Character greetings indoors

[nvtsallo]

I have a canon 60d with 270 exii and 15-85mm 3.5-5.6 lens. I wanted to get in front of the characters and just snap a few shots and hope for the bedt. Does anyone have any recommendations on mode:,p, tv, av
Shutter, iso tolerance, flash exp, aperature. Just looking for some suggestions.

 

[thomas998]

I have a canon 60d with 270 exii and 15-85mm 3.5-5.6 lens. I wanted to get in front of the characters and just snap a few shots and hope for the bedt. Does anyone have any recommendations on mode:,p, tv, av
Shutter, iso tolerance, flash exp, aperature. Just looking for some suggestions.

Best thing you can do for indoor character shots is an external flash. If you don't have one then take your time and use the program mode with the flash on automatic... set your iso at 400. Biggest problem with the indoor is the low light really needs a good flash to work well, the built in flash is just not good enough.

 

[Frantasmic]

Most indoor meet and greets are spot lit, at least ones I shot in May w my 60d. Built in flash worked well for fill in flash. Use low aperture and 1/160 or so shutter w flash. Shoot in raw and you can fix later

 

[photo_chick]

I shoot these with a fast prime and no flash so it looks like what I see when I'm there. I'd use my trusty Tv mode with the shutter speed I needed and then bump up the ISO to get the exposure. If I were using something like the 15-85 I'd probably approach it much the same way, just bumping the ISO up even more (love my ISO 6400 for things like this) and processing for the noise later. But it's all in how you want to capture it. We're all different and there is no best way. Only the way that works best for you.

 

[nvtsallo]

What fast Canon primes are good for close character greetings for a Eos 60d with the 1.6 crop factor? Would the 24-70mm 2.8 be a good one even though there is no IS or 35mm?

 

[photo_chick]

What fast Canon primes are good for close character greetings for a Eos 60d with the 1.6 crop factor? Would the 24-70mm 2.8 be a good one even though there is no IS or 35mm?

The 24-70 is a zoom and not a prime. I use my 50mm f/1.8, but some people find a 50 a little long on a crop camera. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is a sweet prime (next on my list actually). Canon also has a 28mm and a 24mm that are both great fast primes. But which one of those you'd want really depends on your style. And you have to be prepared to zoom with your feet using a prime. It's not a big deal, but some people don't like to shoot that way.

The 24-70 is an awesome zoom. It's fast enough that it will do well in character meet and greets. It's also a heavy bugger compared to the lower end standard zooms, so make sure you want to carry that weight.

 

[mom2rtk]

Which character meets are you thinking of? Character meals?

To be honest, I think the lighting in most of those settings is pretty bad.

I just looked through some of my character shots. I like to shoot a variety of full length and close up shots. To get full length with a character, I typically use a pretty wide lens. A bunch of the first ones in my Flickr stream I just looked at were done from 17-21 mm. Now, your kids are younger, so maybe the characters will squat down next to them so you can zoom in a little more. I just like having a zoom of some sort so I can adjust on the spot as needed. Just keep in mind room is limited in some of those settings and it might not be possible to back as much as you like. This is especially important at character meals.

If you are doing character meals, don't be afraid to move out into the aisle for your shot. My pet peeve is pictures at character meals with plates of food and straws sticking up in the way. I usually push my luck and ask if we can move out into the open just a bit and have never been told no.

I typically shoot on program mode for character meets. I just don't want to take a chance on getting it wrong. And do shoot raw as the PP noted, so you have the greatest latitude to fix any problems in post. I set the ISO based on what I feel is right for the surroundings.

You might want to find some shots on Flickr you like and check out the exif info. It also helps if you can fire off a couple sample shots between groups. Then you can adjust your exposure compensation or flash exposure compensation before it's your turn.

 

[nvtsallo]

Yeah i think i am going for program and setting the iso to auto and max at 800 with the flash i should be good. I also then only have to worry about flash exposure comp and i have a cap diffuser to help also. I will go in shooting raw + jpeg so i can fix the bad ones at home.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is a sweet prime (next on my list actually).

I used my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for a lot of my in-attraction photography, but I found the kit lens and my 270EX worked best for the character greetings (both indoor and outdoors).

This might not be the case for all families, but my DS15 is in a wheelchair and the characters tend to move around him a lot. Being able to zoom quickly (instead of having to "sneaker zoom") allowed me to get better shots of him actually interacting with the characters. The external flash (with a diffuser) evened out the light and counteracted any motion blur.

For most of them, I just used P-mode and concentrated on "following the action."

 

[nvtsallo]

When you use the diffuser do you increase or decrease the flash exp value?