[iheartu]

Hi ladies

I've got a canon 550D and the last few days I've been really practicing and playing with it. I love taking portraits of my darlings and have taken approx 1200 shots in the last few day (only 30 or so that I LOVE the rest well some are good, most aren't lol something about working with children and animals comes to mind lol)

I've taken some shots I'm very happy and proud of but some of them are slightly out of focus and I find if I use the flash they are a lot clearer/crisper but I don't like using the flash for most pictures as I don't like the artificial bright that seems to give my 'models' a bluish tinge and if I use it a lot it ends up becoming 'busy' and takes ages to reload between shots.

Any handy hints?! I enjoy playing with and prefer the manual mode so hit me!

[Bluenomi]

Lighting. Professionals don't use the inbuilt flash they use lights and seperate flashes.

Otherwise move outside where you don't need lighting

[rbat]

What lens are you using?

[Peanut]

I find it tricky too sometimes (I'm not good with people shots, I'm better at inanimate objects, lol), so I usually take photos of my kids outside.

[iheartu]

I'm using the 18-55mm that came with it, I also have a 55-250mm that I haven't even used really.

I'm such an amateur I just love taking nice photos

[raven74]

Good light and fast glass. You may find your camera "hunts" - tries to find a focal point - when the light is low. Fast glass is a lens with a wide aperture - 2.8. 1.8, 1.4, 1.2. If you're using kit lenses they may only go down to f5-5.6 which isn't enough in lower light.
Don't shoot in the shade, if it's dark open the blinds, turn on lights (ISO can only do so much before you get noisy photos) set your white balance accordingly. I see a lot of pics where people shoot their kids under a beautiful tree and they look terrible. Be aware of things like this - something like a tree gives uneven dappled light.
Look for the light before you shoot. See how the light hits their faces, make sure they have catchlights in their eyes.

[~kacee~]

You'll do better with a lens that can have a wide aperture (known also as f-stop). The lower the f-stop number, the more light it'll let in (and no flash needed). Also, make your ISO higher (prob at least 800, more likely 1600).

[iheartu]

Thanks Raven they're great tips

What lens size do you recommend for portraits...

F stop is already on 5 and my iso is usually 1200 - 1600

[Leeloomina]

Yeah if you do mainly portraits it's worth investing in a fixed lens. A 50mm with F-stop under 1.8 will do a better job than the standard lens that comes with the camera. The lens prices from 1.8 to 1.4 jumps more than double, and a 1.2 will usually be close to a grand.

[iheartu]

Ooo ouch expensive hobby isn't it