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Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 19th 04, 03:11 PM
dadiOH
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Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

Thellers wrote:

Does anyone have any tips? Should I try to stick to lighting my
girlfriend from the front? Are there 'standard' techniques for this
kind of thing? Any general advice / tips would be really
appreciated, because it really hurts to not have any nice photos of
my girlfriend!


As you indicate, avoid top light. To shorten a long nose, photograph from a
slightly lower viewpoint (or have subject tilt head back slightly) and/or
direct light from below lens.

Generally, soft, non-directional light will give you good results.
Non-directional = on or near camera. Soft = big. This is an easy type of
lighting and requires little skill. It is safe but boring.

Since you haven't a lot of photographic background, your on camera flash
will probably be best. If you want to try other things, look for something
like a wall being hit by a sunbeam, put it at your back and let it
illuminate GF. Same can be done with a concrete walk or drive...let it
illuminate GF who is preferably otherwise in shade.

--
dadiOH
_____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
____________________________


  #2  
Old July 19th 04, 04:32 PM
This Guy Here
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Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

As you've learned the hard way: photographing people is not easy.
Some tips:

=== Pay attention to the light & what's is doing to your subject. The
best times to photograph people is very early or very late in the day,
when the sun is low. Further, direct sunlight is often harsh -- I
prefer to work on overcast days.

=== Try making pictures indoors. The best thing would be to put your
girlfriend near a window -- got any windows that face north? Let her
be lit by the window & position yourself along the wall.

=== Or if you are outdoors, look for a light colored wall, and
position your girlfriend so that she is lit by lighting bouncing off
of the wall.

=== This is my personal preference: I like seeing pictures of people
who are engaged in conversation with the photographer; conversely I
dislike pictures of people who are just sitting there while they are
being photographed. Talk with your model, get them to talk with you,
catch an animated expression on their face.

=== It's a good idea to get your subject to do something. Put
something in their hands.

Best of luck.

looknsee
http://www.looknseephoto.com




On 19 Jul 2004 01:23:46 -0700, (Thellers)
wrote:

Hi,

First, let me apologise for the fact that this question is very
'amateur' in nature. I don't know an awful lot about photography, but
am willing to find out more. This problem does, however, relate to
photography, so I think this is the best place to ask.

I need some advice on photographing my girlfriend. She just returned
from a 2-week holiday to Greece and came back with a large number of
photos. Neither she nor any of her friends are experienced
photographers. Neither am I, although I probably know a touch more
than they do and have a slightly better camera (still only a Digital
Ixus 430 - a good camera but by no means 'professional' in standard).

She is a pretty girl: short, curvy with dark blond hair and a nice
smile. However, the problem - and it really is starting to cause me
some serious personal distress - is that my she almost always tends to
look awful in photographs. She has quite deep-set eyes and curvy
cheeks, and her nose is quite long and thin. I think, then, that the
problem is in photos that are naturally lit (i.e. from above) she
tends to get very unattractive shadows around her eyes, under her nose
and under her cheeks. These exaggerate her facial features and make
her look fat and ugly. I can honestly say she looks almost
unrecognisable in photos... they REALLY don't do her any justice!

A couple of other horrid photos were taken by a friend who was in a
squatted position, looking up at my girlfriend in a group. This made
her look bottom-heavy and really overweight. This is obviously one
angle to avoid.

The one pleasing photo I found was taken from the front, lit by flash,
and has my girlfriend leaning forward over a (seated) friend's
shoulder. This setup gets rid of the ugly shadows and actually looks
like how my girlfriend looks 'in real life', if that makes sense. It
is this that has made me think that the answer lies with lighting and
angles.

Does anyone have any tips? Should I try to stick to lighting my
girlfriend from the front? Are there 'standard' techniques for this
kind of thing? Any general advice / tips would be really appreciated,
because it really hurts to not have any nice photos of my girlfriend!


  #3  
Old July 19th 04, 04:32 PM
This Guy Here
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

As you've learned the hard way: photographing people is not easy.
Some tips:

=== Pay attention to the light & what's is doing to your subject. The
best times to photograph people is very early or very late in the day,
when the sun is low. Further, direct sunlight is often harsh -- I
prefer to work on overcast days.

=== Try making pictures indoors. The best thing would be to put your
girlfriend near a window -- got any windows that face north? Let her
be lit by the window & position yourself along the wall.

=== Or if you are outdoors, look for a light colored wall, and
position your girlfriend so that she is lit by lighting bouncing off
of the wall.

=== This is my personal preference: I like seeing pictures of people
who are engaged in conversation with the photographer; conversely I
dislike pictures of people who are just sitting there while they are
being photographed. Talk with your model, get them to talk with you,
catch an animated expression on their face.

