Need Advice

[Azp]

Hi everyone, I was hoping to get some basic tips on photographing people. In this case I've been asked to photograph a singingQuartet (not during a performance). I only ever really take nature and landscapes and I'm a novice at that too. I just need some basic tips on shooting people, like height arrangement, hair colour (if that matters)and a whole heap of other stuff that i cant think of but is probably important. What are the basics? They're friends and i just want to do a decent job of it. I really have no idea so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,

Alex

[goldtop1122]

To me the most important thing is the lighting. The better your lighting the better your chances of a great shot. If you don't have lights; outside is a good place to try for a group shot.About an hourbefore dark or on any overcast day.

[24Peter]

1. Trust your instincts. If you're a good photographer, it will carry over to anything you decide to shoot.

2. Don't over think things. Again, trust your instincts.

3. Study other people's work on-line. Then ask questions of them.

4. Buy a book on shooting people.

5. Practice. Practice. Practice.Find a friend(s) or family member(s) and try out a bunch of different things. If you can't find another warm body use your self timer and shoot you (most of the practice photos I've taken have been of myself - maybe 5,000 shots at this point.) If you don't want to shoot yourself, put some clothes on a coat rack or light stand or go buy a manequin.

[jbigfoot]

I hope I'm not too late.

I don't know what type of group this is, but the surroundings should reflect the character of the group, obviously. The attached photo was when I was playing for a Cobra rally; we just picked the best-looking car in the bunch and surrounded it.

Background is important, too. It wouldn't look good to line 'em up against a wall and fire away.

If you don't have access to a pro lighting kit (i.e., 2 umbrellas or soft boxes to evenly light from each side), what I would do is this: use LBG: Lighting By God (take it outside). If you can find the edge of a forest, or a clump of trees, a day where there's no harsh overhead lighting would be good for a general-purpose shot.

I once photographed my band on some railroad tracks when the sun was high overhead. Harsh shadows, hard lines of the tracks, etc., made a good picture for a rock band.

There are a zillion options, it's a question of creativity and making the best use of what's at hand.

[raiderrr]

Probably too late to help...(sorry) but one general rule that almost always applies is GET CLOSE! The subject in this case is the people, not the wall or tree or fire engine that they are near / in front of. The most interesting thing is usually the faces! So in order to get the detail, get close! This also prevents the need to resize or crop the original to get a satisfactory result. Good luck

[PTB Stalker]

Don`t forget to properly set the white light balance for the lighting condition.

Think close up, wide angle, and variety of camera angles.

Filler flash can remove shadows.

Here`s a sample of a filler flash shot. The band was playing underneath a awning late in the afternoon, and without the fill flash the faces would have been all in a shadow.