How do i take good outdoor portrait shots with a Canon Rebel Xsi (450d)?
Ok, well i’m 16 years old, i’m in love with photography, been doing it on a simpler level for the past 3 years, i just got my dslr, but i’m still learning the ropes. I got 2 unbelievably gorgeous girls to pose for me, but i don’t wanna mess the photos up, can anyone reccomend any settings to use to take the pictures?
It’ll be later in the afternoon, when the sun is setting but not over the horizon, i don’t want to over or under expose any of the pictures, and i use the standard kit lens (17-55). Oh and which lens would be best for these types of pictures
Use the longer end of your lens (at 55 mm) – because at the wider end, they’ll look funny.
One thing you need to do is survey the site. Lighting is extremely important. And you ask yourself, what is going to illuminate your subject? Unless you have fancy reflector (etc), you will rely mostly on the sun. You wouldn’t want to do this in the middle of the day and have the subject stand in the sun (they’ll squint, etc.) If lighting is wrong–your photo will look “flat”
Focus on the eyes. If you can manually focus, and let the little red light (that you see in the optical viewfinder) blink, that means that spot is in focus. if you want to do blurry background (like most of my shots), the aperture has to be large. Your lens might do.
Under the shade–under a cloudy day, works better. Here are some samples.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pooky/2705348719/ under the shade, sun to my right, white wall to my left.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pooky/3030543812/ Sun to the left, white wall to the right.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pooky/2494382012/ Sun to the right of me. White wall to my left.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pooky/2644525468/ An overcast day. No harsh shadow at all.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pooky/3601730483/ under the shade. Sun behind the subject.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pooky/3593090936/ Sun way behind us. Light reflected off a white wall behind me.
same here http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_pooky/3457895767/
How to get your subject to “look” comfortable? that’s for the next episode. 
Outdoor Portraits in Parks or Open Space
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