=== It's a good idea to get your subject to do something. Put
something in their hands.

Best of luck.

looknsee
http://www.looknseephoto.com




On 19 Jul 2004 01:23:46 -0700, (Thellers)
wrote:

Hi,

First, let me apologise for the fact that this question is very
'amateur' in nature. I don't know an awful lot about photography, but
am willing to find out more. This problem does, however, relate to
photography, so I think this is the best place to ask.

I need some advice on photographing my girlfriend. She just returned
from a 2-week holiday to Greece and came back with a large number of
photos. Neither she nor any of her friends are experienced
photographers. Neither am I, although I probably know a touch more
than they do and have a slightly better camera (still only a Digital
Ixus 430 - a good camera but by no means 'professional' in standard).

She is a pretty girl: short, curvy with dark blond hair and a nice
smile. However, the problem - and it really is starting to cause me
some serious personal distress - is that my she almost always tends to
look awful in photographs. She has quite deep-set eyes and curvy
cheeks, and her nose is quite long and thin. I think, then, that the
problem is in photos that are naturally lit (i.e. from above) she
tends to get very unattractive shadows around her eyes, under her nose
and under her cheeks. These exaggerate her facial features and make
her look fat and ugly. I can honestly say she looks almost
unrecognisable in photos... they REALLY don't do her any justice!

A couple of other horrid photos were taken by a friend who was in a
squatted position, looking up at my girlfriend in a group. This made
her look bottom-heavy and really overweight. This is obviously one
angle to avoid.

The one pleasing photo I found was taken from the front, lit by flash,
and has my girlfriend leaning forward over a (seated) friend's
shoulder. This setup gets rid of the ugly shadows and actually looks
like how my girlfriend looks 'in real life', if that makes sense. It
is this that has made me think that the answer lies with lighting and
angles.

Does anyone have any tips? Should I try to stick to lighting my
girlfriend from the front? Are there 'standard' techniques for this
kind of thing? Any general advice / tips would be really appreciated,
because it really hurts to not have any nice photos of my girlfriend!


  #4  
Old July 19th 04, 10:52 PM
howard
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!


"Thellers" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

First, let me apologise for the fact that this question is very
'amateur' in nature. I don't know an awful lot about photography, but
am willing to find out more. This problem does, however, relate to
photography, so I think this is the best place to ask.

I need some advice on photographing my girlfriend. She just returned
from a 2-week holiday to Greece and came back with a large number of
photos. Neither she nor any of her friends are experienced
photographers. Neither am I, although I probably know a touch more
than they do and have a slightly better camera (still only a Digital
Ixus 430 - a good camera but by no means 'professional' in standard).

She is a pretty girl: short, curvy with dark blond hair and a nice
smile. However, the problem - and it really is starting to cause me
some serious personal distress - is that my she almost always tends to
look awful in photographs. She has quite deep-set eyes and curvy
cheeks, and her nose is quite long and thin. I think, then, that the
problem is in photos that are naturally lit (i.e. from above) she
tends to get very unattractive shadows around her eyes, under her nose
and under her cheeks. These exaggerate her facial features and make
her look fat and ugly. I can honestly say she looks almost
unrecognisable in photos... they REALLY don't do her any justice!

A couple of other horrid photos were taken by a friend who was in a
squatted position, looking up at my girlfriend in a group. This made
her look bottom-heavy and really overweight. This is obviously one
angle to avoid.

The one pleasing photo I found was taken from the front, lit by flash,
and has my girlfriend leaning forward over a (seated) friend's
shoulder. This setup gets rid of the ugly shadows and actually looks
like how my girlfriend looks 'in real life', if that makes sense. It
is this that has made me think that the answer lies with lighting and
angles.

Does anyone have any tips? Should I try to stick to lighting my
girlfriend from the front? Are there 'standard' techniques for this
kind of thing? Any general advice / tips would be really appreciated,
because it really hurts to not have any nice photos of my girlfriend!



My 'standard' technique for holiday photos in to have the sun behind
the subject and use flash. Bit tricky getting the balance right tho.

http://www.backfire.co.uk/yaritza/ywS.jpg

Don't forget, the camera always make people look fatter, that's why
top models are skinny.


H.







  #5  
Old July 19th 04, 10:52 PM
howard
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!


"Thellers" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

First, let me apologise for the fact that this question is very
'amateur' in nature. I don't know an awful lot about photography, but
am willing to find out more. This problem does, however, relate to
photography, so I think this is the best place to ask.

I need some advice on photographing my girlfriend. She just returned
from a 2-week holiday to Greece and came back with a large number of
photos. Neither she nor any of her friends are experienced
photographers. Neither am I, although I probably know a touch more
than they do and have a slightly better camera (still only a Digital
Ixus 430 - a good camera but by no means 'professional' in standard).

