For those of you starting out in photography & software or just like advise from different perspectives…this is a real basic tutorial that I put together for you.

If you have ever been hired to take photography, (whether it may be weddings, senior portraits, proms, or family pictures)...than you understand some of the stresses that can be involved. You understand that you are no longer taking photos at your own leisure…but specifically for your client, and since they are paying you…they are going to expect some degree of quality.

So in this tutorial I am going to give you some helpful hints and tips (as well as different ideas) on how to make the best of your day…so I am going to use myself as an example and upload some before and after pictures of my recent event of prom photos for 3 teenage couples.

Again…this tutorial is very basic…if you are familiar with my work…than you know what you see is nothing like my original image…sometimes you just have to keep it real for the client’s sake, lol.

I for one prefer to do hired photography outdoors since I don’t yet have my own studio (and trust me), natural lighting is your best friend anyway.

To start…here are some before and after examples of the prom photoshoot…so you have an idea of the unattractive background I had to deal with, but how I managed to save the images buy changing the backgrounds.

Now like I said (and as you can see)...I did not have the best backgrounds to work with, and since we don’t live in a perfect photography world…we just got to grin and bare it…and deal with it later…which is exactly what I did.

So here are my super simple tips and hints (and since I am no teacher)...these are very basic!

#1 When shooting outdoors, make sure your clients are facing in the direction of the sun (or in other words, your back should be against the sun)...for the right balance of natural light…this applies to pretty much all outdoor photography (IMHO)...never shoot against the sun…because more than likely the picture will not turn out.

#2 If you know you are going to have to change the backgrounds, my best recommendation would be to shoot the backgrounds you desire on the same day you photographed your clients. This will ensure a more believable background. There is nothing worse than slapping an overcast background, on a couple exposed by the sun…eeeeks!!!

#3 When photographing the background, try to remember in which direction you were photographing your clients. For example: I was facing north…so naturally when I went to search for my background shots…I made sure I was facing in the same direction (north) as I photographed my clients (just another rule of thumb to make your editing more believable).

#4 Get Low!!!!! Now everyone has there own favorite ways to photograph, but if I am photographing people…the perspective of the shot always seems so much nicer when the subject/and or subjects are looking down at you. I have no specific reasons as to why (maybe somebody else does)...but trust me it always comes out looking better than standing.

#5 Don’t forget the perspective of your background either. I was literally sitting on my bum when I photographed these teens…so of course I did the same exact thing while photographing my background/foreground.

#6 In a time crunch??? Bring an assistant or friend to help out. All 6 teens that hired me to take their photos were nearly an hour late. Considering we had only so much time before the limo came to pick them up…I brought a friend to help coordinate the poses. And incase you weren’t aware…it takes much longer trying to get 6 teenagers to strike a pose, than it was to take the shots…(fortunately they were a great crowd).

#7 Don’t just take one snap shot and move on to the next pose…take maaaany!!!
Within an hours time….I literally took over 800 photos. This is especially important while taking group shots. The couple on the left and right are ready for the shot…but the couple in the middle are busy chattin’ away…in the meantime the couple in the middle realize I am patiently waiting for them to quiet, and once they do…the couple on the left and right have wandered off into la-la land. sigh...you see what I mean…enough said.

#8 JUST HAVE FUN!!! I have done a lot of family, senior & now prom pictures…and finally realized that staying relaxed, confident & in control…will almost ALWAYS give you positive results. If you start your day stressed and worried about how your photos will come out…more than likely they won’t…so just don’t think about it. If you play with software…than you know if an image didn’t come out exactly perfect…you can at least improve it.

#9 Knuckle cracking software play time!!! Ok, so your sitting at your computer…you chose the best subject pictures, and you’ve got your desired backgrounds ready to go. If you are not familiar on how to play with layers, etc…please visit Graphic Editing 101 Beginners Classroom (and if you have any further questions…be sure to post it there at the forum). The images I presented above…are actually 3 different photos. The foreground, the sky and the subjects are all taken separately (but if I try to teach you how to do it…you’ll just get lost, LOL)...so best to look at the forums…the possibilities are endless!!

#10 Last but not least…remember to make your client happy, make them laugh, if they don’t know what to do as far as expressions and poses go…say something akward and funny…and you are guaranteed a great smile (it works everytime, hehe)!! Other than that…there is not much to it.

I hope I helped, even if just a little. Some of these hints and tips are going to come across as common sence to a lot of you…but I never went to school or classes for photography…and I never had a photographer buddy at my side to help me out…so all of this information are just things I learned through trial and error. Sheesh…I still have a long way to go as far as photography goes…but that’s what I love about it…it’s a never ending venture, and there are always new things to learn. I am barely getting into Long Exposures and Night Photography. I guess spending so much time manipulating photos…made me forget what an amazing SLR I have and what it can do for me.

So with that…I’ll leave you with some more images I created for the prom shoot. Just some ideas I had and my client’s *loved them…so if your up for new ideas here are a few of mine. Take care! Kellie

this has given me a little more insight anyways! thank you! :)

these are some great ideas! thanks for sharing. what a wonderful resource.

...although i am having bad prom flashbacks now… :)

Thanks for this wonderful tutorial!! You explain everything in a way that just makes sense:)