each stop gained.
Ambient: The meter makes a regular ambient light incident exposure meter reading.
Consistent working methods are essential in making flash meter readings for
quality results.
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