Need help - photoshoot with model and car

[Jamie]

Hi all

I have a photoshoot for my car club and they are going to supply a model for the shoot. I've never been one to take pictures of people to start with apart from the odd snap of family or friends. I dont know where to start really!

I usually do all the photoshoots for the car club and that isnt or hasnt been a problem but now they have throw in an unknown factor to me. I'll start by listing what i have to shoot with...

D70s
Kit lens
50mm 1.8
SB600 with difuser thingo that goes over the end (small square one)
Black Mercedes SLK
Pritty girl

Have access to lighting but no power source at location, besides i wouldnt know the first thing about all that stuff.

Yes its not much but that is all i have atm so its just got to do. I'm only after 6 or so decent shots with the model and the rest of the shots i have no problem with (driving shots etc).

I have a few ideas on what id like to do but im after ANY kind of help at all. One idea was to use the SB600 in comander mode and see what could be done with that.

I'm going to bracket all my shots but ive never really done much of this in the past so what bracket settings would you recommend?

I was reading the book (a case of i had to) and i seen that you can bracket flash exposure, is this a good idea (when using the flash of course) or would i just be better off to bracket the exposure its self?

Sorry for rambling on and any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Killakoala]

Flash use may be totally dependant on whether you do the shoot indoors or outdoors. If outdoors, you may be able to get away with none or only fill-flash. Indoors could be tricky.

Your lenses will do the job fine. I'd concentrate on using the 50mm as it is a bit sharper, but use the 18-70 as well.

It may help to get a car magazine with female models sprawled over cars so you can get a feel for what passes off as a good shot.

Good luck.

[bindiblue]

Hi ,, I cannot give any advice, just maybe if you take alook at Poon's shots, this will give you some guide lines, great shots here and very good ideas for poses,

http://poon.smugmug.com/gallery/1537606

Suzanne

[jdear]

what time of the day are you going to be shooting at?
Id shoot available light, overshoot, and in RAW...

Use some home-made reflectors if you need to dull down shadows.

If you shoot flash, be careful of the reflections that will be in the mirrors / glass etc.

Who is responsible for the wardrobe?

J

[rmp]

Practice before the actual shoot. Enlist the help of someone else to stand in front of a vehicle.

If you know how to photograph cars you're halfway there. People are harder; cars don't change their expressions in a nanonsecond. So firing off a few burst shots is a good idea as it can be very annoying to get the perfect shot where the model is blinking.

Pay attention to shadows around the face if she's wearing any headgear.

Experiment with lots of different poses. Facing the camera, turning away. Try a few wide-angle shots. And a few long-lens ones.

Joke with the model, put her at ease. Last time I shot three ladies I made them laugh by sitting on the ground, then rocking backwards with legs akimbo. I got a burst of very happy laughing expressions as a result, and the upward angle cleared the background up nicely.

If the model is tall and the car is short then you might want to have her crouch or adopt some other pose to avoid the contrast in height.