HELP with High School Graduation!

[jenseib]

I say sneak on down, act like you had been in the bathroom. Than snap away until you see someone coming. Then run like crazy!

I love that idea~~~

 

[Caretames1]

I love that idea~~~

And if Janet gets caught & arrested, I'm sure I could get a collection started to bail her out!

 

[mom2rtk]

I say sneak on down, act like you had been in the bathroom. Than snap away until you see someone coming. Then run like crazy!

I love that idea~~~

And if Janet gets caught & arrested, I'm sure I could get a collection started to bail her out!

Well, I am truly humbled to know how much support I have here!

I'm honestly not above giving it a try...... there's just that little risk of embarrassing my son on graduation day....... I'm gonna have to play this one by ear.........

 

[tlcmommyx4]

You can do what we did, get there about 2 1\2 hours eairly and had a seat until they started to let everyone in. I am a rather healthy woman, and I took off my shoes and started running. As I passed the workers of the convention center, they sad maam, their are 12,000 seats and as I passed him by, I screamed saying "but there is only one front row". My sister (who's son was graduating as well) and I were in the first row center. To bad I only had a PS camera! I wish you luck and tell you son Congratulations

 

[mom2rtk]

You can do what we did, get there about 2 1\2 hours eairly and had a seat until they started to let everyone in. I am a rather healthy woman, and I took off my shoes and started running. As I passed the workers of the convention center, they sad maam, their are 12,000 seats and as I passed him by, I screamed saying "but there is only one front row". My sister (who's son was graduating as well) and I were in the first row center. To bad I only had a PS camera! I wish you luck and tell you son Congratulations

LOL! Although I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind!

I actually was going to give my middle son $20 to go really early and put jackets on everyone's seats, but that got shot down when I found out they don't open the doors early enough for that plan to work.

I'd just go insanely early and camp by the doors, but don't want to sacrifice the time for cap & gown photos at home with grandma and grandpa before leaving. And no way would the graduate himself agree to the "insanely early" plan. I did warn him it would be fairly early though!

You do know that I won't be able to get that image of you bolting into the auditorium out of my mind now, right Michelle?

 

[SC Mouse Fan]

Here are some photos I took of my sons graduating. The first one is last year. The problem I had is when they are moving. The pictures were blurry when they were walking but when they paused, the pictures came out OK.

The arena seemed well lite.

Walking is blurry

Shaking hands is OK

F8, 1/30, ISO 2000, 270mm

Similar outcome this year with my other son. The arena was a different one but similar lighting.

Shaking hands

F6.3, 1/30, ISO 800, 270mm

Walking

One thing that may have helped is taking the ISO out of auto. I should have locked it at a higher amount. I had the ISO range set to the highest it could go but the camera didn't choose the highest.

 

[mom2rtk]

SCMouseFan.......... I think you did great. It looks like you were quite a ways back!

I found the lens rental place in town and picked up the Canon 70-200 f/2.8l IS for the week. I probably could have done fine with the Tamron at a high ISO. But I just had a bee in my bonnet about wanting to try this. I've been practicing a bit around my yard trying to build up my arm muscles...... we'll see.

Graduation is tomorrow. There's no do-overs. I just hope to have a couple keepers when all is said and done.

 

[jenseib]

Darn the pictures are red x's for me

 

[mom2rtk]

Well, the big event is over. I got some acceptable shots, not perfect, but much better than I would have gotten a year or two ago.

Thanks for everyone's help and support!

I did find out last minute that the notice about "no bags" really was intended for the graduates, not the audience. Of course, being that the note was drafted by educators, one would have hoped it might have been clearer, but I digress.......

I think the biggest challenge was in not knowing where I would be sitting, or how the event would unfold. In the end I channeled Michelle and got there really early to have my pick of spots. But luck came into play as well. There was no way to know which side he'd be on, or that they would hand out diplomas on BOTH sides of the stage. I was lucky to be on the right side for my son.

Here's what I had at the end of the day.......

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Great job. Did you end up using the 70-200?

 

[spinetnglr]

Great job on the pictures !! I've been following this thread but hadn't posted. When I saw the results ... I just had to post and congratulate you both .... your son for the obvious reason and you for your fabulous shots!! Years down the road I am sure you both will appreciate, even more than now, all the agonizing and planning you did to get the shots you did !!

 

[mouselovenfamily]

Congrats to you and your son!! Your photos are great! I love the one with him standing in the asile with all his classmates setting and seeing all the caps!!! Great moment shot! I'll be trying my hand at it next weekend.

 

[mom2rtk]

Great job. Did you end up using the 70-200?

Thanks!

