Prom time is just around the corner. And parents & kids will be taking thousands of photos to remembere the day/evening. But.....!
But..many will be blurry from camera movement or missing the right thing to be in focus. Does anyone ever consider the background??? Not in the majority of photos I've seen!
Today is a nice day...go outside and pick a spot. Assume it will be late in the day, so where will the sun be? You do not want them facing the sun and squinting. You, the photog, do not want to be shooting directly into the sun either!
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Where is there a plain, somewhat solid color for a background that is further away from the group or individual than you are from them. The longer that distance the better chance you will have at making the background somewhat blurry, thereby making them standout from the background. They need to be away from the BG - otherwise the bushes and front of your house will be nice and sharp too! You do not want that!!!
Use the 'Portrait' setting on your camera. Unless you know about using Aperture Priority ( A - Nikon & others) or AV - Canon), set it to 'Portrait". This will help to separate them from the BG(background) by blurring the BG to some degree.
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If the group is in the shade of the outside light - Use Your Flash! Pop up or activate your camera's flash for what is called 'Fill Flash'. the camera should add the right amount of extra lightso your dressed up kids are not 'in the dark'!
"Portrait"or 'Landscape' orientatiion??? This refers to the way you are holding your camera. For a group you will likely hold it in the normal horizontal or 'landscape' position. but for an individual or couple - No, No, No!! Turn it to a verticle 'portrait' position and cut out all the excess nothingness on the sides. Take a pic both ways if you do not believe me! Make sure you get their feet and a bit more above their heads. If your camera has a fixed lens - non-zooming - that's fine. Zoom with your feet - walk in closer or backwards to get a nicely cropped shot.
These simple guidelines apply to those with a dSLR as well as P&S (point & shoot) cameras. For more information or a 2 hour quick lesson please email me at shoppix_photo.net. We could get together on a Friday evening or Sat. morning. Get a group of parents together to learn some simple but effective portrait techniques.