So who has photography tips?

[Chicup 41]

We have one great weakness in the lifestyle.

 

We take horrible photographs. The lighting is never right, everything you don't want to have a shadow has one, things you do don't, my skin is too white, Mrs. Chicups freckles stand out 3* more than they do in rl (you barely see them), that sort of thing.

 

So we were recently contacted by a couple we are very interested in, and we have no current pictures.

 

Now we could do the usual here you take my picture I'll take yours and hope for the best, but I wonder if anyone has any tips they could share for taking better photos.

[Rackir 159]

Light light light! Average indoor lighting is not sufficient for pictures taken at a reasonable shutter speed, so for indoor shots light that room up like a turkey day parade! Remember that the flash is a pictures worst enemy, it's a harsh white light that tends to wash out color and make people look like something out of a Rob Zombie film. You can usually pick up the clip style spots pretty cheaply if you know where to look, and they are about the best solution for adequate lighting there is. I suggest using a normal high wattage incandescent bulb as opposed to one of the newer energy saving ones. The old school incandescent produce a light with a hint of yellow that gives the shot a bit of warmth, where the new style of bulb produces a bluish light that makes shadows jump out and washes out most lighter colors. When setting up your lights try to bounce the light off of a wall or the ceiling and onto your object to avoid shadows. Be careful with that though as the bounced light will pick up color traits from whatever you bounce it off of. If you cant get a couple of spots for the job, torche style lamps can always work, but remember that they are bouncing the light off the ceiling, so if your ceiling isn’t white it can alter the shot. If for any reason you cant get adequate lighting then you will need to go to a slower shutter speed, if that’s the case a tripod is a must

 

Also make sure that the only things in the shot are the things you want in the shot. I cant tell you how many otherwise good shots I’ve ruined because of miscellaneous crap that was laying around of behind the target. That’s part of the reason that (when I was shooting on a pretty regular basis) that I started setting up shoot stages. Pick one half of a room, or a bed, or a table (tables seem to work the best), clean it out completely, cover the backdrop wall with white sheets (unless there is a lot of white in the shot already, in which case a light cream color works fine) and then set it up for the shots you want. When setting up your stage, try to set it up so that the target is at least 3 feet off the ground. In general you don’t want the ground in the shot, it’s coming towards the camera so it can throw off perspective. So keeping the target nice and high off the ground allows you to back further away, giving you a greater range of shots.

 

After all that it’s all about quantity. Shoot shoot shoot! Shoot from as many different angles and in as many positions as possible at first until you learn which angles work best for your target. The joy of shooting digital is that you can shoot for free (about the only thing I prefer digital to 35mm for). Once you get to learn the workings better your percentage of good to great shots will pick up, but in the beginning I found that about 1 in 10 would be a really good shot. After I really got the hang of it I was getting about 25% usable to 75% waste, but those 25% were always really good.

 

Hope that helps, and remember that no matter what you do, if the target isn’t having fun, the shots wont be worth it. So keep the energy and mood up, and the good pics will flow naturally.

[Chicup 41]

Great tips and yea lighting is our enemy.

 

Normally we take our profile shots at night in a house with kinda crappy lighting.

 

What we need are activity shots together, but those are even harder.

[Trace Ekies 186]

This is just a guess Chi, but I'm thinkin' you might want to come out from under the bed, the light HAS to suck under there.

 

The few really good pics we have were pure luck on our part so I'd say more, more, more until you hit the 1 good to 30 bad ratio Mrs. Ekies and I have become comfortable with.

 

Good luck and let me know if we need to come over and help with the action stuff...

 

Trace

[realcplub2 513]

Take a tasteful G rated Pic leave the rest to the imagination

 

Or, get used to Photoshopping pictures to take out what you dont want in them

 

Anyone can take pictures, the biggest key that from what I read in your post Chiccup, Is, you are relying to heavily on the flash.. which makes the skin white, freckles pop and shadows were you dont want them. Focus more on natural light, or lighting the room higher, and shut the flash off.

 

Hope this helps

[Chicup 41]

There is nary even a boobie in our profile shots. Not our style.

 

And yes, I do agree our problem is the flash, evil evil light, we hates it!

