Photographing your models

[Wes]

Hi Guys

Ive always had a friend take photos for me, and thats a pain in the A##. So I recently bought a new canon DSLR camera, but have no clue what settings to use regarding focus, depth etc.

Could anyone give me some tips on how you photograph your work.

Id also like some tips on a basic lighting setup.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Regards
Wes

[406 Silverado]

Well Wes, I'm no expert and also have a lot to learn...but I can share what I do know.

Some fellas prefer to take pics in daylight, which does look great when using a nice white or gray background. I myself use a home made photobox. It's basically a large cardboard box with an open front and top. I have three clip desk lights that I use with the brightest daylight bulbs I can find.

This is the first step because if you don't have a good place to take pics with the same set up, then it really makes no sense to try and set the camera settings.

Once you have a designated area or set-up, then it's just a matter of taking test pics of a model to find the correct settings. I always use the Macro setting for models...the little flower thing you see on the settings. The white balance is the main thing to get right.
Also remember that when taking pics of white plastic to use a darker backround and not the white.

That's all I have for right now. Will post more after I've had my second cup of coffee.

[johnt]

Hi Wesley
What is the model of the camera?

cheers
Jt

[Wes]

Thanks for the response guys. It's a canon 1000d. Picked it up cheap because the new model is out apparently.

Havnt had a chance to try it yet this weekend, hopefully tomorrow though.

[TRM]

And don't let the wife and kids mess with the settings!!!

LOL...Nice camera Wesley! Maco, lowering the F-stop and lighting, big helpers. I will try and dig out a couple links of some SBS guides to pics I have read through. Well worth the read. After that , like Rob said you need to just play around with it until you find the happy medium!!

[johnt]

Hi Wesley, the reason I ask the model is I thought it might be the same as mine, I got a canon 30D. I don't know if their much the same or not.

But I can tell you what I do, though it's probably not the only way or the best way.

I set up a area on my bench with a large sheet of heavy paper as a background. I like to use two light sources each from a different side and above the model. Both lamps are the same, then as Rob says the white balance is the thing to work on to get right. I'm not sure how your camera works, but with mine I can take a photo of a white peice of paper in the setup lighting and tell the camera to use that as the custom white balance. Best to check the manual with yours.

I also put a white plastic bag over each lamp, puffed out a bit, to soften or difuse the light.

I always use a tripod, which will have a little bolt that scews into the bottom of your camera. Then I set the camera to Apperture Priority mode, and set the apperture to about f16. Then I set the shooting mode or drive to timer. All this serves to stop camera shake and take sharp images.

I usually focus on a point somewhere in the nearest third of the model. You may need to switch to manual focus if you have trouble with this.

My camera came with some good software to manipulate the images, which is very handy. You can adjust the white balance, brightness etc, and also enhance the sharpness of your images further with this software. If you have this, I recommend loading it.

I cant think of anything else now, but feel free to ask questions.

Cheers
JT

[itsonlyakit]

Hello Wesley: a few suggestions,
Borrow books on digital photography from your local library. Yes, lots of info on the net but a book in hand can be easier. Your new camera probably came with a manual, keep reading that. Large retail book stores may have a book specific to your camera - buy it. Experiment, if the shot is no good, delete it, its a digital world now. In the last year I purchased a Nikon D5000 with 3 lenses, one of which a is a 60mm specifically for close ups and I too have lots to learn.
Cheers Eh!

[Wes]

Thanks for the help so far guys. Been doing some reading up and playing a bit with my new toy.

I'm already getting satisfactory results.

[spud]

I have a cannon 5d and I mainly use the auto setting for this, basically because it works.

i Run teh Eos utility plug my usb into camara and i can see the pics on the pc this is very handy to see what they will look like, and just shoot jpg for this kind of work no need for Raw or Raw +jpg