zeb wrote:The dad seems kind of ill at ease but you got some very natural shots of the boy, including his portrait shots.
What kind of equipment are you using at the moment, MF?
yeah i think that's just how he is normally. just kind of an lanky awkward dude . i've always found family portraits to be sort of unnatural anyways so i try to find ways of cutting down on the sterility. usually by going for a walk or some other activity. of course most people still want the classic family portrait to hang above the couch but those shots are rarely among my favorites.
When i go out I take a Nikon D90 with an 18-70 and a hot shoe flash for most of the group shots, but i also keep a D80 with a 50mm f1.8 prime in my bag for the close up portraits. The one i posted above was actually done with the D90 and the 50mm because I had finished up with the wide angle at that point and the D90 captures vivid colors better IMO...meaning less color tweaking later. that's basically my gigging kit, but i've also got an 8mm fisheye that i use alot and a 55-200mm tele that i almost never use.
mf wrote:When i go out I take a Nikon D90 with an 18-70 and a hot shoe flash for most of the group shots, but i also keep a D80 with a 50mm f1.8 prime in my bag for the close up portraits. The one i posted above was actually done with the D90 and the 50mm because I had finished up with the wide angle at that point and the D90 captures vivid colors better IMO...meaning less color tweaking later. that's basically my gigging kit, but i've also got an 8mm fisheye that i use alot and a 55-200mm tele that i almost never use.
The 50mm looks to be getting good results, perhaps regardless of the body. What are you using in post?
mf wrote:When i go out I take a Nikon D90 with an 18-70 and a hot shoe flash for most of the group shots, but i also keep a D80 with a 50mm f1.8 prime in my bag for the close up portraits. The one i posted above was actually done with the D90 and the 50mm because I had finished up with the wide angle at that point and the D90 captures vivid colors better IMO...meaning less color tweaking later. that's basically my gigging kit, but i've also got an 8mm fisheye that i use alot and a 55-200mm tele that i almost never use.
The 50mm looks to be getting good results, perhaps regardless of the body. What are you using in post?
Camera raw for color and tonal adjustments, photoshop cs5 for heavy cloning and fixes.
cutuphalfdead wrote:What do you find disappointing about them?
There were 2 state troopers in the area to make sure people didn't drive down the access roads, so I couldn't get the shots I wanted without more zoom.
. i've always found family portraits to be sort of unnatural anyways so i try to find ways of cutting down on the sterility. usually by going for a walk or some other activity. of course most people still want the classic family portrait to hang above the couch but those shots are rarely among my favorites. 
