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As an adjunct to the Tangents blog, the intention with this forum is to answer any questions, and allow a diverse discussion of topics related photography. With that, see it as an open invitation to just climb in and start threads and to respond to any threads.
Need Some Advice for Upcoming Event
dbruno
Member
Hi - I've got a booking on 4/26, a donor event for a college. It is taking place in a function room with fantastic views of Boston Harbor (here's a link to some photos):
https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x89e370842d99d01f:0xca586598f3afde07!2m22!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m16!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!2m2!1m1!1e6!3m1!7e115!4s
This will be 7-9 PM, so dusk/early evening. Pretty obvious I've been asked to incorporate the views into informally-posed photos from the evening. So I need some advice on how to do this. I will be alone with on-camera flash. My concerns are:
- I think I know what to do to preserve a background: expose for it correctly, maybe underexpose by a stop, and then light the subject. I have no issue using modified on-camera direct flash outdoors, so what's my problem doing it indoors if bouncing (which I do 99.5% of the time) isn't feasible?
- How do I keep the flash from showing up in the window? Strategically place myself and/or my subject in such a way that it is somehow blocked?
Should I set up like I've seen some wedding photographers do, that is low-power speedlights in the corners, and a Fong lightsphere on camera? I have never done this before, and have always thought it to be very unusual.
Can you think of anything else I should be concerned with, and can you offer some tips and advice please?
Thanks - Dave
https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x89e370842d99d01f:0xca586598f3afde07!2m22!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m16!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!2m2!1m1!1e6!3m1!7e115!4s
This will be 7-9 PM, so dusk/early evening. Pretty obvious I've been asked to incorporate the views into informally-posed photos from the evening. So I need some advice on how to do this. I will be alone with on-camera flash. My concerns are:
- I think I know what to do to preserve a background: expose for it correctly, maybe underexpose by a stop, and then light the subject. I have no issue using modified on-camera direct flash outdoors, so what's my problem doing it indoors if bouncing (which I do 99.5% of the time) isn't feasible?
- How do I keep the flash from showing up in the window? Strategically place myself and/or my subject in such a way that it is somehow blocked?
Should I set up like I've seen some wedding photographers do, that is low-power speedlights in the corners, and a Fong lightsphere on camera? I have never done this before, and have always thought it to be very unusual.
Can you think of anything else I should be concerned with, and can you offer some tips and advice please?
Thanks - Dave
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Comments
I am basically just confirming what you already know. Bounce flash is probably the only option if you don't want hot spots in the glass windows. If you have to use direct flash or modifier, then you do indeed need to maneuver yourself around to avoid it in the frame. I would shoot higher ISO as not to use full power flash if needed. Less flash = Less hotspots. I think bouncing should not be a problem though if its in a room.
-Jay
Dave
What do you think?
I will be sharing some photos later, but just wanted to describe stuff: when you see the view from this room, you would agree that NOT asking people if they would like their photo taken with the view, I would not be doing my job.
The room was very long, and probably 30 feet wide, light-colored walls. The event was 7 PM to 9:30 PM, and was a beautifully clear day and evening. While there was sunlight, and people in front of the windows, I exposed for the background and tried to light them with on-camera bounce flash. Absolutely wasn't happening even with full-power manual. So I had to resort to using my 8-inch octagonal softbox, and ETTL. All I could say after taking photos was "Oh God so flashy!!". But, there was just no other way around it.
When it got darker outside, and no way to have the background in the photos, things got a lot easier, because I was back to bouncing my flash.
I had my flash bracket and larger Lastolite softbox, but I felt uneasy using it (not sure why, maybe because it looked overwhelming to people?). I'm also not sure if it would have made that much of a difference. I will get my wife to help me compare things between the two rigs.
I also regretted trying to use bounce flash to light up the speaker at the podium in front of the now-nighttime view. All I got was a bright area in the photos. I took a couple without flash, determined the flash really wasn't doing anything, the exposure was good, and promptly went back to bounce flash. HUH?????? Really?????
In the end, the daylight photos really didn't look to bad at all. The worst part was darker suits showing the "flashiness". So I used the blacks and shadows sliders in LR to compensate. As far as the flash in the window behind the speaker, I used the graduated filter to smooth it out by exposure and highlight sliders.
All in all, the event was wonderful, and I wouldn't hesitate to work there again, just as long as I paid attention to what I learned.
I am interested in what you guys use for on-camera modifiers if you were presented with a similar situation and could not use either bounce or off-camera flash.
Dave
My God, it really is tough to be a flash-bouncing hardliner in these situations!!
Nothing wrong with those shots at all, damn good job in my opinion.
If those were mine, I would be more than happy with results.
Trev
be well - Dave
You are welcome. Trust me, I would not say it was a good job if not, I don't see hot spots on glass, (brilliant), nor in glasses on faces (teeny tiny on rim on one, but that's too stupid to even worry about for the type of shot it is, a 'grab' shot at an event).
So yeah, the background/foreground, great job, for what you used. I've had worse unavoidably on a couple of occasions.
Yeah, I've been down that road with a softbox on camera flash, and yep, IR Beam a no go, I just don't do it anymore, regardless if 'nothing' to bounce from. What I do if desperate is have my assistant hold a small (around 30 inch) reflector one side/behind me a little and I bounce off that.
Hell, one outdoor wedding at night a couple of years back I had to shoot with just a screen type roof, (like a fine fish net above and it was a dark green) and still managed to bounce off that, but I had on-flash and off flashes pointing back/up and high ISO.
Then I had to shoot a table where people had put their wishing well, cards, trinkets, etc. and it was outside, I took a shot with direct flash, it was shit, shadows behind all the items, horrible.
Bingo, I kindly asked the bride to stand slightly left, behind me, back to table, and bounced the speedlite off the back of her dress, beee-ute-tee-full.
Trev
Today I had an engagement party, and had to use direct flash during the church ceremony (Egyptian Orthodox), so I broke out the flash-bracket-Lastolite-softbox rig. Haven't looked at them yet, but had to do it. I also used it for some outdoor shots, to which one of the guests remarked "Oh my, such a fancy camera". I was just waiting for at least one comment I knew was coming haha.
Dave