Question by Claire: Photography Tips for Engagement Photos?
Hello! I am 13 and I need some help with photography. I have 2 weeks to figure this out by the way 🙂
My soon-to-be-sister-in-law would like me to take their engagement photos, and some photos of the actual party that will be in June. (She likes to plan things out way ahead of time, long story.) I am really excited, but I’m worried at the same time. I know “lots of practice” but what are some tips?
I’m still not very skilled and don’t know how to identify camera names, but here is what it says on the lens: Nikon 36x Wide Optical Zoom ED VR and on the top near the flash it says Coolpix p500. I have a tripod too.
What are some tips for taking pictures? I haven’t ever taken a photography class. What have you guys who are photographers used in the past for help? Also am I able to put an extra lense on my current camera or no? I don’t think I can but I’m just wondering.
Thanks so much! 🙂 I’m really excited about all of this… so just some photo tips that you’ve learned along the way would be great!
Best answer:
Answer by Vinegar Taster
What you have is a upper level point & shoot bridge camera.
You can get decent photos with it, but you have to know what you’re doing. Two weeks isn’t a lot of time. There are many how to videos on youtube. Maybe you can check some of them out.
Sorry no, you can’t change the lens on this camera. It’s a bridge camera and the lens is built in. They
have push on adapters, but they’re mostly junk that should be avoided.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Really?
Tell her you are flattered, but you would rather she pick someone who knows how to use a camera to capture the event. If you really want to go through with it, start by reading your camera’s owners manual and go to the library and check out a couple of books of photography.
A friend of mine is a Photographer and she did some engagement photo’s a couple years ago at a nice park after the leaves fell off and did them in black and white they turned out beautiful.
Nothing wrong with you making an attempt at couple portraiture. If they don’t turn out great, nothing wasted except a little time. But don’t go offering to shoot their wedding!
You will not be competent in a couple of weeks, but there are some things you can be looking at and learning before the shoot. The main thing is to have good lighting. So plan the shoot either early or late. You will probably be doing it outdoors anyway, so look for a place with nice even light and minimal distractions in the background.
There is nothing wrong with shooting candid shots, but you will want to either pose them or at least direct them into a more pleasing arrangement. Some things to think about are keep bodies at an angle to the lens and bend things that bend. Use the flash for some, learn how to set minus flash compensation to tone it down some when outside in good lighting. You just want a kiss of light, not a blast.
Here is a great link with lots of tips:
http://digital-photography-school.com/portrait-photography-tips
Google engagement photo ideas and you will find oodles of pictures to see. Here is one I liked, there are lots of good tips there if you read it all, and links to more pictures:
http://snapknot.com/blog/engagement-photo-ideas/
If you don’t know how to set your camera manually, don’t be afraid to use the scene modes, portrait mode in particular. Get some closeups and some from farther away. Use the zoom to get closer, avoid much shooting with the wide end close to the couple.
Make sure your battery is freshly charged and the memory card is ready to go. Shoot a lot of frames, then select the best ones. Do not overwrite your original files with post processing. A nice clean shot is better than all the special effects that most teen beginners seem to love. It’s OK to play with blur and vintage effects but be sure to save that stuff as a copy.
Have fun. Chances are you will get a few keepers.