jonnyapple said:
...and third, poster lives south of Dallas and you're encroaching on his senior portrait business. ;-)
Just kidding, poster. I like your suggestions.

Yeah that's right!!!

You don't want "to go to the mattresses" with me. lol

Thanks Jonny.

bmxdad said:
OK the topic is """ Senior Portraits Lens """ and you are all suggesting the sharpest possible glass, yes we have to get every little wrinkle shown in the best possible detail.

Or you could use a Nikon AF DC-Nikkor 105mm f/2D to soften focus

The DC lenses don't soften the focus, they give you control over how the de-focussed regions of the photograph appear. The area in focus with either of the DC lenses is incredibly sharp. Either makes a great portrait lens. But I would suggest a used 200mm F4 AI-s or a 300mm F4 ai-s since they are bother much cheaper and allow you to throw areas out of focus without having to shoot wide open.

poster said:
I strongly advise you to stay away from all of these expensive lenses, because first you are doing this for free, second you don't need them to get great results with a cheap manual flash and even a kit lens if you keep the aperture at the "sweet spot" for sharpness.

...and third, poster lives south of Dallas and you're encroaching on his senior portrait business. ;-)
Just kidding, poster. I like your suggestions.

Since you are doing this for free. Let's keep it extremely cheap.

You can use the kit lens, but keep the aperture at the ultimate soft spot to get good sharpness. Some people like portraits to be a bit soft etc. At least keep the eyes in focus.

Option # 2

Nikon 50mm 1.8- $130

But you have to manually focus. Shouldn't be that bad really. Unless your seniors are a wild bunch and can't stay still.

Vivitar 285HV- $80

Sync cable- depending on your needed length shouldn't be that much.

You can also go with wireless trigger like Cactus V2, which is probably better for you. It will cost you about $40

lightstand and umbrella or those 5 in 1 reflectors.- maybe $35 for a big 42 inch reflector disk and about $30 for a cheap lightstand. umbrella is about $20, but he disc reflector is perhaps more versatile in the the fact that you can bounce your flash off it or shoot it through.

**** Cheaper alternative ****

instead of a lightstand use a live human stand. Results may vary lol.

I strongly advise you to stay away from all of these expensive lenses, because first you are doing this for free, second you don't need them to get great results with a cheap manual flash and even a kit lens if you keep the aperture at the "sweet spot" for sharpness.

Learn how to use ambient light and your external flash.

NikoDoby said:
mb she means "seniors" as in high school seniors not senior citizens like me :^)

Ooops ...

mb she means "seniors" as in high school seniors not senior citizens like me :^)

For 800$ you could get AF-S 50 f/1.4 and SB-600, that will give you pretty much basic portrait setup on DX and you will want shallow depth of field for elderly people ...

I dont think you need a better lens than a kit lens if you are shooting outdoors. and a single flash can be good. This was taken with the SB800 on camera bounced off a white wall on the left. I think taken with kit lens.

VR's effectiveness depends on the situation, if you are shooting faster than 1/500, its useless. Also when you are on a tripod it serves no purpose.

Its really "only" for when you are shooting handheld at a slow shutter speed. is say "only" because for many thats most of what they shoot.

Given that you will have some basic controlled lighting, VR should not be a factor, but its nice.

As for flash, i really hated the pop-up flash on my D60, i tried to never use it. But have you ever used bounce flash before? Some good off camera light is a miracle worker. either by bouncing the on-camera light or by having other lights around. Its really MUCH easier than shopping 50 pictures in post.

clillja said:
It depends on what kind of portraits people are expecting. If they want a consistent studio look to publish in a yearbook, I think some sort of makeshift "studio" space to control the lighting and background would be helpful.

High school kids these days hate that boring studio portrait look. They want to be turned into a "reality" super star or be made to look like a character from Avatar or another of their favorite movie, etc.

So again persephonep, I wouldn't worry about getting a "pro" lens to shoot portraits for now. Learn your technique first. Then you yourself will discover what lens is best for YOU and your shooting style.

And I wouldn't call anywhere near Dallas a small town. So the working photographers in your area will definitely look down on you for offering free senior portraits. This is a very busy time for them. Just say'n

Wow... Thank you all for the feedback!
When it comes to editing, I already have Elements 9 and all of the computers at school have CS3, which my friend and I are fairly adept at and Cannon girl is practically pro with, so that's not much of an issue.
Neither are lenses that don't have autofocus, I much much much prefer manual, Canon girl is getting her lens at the end of the month, and my other friend is the one who taught me to shoot well in manual, so he's set.
However, some of the lenses suggested don't have VR, which I saw was very very highly recommended in some of the other boards. So is it okay to go without it, or would it be smarter to find a different model?
I'm pretty flexible on cost; anything up to $800 is feasible as long as it's totally worth it.
Sharpness over softness any day! I've never been a fan of the soft effect to begin with, but it can always be added later during editing, whereas sharpness can never be regained.
As for flash, I really really really do NOT like using it. If anything, I'll add a backlight during editing. Generally though it seems to detract more than add.
HaloZ, I hail from south of Dallas. Gotta love farm land, factories, train tracks and... not all that much else.
clillja, thank you so much for the rundown! It really helped. We're aiming to do environmental portraits- the 'your style' ones. I imagine the greater majority of these would be outdoors- at least, that's our goal.
Thank you all so much! The lenses all sound fantastic, and I'm checking each of them out now. Please, if you have any more comments or suggestions, keep them coming!

