Girls / Cycles photo shoot

[WWJD]

I am working to setup a tasteful [read non-nekked] photo shoot with some local models and bikes. I know NOTHING about photography other than frame something creatively, autofocus, skip flash when possible, and shoot. I am using the Canon s500 and a tripod as well as free handing. The most I know about lighting is what I have seen on TV shows where I see people holding up large white ambient light reflectors to splash the shadow areas to be brighter like bright soon at noon overhead but shadows on face replashed with splashed light - I'm making the terminology up as I go. The other thing I've noticed is that setting sun shots add that warm beach-like glow to everything when the light is turning orange. An example of that is below. The overall goal is professional looking pics for a calendar and still on a DVD. I won't be profiting from this as it's just for fun and experinece so please don't ask for money to help me. Just be nice and help me anyway.

Anyone here have some EXPERIENCED tips in this field. All input is appriciated. It is simple to point and shoot a girl on or around a bike. I'm going for faked PROFESSIONAL LEVEL looking shots. Lay it on me!

 

[Iced]

 

[VaBusa]

Looking for a date again WWJD?!

"Hey, want to pose for me in an almost professional photo shoot? It's for a good cause..."

My advice...make sure they're legal and have had their shots...

I'm just giving you a hard time...I'm sure BT can give you some tips...hell, he may even offer to show up and help you out!

 

[BulletTrain]

To get professional results, you'll need to use equipment sort of like the pros use. You'll want a large, soft light source or two for most types of shots. You can buy photo floods with big soft boxes attached to them, or you can do what I've been plannin' to do for some of my shots... You can make your own large, soft, bounced light sources. With most digital cameras (S500 included) you can do a custom or manual white balance and use almost any light source.

My plans are to go to Home Depot, get a couple of those halogen positional flood/shop lights (I think they come in 500w and 1000w) for my light sources. To soften the lighting I'll either build a frame and make a soft panel out of an old white sheet to shine the light through, or I'll build a flat panel out of some thin plywood or some foam board and I'll face teh lights away from the subject, onto the boards makin' them the actual light source. Usin' lighting like this, you want to make sure that your main light source(s) overpower(s) any other lighting so that you don't end up with mixed lighting and wierd colors as a result.

When shooting, you'll want one of your light sources off to the side, maybe at a 45 degree angle from your location in relation to the subject. The other will need to be pretty close to the camera location and preferably just a bit higher than the camera. Maybe two feet up and two feet to the opposite side of camera position from the main light. The light to the side should be your main light. The one near camera location should be used to fill the shadows. You can play with using different strength lights and with the distance of each light from the subject to get the proper lighting ratio.

You can also use the sun as your main light and use fill flash and/or reflectors (big white or gold ones) to fill the shadows. That takes lots of practice and a good knowledge of how to control the flash output by using flash compensation. Here is where you also run into one of the limitations of the S500. There is no way to control flash output by adjusting flash compensation. The best you can do is set it to forced flash (lightning bolt without the "A") and hope the camera doesn't wash out yer photo with too much flash. That's one reason I'm lookin' to upgrade from the S500 to the G5 or digital rebel. More flash control and options, including using my 550EX hotshoe mounted flash.

Hope this helps. It's hard to explain pro lighting in a single thread. Lots of things you only really pick up from experience and experimentation.

 

[phatjoe]

hey thats my avitar angel veil me likey thanks wwjd  8===========D~~~~~~~



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[Revlis]

Sorry WWJD... There is NO "Fake" Professional results... Not really... You can get sorta close, but photo's like the one you posted are not just a matter of point and shoot. If it were so easy there would be No such thing as professional photographers. There is just as much Art (maybe More) as Science involved, it just isn't all that simple. Bulletrain nailed this pretty well above.

You'll find your equipment lacking almost instantly, I love my S500 but I have no illusions regarding it's abilities or lack of. Lighting is going to be your enemy just like Bullet was saying... At a minimum you will need some external lighting, and a slaved/remote flash. I use the 3600HSD Flash with my Minolta and it works OK for filling shadows and avoiding the hot spots common with a small digital Camera. So if you really want to produce production quality stuff a new camera will really help... OK OK enough of the Cant's...

I bought 4 el cheepo Clamp-on old school shop lights. Remember these? With the aluminum reflector and clip base? Dad Prolly had a few. Anyway, you can pick them up for about $2.99 each. These you pack with just about anything you want depending on what you want. Just pay attention to types of bulbs. Halogens, VS Flourescent, VS Incandescent. They are all useful depending on the look your after. With the clamps they can be positioned just about anywhere and it's not too hard to build reflectors for them... Experiment and play around, you'll find things you like and work well.

Outdoors... using the sun is a good way to go, just do what BT mentioned...

After you capture your images and got things working out for you that way your going to need a photo editor... Photoshop is the only way to go... IMHO Then you'll prolly need a layout program though you could get away at this point with just taking your 300DPI images and a mockup to a graphics shop (Not Kinkos), explain to them what is you want to see and let them do the layout for you... It's frequently more cost effective and quicker...

So not saying that what your after is impossible, I guess... Not really... But it's going to be a poop ton of work to get it right, but it should also be fun... And now that I think about it, you really could get away with the S500... But it's going to be a case of working to the camera's strengths... I do recommend that your wife be present for any Nude/Bikini shoots... Trust me on this, it will make things move along much better and really it puts everyone at ease and you can get better results... Plus, you will prolly need the help.

Lastly Models... Strippers are a fuggin pain in the ass and not worth the time, effort, and Drama. If there is a University near you that would be a good place to start, and again, your wife will come in very handy...or girlfriend... Hell Both if your properly squared away.... I mean handy in finding willing models who will work for cheap.