[exploringRM 305]

Take the crappiest camera you can, with the worst expression you can muster and then take a picture. Then make it so small online that you really can't tell if you are looking at people.... Or make sure you have a really manic expression so that you really attract people..... No wait, those were the pictures I just saw

 

Some of our best pictures were taken outdoors on a slightly overcast day. We headed to a local park that does not get much traffic and we took turns taking pics of each other. Some G rated, more not!

 

One pic I took of the wife was her silhouetted against a largest window, with her back to me, slightly turned. She was naked, and it was waist up. Just enough of a profile of the breast, without really revealing anything. Got some complements on that one, though perhaps not *really* on my photo skills, lol.

[exploringRM 305]

There is nary even a boobie in our profile shots. Not our style.

 

And yes, I do agree our problem is the flash, evil evil light, we hates it!

 

Given a choice between boobie and not, we prefer to see G rated pics, of both parties including ones that show what you look like head to toe. None of these pictures that show just a face shot, or people hiding behind an object. Our preference is generally HWP (which really is a very wide range for us) and would like to see where the couple fits into that (or not!).

 

But I (guy half) will not turn down the naked pics...

[amid 91]

Lighting sums it up and not direct lighting.. we add some lamps to the room and yes they are as suggested incandescent bulbs. Do not have the light direct though it will create hot spots.. bounce it off the walls and ceilings. Get a few table lamps and take the shades off but block the light that falls directly on the subject. I've even been know to use a piece of tinfoil folded and taped in front of the flash to bounce it off the ceiling and keep it from falling directly on the subject. Don't forget to have some fun with the subject, (hopefully Mrs. Chicup).. loosen her up, make her laugh have some fun. That will show up in the pictures too!

[prometheius 137]

In an evening of taking photos we often shoot as many as 750 pics. Often, we only get maybe 10 or so that we both like. That's the way it goes. What we've found thart works the best is to spend most of our time in preparing the environnment (especially lighting), and then taking as many pics as fast as the camera will take them. Don't try to pose and get a perfect shot, they are rare. Don't worry about whether or not you got a good shot, cull them out later. One other important thing we've learned is that holding the camera in your hands doesn't work well, use a tripod and you'll imedeatly see the difference.

 

In our year and a half of being in the lifestyle, we have taken well over 2000 pics. The people who get to see our pics only see the best and they don't realize what we go through to get those. Like anything else, to appear to be good at it, you have to work at it.

[ncmd_couple 597]

All of the advice above is good advice. The other thing is that photoshoping can allow you to pull out a small piece of an otherwise marginal pic. I have found some amazing elements in a pic that was otherwise not spectacular in any way.

[crazinred 36]

Really not much more to add but for us its take lots of pictures and then have a good editing program to work with them in. I can dress up some really bad photos with my Microsoft Digital image suite.

[SW_PA_Couple 4,024]

prometheius said:

In an evening of taking photos we often shoot as many as 750 pics. Often, we only get maybe 10 or so that we both like. That's the way it goes.

My advice would be something along this same line. Take lots and lots of pictures in lots and lots of places. This can't be a hurried project, though. One or both of you has to be carrying a camera almost everywhere you go. Don't be thinking, "I have to take that perfect picture." Just take pictures. Flash does not have to be an enemy. It's surprising how nicely it fills shadows in sunlit scenes. Flash can work against you indoors so take one picture using a flash and another without.

[bicuriocpl 90]

One thing, if you are going to use flash, bounce the light. You can do this by putting a white index card in front of the flash but not on top of it, in other words aim the light so it bounces of the ceiling. The light will look more natural and you won't have the shadows you would get otherwise. Also look at all the points in the picture not just the hot bod in front. You don't want to suffer from having a dildo that looks like its growing out of your head in the background. (although that could also be an enticement ). Although Photoshop can be your friend, getting it right in the camera makes it easy to post and saves time for the fun things.

[curiousagain 326]

The light should be soft and directional, google enviromental portaiture.

 

I take it you are using a point and shoot digital. Use soft broad light. Old studios were always built with the windows facing north for a reason. It yield diffuse, gentle, even light that the human face looks great in. Make sure you get that North Light on the subject.

 

There are amatuer photographers on every street corner. Most would be glad to do an enviromental portrait set for cheap. I have never understood why more people in the lifestyle don't do this. I don't have any pics on my profile right now because those I had are old and well, the cobbler's children have no shoes. A photographer friend of mine is suppose to shoot some pics of me when she gets back in country again. It's just too difficult to make them of myself and I don't like the results. Besides, I like her style and I think she will make some good shots.

