Before and After shots

[LaurieE]

Happy Friday everyone!
Okay here is my newest need for the brains and experience here. The deaf education supervisor is my "boss"...On the side she sells a line of beauty prodects that are sold from home. Well she and I had this great idea to have a brunch and I would come and do before and after shots of the ladies who get makeovers. The perk for me is that I can give out my cards there and maybe get a little extra work. The downside is IF I screw it up ..I've screwed it up in front of my boss! haha...

So here's my questions ...The brunch is at 10:30 but I am assuming we won't get started before 11:00. The plan is to do it in a room that has east facing windows. What are some tips ya'll can give me about lighting this. Remember I have NO equipment for lighting. I could buy a reflector or two though before then. I have an SB600 speedlight. My two favorite lenses are my Nikkor micro/macro 2.8 (but it's manual) and my new 18-200mm V.R ect...lol.

Any tips about this crazy idea ya'll have would be greatly appreiciated! :-)

[engstrom]

Laurie, did you read this thread? There's some good info on headshot in it.

http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=44086

[LaurieE]

Yes I did see that thread! It did have some great ideas for natural light. I guess I am wondering what the best way to do this is...two seperate pictures or 1/2 face undone and half done...My goal is to have people see such a difference after the makeover that they want to buy the makeup..I know that will depend a lot on the makeup artist and her application but I just want some ideas on makeing the contrast between before and after dramatic without a lot of photoshop.

Laruie

[venchka]

Originally Posted by LaurieE

... I could buy a reflector or two though before then. I have an SB600 speedlight. My two favorite lenses are my Nikkor micro/macro 2.8 (but it's manual) and my new 18-200mm V.R ect...lol.

Any tips about this crazy idea ya'll have would be greatly appreiciated! :-)

What focal length is the Nikkor micro/macro lens? The 18-200 set somewhere between 85 & 105 would work. TRIPOD! if you have one.

My best portrait EVER was lit with a single lightbulb and a bath towel hung on the back of a chair for a reflector. Improvise!

I own and really like LumiQuest products. They are made right here in Texas! They aren't expensive and they work well. They fold flat and fit in a small space in your camera bag. I have a bounce unit and a softbox that I use on my flash.

The Bounce:



The Softbox:



The Link:

http://www.lumiquest.com/

Practice first! Then practice some more.

Good luck!

[LaurieE]

Hi Wayne,
It's 55mm and it takes beautiful portraits BUT it's really hard to get the shots crisp. I do have a good tripod and a remote shutter so it may work. What do you think? I'll have a look at your suggestions and thanks for the suggestions!

I'm going to post a link to some of my portraits in a new thread I'd be grateful if you could have a look and give me your opinion! :-)

[venchka]

Originally Posted by LaurieE

Hi Wayne,
It's 55mm and it takes beautiful portraits BUT it's really hard to get the shots crisp.

A Micro-Nikkor hard to get crisp? That's news to me.

You could cheat.

Shoot the Before pictures with the Macro lens up close, harsh direct window light & flash, F:8 or F:11.

Then back off with the zoom, dial up the focal length, open wide, nice soft diffused bounced fuzzy window light and fill flash.

Thought: Has anyone ever used a translucent shower curtain over a window to diffuse and soften the light? You would have to account for any color temperature shift from the plastic. Could work.

Thought: You may have trouble getting a nice blank neutral dark background. You may need to bring something to put behind the subjects.

Good luck!

[babybluetx23]

You could also try the gary fong dome.....http://store.garyfonginc.com/licl.html

I have one and I LOVE IT! You can also use the lid to white balance! heheh A little trick I learned and it DOES work! Two for one! heck of a deal!

[LadyShutterBug]

my honest opinion... you can smell BS a mile away. take before and after shots in the same conditions. if the makeup gal is any good, the difference will be noticeable, and the side by side comparisons won't seem so staged. in short, it iwll be believable because it is.

on the other hand if her target audience is not-so-smart and easily persuadable, feel free to go with the crappy-harsh-lit before shots and the lovely-diffuse light after-shots. i'd consult with her about this before... see what her take is on all of it.

[LaurieE]

Originally Posted by LadyShutterBug

my honest opinion... you can smell BS a mile away. take before and after shots in the same conditions. if the makeup gal is any good, the difference will be noticeable, and the side by side comparisons won't seem so staged. in short, it iwll be believable because it is.

on the other hand if her target audience is not-so-smart and easily persuadable, feel free to go with the crappy-harsh-lit before shots and the lovely-diffuse light after-shots. i'd consult with her about this before... see what her take is on all of it.

Thanks for your reply! No I would never do the crappy horribly lit, no smile, "Before shots". :-) If anything I want nice freshly scrubbed faces without make up but the same lighting for both photos.

Laurie

[amadjuster]

Originally Posted by venchka

A Micro-Nikkor hard to get crisp? That's news to me.

As I remember, this lens had a reputation of being soft on other that macro shots. That is probably good for portraits but not for this activity. Test the 18-200 at 35mm to 50mm. Mine is really good there at f8 or f11.

[LadyShutterBug]

p.s. my favorite portrait lens is the 50mm 1.4 nikon. you can ge the 1.8 50mm nikon for pretty cheap and most places will have it in stock.

[LaurieE]

Thanks for the suggestions! Yes my Micro/Macro is very soft. I like the way some portraits look but not all of them.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by LaurieE

... If anything I want nice freshly scrubbed faces without make up but the same lighting for both photos.

Laurie

There you go. Y'all couldn't see me grinning earlier.

You should always take the best photo you know how to take.

Nobody has an opinion on the shower curtain diffuser over a window?