When Teddy said "pull my finger" ..... ( PIP jff )

Re: When Teddy said "pull my finger" ..... ( PIP jff )

• Wipz member

  July 2012

  This was the shot I was really after lol
  
  

  
  

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• Baby Lynn member

  July 2012

  Okay how do you always manage to capture all his faces on camera! lol. I am jealous. Everytime Isaac sees a camera he stops what he was doing and stars at the camera. I can rarely get him to smile anymore for the camera! Funny picture!
  

  

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• Wipz member

  July 2012

  I have a digital SLR and break the rules lol .. portraits are supposed to be shot on short lenses.. personal preference for me has always been using a long lense. 300mm is not unusualy for me lol
  
  It has less focus range so you have to be very careful where your focal points are.. but it throws the backrground out of focus a touch..  so if you focus on the eyes you will notice as you get further back to ears and hair etc it starts to soften and the background softens out too the further behind it is... but it really makes the subject stand out and since your eyes  speak volumes its a great way to do portraits for single subjects or two or more where one is the center of attention. 
  
  That is why I can't photograph people who aren't "feeling it" it shows in your eyes if you aren't comfortable with the photogrpaher or the picture settings etc .. I keep it as a hobby because I refuse to do candy box retail photogrpahy like weddings etc
  
  and yes most portrait photographers hate me lol ..my photography tutor way back 20 ++ years ago took us to a pro studio and I broke every damned rule the guy taught us for  "portraits" as far as equipment, lighting, composition etc.
  
  And if it makes you feel better.. for every one great shot  you get, there are about 100 that weren't so great.. I keep them all, mainly because graphic manipulation can make even crappy shots into something fun and funky. I've turned some real mundane shots into fab prints by using an overlay technique in my darkroom... and now you can do the same with digital
  
  patience and perseverance wins everytime... sometimes you just have to sit n wait for the right moment    I like candid portraits much more than posed ones..at least to the extent that once the scene is set... catch them when they weren't actually paying attention or posing. 
  
  sorry..can you tell I am a bit passionate about photography..it's kinda sad that I let myself get so rusty the last 10 years or so..but real life took over.
  
  oh yeah and avoid glossy paper ...satin/lustre  ( Ilford paper is the bomb if you can find it and afford it ) is cool and if you have a great pic with questionable focus.. use canvas paper ..it hides so much and makes a mediocre pic awesome.

  
  

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• Baby Lynn member

  July 2012

  You really are passionate! lol. Thanks for all the tips!
  

  

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• Wipz member

  July 2012

  yup I am ..and now I have no excuse but to brush off the cobwebs since I have such a little poser to practise with lol

  
  

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• Wipz member

  July 2012

  Here's another tip.. try and get on their level even if it means lying on the floor.. you get much better shots if you aren't towering over them all the time.
  
  In these shots you can see how the background is blurred out ( I left all the crap behind him so you can see lol ) and what kind of shots you get at his eye level. Sometimes redeye is an issue if you are indoors using flash, even with a redeye and focus assist flash ..so a good piece of software like Paint Shop Pro  helps a lot... plus digital images almost always need some minor sharpening, it's just the way digital is.
  
  As you can see patience and just taking lots of shots is the key for candids.. babies are so curious, it's def worth just hangng around to see what happens...
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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