File under "I never thought of that"...

[Daylon]

Makes sense that the location of lighting can make a big difference in portraits.. - Daylon

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/10464

Get Better Portraits by Turning Your Camera Upside Down?

Website Digital Camera University says that you can take better portraits (that is, pictures of people's faces) if you turn your digital camera upside down.

http://www.digitalcamerau.com/2006/0...ter-portraits/


Why? It has to do with the location of the flash: Since it's mounted above the lens it creates slight shadows by the way the light bounces off the lines on your subject's face, which makes wrinkles and blemishes look more noticeable than they should. By turning the camera upside down, the light (now coming from beneath the lens) hits the face at a slightly different angle, creating a slightly different image. That's the theory, anyway.

Looking at the close-up on the site's sample images you can indeed see the difference the writer is talking about if you look at the lines around the model's eyes fairly closely. But I tried it myself to make sure this wasn't a hoax. When shooting an adult face, it was very clear that the upside-down tip did indeed reduce the appearance of lines. The crease around the mouth was noticeably less visible in the upside-down shot I tried than in the regular portrait. However, there was one unintended side effect: The upside-down shot made her face look much redder than it should have, for reasons I can't explain.

I also tried the trick on my four-year-old daughter, but since she is not yet jaded and beaten down by the cruel world, she doesn't have facial lines. I couldn't tell the difference between the side-by-side shots of her.

As the linked site itself notes, the effect is subtle and difficult to see, but it does exist. Is it something I'll do regularly? Probably not, unless repeated portraits keep turning out badly. But it's a neat little party trick that you ought to try at least once when snapping a shot of grandma.

[babybluetx23]

Does this include potrait sessions because I think my clients will think I have LOST MY MIND if I do this in the studio!!! hehehe JUST KIDDING!!!!
I have heard of this before. I just cant remember where I heard this! arg!

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Well that is why you use off camera flash! Jeeze!!!!!

One neat trick is to get a couple flash units that have either wireless or light triggers and set them manually and then if using a light trigger manually turn down your camera mounted flash to where it is basically the trigger of the others. You can get some great lighting that way.

[Xposure Photo]

not to mention...put a piece of napkin over your on camera flash and bingo...you got soft lighting!

[Lefty Ray]

or bounce it off of the white shirt you are wearing

[rescue951]

You could always get your clients to stand on there head, same thing right? lol