I used the 70-200 for most of the indoor shots. I needed a slightly faster shutter speed for the stage shots, but since I don't intend to blow them up, they will be fine. I found I did better shooting friends' kids, as I wasn't as nervous about blowing it as I was with my own!

I used my Canon 17-55 f/2.8 for the processional (and shots before and after), and the long lens for everything else.

 

[mom2rtk]

Great job on the pictures !! I've been following this thread but hadn't posted. When I saw the results ... I just had to post and congratulate you both .... your son for the obvious reason and you for your fabulous shots!! Years down the road I am sure you both will appreciate, even more than now, all the agonizing and planning you did to get the shots you did !!

Thank you so much! It was a day, that's for sure. I do know that I use the agonizing over the photography part of it so I don't have to agonize over the emotional part of it. It's how I cope.

Congrats to you and your son!! Your photos are great! I love the one with him standing in the asile with all his classmates setting and seeing all the caps!!! Great moment shot! I'll be trying my hand at it next weekend.

Thanks! I was thinking yours was this weekend too, but you still have a a week to plan! If you have any questions about the setting, let me know. For me the hardest part was not knowing where to choose to sit for my best view. We did fine, but in the end luck played a big part. The upper level is still an option, that has its drawbacks too.

I hope you'll post some shots here next weekend after your own big event!

 

[disneyboy2003]

Congratulations! Those were FANTASTIC photos! Especially in light of all the things you weren't sure about. Looks like you picked the right lens, the right settings, and got the right shots! I love it when things just work out like that.

 

[mom2rtk]

Congratulations! Those were FANTASTIC photos! Especially in light of all the things you weren't sure about. Looks like you picked the right lens, the right settings, and got the right shots! I love it when things just work out like that.

Thanks Disneyboy! I really appreciate how you and others here are always willing to readily offer up so much help. My life is just too hectic right now to take the photography course I always said I'd take. Finding all this help right at my fingertips between work and runs to school has been a real gift.

I haven't figured out how to stop time with my kids yet. So for now I'll just settle for my fixation on the photos to do it for me.

 

[jenseib]

Those shots are fantastic! You did a great job. Are you having a party at all? I know thats all Paige cared about for her graduation. LOL!
Michael didn;t have one. he had thrown a huge "friend" party at my parents house a few months prior to his graduation...while they were in Hawaii, of course with out their permission. Well they said he could have a few guys over, but not the whole school. So we let him know that party was his graduation party and we hoped he enjoyed it.
We did go out to eat on his grad day though.

So how does it feel to be a parent of a graduate? LOL! Glad you made it through the day. It is a hard day. Wait till Katie graduates. I got much more emotional over Paiges than Michaels.

 

[mom2rtk]

Those shots are fantastic! You did a great job. Are you having a party at all? I know thats all Paige cared about for her graduation. LOL!
Michael didn;t have one. he had thrown a huge "friend" party at my parents house a few months prior to his graduation...while they were in Hawaii, of course with out their permission. Well they said he could have a few guys over, but not the whole school. So we let him know that party was his graduation party and we hoped he enjoyed it.
We did go out to eat on his grad day though.

So how does it feel to be a parent of a graduate? LOL! Glad you made it through the day. It is a hard day. Wait till Katie graduates. I got much more emotional over Paiges than Michaels.

Thanks Jen!

No party. He's a very quiet, shy kid and didn't want one. But the boy loves to eat (although you sure can't tell by looking at him!) We took Grandma & Grandpa and all went out for steak after graduation instead of having a party. The lad polished off a 12 ounce steak, shrimp and loaded baked potato without missing a beat. It was a good day all around.

But yes, I'm happy and sad all at once. Don't know what to make of it all. And yes, I'm sure I'll be more emotional at each passing graduation.

LOL! at Micheal's story though!

 

[Caretames1]

I really like your pictures. So nice
So when can you get here, Sam's grad is 7:00pm on friday!

I'm hoping by burying my eye in the camera, no one will notice my emotions

LOL on the note being drafted by the educators. I've gotten some of those notes and all I can say is WOW!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I do at least have the higher ISO's of the T2i available to me. But I won't know until I just give it a try...........

Something that can work out very well with your longer lenses is to try the T2i's Auto ISO mode.

I've had my best luck with it in Manual. Switch to M and set the widest aperture the lens can have (or whatever aperture you want for the desired DOF, if "just getting enough light" isn't all you're looking for) and a shutter speed that's fast enough (or a little faster) to freeze the action, and then set the ISO to AUTO.

The best thing about Auto ISO is that the T2i can use fractional ISOs and that helps to keep the noise down. The camera uses ISO settings only as high as it needs to, like something in between 1600 and 3200.