First Legit Senior Shoot. Rookie Mistake

[Rodger]

I just wrapped up my first legit senior pictures shoot with a friend last friday. A weeks worth of editing later, and she has 28 images to choose from. Thought I'd make them accessible here for you all to peruse through too. (And it's okay cause she signed a model release letting me use them for advertising/whatever).


Rookie mistake: Friday night. The night before my first big senior pictures shoot. I just recently purchased an off camera strobe kit from MPEX. I've been practicing all week leading up to the shoot. I've been reading the Strobist blog. Printing out sections of Lighting 101 and Lighting 102. Reading all about 45 degree angles, umbrellas, shadows, etc. I spend at least half an hour making DIY bounce cards, cutting and velcro-ing gels to use, and all that good stuff. Friday night, 1:00am: I pack up all my stuff. Batteries are charged, lenses are clean, CF card is clear, and even though I only have one flash, I take two light stands, two umbrellas, and two Cactus receivers (just in case anything should break). Saturday morning: I drive an hour away from home on un familiar back roads to meet my friend (client) at some old horse ranch where she rides. I get there, unpack and start setting up my stuff. Strobist information runs through my head. "Balance the flash vs ambient light. Underexpose by two stops and adjsut the flash to bring up the light. Light the short side of the face to slim the face down some." I check my camera bag. No flash. I check my light bag. No flash. I panic. I call my mom at home and she finds my flash. Sitting on the counter.. So we shot natural light haha. (I don't know why on earth I wrote that out like some dramatic screenplay. It's noon and I just woke up so bear with haha).


Here are four if you don't want to make the jump to the set, here. (There should be seven more, but they mustn't have uploaded to flickr. They're on my external though. I'll update the set soon


Like always, I love to get feedback, good or bad. Don't hold back, and never worry about being to harsh haha. This is how we grow as photographers. Thanks! -Rodger (Check the flickr page for EXIF data) All edited with Adobe LR2. The Soften skin brush is absolutely wonderful!

[Oren]

Great shots, the B&W is very cool. The third one might be a bit too warm, try to cool it down a bit.

[Sean Setters]

" I check my camera bag. No flash. I check my light bag. No flash. I panic. I call my mom at home and she finds my flash. Sitting on the counter.. So we shot natural light haha.

I once read that the most important piece of gear is the gear you have with you. When I was looking at them I was thinking to myself, "Dang, these would be superb with just a little more light on her face..." I think you did very well for what you had (and didn't have) with you... :-)


Question: Do you have your camera set to Auto White Balance? It seems the color balance varies a bit in the group (I'm actually colorblind, so I can't pinpoint exactly what it is). Typically, when doing strobist shots, I set my camera's white balance to Kelvin 5500 (which matches daylight as well as my strobes' output). In fact, I rarely change the white balance because I'm usually shooting in the daytime and with strobes. Anyway, setting your white balance to a Kelvin color temperature means that the photos will have a very consistent color to them. And if an adjustment needs to be made, it can be made to the whole group.

[Rodger]

Thanks for the comments! I probably will go back and change the white balance now that it's been brought to my attention.

Question: Do you have your camera set to Auto White Balance?

I do use auto white balance and then I change it in post. I got too excited to use the color selector in LR and adjusted each photo's WB independently. Not sure why it didn't cross my mind that using that method would produce inconsistencies. Thanks for the tip Sean. You're strobist help is invaluable!

[canoli]

Nice shots Roger. I guess we've all been there, that panic moment when you realize you're missing a crucial piece of gear...ugh! I feel for you - after all that prep and practice...


on the WB thing - you can't ever go wrong having your model hold a white/gray card for one shot, then using that in PP. Take a new shot when the lighting conditions change. Or using that white/gray shot as your custom WB in-camera. Either way takes the guessing out of the equation. And of course you're still free to choose a different WB when you want to (assuming you're shooting RAW of course). (ps - I'm no pro - first-year photog - just passing on what I've learned)


my 2 cents on the B+W image - I'd lose the vignette, or lower its opacity to just barely perceptible. For me the obvious vignetting makes the image too old-timey, which doesn't fit with the model's dress and appearance.


I'm also wondering how a tight crop would look - the horse's head/neck and the model's head n shoulders. There's such personality in both their expressions, but they're a little far away to really see them. But maybe a crop like that would look weird with no context.


Anyway, thanks for sharing your pix, and congratulations on getting the job done - with the gear on hand!

[clemmb]

Roger


I think they look great. A little more light on her face would make them better. The other thing that bothers me is the horses ears back. Animals take a lot of patiance to work with but the ears back makes it look like a mule. Sometimes some little noise(clicks or kisses) can make them bring their ears forward but you have to be quick. This will make them look much better. It can be frustraiting trying to get it just right but worth it.


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Keep up the good work


Mark

[Rodger]

Canoli, thanks for the comments.


The girl's mom actually emailed me and asked for a reshoot (the bright sunlight caused squinting, and she was looking for a tighter crop I think). I'm completely fine with that too, I offered a reshoot if they didn't turn out. You only get to be a senior once, might as well have pictures you're happy with haha.


So Mark, that tighter crop image is great and a good point for me to go off of. I struggled to set up a tighter frame. For some reason, I thought all of the horse should be in it haha.


The horse was actually really troublesome to work with. It was quite pissed hahah. But I know what you're saying on the ears thing.


Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Very much appreciated.


-Rodger

[clemmb]

It was quite pissed hahah.
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Ya, I forgot to tell you to always test fire the flash to make sure the horse does not set back. Some horses are cool about it and some are squirrelly. I really like your second shot. Here is another couple of examples. Hope it gives you some ideas. She was holding a cookie to keep the horses attention.


Mark


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[Sean Setters]

The horse was actually really troublesome to work with.

You'll want to be careful about using strobes with the horse on your next shoot. I'm not certain it's advisable....though it might be just fine.

[clemmb]

You'll want to be careful about using strobes with the horse on your next shoot. I'm not certain it's advisable....though it might be just fine.
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Many of the highschool girls that want their picture taken with their horse are in 4-H. They compete with their horses and therefore have trained them to not be so jumpy but you must remember they are animals and are unpredictable. Always ask the owner if they would jump at a flash. With their permission test the horse with the flash. Most of them I have worked with are good and do not jump at the flash. Once in a while I run across one I can not use a flash with.


Mark