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



 
 
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  #11  
Old July 22nd 04, 03:10 AM
dadiOH
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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
____________________________


  #12  
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
____________________________


  #13  
Old July 22nd 04, 04:14 PM
howard
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!


"dadiOH" wrote in message
...
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.



Joking right ? Campbell , Moss ? Need I go on ?


They are skinny - as I understand
it - because the clothing displays better.



The point is they're supposed to sell clothes, not themselves, that's
why fashion designers employ them. Using 'full bodied' girls can be too
distracting for men *and* women clients.

That's the theory (or one of them) Photographic models are allowed a
little more meat, but the camera still adds pounds, TV & video is worst
apparently. Ask any woman ;-)






  #14  
Old July 22nd 04, 04:14 PM
howard
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!


"dadiOH" wrote in message
...
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.



Joking right ? Campbell , Moss ? Need I go on ?


They are skinny - as I understand
it - because the clothing displays better.



The point is they're supposed to sell clothes, not themselves, that's
why fashion designers employ them. Using 'full bodied' girls can be too
distracting for men *and* women clients.

That's the theory (or one of them) Photographic models are allowed a
little more meat, but the camera still adds pounds, TV & video is worst
apparently. Ask any woman ;-)






  #15  
Old July 27th 04, 08:09 AM
Dan Dunphy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

Open shade is very flattering, for head shots. I use a 105 2.5 on my
35mm Nikon, for head shots, going wider will distort features, as was
said in a previous post. The rule of thumb is the shortest lense for
portrature should be the diagonal of the film. I think this is ok for
head and torseau, but too short for closer. I like to get really
close, with the above mentioned 105. For grabshoot cameras, use the
longest focal length. You can experiment with this too.
I've also had very good results with backlight and reflectors, also
flattering. If she's a willing subject, experiment with all the ideas
mentioned, and see what works for you. I also got a good shot
bouncing a photoflood off a projection screen.
Generally side light makes people look slimmer than straight on.

Dan
  #16  
Old July 27th 04, 08:09 AM
Dan Dunphy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

Open shade is very flattering, for head shots. I use a 105 2.5 on my
35mm Nikon, for head shots, going wider will distort features, as was
said in a previous post. The rule of thumb is the shortest lense for
portrature should be the diagonal of the film. I think this is ok for
head and torseau, but too short for closer. I like to get really
close, with the above mentioned 105. For grabshoot cameras, use the
longest focal length. You can experiment with this too.
I've also had very good results with backlight and reflectors, also
flattering. If she's a willing subject, experiment with all the ideas
mentioned, and see what works for you. I also got a good shot
bouncing a photoflood off a projection screen.
Generally side light makes people look slimmer than straight on.

Dan
  #17  
Old July 27th 04, 08:09 AM
Dan Dunphy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!

Open shade is very flattering, for head shots. I use a 105 2.5 on my
35mm Nikon, for head shots, going wider will distort features, as was
said in a previous post. The rule of thumb is the shortest lense for
portrature should be the diagonal of the film. I think this is ok for
head and torseau, but too short for closer. I like to get really
close, with the above mentioned 105. For grabshoot cameras, use the
longest focal length. You can experiment with this too.
I've also had very good results with backlight and reflectors, also
flattering. If she's a willing subject, experiment with all the ideas
mentioned, and see what works for you. I also got a good shot
bouncing a photoflood off a projection screen.
Generally side light makes people look slimmer than straight on.

Dan
  #18  
Old July 30th 04, 06:06 AM
zeitgeist
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!



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!



It sounds like you are standing out in the full sun. Sun is 4 to 5 stops
brighter than shadow, cameras cannot see in both at the same time. Problems
ensue.

100 years ago Mr Kodak invented a point and shoot, but the film was very
slow and the lens was small, the only way to get an image that was printable
was to shoot only in the bright sun. People ever since have been thinking
that you must stand out in the bright sun, despite millions of
dissappointing images to the contrary.

Shoot at twilight. If you can see what you are doing while wearing dark
sunglasses then its not a good time or place to shoot pictures.

Look at photos in magazines, look at which ones were taken in similar
situations you have been shooting in, which are done at twilight, open shade
or other subdued lighting, and which have light modifications like flash
(artificial light,) scrims (artificial shade) etc.

this reply is echoed to the z-prophoto mailing list at yahoogroups.com


  #19  
Old July 30th 04, 06:06 AM
zeitgeist
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!



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!



It sounds like you are standing out in the full sun. Sun is 4 to 5 stops
brighter than shadow, cameras cannot see in both at the same time. Problems
ensue.

100 years ago Mr Kodak invented a point and shoot, but the film was very
slow and the lens was small, the only way to get an image that was printable
was to shoot only in the bright sun. People ever since have been thinking
that you must stand out in the bright sun, despite millions of
dissappointing images to the contrary.

Shoot at twilight. If you can see what you are doing while wearing dark
sunglasses then its not a good time or place to shoot pictures.

Look at photos in magazines, look at which ones were taken in similar
situations you have been shooting in, which are done at twilight, open shade
or other subdued lighting, and which have light modifications like flash
(artificial light,) scrims (artificial shade) etc.

this reply is echoed to the z-prophoto mailing list at yahoogroups.com


  #20  
Old July 30th 04, 03:38 PM
otzi
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Posts: n/a
Default Help! Attractive girlfriend looks awful in photos - tips needed!!


"Dan Dunphy" dandunphy at pcisys dot net wrote in message
...
Open shade is very flattering, for head shots. I use a 105 2.5 on my
35mm Nikon, for head shots, going wider will distort features, as was
said in a previous post. The rule of thumb is the shortest lense for
portrature should be the diagonal of the film. I think this is ok for
head and torseau, but too short for closer. I like to get really
close, with the above mentioned 105. For grabshoot cameras, use the
longest focal length. You can experiment with this too.
I've also had very good results with backlight and reflectors, also
flattering. If she's a willing subject, experiment with all the ideas
mentioned, and see what works for you. I also got a good shot
bouncing a photoflood off a projection screen.
Generally side light makes people look slimmer than straight on.

Dan


Thellers, -- You may wish to try squinting your eyes when pre viewing your
pose. The light loss through your lashes firstly tends to reduce colour
effect making the view more B&W ish. Then as you slowly close out more light
the shadows will start to blockup. You can then judge the evenes and
contrast range of the shadow effect. Sounds dumb, try it.

Cheers
otzi


 




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