Portrait photography - anyone?

[Radec]

I am interested in learning very professional portrait and family
photography. Can anyone recommend the best moderately priced camera for
this purpose? I assume my quality 35 mm will be too grainy. I will
appreciate your thoughts on this and the best way for me to get started.
EC

[Joseph Meehan]

I would suggest two directions.

First find a school or seminar on portrait photography. I would say
this is a good start, but not a finish.

Second direction is to sign on to work with a professional. Find one
who's work you like and who will not be competing with if you want to do
this professionally.

Equipment choice is about third on a list of the two important factors
in taking good portraits. First is knowledge and second is a natural
ability. (the science and the art)

From 35 mm to 8x10 the different equipment will not make the picture
better. It may make it different. So take a look at what those who's work
you like use. Ask them why. Just because one uses nothing less than 8x10
does not mean that large format is the secrete to success.

--
Joseph Meehan

[jack rucker]

also, todays films are much better about grain. When I started doing
portraits, it was impossible to find a 35mm film that would enlarge past
8x10 without some noticable grain. (granted, just because I noticed it
doesn't mean the client would.) So I shot in medium format. Two things
have made me reverse that; 1) the better films today. I can get 20x30 out
of them and not have a problem with grain. 2) i do my retouching digitally,
now. It's not practical to spend $15,000 for a film writer (I go back to
film to print) that will write to a 2 1/4 format, when I can go back to 35mm
for less than a 1/5 of the price.

But, as has been pointed out; a bigger neg. will not a better photographer
make. True, if you use a larger format you become more conservitive, but as
I tell everyone, learn in 35mm. It's cheaper and easier.

Learn how to pose and group and it won't matter what camera you use.

jack

----------
In article <u1fZWgMd$GA.245@cpmsnbbsa05>, "Radec" <rade...@email.msn.com>
wrote:

[Rroberts549]

In article <v_Xp4.139$vT2....@ratbert.tds.net>, "jack rucker" <q...@tds.net>
writes:

>
>also, todays films are much better about grain. When I started doing
>portraits, it was impossible to find a 35mm film that would enlarge past
>8x10 without some noticable grain. (granted, just because I noticed it
>doesn't mean the client would.) So I shot in medium format. Two things
>have made me reverse that; 1) the better films today. I can get 20x30 out
>of them and not have a problem with grain. 2) i do my retouching digitally,
>now. It's not practical to spend $15,000 for a film writer (I go back to
>film to print) that will write to a 2 1/4 format, when I can go back to 35mm
>for less than a 1/5 of the price.
>
>But, as has been pointed out; a bigger neg. will not a better photographer
>make. True, if you use a larger format you become more conservitive, but as
>I tell everyone, learn in 35mm. It's cheaper and easier.
>

>Learn how to pose and group and it won't matter what camera you u use.

Jack!!! Well Said!! I have gone back to 35mm, still a couple of things I
do on 120/220 but that is fading fast.

Ron