Oh, and what do the numbers and letters mean? Here's an example:

AF-S Nikkor 35mm 1.8G

AF-S - this is the type of focusing system - AF-S will work great on a D5000.

Nikkor - is Nikon's brand name for its lenses

35mm - is the focal length of the lens - this (along with other things) determines the field of view - how large things are in the picture. Small number = wide angle picture, fit a whole building in the frame. Big number = small angle picture - fit just a person or just a person's face in the frame. 35mm is a "normal" lens on a D5000, right in the middle, useful for a variety of jobs. It is not a "zoom" lens like the kit lens on the camera, which can vary focal length from 18-55mm. But it can do other things the zoom can't.

1.8G - this is the maximum aperture of the lens and the system for changing it. 1.8 is a large aperture (smaller number is larger aperture in this case) and used properly the lens can "blur" the background and make the subject "pop." 1.8G also means the lens gathers a lot of light - you can take pictures without a flash in much dimmer light! "G" is the system for changing aperture - again, your D5000 will work great with this type of lens.

This lens retails for about $200 and could be used to create beautiful portraits indoors or out.

Again - good luck.

It depends on what kind of portraits people are expecting. If they want a consistent studio look to publish in a yearbook, I think some sort of makeshift "studio" space to control the lighting and background would be helpful. This could be anywhere, and could be as simple as a couple of clip lights from a Lowe's- or Home Depot-type place and a nice piece of cloth hung up for a background. Go nuts with your kit lens, avoid using the flash on your camera and the results could be quite nice. High-school age folks can have skin-issues (acne, etc.) so be sure the portrait mode in the picture control menu. "Vivid" will accentuate every red blotch and eruption.

If they want "environmental" or informal portraits outdoors, a professional lens will be helpful to control the background, but not essential by any means. Again, think carefully about the light and background - a shady spot without harsh shadows (and no squinting eyes) - and a simple background. Outdoors, your on-camera flash can be useful if you "turn it down" a stop or so.

Good luck - it's a great community project and I wish you the very best! (And don't be surprised if you get a few paying job offers if you do a good job.)

Nah, a flash isn't NEEDED with portraits. You've got plenty of light outdoors or near a window. Besides the camera's built-in flash is enough for fill flash (gets rid of dark shadows around the face) or just use a silver or gold reflector to brighten up the face "naturally".

The only time an off-camera flash is helpful is indoors in low light to bounce off a wall or ceiling. But if you are on a tight budget you can do without it for now.

No one really mentioned it, but do you have a flash? I would recommend that highly for portrait pictures.

NikoDoby said:
Oh and don't hang out with canon girls, they're a bad influence :^)

Variety is a good thing, cameras or girls ;)

There is a pretty big Texas group on this forum. Ya'll just don't say much too often :^)
So a big Yee Haw! to both persephonep and HaloZ.

Now back to the original question. It's going to be tough running a business doing FREE portrait sessions, but you do have a camera and at least the 18-55mm lens so forget about buying a "pro" lens. You don't NEED it to have a successful shoot.

Instead "focus" on the lighting and background. In other words worry about the time of day, preferable around sun set, and the location of your photo shoot. That's more important than what lens you use. Just practice on your friends with the equipment you already have and more importantly HAVE FUN!

Oh and don't hang out with canon girls, they're a bad influence :^)

the 50 1.8 won't AF with your D5k

Like someone said above, 50 1.4G will cover your needs quite well. . .

I agree with Jonny. If you have a DX camera body I would go with a 50mm lens. That will give you 75mm which is good for portraits. If the $400 f1.4 is too much look at a 1.8. You can pick up one for about $120 at the popular web stores. One other consideration is the off brand manual focus 85mm / 1.4 lenses ($350). The manual focus should be fine for portraits and from what I read the image quality is very good. I have a 1.4 lens and am glad I spent the extra.

OK the topic is """ Senior Portraits Lens """ and you are all suggesting the sharpest possible glass, yes we have to get every little wrinkle shown in the best possible detail.

Or you could use a Nikon AF DC-Nikkor 105mm f/2D to soften focus, or even cheaper use the Canon girls rebel camera with kit lens and all the pictures should be rendered pleasantly soft

Pete

If you need to get a lens, maybe the new 50 f/1.4G would work. It's a little over $400, but it will autofocus and it's a beautiful lens. Too bad they didn't put VR in it when they updated it.

Unitymind said:
Although does that D5000 have a built in camera motor? If not the 1.8 will be a pain, it can be done but you would have to focus it yourself.

Lightroom Beta 3 is good if you are going to shoot in RAW and adjust later. You can use Photoshop free trial and Nikon Capture NX2 for a free trial as well.

No, it does not. Only the D90 and above have them.

Although does that D5000 have a built in camera motor? If not the 1.8 will be a pain, it can be done but you would have to focus it yourself.

Lightroom Beta 3 is good if you are going to shoot in RAW and adjust later. You can use Photoshop free trial and Nikon Capture NX2 for a free trial as well.

gelu88 said:
if you are not doing high volumes or are not too much into photography then Photoshop elements can be as good, or better than light room.

Its certainly better value. than Photoshop for most uses

yeah, but right now lightroom beta is free, can't beat that value. :)

I agree with needing lenses with a wide aperture. Head over to KEH and you'll find some nice used lenses for cheap. Don't worry about them being used. As long as KEH rates them as EX quality or better (meaning also EX+, LN- and LN), they'll be great. 85mm is considered a great focal length for portraits for a camera like yours (meaning, because it has a DX sensor). 50mm is nice too, but 85mm is probably the best without costing too much.