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| *SoulEyes Photography>>>Photography Tips |
Prom photography tips please? |
I've been hired to take pictures for a group of girls before their prom. The setting is going to be near the waterfront, and during dinner. I'm an amateur photographer, but any additional tips, suggestions would be appreciated... I CANNOT screw this up. Thanks!! I had to shoot a Quincinera a few months ago and was faced with a similar situation. But here's the thing - kids tend to be hyperactive during proms and similar events, so you have to harness that energy. Luckily for me, the young men and women that I was shooting were part of a drama group, so they were forever mugging for the camera, grabbing their friends and posing, etc. Don't be afraid to direct them and tell them how to pose! Kids EXPECT to be told what to do. In fact, you might be surprised how readily kids will take directions from a photographer - and the kids you might have difficulty directing will be brought into line by their friends. The time for informal, candid shots is in the limo, at the dance or in the dressing room if they're all getting ready together. Shooting candids of the kids milling about prior to the dance may yield disappointing results. Young girls, especially before a prom, are very conscious of how they look and want to remember their special day as if they were being coronated. THAT's the time to get in close for portraits. One thing you can have them do is have them all jump at the same time. Have them REALLY get into it with their arms flailing in the air - just make sure everyone has some room to jump without obstructing anyone else! I have what would otherwise be a GREAT shot, except that one of the girl's faces is obscured by someone's arm. Oh yeah, make them take off their shoes first - you don't want to be responsible for any broken ankles. If it's near the water front, you could pose them as a group, off to one side, with the sun at their backs and off to the other side - get one of their dates to help you by strobbing the girls with an off camera flash (be sure to vary your angles). Then, do the opposite - pose them facing the sun - which, if its close enough to sundown shouldn't make them squint - and have someone, out of sight, strobe them from behind to provide some nice rim lighting. If you don't have an ultra wide lens or fisheye lens, rent one. It might be the best $20 you ever spent when you get inside their limo. If any of the girls have bouquets (maybe you could play it safe and bring a couple - here in California you can get cheap bouquets at the local swap meet), do a group headshot with the flowers front and center. If you want to get really artsy, make sure their chins are just below the rim of the flowers ... or get real extreme and have each of the girls peeking over the flowers so all you get are the eyes and upper face. Bring LOTS of film (or digital cards). If shooting digital, be sure to check, double check and triple check your white balance settings from time to time! Don't be afraid to use your flash. But also switch up your ASA settings to make the most of available light (which always looks better than flash anyway). Also, if you have a rear curtain flash on your camera, know how to use it, especially if shooting in a dark area with lots of small lights. Sometimes limos have small, christmas like lights rimming the interior - you can get great trails off these lights by using rear curtain flash. Otherwise, remember the old photographer's maxim, "f/8 and be there." Good advice, especially when shooting with flash. Depending on your ASA settings, you can get decent results by setting the aperture to f/8 and alternating your shutter speed between 1/60th and 1/250. Do you have a diffuser on your flash? If not, get one. They're cheap and invaluable. When possible, bounce your flash off walls and ceilings. And make sure that you have plenty of back up batteries. You may want to consider renting a Quantum battery pack - this way you can fire off several shots in a row without having to wait for the flash to recycle. If you have other questions, drop me a line. Good luck! Don't forget he cardnal rules of photography, make sure that there is noting red near the subject as red draw the eye. Colour and lighting are the two most important things so use them to your advantage. Try taking pictures with the water behind them but make sure use use a defuser if the sun is high or move around the subject to make sure the sun doesn't overpower the shot. Just have fun, when your having fun they have fun and the pictures turn out better, more natural then posed and they will appreciate it many years down the road. I'd do individual shots as well as group. Position them a bit sideways for the full length shots that way they'll look thinner. In group shots watch that they all have a good facial expression. Since you are shooting outside use flash fill or a reflector to bring more light to their faces so the eyes don't look too dark |
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