Technique: Which background should we use? That's a question with a million answers; the
answer is: It depends. It depends upon what effect we're after,
which mood we wish to create, how we choose to present our victim
(um, er, our "subject," that is:) to the world. But
there are a few basic guidelines we can follow. If our victim
has striking blue eyes, for example (blue, brown, or whatever
color, if their eyes are beautiful, use a backdrop with similar
colors), but for this discussion, if our subject has beautiful
brown eyes, consider a background with browns, tans, or golds
as a prominent color. If our victim has wonderful blond hair,
consider using a backdrop with gold, tans, or light browns in
it. If our subject is wearing a red blouse or dress, use a background
with reds or pinks among its colors. If our subject is wearing
a green suit, consider a backdrop with greens and/or blacks in
it. It's our job - as photographers - to make our subjects (whether
they're people in portrait pictures, or products, or buildings)
look as good as we possibly can. And one of our most powerful
and potent allies in this quest is the use of backgrounds! It's
up to us to make our pictures make our subjects look as
beautiful (or handsome, or striking, etc.) as we possibly can!
If you can't afford a professional background (check my other
auctions and eBay store for some great backdrops), then use a
sheet, or go to a local fabric store and buy some solid color
fabrics for use as backgrounds (avoid patterns and busy designs
like the plague! They detract from our images, and look like
doo-doo in the final print).
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The
Portrait Session: If,
for example, we're doing a portrait session, and we only have
a background with blues and browns among its prominent colors
(like my great "Stormy Weather" background in my eBay store) to work with (hey, not all
of us can afford to have dozens of different backgrounds when
we're just starting out, y'know), what do we do? That's easy:
tell our portrait client to bring two (or more) changes of clothes;
in one set of clothes, wear something blue, and in the other
set of clothes, bring something brown or gold! This way, we get
to make our clients look great using the backgrounds we already
have! Also, tell them to bring one dressy outfit, and one casual
outfit, so we can get images that show them urbane and sophisticated,
and another set of images with them casual and comfortable. Oh
yes, and this way we get to sell them twice the number
of prints, too! One set for business and impressing folks, and
one set showing that they're pretty darn attractive in jeans
& cowboy boots, too (or whatever their particular casual
attire may be).
Tip
1: Ask the client what they enjoy doing;
ask them about their hobbies, their passions, their interests.
If they play the guitar, have them bring one along; if they love
basketball, have them bring one to the session; if they just
adore their dog or cat, bring them, too (more pictures, more
poses, equal more SALES!).
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Tip
2: If they have a child,
then tell them to bring the child along (unless it's strictly
a business sitting, where children would be inappropriate), and
bring a couple of sets of clothing for each child. too. Make
some exposures (in addition to the standard single-subject portrait
poses, of course) with the victim and the child, and some exposures
of the child alone. Have the child in dressy clothes for some
shots, and in play clothes for another set of shots (film is
the cheapest part of your costs, so don't be afraid to use a
lot). Then, be SURE to ask the subject to bring the child's grandparents
(or uncles & aunts) along to view the prints - I guarantee
you, 90% of the time, the grandparents will - at the very least
- triple your sale! They just can't resist ordering pictures
of their little darlings! A couple of 11 x 14s for the walls
in the house (and for the office walls, too); a few 5 x 7s for
their relatives, and some wallet-size prints, to carry with them!
Remember, you're not only a photographer - you're also
in business to make a living (quite a nice living, too,
if you use your head)! See my other web pages and auctions for
some more tips.
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Explanation: Just in case you were uncertain about
what I meant when I said "bring the child's grandparents
(or uncles & aunts) along to view the prints," above,
here's how it usually works: We do the portrait sessions, where
we make all the exposures (take all the pictures). Then, when
we get back the proof sheets (or prints) of the photo session,
we go over all the pictures and we pick out the best shots (depending
upon the reasons for the shoot, and the uses to be made of the
final pictures; for example, in student pictures for high school
or college yearbooks, we may only want 1 or 2 poses; for private
portrait sittings, we may want 5 to 15 poses). We NEVER let our
subjects see the shots that came out looking like doo-doo! We
show them only the best shots. So, depending upon the requirements
of our photo sessions, we choose the very best pictures from
the entire shoot (2 or 10 or 20 poses, etc.), and we have our
photo lab send us prints of the best shots (usually, I have 1
or two 8 x 10s, 4-6 5 x 7s, and perhaps 3-6 4 x 6s printed).
We then put the 8 x 10s and 5 x 7s in beautiful frames, and set
the others alongside them. We then call the customer(s) and make
an appointment for them to come in to view the pictures (or we
can go to the customers place, too). We present them with the
best prints and let them "ooh and aah" over their beautiful
pictures. Then, we ask them to choose which pictures they want,
and at what size they want each pose (11 x 14" or 8 x 10,
or 5 x 7, or wallets, etc.). Then we ask which frame they want
with their pictures (substantial extra income for us:). Try to
invite as many grandparents as possible to the viewing of kid's
pix; they spend the most! :-) Then, the most important part of
the whole process occurs: our appreciative clients whip out the
checkbook, and we run to the bank to collect our well-deserved
(and quickly-escalating) fees! Soon, Sports Illustrated, National
Geographic, and Playboy magazines send us to the world's most
beautiful and exotic places (first class, of course), along with
a couple of dozen exquisitely beautiful, world-class models to
photograph (in various degrees of undress) for them. Fame, wealth,
and public adulation, soon follow. Ahh, life is good! But when
you're rich and famous, don't forget who helped you get there
(little ol' moi), and have the limo driver swing by to pick me
up on the way to your next exotic locale. :-)
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Quickie
Technique #3: Portraits
- Set the camera at subject's eye level; focus on the eyes; light
one side of the face brighter than the other (half in light to
medium shadow); to hide wrinkles use umbrellas or softbox; to
de-emphasize a large nose, raise camera level slightly and shoot
full or 3/4 face (not profile); to de-emphasize a receding hairline,
lower camera slightly or have subject raise head slightly. More
"quickie technique" information will be included in
other web pages and eBay auction descriptions. Thank you for
viewing this page, and good luck!
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