 

Do you have a friend/nephew/niece/sibling/cousin that you like their photographs of people? Ask them to snap a few of you. Follow their directions and go with the flow. If you put your camera on a tripod, set the timer and run to join the missus in the shot it will look like you just did that. If you have a photographer hang out with you and make a few couple portraits and catch some shots of you interacting they should appear like snaps but with that touch that a good photographer brings, as they are always watching the background, the perspective, the composition, the light, and the moment.

 

A friend of mine wanted a new photo for his FB profile recently and I set up lights and diffusers, made a great head shot of him and said hey, while we are here, shoot me. An hour later I told him I now knew what he felt like when tried to teach me how to play guitar and gave up. If you want good photos get someone that has that ability to do it.

 

couple - Flickr: Search

 

find a local flickr contributor you like and contact them about shooting some shots of you. There's no need to tell him what you're going to use them for since they are G rated. They will probably do it for a relatively small sum.

 

Think of your profile shots as advertising. You don't want them to be false advertising but you want them to show you in the best possible way without being contrived.

 

Put them on the net somewhere also such as your FB, etc. Then if they are "found" on SLS you can always say they were obviously stolen from your FB.

[JustAskJulie 2,595]

Ok, I just got these instructions for how to take great photos (from a vanilla friend).

 

Check your posture... chest out, shoulders back... turn slightly to the side so that the photo catches you at an angle instead of straight on... and then say "SEX" - evidently "cheese" gives you too big of a smile, but "sex" gives you a smile that is just right....

[LagniappeDC 313]

Lot's of great advice here that I would have said myself. Light is key. Having worked in TV for a while it is incredible just how much lighting is used for on-camera interviews, etc. You may need to bring in more lights into the room.

 

Also, play with different angles and different views. Stand behind and have your wife look back over her shoulder at you or off into the distance. Often times having people look straight into the camera can be unnerving so looking off can help ease comfort. One of my favorite shots is my wife sitting on an ottoman. I laid on the floor at her feet and took the picture up from her feet. Almost a "fetish" feel to it...but lots of people have commented. Don't be afraid to try crazy angles, they can be more visually interesting and sexy (vs. raunchy).

 

If your camera has a setting for multi-shots - ie, press the shutter and take 3-4 shots in a row - use it. For every 15-20 shots we take, we can maybe get one.

 

A good photo editor can be your best friend. Can adjust color, easily fix red eye, improve lighting, smooth skin, even add a warmer skin tone. Photoshop Elements is one of my favorites for having just enough power for me to play, but easy enough for amateurs. Some good books specifically on that program (read the reviews on Amazon).

 

Lastly, for the love of god, consider your surroundings. This is a huge pet peeve of mine...and maybe I'm just too type A...but when I see a profile and the background is full of dirty laundry, kids toys, dirty dishes, etc...I just can't concentrate on the couple. Take care to "set the scene"

 

If you set up an account on flickr or twitpic, I'm sure you'll find a few of us who wouldn't mind giving your "creative feedback"

[todesireu 16]

window light is great for indoor shots, open shade if shooting outdoors. if you use a flash, cover it with white paper or white handkerchief to soften the light.

[Chicup 41]

Thanks everyone for the tips. Its going to be a photography weekend, outdoors

[cassies 50]

I want to second window light. It is very soft and directional. Have the camera near the window, and the subject facing the window, and you will likely get very nice light.

 

An advantage of working with a photographer is you get the subject's relationship with the photographer and not the camera.

 

If you are shooting the two of you as a couple with the self timer, try taking some pictures where you are looking at each other instead of at the camera.

 

And take lots of pictures. Pros take hundreds of pictures to get a couple good ones.

 

Good luck

[knb2004 364]

Flash photography is not the enemy, but BAD flash photography is.

 

I am a serious amateur photographer, and very serious about the quality of my work. Good indoor flash photography is easy with the right equipment.

 

The key is to BOUNCE the light off either the ceiling or a wall.

