Learning Center
Portrait

“I then studied in England for a year during college, where I started photographing bands. I printed all of my own work, and sold some of my prints to concert promoters, which gave me confidence to keep shooting. After returning to the USA, I moved to New York, got a job at a major men’s magazine and then started to assist photographers. After about a year and a half, I was able to transition from assisting to shooting for myself.”

For this assignment, she brought just one lens, the 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II zoom. “I knew I wanted to use the lens in a big space, with someone comfortable in that space. Steven Gerberich’s studio is almost other-worldly, and the Tamron 17-50mm Di-II was ideal for the location. The lens is very compact and light (just 3.2 inches in the closed position, and just under a pound), yet it feels very stable. It can be set to a fast, wide-open maximum aperture of F/2.8 through the whole focal range, which is awesome, and the auto focusing is very fast. I shot many of the photos shown here at F/2.8, and the lens performed extremely well. Having the F/2.8 maximum aperture allowed me to shoot hand held, and still capture sharp detail in the precise areas I chose (using spot focusing), while allowing parts of the foreground or background to be out of focus due to the shallow depth of field. Shooting wide open also allowed me to light the space and my subject without having to bring in artificial lighting, such as hot lights or strobes.”

 

Wilson continues: “The 17-50mm Di-II has a zoom mechanism that flows almost seamlessly, but with just enough resistance over the entire zoom range. I recommend people use that to their advantage when photographing any subject. The 17-50mm allowed me to zoom in quickly and decide what I wanted, and it takes just a few seconds to get a few very different compositions. An example of this can be seen in these two photographs of Steven Gerberich, taken within 10 seconds of each other. Both were captured at F/5.6 at 1/60 sec. and ISO 400, but the first image was shot at a 19mm focal length, and the second was shot at a 30mm focal length. I also had a wider shot that included his feet, but I thought that looked too busy. Having a 17-50mm range really opens up a lot of creative possibilities.”

 

Tip Box

Tip 1:
Take a “Visual Tour” of the Location.
Before photographing a subject in a specific location, whether that’s in a home, office or outdoors, always take some time to take a visual tour of the space before placing your subject in a particular spot. Editorial and commercial photographers often “scout” locations days in advance, but in many cases, just five minutes is enough time to look around a room, especially if you will primarily be using natural light, as I did in the series of portraits shown in this article. Then make a “shot list” either in your mind or on paper. If you do have days to prepare in advance, making diagrams with specific camera angles and lighting can be helpful, and shooting different areas with the same lens you plan to use during the session can also be helpful.
Once you are done with one shot, you can then move on to the next area on your list. Not every specific location will end up as a “cover shot,” but if you prepare in advance and shoot in a few different settings, you should have a lot of good options by the end of the session.

Tip 2:
Look For Appropriate Backgrounds and Foregrounds.
Once you have decided upon a location, look for simple backgrounds, subtle color palettes or textured surfaces–they tend to work best when photographing people. The photo session shown in this article was a little different from most because the studio and its owner both had so much character, and I wanted that to come through in the images. A stark white or fabric backdrop would not have provided the same feeling. The more you think about the story and feeling you’re trying to get across, the better your photographs will be.
The first image below is a good example of how a background can be somewhat “busy,” but very appropriate for the setting. Foreground objects like the sculpture in the second image below give the image a multi-layered, almost 3D look and feel without overpowering the subject. It was shot with the Tamron 17-50mm at F/2.8, 1/60 sec. and ISO 100 (25mm focal length). Even shooting wide open with the 17-50mm at F/2.8, I was able to get great sharpness on the areas I focused on, and the out of focus areas have a very natural soft-focus feel to them.

 

 

Tip 3:
Make Your Subject More Comfortable With Feedback.
I have found that with digital photography, I know when I have captured images that I’m very happy with because I can see them on my camera’s LCD screen. Many people aren’t comfortable being photographed, so I will genuinely tell people when I get the shot. I'll say "this is beautiful" or "this is perfect," and that often helps to relax them. I will also often show them the very best images from the shoot, but not too many, because that can interrupt the flow of a session.

Tip 4:
Use Natural Light and Reflectors When Necessary.
I generally prefer using natural light when possible, but you never know exactly where you might have to shoot, so I highly recommend, at a minimum, to bring fill cards such as foam boards, or even better, a set of reflectors. For this shoot I used the PhotoFlex MultiDisc, which has five, 42-inch diameter reflector surfaces: translucent, white, silver, gold, and soft gold. For this image I placed the silver side of the MultiDisc toward the subject, which added just enough light to give the image a directional “window light” feel. I used the Tamron 17-50mm at F/3.5, 1/50 sec. and ISO 200 (33mm focal length).

 

Tip 5:
Look For a “Visual Anchor”.
Finding something that will give “weight” to the overall image, especially when shooting with a wide angle lens, can give a photograph more drama, and help to tell a story. I noticed the jacket sitting on a chair and used it to balance out the rest of the space. The Tamron 17-50mm was ideal because it allowed me to shoot handheld with a shallow depth of field. This draws the eye to the jacket, while still allowing the viewer to see enough detail in the background to get a sense of the overall space. It was shot at F/3.2, 1/60 sec. and ISO 400 (19mm focal length).