She is a pretty girl: short, curvy with dark blond hair and a nice
smile. However, the problem - and it really is starting to cause me
some serious personal distress - is that my she almost always tends to
look awful in photographs. She has quite deep-set eyes and curvy
cheeks, and her nose is quite long and thin. I think, then, that the
problem is in photos that are naturally lit (i.e. from above) she
tends to get very unattractive shadows around her eyes, under her nose
and under her cheeks. These exaggerate her facial features and make
her look fat and ugly. I can honestly say she looks almost
unrecognisable in photos... they REALLY don't do her any justice!

A couple of other horrid photos were taken by a friend who was in a
squatted position, looking up at my girlfriend in a group. This made
her look bottom-heavy and really overweight. This is obviously one
angle to avoid.

The one pleasing photo I found was taken from the front, lit by flash,
and has my girlfriend leaning forward over a (seated) friend's
shoulder. This setup gets rid of the ugly shadows and actually looks
like how my girlfriend looks 'in real life', if that makes sense. It
is this that has made me think that the answer lies with lighting and
angles.

Does anyone have any tips? Should I try to stick to lighting my
girlfriend from the front? Are there 'standard' techniques for this
kind of thing? Any general advice / tips would be really appreciated,
because it really hurts to not have any nice photos of my girlfriend!



My 'standard' technique for holiday photos in to have the sun behind
the subject and use flash. Bit tricky getting the balance right tho.

http://www.backfire.co.uk/yaritza/ywS.jpg

Don't forget, the camera always make people look fatter, that's why
top models are skinny.


H.







  #6  
Old July 20th 04, 02:27 AM
kungfufrijters
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!


" howard" wrote in message
...

"Thellers" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

First, let me apologise for the fact that this question is very
'amateur' in nature. I don't know an awful lot about photography, but
am willing to find out more. This problem does, however, relate to
photography, so I think this is the best place to ask.

I need some advice on photographing my girlfriend. She just returned
from a 2-week holiday to Greece and came back with a large number of
photos. Neither she nor any of her friends are experienced
photographers. Neither am I, although I probably know a touch more
than they do and have a slightly better camera (still only a Digital
Ixus 430 - a good camera but by no means 'professional' in standard).

She is a pretty girl: short, curvy with dark blond hair and a nice
smile. However, the problem - and it really is starting to cause me
some serious personal distress - is that my she almost always tends to
look awful in photographs. She has quite deep-set eyes and curvy
cheeks, and her nose is quite long and thin. I think, then, that the
problem is in photos that are naturally lit (i.e. from above) she
tends to get very unattractive shadows around her eyes, under her nose
and under her cheeks. These exaggerate her facial features and make
her look fat and ugly. I can honestly say she looks almost
unrecognisable in photos... they REALLY don't do her any justice!

A couple of other horrid photos were taken by a friend who was in a
squatted position, looking up at my girlfriend in a group. This made
her look bottom-heavy and really overweight. This is obviously one
angle to avoid.

The one pleasing photo I found was taken from the front, lit by flash,
and has my girlfriend leaning forward over a (seated) friend's
shoulder. This setup gets rid of the ugly shadows and actually looks
like how my girlfriend looks 'in real life', if that makes sense. It
is this that has made me think that the answer lies with lighting and
angles.

Does anyone have any tips? Should I try to stick to lighting my
girlfriend from the front? Are there 'standard' techniques for this
kind of thing? Any general advice / tips would be really appreciated,
because it really hurts to not have any nice photos of my girlfriend!



My 'standard' technique for holiday photos in to have the sun behind
the subject and use flash. Bit tricky getting the balance right tho.

http://www.backfire.co.uk/yaritza/ywS.jpg

Don't forget, the camera always make people look fatter, that's why
top models are skinny.


H.




ridiculous

joel.


  #7  
Old July 20th 04, 06:48 AM
Marc 182
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Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

In article ,
says...
Hi,

First, let me apologise for the fact that this question is very
'amateur' in nature. I don't know an awful lot about photography, but
am willing to find out more. This problem does, however, relate to
photography, so I think this is the best place to ask.


snip

She is a pretty girl: short, curvy with dark blond hair and a nice
smile. However, the problem - and it really is starting to cause me
some serious personal distress - is that my she almost always tends to
look awful in photographs. She has quite deep-set eyes and curvy
cheeks, and her nose is quite long and thin. I think, then, that the
problem is in photos that are naturally lit (i.e. from above) she
tends to get very unattractive shadows around her eyes, under her nose
and under her cheeks. These exaggerate her facial features and make
her look fat and ugly. I can honestly say she looks almost
unrecognisable in photos... they REALLY don't do her any justice!


