Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Brian, That sounds really professional, serious. That's why I would kill that mother... or maybe those kids. So much effort, work to have just a parents memory of those weird creatures, monsters. Now, once you're advised you can call one of those scholar killers you have in the US. ,-) - -- Pablo Kolodny www.pablokolodny.com > From: Brian Reid <reid@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> > Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 13:17:17 -0800 > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: Re: [Leica] I am probably crazy, but... > > I've done many hundreds of school class pictures. I've always used a 35mm > lens, a good lens hood, a high tripod, and a stepladder. 35mm film is > adequate. I will confess to never having used a Leica for this; I use > motorized Canon EOS or T90. Here's my procedure: > > 1. Find out how many people you will have to shoot at once. Plan the number of > rows and the number of people in each row. Allow 24 inches of width for each > adult, 21 for each teenager, and 18 for children under 12. Use as few rows as > possible. For a class of 30 people I would use 2 rows; for a class of 100 > people I would use 4 or 5 rows. Go to the place where the pictures will be > taken and put colored flags at the 4 corners of the area that the people will > stand in. Set up your camera on its tripod as you will be taking the picture > and make sure you have plenty of leeway at the edges of the picture. You don't > want to have to move the camera back when the kids show up. If you can get 4 > kids > to help you get set up, have one stand at each flag to help you frame your > shot. Rehearse this well in advance of the day of the shoot, and on shoot day, > set up your gear well in advance of the arrival of the children. > > 2. Shoot the finest-grain film you can find. High resolution is your friend. > No one will be moving very fast. No one will judge this picture for its > composition (they will blame the children for bad composition) but people will > be impressed by sharpness and resolution and proper focus and lack of camera > vibration. > > 3. Enlist the help of teachers, preferably including a gym teacher, to pose > the children. School children know how to take orders from their teachers, but > are not good at taking orders from photographers. The most difficult part of > taking school group pictures is getting the students to stand still. Make the > teachers do this; they are good at it. Just stand there and watch while the > teachers line up the students, then have the lead teacher tell you when they > are ready. When it is time to push the shutter, move as many teachers as > possible to be near you. The students will look at their teachers, not at the > camea. > > 4. Remember to focus. Remember to set your exposure. Remember to bracket. > Shoot two rolls of film, not because you need to, but because this will give > you two chances to get it right. Everyone over the age of 8 understands the > concept of "changing to a new roll of film" and will be willing to sit still > while you do it. > > 5. I use a black cloth over my head and camera when I shoot school pictures, > and I use a flash. Both are stage props. The flash doesn't have enough power > to light anything; its purpose is to let the students know that I have just > taken a picture. The black cloth is to make the whole thing look professional > and mysterious. I run the flash on 1/16 power so I don't have to wait for it > to recycle. > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html