Portrait Shots (show us your best)

[Every Miles A Memory]

Yeah, these are some great shots!

Aaron, I like that you're explaining what you're doing so others can learn how you're achieving the shot...This is how they'll learn

While I agree in shooting in full shade and on overcast days are best - there is no reason to fear the flash. There are many cheap or even free flash tricks to make the flash seem more natural. The proper use of flash allows you to get those eyes bright and clear as mentioned above. Once you are comfortable with the flash you can use it to fill flash and help balance the subject vs the background.

Dont get me wrong, I dont mind using the flash, and you'll see it on my camera with a Sto-Fen Diffuser 90% of the time while I'm shooting portraits, but I still like to try and use natural light if it's available.

One of my favorite tools is simply a reflector. I have one that has silver on one side and gold on the other. My wife is always with me on all our shoots as both a 2nd shooter and this was we can assist for one another.

Having her hold the reflector and help bounce some light up under the eyes or into the shadows of the model can make or break a shot.

This was a recent shoot we did where I had the model sit under a big tree in the shade. My wife stood about 20 feet behind us out in the sun and bounced some light off the silver side of the reflector onto the model to bring out the shadows





This one she did the same thing, but used the gold side which really warms the model up and gives it a different look



This light reflector only cost $20 and it folds up small enough that it always stays in the truck behind the back seat. Heck, almost everyone here probably has one of the silver reflectors they put in their windshield to block out the sunlight. I've used that before too in a pinch

[taco2go]

Do you guys have suggestions for darker skin tones- ensuring proper exposure in natural light for varying skin color and tone.
We run the gamut in my famity.

[Lost Canadian]

If people get really interested in lighting they should check out Strobist. It's far and away the best lighting resource I've found. There's a giant strobist group pool over at flickr as well were you'll find a lot of good info.

[Every Miles A Memory]

Joash I would probably set the exposure for the darkest skin tone of the person in the shoot and you can always tone down the others in your Post Processing.

I've found it's a lot easier to tone down a blown out highlight than it is to bring out a dark, underexposed subject without showing too much grain.

I recently did a photoshoot for a family that was Middle Eastern, which was a first for me and the family ranged from very dark skin colors on the grand parents to almost pale, white skin tones on the children.

Although it took me a few minutes at first to do about 20 test shots to find the right settings, I found setting the camera up for the darkest skin tone in the group gave me the best results all in all

[taco2go]

[daPitbull]

Here's a few I did for my sister and her family a few years back...

[daPitbull]

Here is some of my son Roscoe
Couple days old...

About 6 months old



and one of my wife the day before Roscoe decided to come out...10 days overdue

[Every Miles A Memory]

Awesome shot of your son.

The first photo you did for your sister looks too yellow. I'd try and tone down that saturation a bit.

Great shot Joash!!

[ywen]

[Every Miles A Memory]

ywen, those are some stellar shots!

Love, love, love the one of the couple beneith the oak tree that is lit up!