I can prolly lend some Photoshop tips or help if you need it when the time comes.... But make certain you capture good images, no amount of photoshopping can clean and perfect what isn't there....

I'm rattling I know... Sorry about that...

 

[WWJD]

Hope this helps. It's hard to explain pro lighting in a single thread. Lots of things you only really pick up from experience and experimentation.

Thanks BT, that is perfect advice for me! It helps A LOT! NOW i know at least a lil bit about doign this right!

It will all be outdoors, so I'm think of the large refelctions stuff.

Thanks REV, MORE great info. I can borrow PS from work for a while since we have spare licenses not in use at the moment. I do think I can get what I want form the S500 after messing with it like I have. And I will DEFINITELY ask a Q or 2 about using photoshop. The models are all level headed College girls - a pack of friends - one of whom I'm sort of already dating... ooh my wife is gonna be pissed!!! Oh wait! I forgot - no wife! bahahahhhaa. There won't be any nude stuff. All tasteful, pretty, sexy, artistic etc etc

Thanks for the input guys. I haven't picked all locations and printed up waivers to sign yet but I'll post pics when we start rolling.

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

uhhh....the noob just got lost. Aaah! Exactly how I feel!

 

[Mikey D]

uhhh....the noob just got lost. Aaah! Exactly how I feel!

Me too. Got any spare bunnies?

 

[WWJD]

Pac, the shaving door is in the back on the left. Use it and... QUIT THREAD-JACKING MY TOPIC!!

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

uhhh....the noob just got lost. Aaah! Exactly how I feel!

Me too. Got any spare bunnies?

Sure do, Mikey! Here ya go! (snickers at WWJD)

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

Pac, the shaving door is in the back on the left.  Use it and... QUIT THREAD-JACKING MY TOPIC!!      

Aaah....thank you! I was wondering when they would point that out to me.

Heheh....just for you, WWJD. My weapon of choice.

"Fair sir....will ye joust?"

 

[Lazerblade]

A long time ago I posted many pictures of Angora Bunnies on this site. I don't have them any more, sorry.

 

[diesel]

I am working to setup a tasteful [read non-nekked] photo shoot with some local models and bikes. I know NOTHING .........

Exactly!!!!! tasteful=nekkid
just jerkin' your chain, man.

 

[SmiLyPR4U]

Would love to help, but I'm too far. Good luck!!!

 

[WWJD]

Just some quick background so folks don't think I've gone porn: I have worked to replace a photographer on this project as an effort to 1) provide a better quality product 2) to make certain bad things are not done to young innocent people. With me directing the shoot, it will stay professional and come out looking good and no one will get hurt. I don't want to explain any detail by that except to say some crowds I run with are very NOT christian, but I am there for a reason. I can't recommend this sort of thing for most Christians, and I do take a lot of local flack, but life for others is not all rosey. Some of the girls plan to use this in their portfolio furthering their modeling career. I hope it works out for them. This would go down with or without me, but with me, no nekkedness will ocurr.

 

[Postal]

Just some quick background so folks don't think I've gone porn:  I have worked to replace a photographer on this project as an effort to 1) provide a better quality product 2) to make certain bad things are not done to young innocent people.  With me directing the shoot, it will stay professional and come out looking good and no one will get hurt.  I don't want to explain any detail by that except to say some crowds I run with are very NOT christian, but I am there for a reason.  I can't recommend this sort of thing for most Christians, and I do take a lot of local flack, but life for others is not all rosey.  Some of the girls plan to use this in their portfolio furthering their modeling career.  I hope it works out for them.  This would go down with or without me, but with me, no nekkedness will ocurr.  

Cool! Keep up the good work...

 

[BulletTrain]

Just some quick background so folks don't think I've gone porn:  I have worked to replace a photographer on this project as an effort to 1) provide a better quality product 2) to make certain bad things are not done to young innocent people.  With me directing the shoot, it will stay professional and come out looking good and no one will get hurt.  I don't want to explain any detail by that except to say some crowds I run with are very NOT christian, but I am there for a reason.  I can't recommend this sort of thing for most Christians, and I do take a lot of local flack, but life for others is not all rosey.  Some of the girls plan to use this in their portfolio furthering their modeling career.  I hope it works out for them.  This would go down with or without me, but with me, no nekkedness will ocurr.  

Hey WWJD, I've been thinkin' about your plans and the more I think about usin' the S500 for something like this, the more I think it's not such a good idea, man. Especially if some of the girls are thinkin' about usin' yer shots for their portfolio. Have you thought about maybe renting a higher end Digital SLR for the shoot? A lot of the major camera retailers rent equipment. You might even be able to rent some decent lighting or reflectors as well. Just a thought.

I'm not knockin' the S500, I just don't think it's quite what you really need for this. If I lived close and still had my DSLR I'd let you use it, or even help with the shoot. I'm not much help though seein' as how I don't have one anymore and I'm not next door.

Good on ya for steppin' up and lookin' out for the young girlies. Young girls these days seem to lack self confidence and self respect to the point that they are willing to do just about anything if someone pays them a little attention and makes 'em feel attractive. There are LOTS of predators out there who would exploit them and take advantage of their low self esteem. In fact, some make their living by takin' advantage of them. You seen what the guy who started Girls Gone Wild makes a year?

I don't remember exactly, but he's got a personal jet and millions of dollars all because those young girls don't think anymore of themselves than to git nekkid in public on camera for neck beads, drinks, a few bucks, a t-shirt, etc...

Anyway, it's cool to see you step up if you think these girls might be taken advantage of in any way.

 

[cache]

here is one I took when leaving a H(.)(.)TERS recently in the Seattle area.....

photo not good quality, some Widmere induction involved..............

 

[AZTECWARRIOR]

i THINK i'll make an exception in my "do not touch" my paint job rule

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