Photo Shoots + Calling for More Models! =)

And so I just completed my first ever photo shoots!  It was for a couple who have dated for quite a while. I am friends with them both which made the communication quite natural and hopefully put them at ease. We shot after lunch hour till around 4PM at Stanley Park, Vancouver, mainly beside the rose garden. For those of you unfamiliar, Stanley park is one the biggest parks in Vancouver, immediately adjacent to the downtown core. I just sent them the photos for them to preview and they both loved them very much and I got a lot of thanks for that!

So on the side of giving the rundown of this photo shoot, I just want to call out for more models - single or couple! Whether you need it for memories or professional purposes (job hunting), or even just some fun, I'm all here for you! I'm basically giving photo shoot session + ALL of the shots I took for free. All I ask for is this learning experience for me, give me a shout out if you liked the photos, and maybe supporting me by giving me permission to post the photos on website (you absolutely do NOT have to, and you can sue me if I did it against your permission LOL!)

Now, onwards with the juice of this post!

The Details

Location: Stanley Park, Vancouver
Weather: Gorgeous sunny day with some clouds.
Time: Afternoon, Late April
Equipment: Canon 550D (T2i) with Canon 50mm F1.8 prime lens + Vivitar Soft Filter for some shots.
Subjects: Dating couple

Some Lessons Learnt

1. Aperture
I shot with a 50mm prime throughout, primarily using large aperture for nice bokeh (blurring effect). However, since it is for 2 people, I used mostly F3.2 just so we get both people in focus.

2. Getting the "Natural" Look
I am friends with both of the couples so I did not have trouble communicating ideas at all. The girl was very natural at posing while the guy started out slightly awkward (a common thing you will find when shooting couples I suspect). To overcome that, I usually give them a pose that I want them to try out, and give them a few minutes to settle in. At this point, I will tell them I will take a few shots. After a few shots, I will look down on my camera while they talked. But what I'm REALLY looking for was not the pictures I just took, but them. Usually this is the moment they are most natural and unsuspecting. Sneaking a few shots during this time is great if you didn't get the result you wanted during the first time.

3. Lighting
I used mainly back lit lighting as the scattered light gives off smooth and well defined features on their faces. For girls, it really shows off the smooth skin and pretty features.

4. Dealing with Imperfections
The girl had very nice skin, with 1 pimple that she was concerned about. I attached a smooth filter to deal with that. However, while it DID work on giving the skin and background grass a better look, it did NOT remove the pimple at all. As a result, I removed it in post-production which worked out like a charm (easy and effective). Having some makeup (foundations/cover ups) with me in the future may not be a bad idea!

5. Showing your Results
There's nothing more important than getting instant feed back from your models - after all, they are your star. I found showing them the photos you took is a very effective way to do this, especially with modern dSLR. It definitely keeps them excited and interested because now they know they will look nice in your photos and they want more!

Things I Need Improvement On


1. Poses
One of the biggest challenges I had was coming up with poses for the couple to try out. I was glad that I had an album with some sample poses I downloaded off of internet on my cell phone. Some poses worked, some did not. I think what I need are eyes that will spot out beauty (in terms of poses) and brain that will be able to come up with styles I want.

As a result, I will be learning more about the BASICS on what works and what does not in a pose for portrait. eg. how can I show the intimacy? How do I show off girl's waist line? etc etc.

2. Intentional Incorporation of Scene
Second most important thing is probably how to better incorporate the model into a scene in a very intentional way. ie. creating a very lively shot with smiling couples, active poses amidst colourful flowers; showing a passionate, intimate couple with a very simple, deserted scene emphasizing on their love requires nothing but each other. etc etc.

3. Diverse Use of Lighting
Lastly, I want to try incorporate more uses of lighting including back lit fill, side light or direct sunlight. I really think that will take my shots to a new level.


I think that's all for now! Now I challenge YOU to do the same! Take some photos for YOUR friend. It will not only benefit you as a photographer, but also leaving your friends a happier person/couple.