Rebecca Elswick
Professor Wilson
English 1010
22 May 2013
How to Take Portraits like a Professional Photographer Do you aspire to be able to take photographs like a professional? Do you think it is impossible to get professional quality without all the expense of accurate studio equipment? Well I am informing you that you can take photographs like professional and at a fraction of the cost of professional studio equipment. The first thing you will need is a camera. It does not have to be a DSLR professional camera. You will need an eight to ten megapixel digital camera. Brands and prices do not matter because a great photograph is the result of the person taking the picture not the equipment. A backdrop is next on the list. A good professional back drop stand can cost over two hundred dollars, and that is just the stand. A quick and easy solution under fifty dollars is half inch PVC pipe. Most professional photographers use a 10x10 backdrop. Using the PVC pipe will enable you to have an 8x10 and it will allow you to make it smaller if necessary. For an 8x10 backdrop stand you will need approximately eighty-five feet of half inch PVC pipe, three cross joints, four ninety degree corner joints, and ten t joints. Make sure that you do not get the screw on joints. You are aiming for a rectangle shape that will be ten feet long in length and eight feet long in height. You will need six two foot support legs on the both sides of the bottom of your make shift stand, and you will need to put t joints in the center of all four sides for the center support cross. You will also need two full length support legs in the back that run from the top of the stand to the bottom of the stand because the weight of the height will hold it straight up. You will also need about eight clamps to hold your backdrops in place for shooting. Below are some images to give an idea of how your backdrop should look at completion. Finding backdrops and ground cover may be a little challenging. It really depends on your taste and the aim of the creative direction in your photo shoot. The best place to find fabrics is hobby stores. Table cloths and the top sheets will work as back drops just as well as the studio vinyl backdrops. You can purchase these products at thrift stores, yard sales, and discount stores like Ross’. Ground cover can be found in the same places. You would want to look for products that can look like high end flooring and rugs. The ground cover in the example images shown above is an espresso bamboo mat and wood grain look a-like wall paper. You can purchase a thin would plank and a baseboard sample at any lumber store including Lowes and Home Depot. You can buy clamps at Wal-Mart and hardware stores. You will use the clamps to hold your backdrop on the stand and to hold you backdrop tight in the baseboard. Setting the scene will give the appearance of a real room. If you want to perform your photo shoot outdoors, find a nice, well maintained park. You will want plenty of plants, flowers, trees, and a water feature would be a huge plus. The next obstacle to overcome is lighting. This is crucial for a great photograph. You want to highlight the subject’s face. Professional studios have two big lights on both sides of the photographer. They are set up that