Help with group portrait?
Keith Soldavin
sophmore class and I would like some advice. I am planning to take the
picture outside and the weather calls for partly cloudy skies and warm so I
was planning on using a slow film so that the enlargemnts will come out
relatively grainless. I was planning on using Kodak Royal Gold 100 but I was
wondering if there was a better film out there for the job. I was considering
royal gold 25 but I think that might be too slow. Can anyone sugest a film
that might be better for the job. Another question concerns the number of
photos to take. I had planned on bracketing the photos one stop higher and
lower so I have some latitude in the final print but I don't know how many
sets I should take. Should I shoot an entire roll to get a good picture? I
am hopeing that somone out there has done something similar and might have
sugestionss that could help. Thanks in advance for all your help.
Keith Soldavin
kas...@email.psu.edu
R. Clayton McKee
The film depends on the intended size of the enlargement and the
size of the class. In general, the slower the better. I'd probably use
25 if I was using 35mm.
Shoot the whole roll. With neg film you don't really NEED to
bracket too much, but a roll of film is what, $5 or so? Cheap.
(Especially since you're going to have to have it developed almost
immediately anyway and can't develop a partial roll....)
The film cost ought to bill separately anyway, IMO, and I refuse
to bill for partial rolls. Even pigs gotta have SOME standards...<G>
--
R. Clayton McKee
Photojournalist/Writer <> cmc...@brewich.com
P O Box 571900 <> 713/783-3502 voice
Houston, TX 77257-1900 <> 713/327-6120 pager
WmMorton
In article <kas219.67...@email.psu.edu>, kas...@email.psu.edu (Keith
Soldavin) writes:
>I have been asked to take an informal group portait this weekend of our
>sophmore class and I would like some advice. I am planning to take the
>picture outside and the weather calls for partly cloudy skies and warm so
I
>was planning on using a slow film so that the enlargemnts will come out
>relatively grainless. I was planning on using Kodak Royal Gold 100 but I
was
>wondering if there was a better film out there for the job. I was
considering
>royal gold 25 but I think that might be too slow. Can anyone sugest a
film
>that might be better for the job. Another question concerns the number
of
>photos to take. I had planned on bracketing the photos one stop higher
and
>lower so I have some latitude in the final print but I don't know how
many
>sets I should take. Should I shoot an entire roll to get a good picture?
I'd recommend shooting 2 or 3 times as many shots as you think you'll
need! Bracketing, IMHO, is unnecessary with print film. As long as you
don't underexpose you should be okay. I don't know how many people will
be in this shot, but the thing to remember in this situation is that in
any one shot you're bound to have at least ONE person with their eyes
closed or sneezing or talking or with a funny expression. Law of averages
says that you'll want a lot of possibilities to choose from. (My personal
theory is that getting ONE GREAT SHOT gets exponentially more difficult
for each person you add... i.e., getting 2 people to both look great at
the same time is 4 times as hard as solo, 3 people looking great
simultaneously is 9 times as hard, etc...)
As for film, I'm a Kodak VPS or Fuji NPS fan for close in portraits and a
Fuji Reala fan for outside or groups (where you'll likely have more color
to take advantage of). I'd recommend Reala, processed by a good pro lab
who can number the back of each proof. (If your proofs aren't numbered
you'll have a he** of a time figuring out which neg matches the one print
of a large group that most people like the best!)
BTW, don't forget to stagger the heights of the rows of students, and
shoot from a high camera position so that your plane of focus is more
parellel to your film plane. This will compress your depth of field, so
to speak.. Good luck!
0 \O
0 |
0 _ / \_
0 ====
0 | |
0 | |
| | |
/\
(Hope this "graphic" looks correct when you view it!!)
William Morton
Second Glance Photography
Escondido, CA (San Diego)
William Morton
Second Glance Photography
Escondido, CA (San Diego)
sho...@n2.net
WmMo...@aol.com
72714,26...@compuserve.com
Tim Witort
In article <kas219.67...@email.psu.edu>,
kas...@email.psu.edu (Keith Soldavin) wrote:
> I have been asked to take an informal group portait this weekend of our
> sophmore class and I would like some advice. I am planning to take the
> picture outside and the weather calls for partly cloudy skies and warm so I
> was planning on using a slow film so that the enlargemnts will come out
> relatively grainless. I was planning on using Kodak Royal Gold 100 but I was
> wondering if there was a better film out there for the job. I was considering
> royal gold 25 but I think that might be too slow. Can anyone sugest a film
> that might be better for the job. Another question concerns the number of
> photos to take. I had planned on bracketing the photos one stop higher and
> lower so I have some latitude in the final print but I don't know how many
> sets I should take. Should I shoot an entire roll to get a good picture? I
> sugestionss that could help. Thanks in advance for all your help.
I would shoot a whole roll. Expose your main shots by metering
a caucasian face or skin, then opening up one stop. Then, if you feel
it's necessary (though it shouldn't be), bracket. Unless your scene
is very high contrast (the darkest area where you need detail is more than
4 stops darker than the caucasian skin or the lightest area is more than
2 stops lighter than the caucasian skin), then I would forget about bracketing.
If you measure the exposure correctly (as mentioned above), then bracketing
is only going to give you over and underexposed versions of the same image.
Just recheck your exposure setting several times during the shoot.
-- Tim
GTownSand
The few times that I have shot Ektar 25 or Royal Gold 25 outdoors it
seemed *really* contrasty. You might also want to consider flash fill,
especially if it is a bright day/direct sun - this might eliminate the
eye-socket shadows.
Good luck.
Phil Chang
K(:I have been asked to take an informal group portait this weekend of our
K(:sophmore class and I would like some advice. I am planning to take the
K(:picture outside and the weather calls for partly cloudy skies and warm so I
K(:was planning on using a slow film so that the enlargemnts will come out
K(:relatively grainless. I was planning on using Kodak Royal Gold 100 but I
K(:was
K(:wondering if there was a better film out there for the job. I was
K(:considering
K(:royal gold 25 but I think that might be too slow. Can anyone sugest a film
K(:that might be better for the job. Another question concerns the number of
K(:photos to take. I had planned on bracketing the photos one stop higher and
K(:lower so I have some latitude in the final print but I don't know how many
K(:sets I should take. Should I shoot an entire roll to get a good picture? I
K(:am hopeing that somone out there has done something similar and might have
K(:sugestionss that could help. Thanks in advance for all your help.
K(:Keith Soldavin
K(:kas...@email.psu.edu
ISO 25 will be too slow. Stick to ISO 100 or 200. Don't bother
bracketing. With +2 to -1 stop latitude, you'll be covered. Then again,
if you only bracket in half stops, after the printer gets done with your
stuff you'll be hard pressed to see the difference. Just be sure to
exposue properly.
Plan on about 125 to 150 photos for the wedding (that includes 3 shots
of each posed photo to be sure eyes are open).
My biggest piece of advise would be this: When using flash, try to keep
the flash exposure (f/stop - controled by power output, auto setting or
flash-subject distance) the same as the ambient (or as close as
possible). This will provide two things: It keeps the background (area
beyond the coverage of the flash) properly exposed instead of going real
dark, and secondly, IF your flash doesn't fire, you still have a good
ambient exposure.
Good luck!
phil