 

Here is a good DSLR and flash that will do the trick:

 

Canon | EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR Camera (Camera Body)

 

And a good flash:

Canon | 430EX II Speedlite TTL Shoe-Mount Flash | 2805B002 | B&H

 

Yes, it's more expensive than a $200 digital camera, but if you want quality results, you have to have quality equipment. You can find good used equivalents in various places.

 

For the record: No financial interest in any way to the products or links provided, just an enthusiastic photog.

[Chicup 41]

knb2004 said:

Here is a good DSLR and flash that will do the trick:

 

Canon | EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR Camera (Camera Body)

 

Hey that's our camera!

 

Long story but we recently acquired one, and yes it takes much much much better pictures than our old 200 dollar POS.

 

We even have a quality lens being Mrs. got a cannon film 35mm a few years ago she no longer uses.

 

Thanks for the flash tip!

[knb2004 364]

Excellent! Now go get the flash, the on-camera one should be used for emergencies and for fill light during daylight shoots only. And always, always, when possible, bounce the flash it makes the pictures 100x better and more natural looking. It's not always possible of course, as there aren't a lot of ceilings outdoors, but when you can, do it. If you really want to get crazy, $1500 will buy some pretty decent studio lighting.

[Chicup 41]

Excellent! Now go get the flash, the on-camera one should be used for emergencies and for fill light during daylight shoots only. And always, always, when possible, bounce the flash it makes the pictures 100x better and more natural looking. It's not always possible of course, as there aren't a lot of ceilings outdoors, but when you can, do it. If you really want to get crazy, $1500 will buy some pretty decent studio lighting.

 

Yes, that would be crazy

[The Fuse 1,012]

We do not like taking pictures, but occasionally I nag us into it. We end up with fifteen pictures taken over the last year, all in the same "together" pose.

 

Then Mr. Fuse is never happy with the way he looks. He is finally getting the idea that to show his best "side", he should do the basics: stand UP, and (for him, since he's thin): "puff out" just a little, and turn straight on to the camera. He used to take so many pictures with him turned at an angle and slouching, and I got sick of hearing him whine about the way they turned out. Since the OP is now thin, per a recent blog entry, I'll bet you should do the same things.

 

My husband also had this annoying habit of putting his far-side hand on my tummy in side-by-side pictures. That covered part of his body, partially collapsed his already-thin upper body, covered part of my body, and suggested that I was pregnant...not the message we wanted to send. I think I've nagged him out of that one too. Also he recently bought some new flat-front pants and figured out that the pleated pants he'd been wearing previously did not do him any favors... just added girth he doesn't have.

 

For me, I find that if I am standing up and putting my shoulders back far enough to feel silly about it, that's when the pictures turn out the best. And really I've learned not to sweat the pictures too much... from our POV we only use them as a rough guide when looking at other peoples' pictures.

[Chicup 41]

Christ on a cracker.....

 

We have the 550EX flash too......

[knb2004 364]

Ah, the 550, nice one. It's what I use, as well. Try a little experiment. Go take a pic of Mrs. Chi with the flash pointed straight at her, then point it at the ceiling and retake the exact same pic. You'll see why I say what I say.

[Chicup 41]

Several years ago I bought Mrs. Chicup some nice photography equipment for what was a hobby at the time (she gave it up a while ago) so other than a 75-300mm lens I think we have no more surprise equipment.

[knb2004 364]

LOL, wait until you really get bit by the bug. I used to have that lens as well, but then I realized it wasn't giving me the quality I wanted, so I decided to get a good one.

 

Wound up with this, and this.

 

Ouch!

 

Here is the next upgrade I want. I think I'm psychotic.

[Chicup 41]

LOL, wait until you really get bit by the bug. I used to have that lens as well, but then I realized it wasn't giving me the quality I wanted, so I decided to get a good one.

 

Wound up with this, and this.

 

Ouch!

 

Here is the next upgrade I want. I think I'm psychotic.

 

Laugh for that much money I'd expect it to actually take pictures in 5D

[knb2004 364]

Well, I don't know about photos in 5d, but how about a 21.1MP, full-frame DSLR that does full HD video? Check this out.

[exploringRM 305]

Our daughter is an excellent photographer (does freelance work), but I guess we really can't ask her to take some sexy shots, lol! We're heading to Entice 2009, hotel takeover party/convention in October. One of the seminars is erotic photography, hoping to get something out of that!