Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

[OM] Re: Newbie portrait question

Subject: [OM] Re: Newbie portrait question
From: Ian Lowman <ian@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 21:36:07 -0500
Allan Mee wrote:
> Off the top of my head, an 80mm mild -tele is usually classed as being the 
> preferred size for portrait shots so I' recommend either a standard 50/1.8 
> if working up closer or the 100/2.8 - the latter would reduce the DOF more 
> and, with a tripod, would be ideal for portraits.
> In a home setting a T32 (or the T20) will normally throw out ample light and 
> with a hotshoe 4 fitted to your OM2N you will be fine exposure wise. Blue 
> walls may be a tad awkward in that blue often reflects seemingly patches of 
> 'white' light with direct flash. A simple diffuser may suffice here - 
> particularly if the walls are painted with a matt finish (less shiny than a 
> glossy or silk finish) - a polariser filiter on the camera could/would help 
> as well. Since blue is a primary colour, I'd suggest avoiding primary 
> colours. Lightish colours (assuming a fairly deep bue to the walls) - e.g. 
> white clothes will stand out more. Darker colours will tend to blend in to 
> some extent with a dark blue. If the walls are more of a Cyan, darker 
> colours will stand out a bit better than with a deeper blue. A 'polaroid' 
> pre-shot could help a lot there to check the colours, ambient lighting, etc.
> It is possible that the blue walls could cast a bluish light on the skin (if 
> the subject is too close to the wall) so a warm filter might also be useful 
> - in fact, tends to be useful for skin tones almost anytime. As always, use 
> a fast shutter speed to miminise blurring. Avoid putting the subject in 
> shadows. Try and 'angle' the flash across the face a bit - rather than 
> straight on (straight on flash can wash out facial details and also cause 
> red-eye). White ceilings will help with bounce flash and again bounce flash 
> will miminise 'white' areas showing on the blue walls. With blue walls, 
> sunlight (through a window, say) will generally be a better (natural) source 
> of illumination than flash.
> Allan
>
>
> PS No trees were harmed in the sending of this message and a very large 
> number of electrons were asked their permission to be terribly 
> inconvenienced. (And threw a party for them afterwards for being really cool 
> about it).
>
> Disrupting the unnatural balance that you, as a conscious human being and a 
> confused mass of energy, have created.
> -Disturb the mind -
>
>
>
>
>   
>> From: Ian Lowman <ian@xxxxxxxxxx>
>> Reply-To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
>> To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [OM] Newbie portrait question
>> Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 01:19:13 -0500
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Me and my SO would like to take a 'holiday' photograph of ourselves to
>> send to the relatives. Since I rarely take such pictures, I'm coming to
>> the group with much humility for some advice. Here's the deal: we want
>> to be together, in our home or other 'nice' setting, looking fairly
>> normal (or as much as we can manage). I have OM-1N and OM-2N bodies,
>> with lenses 28/2.8, 50/1.4/1.8, 100/2.8, 200/4. I also have a tripod and
>> bounce grip 2, with two T32 flashes (and a T20 if that's any use).
>>
>> How would you do this?
>>
>> Our ceilings are white, but the walls are blue.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Ian
>>
>>
>> ==============================================
>> List usage info:     http://www.zuikoholic.com
>> List nannies:        olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
>> ==============================================
>>     
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Windows Live™ Messenger has arrived. Click here to download it for free! 
> http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/?locale=en-gb
>
>
> ==============================================
> List usage info:     http://www.zuikoholic.com
> List nannies:        olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
> ==============================================
>
>
>   
Thanks to everyone for advice and suggestions, especially with the idea 
of sunlight through a window. My current plan is to use this with the 
connected bounce/indirect T32's as fill-in. I'll experiment and see what 
happens. Once again, I'm indebted to the group for your great knowledge 
and willingness to help.

Cheers,
Ian


==============================================
List usage info:     http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies:        olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz