any photographers can tell me how to get the best photos

[natina]

Should the camera be at Eye level ,above eye level are tilted down above eye level or tilted down at eye level?

Is side lights and lighting best to avoid unflattering shadows under eyes etc........?

For selfies what's the best setup for photos?

[Budweiser]

Get the lens as close to the penis as possible.

[gmb]

45 degrees above and 45 degrees to the side...

[MrFanti]

I shoot mainly sports, shows, and events....sorry

[Ts RedVeX]

If you are going for WYSIWYG looks, get a tripod, time lapse app, and a big fuck-off incandescent floodlight to bounce off walls and ceiling.

If you are going for the anime look, get an iphone or one of those apps that automatically process your pictures

[MrFanti]

If you are going for WYSIWYG looks, get a tripod, time lapse app, and a big fuck-off incandescent floodlight to bounce off walls and ceiling.

If you are going for the anime look, get an iphone or one of those apps that automatically process your pictures

Speaking of lighting....
I did purchase the Ice Light 2...(yeah I know it's $$) but I don't like to carry a lot of gear around when I shoot....

[NedLeeds]

It's difficult to say as every scenario will have its own challenges. Do you want it to look more studio or are you going for more "environmental" portraits where the subject's surroundings are relevant to the image as well? It also depends on your equipment, of course. Here's a few things:

-Pull your subject forward and away from the background so you get some separation. Here's an example of what I'm not saying....



No offense to the shooter. You take a million snaps at a shoot like this and try whatever. If it sticks, it sticks. I'm just showing what happens when you back your subject against a wall. At least it's a solid color, so it's not bad, just that the shadows are distracting.

If you have control of your aperture (f-stop), shoot closer to "wide open" (I'd use f5.6 or f4 for people just as a general rule). Your aperture will control how much of the foreground and background are in focus. If you shoot at something like f16 or f22, everything will be in focus and you won't get that separation which will isolate your subject. If you shoot at 2.8, 1.4, etc. you may be too wide open at which point the nose could be in focus but the eyes won't be. This will be exaggerated the closer you are to your subject.

For example....



I love this shot, shallow depth of field, your attention is right where the photographer wants it. Background is still relevant, but your eyes naturally lead back where they should because it's the only spot that's truly sharp. Look at this one again after reading about lighting as this is lit creatively, too.

Wide angle lenses inherently have a lot of depth of field, so you will have less control over this with your aperture, only with how close you are to your subject. For shooting portraits, you really want to have a 50mm lens at the least, but 85mm and up is really where you're more in that portrait range with nice isolation of subject. Wide angle lenses also distort your subject, moreso around the edges.

Wide angle



vs. telephoto....



See the difference? See how the subject is distinguished from the background even in the shot of Aubrey Kate where she is right next to the fireplace, versus the other shots where the subject and background are all flat? One other note, the shot of Jane Marie is backlit by the window. This is a very tough situation, so avoid it until you become adept with controlling lit. It's handled pretty well here, though.

- Generally you want your light source above your subject, it mimics the sun's natural lighting so looks pleasing to our eyes. Basic lighting 101 would be to have two lights with umbrellas high to either side of you, the photographer, and at a 45-degree angle to your subject pointing down toward their face. You can vary your power so that one is a little brighter than the other to get some shadows around the face. Shadows are okay, they show contour and depth and, as long as you have at least two light sources, they can generally soften the shadows that the other light creates enough to look very nice.

Check this out and observe the light source and the shadows....



The lights are to either side of the photographer (you can see the glare reflecting in the background). The lights, each pointed toward the middle, cross at the subjects on the bed, so you get nice shadows underneath that give them some depth and dimension.

In this shot you can literally see the umbrellas reflecting. Also note again how the wide angle as well as the subjects' positions near the background smashes everything into focus together. You want to avoid this, but, yeah, when two people are humping on a bed, there's not much you can do without interfering....



The no shadows look like what you get with that ring light setup you pictured have been trendy for portraits for a while, but that setup is generally for product photography and can look terrible in the wrong hands. It has a specific use and look, but offers no versatility beyond that one look. I'd stick with the simple two-light setup as it's much more versatile. "Bouncing", as mentioned before, involves not having your bulb pointed directly at the subject, but pointing into an umbrella, ceiling, etc. to give a softer, more flattering light. Just be careful that you're not bouncing into a colored source such as a wall or sheet as it will throw your color balance way off.

- Speaking of color balance, be aware that this is within your control in most cameras as well. Newer ones can auto-correct this capably, but most should have settings where you can dial in the color temp of your light source (sunlight, hotel room light, and studio equipment are all wildly different in color temperature). If your stuff is coming out too blue or too red, get control over it. I've seen pro stuff posted on here that is crazy blue. It's not a good look. Whatever happens in the background, make sure your skin tones look natural.

See how blue their skin is? That's not real life.



The next one is a nightmare scenario. You have the lamp to the left and most likely a window with muted daylight on the right. Yellow light vs. Blue. Your subjects are smack in the middle. The only way to get control of this situation would be to have some strobes behind you to overpower both sources. Instead, it's lit with available light and the skin tones are awful.



- The relationship of the camera position to the subject is partly about what you're trying to convey with your image and there's plenty of theory involved. Generally, if you're above the subject looking down, it puts the subject in a more submissive or feminine position. If the subject is above the camera, it is more dominant and powerful. Even if you're neutral/level with your subject, you can have the subject tilt his/her head slightly to be more feminine whereas chin-up with a straight head is better for masculine subjects.

Fairly straight ahead, but with the subject's head at a tilt (an exaggerated tilt, but you see the effect) and the eyes slightly upward in a submissive look. Very cute....



Again, look at the slight shadows just under her nose. Subtle, but that's classic lighting. It's beautiful. One light (the one on the photographers right) is slightly more powerful than the other so you get that light shadow just to the left. Also, look in her eyes to see the nice sparkle the strobes put in her pupils (and, again, take note of where the light source is coming from). It's very flattering for the subject. The shallow depth of field ensures her facial features are sharp, but the hair around her head is already falling out of focus, isolating your attention on her face.

- You don't necessarily need a tripod, but, if you're shooting handheld with studio lights, don't shoot at a slower shutter speed than 1/125 or you'll get some ghosting around your subject. Not a good look in most applications.

Start looking through the images on this site if you're thinking of doing something similar and really look at them critically. Do you like the image or is there something that leaves you wanting more? Why? Where is the camera positioned? How is the subject posed? Where are the shadows (this will tell you where the photographer positioned their lights)? How tightly is the image cropped? Is there so much background that you can't enjoy the subject?

It's all a very complex art that takes practice. I will say this with 100% honesty, I can tear apart plenty of the pro work posted here. That's easy. Being in the field and doing this stuff is absolutely another story. It's very tough to do pro-quality work as there are a thousand technical considerations that have to become second nature so you can focus on the subject. You can remember to do 999 of them, but forget that one crucial thing on the spot.

You can throw almost all of this advice out the window if you're taking selfies with your phone. Even I'm crap at that. If any of that answered your questions, it's almost completely luck.

[natina]

Someone who I helped them with there makeup for the pride event looks like Dianne Carr with selfies done on a cheap coolpad phone.
Where trying to recreate that look.
Can you tell the angles of where the lighting was and the camera angles?

I can get the aperture settings and Fstop from the metadata on the photos
.

[natina]

Meant Dianne Carroll


From TV show Dynasty

[natina]

Gonna give them cheek bones like these models/actresses.


Dianne Carroll

Meant Dianne Carroll


From TV show Dynasty