Family Portraits-Best Lenses, and other Advice

[a._j._jacobs]

So, say I wanted to do family portraits, most likely outdoors. I own a Canon XSi, so which lens(es) are best (in your opinion) for this type

of portraiture? They don't have to be Canon only or anything, but ones that are compatible with my DSLR...

 

Also, any ideas on fun posing or other advice I should take into consideration?

 

Advice for indoor portraits is also most welcomed. Thanks!

[victorwei]

I have a friend who just bought a XSi and encouraged her to get the Canon 50mm f/1.8 for taking portraits as it's the most affordable sharp lens she can get for about $100 or under. If you have a tight budget, you may want to consider it.

[a._j._jacobs]

I've heard mixed reviews on on the 50mm lens, but it is pretty cheap, so maybe it's worth it anyways....

 

I'll also mention I have the following lenses:

*EF-S 60mm 1:2.8 USM

*EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6

*EF-S 18-55mm IS (and the regular 18-55mm- I got one each when I got my XT then my XSi)

[ObiWon]

Rather than go into specifics of a particular lens, I would recommend that you go for two prime lenses or one very good quality zoom that covers the same range. You really want it as fast as you can buy, f2.8 would be good, and f4 at a pinch. This will mean that even in less than ideal light conditions you can choose the amount of depth you want in the resulting pictures. In 35mm SLR equivalent focal lengths, I would choose a standard fast 50mm lens and the classic 85mm short telephoto. This range would be covered by a good 35-85 zoom. Why not 28-200 as some lenses are? Because that would be too much of a compromise on quality IMHO, lens designers are good, but the greater the range, the more the lens will compromise on that ultimate quality.

 

The only caveat I would add to my recommendation is to maybe go for a 135mm focal length telephoto as you plan to shoot outside. In the studio, 135 is often a bit too tight in for some portraits, but hey this is a creative business we are in, and sometimes breaking the 'rules' - whatever they are - gets you that picture that has the WOW factor.

 

Best of luck and I hope this ramble helps.

 

Jim

[sandy_labana]

On a crop camera I would suggest Cannon EF S 18-55 mm f2.8. You can use it for group shots and also for single head

and shoulder shot. It is expensive but a very good lens. If you do not care for a zoom lens then I would suggest anon EF

50 mm F 1.8 MKII (under $100) and Cannon EF 28 mm f1.8 (moderately priced). You also need to get something for

lighting. Have fun. Sandy

[seismiccwave]

One a cropped sensor you would want something wider than the 50 mm. Your 18 to 55 zoom should be ok for outdoor.

Then again the standard 18 to 55 kit lens is not known as a high quality lens. Mine was pretty bad. A 35 mm or 28 mm

prime will be good for portraits covering more than one person. Your 60 mm prime should do fine for a single person portrait

lens.

 

Pretty hard to tell you anything about indoors except to find a studio and work with the limited space.

[william_markey]

You can shoot a great family portrait with a disposable camera--so any lenses you have will work. Don't concentrate on the equipment--it's just the tool. Instead, concentrate on the craft. Here's a couple of valuable tips for making a family portrait they'll love:

 

1) ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS look for the light FIRST! Don't worry about backgrounds, props, posing, etc. until you first find the correct light (we're assuming an outdoor portrait). To get great portrait light, stand at the subject's position and hold your arm out straight in front of you. Now take your arm and swing it 30-45 degrees sideways and 30-40 degrees up--that is where your light should be coming from to give good modeling on the faces (works for single portraits too). This is assuming you're using frontal light and not using the sun as a hair light/rim light and using a reflector for the main light.

 

2) Have the subjects wear SOLID colors and in similar color tones. Earth tones or dark tones seem best to me. This will put the attention on them and not their wild patterned clothing and conflicting colors.

 

3) Use a darker background (shrubs and trees) at least 20-30 yards behind the group. This will make the subjects stand out because their lighter skin tones will attract your eye first. By placing your background elements far in the distance, everything is softened--thus putting the attention on the subjects. Try not to get sky peeking through the leaves or that bright spot will attract the viewers' eye first.

 

4) String your subjects! This means, attach a string to your tripod and bring the other end to each subject's forehead. They must all be in the same plane to ensure everyone is in focus. If someone is not at the same string length, make them lean forward or back or move them altogether. The last thing you want is to have the family want a giant wall portrait and have dad slightly out of focus because he was in the back and did not lean forward into the same plane of focus as the other members of the family.

 

Hope this helps!

 

William Markey

Birmingham, AL

[anov]

"I've heard mixed reviews on on the 50mm lens, but it is pretty cheap, so maybe it's worth it anyways.... "

 

Mixed mostly due to interface and build quality, in term of optical quality this lens is a winner even before you consider the price. I found a significant sharpness decrease from F:2 to F:1.8 but after that it is very sharp.

[ianmaleny]

I'm finding my Pentax 50-135mm f/2.8 to be really excellent for single person portraits, and the 16-50 f/2.8 is a killer for groups. Perhaps Canon does something similar, I believe Tokina, Sigma and Tamron make lenses in this range.

[isabelle_delcourt]

William, your comments are very helpful. I find shooting outdoor portraits way more difficult than in the studio where you

can control everything. Now my next question is, how do you create an interesting composition with 6 faces on the same

plane? Do you have any pix to show? My trick is to create different planes, use a smaller aperture, the drawback being of

course that your depth of field is too long. What aperture do you usually use for a family portrait of 6 people, outdoor with a

50 mm?

[william_markey]

Thanks Isabelle! I don't have any samples with me right now (I'm at my real job), but here is a link to one of my favorite photographers, David Peters: http://davidpetersphotography.net/ If you go into his family section he has some good ideas on posing. You will notice some of the samples have the subjects not in the same plane, but those photos have more depth of field (i.e., smaller aperature) being used and so the background is somewhat sharper. I would be afraid to use anything larger than f/5.6 on a family unless I did string them and make sure that they are all in the same plane.

 

Chuck Lewis has a 3-DVD set on shooting families both indoor (at the subject's house) and outdoor. He goes over lighting, posing, etc. and is very informative on all aspects. It was filmed back in the mid-1990's though--so it's medium format film based--but the information is still valid. For some reason, it is not on his website, but it should be in the catalog--here is where you can order his catalog: http://www.cjlewis.com/catalog.html