Winter Portrait Shots

[kat]

Thought I had this in my head now I'm all confused..and shooting in a couple of hours.

Aperture or Manual?

I was going to spot meter, manual and go up a stop or two as need be. Fill flash if I can get it worked out right.

Tips please!

[tirediron]

Need more info; from the way your talking, I'm assuming snow is involved in this somehow?

[kat]

Yes. Going down to the beach, lake is frozen over, snow everywehere and shooting around 2:30pm..sun down at 4:15.

4 people shoot, so I will have some shots with low/high f-stops (not to worried about the f16 shots that include the beach) more so the f2-5.6.

My camera only has a max flash sinc thing of 1/250 so I think I'll find some shade for those shots.

Am I on the right base..lol.

[kat]

And not a cloud in the sky today !!!

[tirediron]

I think so...

First, you're going to need fill light since you'll want both the subject and the snow correctly exposed. For a four-person shoot, I'd want at least three lights, but you make do with reflectors. Bring along a couple of large-ish (3' x 3' sort of size) pieces of white card stock.

Metering is going to be critical, so I would suggest if you don't have a hand-held light-meter that your bring along a grey card. Failing, that, use your hand and add one stop. Check your exposures very carefully in the LCD to ensure that they're right, and TAKE YOUR TIME! Don't go so slowly that the clients freeze, but don't rush it so much that you don't get it right.

Position the group to take advantage of the sun. You don't want it behind them, (Unless you've got some GOOD fill lights) nor directly in their faces. As well a polarizer should be used to reduce glare. I would also bracket EVERY shot 1/3 & 2/3 under and over.

I would shoot this in manual, from a tripod, but aperture priority is fine. Remember, to keep you ISO as low as it can go, shoot RAW+JPG, WB to Auto and don't forget LOTS of spare batteries, both for your flash and your camera. Keep them in a shirt pocket, close to your skin so that they stay warm.

Hope that helps.

[kat]

Thank you. For the most part, except for the lights and auto bracketing I can do it!

Now to not panic and get it done!

[tirediron]

Even if your camera won't auto-bracket, just do it manualy.

G'd luck!

[Mad Aussie]

Great advice from TI there Kat. Definitely bracket those shots! Your camera is going to see all that bright snow and close it's eyes making your subjects dark. Too much flash will cause dropoff and produce a dark background and overly bright subjects.

I usually take a shot in Aperture priority first just to see what the camera is thinking, then knowing I can do better, I go to manual and adjust.

Also ... if you are having trouble getting a balance between subject and background (For snow ask them not to wear totally dark colours to reduce your dynamic range) then maybe set up the tripod and compose a scene and get those settings right. Then walk your subjects into the scene and take more using flash adjustments only until you are happy you have them exposed well. Later blend the portraits with the scene shots. Should be easy seeing as it was all on tripod. In this way you can even get your scene focus the way you want (probably blurred a bit) and keep your subjects sharp.

The last thing ... I wouldn't be using those low apertures you suggest at all. Not much DOF and that's what caused your last hassle with not getting everyone in focus!
Use a higher aperture and place your subjects further away from your background to get that isolated from background look. A zoom will help in this also.

[tirediron]

...For snow ask them not to wear totally dark colours to reduce your dynamic range)..to get that isolated from background look. A zoom will help in this also.

Nice catch; totally missed this key piece.

[Mad Aussie]

Nice catch; totally missed this key piece.
You didn't leave me much with your great advice ;)