Portrait photography tips

[Kenzie]

Hello again, two threads in one day! I have been asked to do some informal anniversary photos for my sister-in-laws inlaws (if that makes sense?) for their silver anniversary as I have "a decent camera". Has anyone got any tips? I have a D3200 which has a portrait mode but I am not adverse to going into other modes. What appeture should I be using? Do I shoot jpeg or raw? I have a tripod and a remote for the camera to cut down on shake.
Need some advice as it is my first time and I don't want to mess up.

[keith_d]

Posing:

Whatever you do, don't just line everyone up in row. Enter "group portrait photography" into Google and look at the images. Sketch a selection of the poses on there to get you started. Don't be afraid to boss people around and try several different arrangements.


Lighting:

If you don't have a whole pile of flash equipment, work outdoors but avoid direct sunlight which isn't generally flattering. Visit an art shop and buy some big sheets of silver/white foam board. Use them as fill-in reflectors and to block unwanted light. Bring an a friend along to hold/move your reflectors while you look through the camera.

Shooting:

If you're not using flash, using a tripod will give you more flexibility with choosing your aperture and minimise the risk of camera shake.

Check all four corners of the viewfinder before pressing the shutter release, it'a amazing how often unwanted objects try to sneak into your pictures.

For individual portraits, use manual focus on the eyes of the nearest person, for larger groups choose an aperture which gets everyone in focus. If you're not sure which aperture you want shoot several at different apertures and select one on the computer afterwards.

[Littlepeahead]

I'd add to that set the camera to multiple not single shot and click half a dozen frames, pause, then a couple more each time in the same position. That way if sometime blinks, and someone always does, you have enough pics of the same scene to clone in the eyes so the whole group have their eyes open. Make sure you warn people you are taking more than one frame and ask them to keep looking at the lens until you tell them to stop.

[Kenzie]

Thanks for the tips. I have had a look at other photos and strung out in a line seems boring. I will however be asking them what they hope to achieve with the shots and how they want them to look.

[keith_d]

You'll probably get the answer, "Oh, we don't really know. We'd just like something nice...." So bring a few ideas along, then work with them to produce images that they are happy with.

I find the screen on the back of the camera isn't great for reviewing images. What looks nice and sharp on a 3" screen can be frustratingly soft when you see it on the big screen. So if you have time schedule a break part way through and put your first batch of images onto a PC/laptop to check them for focus and depth of field.

Remember that what you see on the laptop screen will not be the final product. You can make the final exposure and contrast adjustments from the RAW files after the event providing the basic image is sharp.

[Littlepeahead]

This is one of my favorite family portraits.... not saying you'll be in a position to get your group doing anything quite so athletic but you get the gist!

[Kenzie]

Not sure what the weather will be doing though! I will need to speak to my sis-in-law to see what they hope to achieve.