So apparently I am the best ‘photographer’ my friends know and have been asked by more than one to photograph their kids but thus far I haven’t done anything yet. Friday I am actually going to give it a shot. My buddies kid is 18 mos old so she is getting to the point where she might be able to take direction on what to do, depending on her mood of course. lol
Any tips? All I have is my d40. no fancy flash set ups or anything like that. I’m not creative when it comes to this stuff but some idea’s I’ve had is to go the the library and have her reading a book and at the mall ‘shopping’ (They live in batavia so the mall is basically jc pennys which is always dead)
I’m not really sure what I am asking for but I’m sure all-knowing nyspeed will be able to point me in the right direction.
Yes and no. I’ve seen a lot of people get so caught up in the technical aspect when they start shooting, that their creative touch sacrifices.
Worry about the ideas first, then work on lighting. If you have good lighting on a shitty photo, it’s still a shitty photo. That isn’t to say that you should completely ignore lighting by any means, but focus on creativity first.
It sounds like you’ll do ok with ideas. Just keep them coming and don’t be afraid to try stuff out. If you want to borrow my SB600, you’re more than welcome to. But I would suggest a little practice before going into a shoot with it.
IMO, parents aren’t really worried about creativity though. They just want to see clear, not blurry pictures with good backgrounds and their kids looking cute.
That’s not to say the OP should ignore creativity, but I think he definitely needs to make sure the subject is clear (not in shadows, crisp focus, etc…).
+1 on the lens question. I have found that my 50mm f/1.8 is great for this type of work. They make the same lens in 35mm too. I would recommend hunting one down to at least borrow for this.
Technically on a DX sensor it gives you the 75mm feel, the FX sensor cameras make it the true 50mm. the 1.8f lens should also autofocus on your D40. Great lens!
An 18 month old in winter is probably going to be indoor photography and the stock flash on the D40 (and any SLR) is pretty crappy.
Practice around your house playing with the white balance (take it from auto to flash etc) and see how the pictures look. I personally hate shooting with white balance auto with flash indoors because it washes everything out. With white balance set to flash you get MUCH better skin tones and color, but you risk the background getting lost in shadows.
Have a bright and noisy toy the kid hasn’t seen before. Have one of the parents use the toy to direct the child’s attention in the direction you want for the shot. Working with kids is really tough if they’re not having fun.
And since lighting is probably going to be your biggest challenge, shoot in RAW mode. You’ll have more opportunity to fix a lighting mistake in post processing this way.
You shouldn’t even be bothering with this at all. There is only one mode you should be shooting in, and that’s RAW. White balance now becomes a moot point as you set it in post processing. I never shoot in jpeg.
I only have the stock f/3.5. It wont always go that low though. Same thing with it not allowing me to take a picture if its too dark when its in full manual. Which is bull shit. It should go to whatever I set it to and take the picture no matter what.
As for lighting, I never use a flash (since I only have the built in one). I hate how it makes the picture look. I’d rather compensate with camera settings. Thanks for offering Paul, but I don’t like borrowing peoples stuff (plus Buffalo is 2hrs round trip away).
I guess I’ll just make sure its in raw and hope for the best.
If I didn’t get a great deal on the 50mm, I would have definitely gotten the 35mm. The 50 is annoying because I have to stand SO far back from the subject.
I get an error message when I open it, not that it doesn’t use CS4 to try. I’ve read a few solutions but none have worked. I plan to re-format my HD soon anyhow so when I do I’ll use CS5 and see what happens.
The widest aperture is only possible in the widest zoom. The problem with it not taking a picture may have something to do with the AutoFocus. Try turning it to manual focus, adjust it yourself and give it a shot.
As for lighting, I never use a flash (since I only have the built in one). I hate how it makes the picture look. I’d rather compensate with camera settings. Thanks for offering Paul, but I don’t like borrowing peoples stuff (plus Buffalo is 2hrs round trip away).
Definitely do not use the stock flash. And if you ever consider getting another lens take a look at the 35mm 1.8. It’s only like $150.
I guess I’ll just make sure its in raw and hope for the best.
Take a few shots now and make sure that you have the software to edit them properly and understand what you’re working with.
Pop up flashes are certainly not great, but can be set to be at least somewhat usable. They are always set with way too high intensity, if you can turn it down you sometimes can get decent results with it. Canon you can adjust this with, not sure on Nikon. By no means will this replace a good speedlight, but its sometimes better than nothing.