Help with Dance Recital

[mcgrawfan]

Hello all!! Very novice Canon Rebel owner. My daughter's dance recital is Saturday and was wondering if anyone could give me some super helpful easy to follow tips on camera settings for it!

 

[havoc315]

Hello all!! Very novice Canon Rebel owner. My daughter's dance recital is Saturday and was wondering if anyone could give me some super helpful easy to follow tips on camera settings for it!

What's the lighting going to be like and how close will you be?

 

[mom2rtk]

Which Rebel do you have and what lens will you be using?

 

[mcgrawfan]

I have a Canon Rebel T3. The lens is a Tamron. Not sure of the distance off the top of my head. I did get it as an overall everyday walk around lens. We will be in an auditorium. Low lighting with stage lights. I will be low in the balcony as you can see the best. It is a 700 seat auditorium.

 

[havoc315]

I have a Canon Rebel T3. The lens is a Tamron. Not sure of the distance off the top of my head. I did get it as an overall everyday walk around lens. We will be in an auditorium. Low lighting with stage lights. I will be low in the balcony as you can see the best. It is a 700 seat auditorium.

It will be very difficult to get much in that situation. Switch your metering to spot metering. Use the slowest shutter speed you can get away with. When they are just posing on the dance floor, you may get away with a few decent shots. In actual dance action, you'll need a faster shutter speed to freeze the action. But you have a small aperture lens, and a camera body that isn't setting any ISO records. So it will be difficult.
It will help you a bit if you shoot zoomed out, as it will give you a larger aperture.

 

[bob100]

I have a Canon Rebel T3. The lens is a Tamron. Not sure of the distance off the top of my head. I did get it as an overall everyday walk around lens. We will be in an auditorium. Low lighting with stage lights. I will be low in the balcony as you can see the best. It is a 700 seat auditorium.

if it's the Tamron 17-50 you will to need get real close to the stage! Remember, closer is better and set the ISO at 2500 - 3200 so you have a fast enough shutter speed.

Tamron 17-50 2.8
f 4
1/800
ISO 2500
(with a five year old Canon)

www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[havoc315]

if it's the Tamron 17-50 you will to need get real close to the stage! Remember, closer is better and set the ISO at 2500 - 3200 so you have a fast enough shutter speed.

Tamron 17-50 2.8
f 4
1/800
ISO 2500
(with a five year old Canon)

www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

If it's the 17-50, she can get shots if she is close. But I got the impression it was the 18-270 super zoom, or such. In which case, you may quickly run out of ISO.

 

[bob100]

If it's the 17-50, she can get shots if she is close. But I got the impression it was the 18-270 super zoom, or such. In which case, you may quickly run out of ISO.

My answer would still be the same - get as close as possible!

(not a recital but dancing on a cruise ship)

250mm
f5.6
1/200
ISO 6400
(cropped)
(with a $50 lens !)

55-250IS by cyclo100, on Flickr

www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[mom2rtk]

On thing that will help a lot with stage lit photos is to adjust your metering mode. When your camera uses evaluative metering (usually the default setting) it evaluates the total light in the full frame. Since there's a lot of black plus some brightly lit spots, it overcompensates and raises the exposure to balance all that darkness. Typically the faces will then be overexposed. You'll want to switch to spot metering or center weighted metering.

ETA: I see Havoc beat me to it.

 

[mcgrawfan]

I have no idea what metering is!

 

[havoc315]

I have no idea what metering is!

Check your manual, it will tell you how to switch the metering. It's the way the camera measures light -- whether to use the entire scene, or just a single spot (or other ways)

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

Okay as a dance mom with a lot of experience I'll tell you it's best to watch and enjoy the recital. Take photos before and/or after the show in her costume. It is so dark in auditoriums and the speed of the dance makes it very difficult to get good pics. Some studios hire a photographer and then sell the photos. At a minimum I'm sure they are shooting video. I've wasted too much time with different cameras trying to decent photos it's crazy. PP are correct unless you are close or have a really good lens it's really difficult.