Right!
I've got my first session doing portraiture for someone's modelling portfolio coming up, we're shooting outdoors, possibly with one or two indoor locations as weather cover.

Anyone have any insights to share?

Have fun. Make it fun. Enjoy yourselves.

Can't think of anything else.

Use your longest lens and try to get shallow depth-of-field.

Mark

Oh oh, can I be a model?

Must resist comments

To add to that - the best focal length for portrature is in the range 70-100mm on 35mm size pictures. But open the aperture wide open and focus on the eyes.

Cool - I'll take the 50mm, the 135mm, and the zoom to cover anything else. I tend to shoot most of my stuff with a wide aperture, so that's cool.
Time to go and source some make-shift reflectors I reckon.

bish - I'd be happy to have you as a model. I don't think you'd find any shortage of willing photogs.

The other thing I'm a little concerned with is that when I'm usually shooting people, they're friends, and it's good times.
The person I'm shooting isn't overly blessed with an abundance of personality, but we'll see what happens, I suppose.

I recall a photographic manual I was given for Chrimble a lifetime ago. It had a section on portraiture. Some of this, dredged from memory, may be useful, may be not.

If the subject is tense when sat in front of the camera, get them to blow a raspberry. It should make them smile.

If they adopt a fixed expression, or can't relax, get them to drop their chin to their chest, and bring the head back up. It helps to relax the muscles, and may well let their hair flop over their face a bit.

I guess the hardest part is going to be getting a rapport going with the subject. I'm sure you're going to exude confidence about your handling of the equipment, so that should help them feel a little more comfortable (there's nothing worse than having a camera pointed at you if you don't feel comfortable. I'm hopeless in front of the lens).

Try to get them going with small talk, to try and engage with them and draw out anything they might be interested in to get them to be more animated and show some passion.

And like I said at the start, have fun. Crack jokes if it's appropriate; see if they're up for experimental shots and poses. Ask their opinions on shots, which might help them feel they have some control over the situation.

That's it. All out of ideas.

No one answered me, if I could be a model!

Yes. (8+)

Mark

Ohhh, this should be fun. What I gotta do?!

Stand around in high heals and not many other clothes.
Have someone stick makeup all over your body and try to stay interested.

(Advice from a friend of mine who's a model www.supermodelnancy.com)

Use continous drive mode on the camera to take a few shots in sequence. You might find you capture a more natural expression other than a 'fake' smile.

She looks like most generic models. Her pictures are good (some - the ones where her ribs arent bigger than her breasts)