For an amateur you're analysis is very astute. The strong shadows of a
high bright sun will overwhelm film. In person your eyes and brain can
compensate, but the camera can't.

The one pleasing photo I found was taken from the front, lit by flash,
and has my girlfriend leaning forward over a (seated) friend's
shoulder. This setup gets rid of the ugly shadows and actually looks
like how my girlfriend looks 'in real life', if that makes sense. It
is this that has made me think that the answer lies with lighting and
angles.

Does anyone have any tips? Should I try to stick to lighting my
girlfriend from the front? Are there 'standard' techniques for this
kind of thing? Any general advice / tips would be really appreciated,
because it really hurts to not have any nice photos of my girlfriend!


If you've got the time and interest to pose photos you can do all sorts
of things with reflectors, white cardboard or foam core, bouncing
sunlight from the side or even below. Also seek out open shade or wait
for a cloud to cover the sun.

However, for vacation shots the easiest thing to do is to just turn on
the flash on your camera. Most good modern cameras will recognize that
the flash being on in bright sun-lit conditions means that you want fill
light and will adjust the flash to just fill in the shadows. Even if
your camera isn't quite that smart, the flash will probably always help
rather than hurt.

Marc
  #8  
Old July 20th 04, 07:23 AM
howard
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!


"kungfufrijters" wrote in message
. ..

" howard" wrote in message
...

"Thellers" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

First, let me apologise for the fact that this question is very
'amateur' in nature. I don't know an awful lot about photography, but
am willing to find out more. This problem does, however, relate to
photography, so I think this is the best place to ask.

I need some advice on photographing my girlfriend. She just returned
from a 2-week holiday to Greece and came back with a large number of
photos. Neither she nor any of her friends are experienced
photographers. Neither am I, although I probably know a touch more
than they do and have a slightly better camera (still only a Digital
Ixus 430 - a good camera but by no means 'professional' in standard).

She is a pretty girl: short, curvy with dark blond hair and a nice
smile. However, the problem - and it really is starting to cause me
some serious personal distress - is that my she almost always tends to
look awful in photographs. She has quite deep-set eyes and curvy
cheeks, and her nose is quite long and thin. I think, then, that the
problem is in photos that are naturally lit (i.e. from above) she
tends to get very unattractive shadows around her eyes, under her nose
and under her cheeks. These exaggerate her facial features and make
her look fat and ugly. I can honestly say she looks almost
unrecognisable in photos... they REALLY don't do her any justice!

A couple of other horrid photos were taken by a friend who was in a
squatted position, looking up at my girlfriend in a group. This made
her look bottom-heavy and really overweight. This is obviously one
angle to avoid.

The one pleasing photo I found was taken from the front, lit by flash,
and has my girlfriend leaning forward over a (seated) friend's
shoulder. This setup gets rid of the ugly shadows and actually looks
like how my girlfriend looks 'in real life', if that makes sense. It
is this that has made me think that the answer lies with lighting and
angles.

Does anyone have any tips? Should I try to stick to lighting my
girlfriend from the front? Are there 'standard' techniques for this
kind of thing? Any general advice / tips would be really appreciated,
because it really hurts to not have any nice photos of my girlfriend!



My 'standard' technique for holiday photos in to have the sun behind
the subject and use flash. Bit tricky getting the balance right tho.

http://www.backfire.co.uk/yaritza/ywS.jpg

Don't forget, the camera always make people look fatter, that's why
top models are skinny.


H.




ridiculous



What is ?







  #9  
Old July 20th 04, 01:26 PM
Geoffrey S. Mendelson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

In article , Marc 182 wrote:
If you've got the time and interest to pose photos you can do all sorts
of things with reflectors, white cardboard or foam core, bouncing
sunlight from the side or even below. Also seek out open shade or wait
for a cloud to cover the sun.


Another thing Marc left out in his excelent post is to use a long i.e.
telephoto lens. A wide angle or normal lens accenuates the deep featuers,
a long lens "compressess" them.

Please post a link to examples when you have some success.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, C.T.O. GW&T Ltd., Jerusalem Israel

IL Voice: 972-544-608-069 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838

  #10  
Old July 22nd 04, 03:10 AM
dadiOH
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

howard wrote:
"dadiOH" wrote in message
...
howard wrote:

What is ?


What you wrote. This......
Don't forget, the camera always make people look fatter, that's
why top models are skinny.


Right....is it ridiculous because I wrote it, or ridiculous because
it's true ?

Ahhh, I know , I should have said 'professional models', any better


No, because most of the really skinny models are mannequins - they never see
a camera except casually from a runway. They are skinny - as I understand
it - because the clothing displays better.

--
dadiOH
_____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
____________________________


 




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