I've compiled a list of tips for dealing with portrait subjects, lighting, etc. and welcome your additions to the page (click on "Read/Add Comments Link".

-- Sean Noonan (stnoonan@yahoo.com), February 05, 2000

Answers

This is a useful list of tips for formal portraiture. I hope you will be able to expand it with some images showing the techniques and their results.

-- Allan Engelhardt (allane@cybaea.com), February 05, 2000.

Ditto on Allan. The only thing which concerns me is the "high-key" and "happy" equation. A large number of my shots are "high-key", but they are far from happy. For example, one of my models and I decided to do a grungy shoot last weekend; I put her in tight black clothes, knowing I was going to purposely underexpose a little so the clothes/low-Zones would have no detail, and I developed fir about 25% more time. For lighting, I put my Metz up high and to the side of her while she posed on a couch. It was direct lighting. When I printed the best shot (it was actually an un-posed flicking-a-smoke-into-an-ashtray-while-looking-rather-self-involved kind of shot) I printed it with if I remember about 150c.c.'s of magenta and 25c.c.'s of yellow filtration; there was detail in the skin, but only a little. It was VERY high-key, and far from happy (though of course we we both 'happy' with the shot itself...)...

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), February 06, 2000.

Thanks Sean. Very nice and direct tips. I agree about adding the accompanying photos to illustrate the techniques, though.

-- Barry Schmetter (bschmett@my-deja.com), February 06, 2000.