I think I may be in over my head...(Updated-prom is over)

[budmonster]

Ok so I volunteered to take the pictures for my DD 8th grade prom. While IMHO I think I am pretty ok photographer but I've never done anything like this before. I mostly take landscape/nature pictures and the occasional stalking photos of my kids .

I'm doing this because no one has planned a prom and a few of us parents agreed to try and get one together within a month. I volunteered to take the picture for free because there is a large amount of very low income families in the area.

So my question is do you think I will be ok with the camera on full auto mode and do I really need an external flash, I don't have one as of right now. Anyone with some experience of this nature....any advice.

Thanks

 

[BigGreen73]

There are a few questions that you will need to answer before you will be able to determine what you may/ may not need.

1. What kind of camera do you have and what lenses to you have available?
2. What kinds of pictures are you expecting to take at the prom? Portrait, candid, all the above?
3. Where will the prom be held? How is the lighting there?

It really comes down to what you have and what kinds of pics you want to take. For an indoor prom, most are in gyms, I would consider an external flash as lighting is so, so. But maybe depending on the lighting situations and what you have for lenses, your onboard flash may be enough.

Not sure that full auto would be the way to go either, again for portrait style pics, that make work okay, but if you're going for some candid you may want to have a little more control of your setting to get desired results.

Well, just some things to think about. Share a little more info if you can and that will help narrow down what you might need.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I had a similar request for my DGD's Daddy/Daughter Dance. DISCLAIMER: I am not a portrait photographer, I do not own a backdrop, I do not own studio lighting! I do own external flashes. If you don't own one, maybe one of the parents owns a compatible flash you could borrow.

The plan: One of the parents owned a backdrop with stand that we borrowed, we dressed the set with some decorations. Due to the fact the dance was in the gym, there was no way to do bounce flash to avoid the shadowing. We set a time limit when the "portraits" would be taken. At the conclusion of the time limit (I think it was about two hours), I ran to Walgreens (with a discount coupon) and had the images printed. Upon my return, a parent distributed the photos in cardboard frames to the families. While this was occurring I snapped some images of the proceedings for the yearbook. The families were ecstatic to have a souvenir of the night and the school had some images for the yearbook. I think the whole night cost about $30.

While the photos are not or never intended to be studio quality, everyone went home happy. Here is an example of the image: (The Gianna in Gianna'sPapa)


IMGP4492 by Gianna'sPapa, on Flickr

 

[budmonster]

There are a few questions that you will need to answer before you will be able to determine what you may/ may not need.

1. What kind of camera do you have and what lenses to you have available?
2. What kinds of pictures are you expecting to take at the prom? Portrait, candid, all the above?
3. Where will the prom be held? How is the lighting there?

It really comes down to what you have and what kinds of pics you want to take. For an indoor prom, most are in gyms, I would consider an external flash as lighting is so, so. But maybe depending on the lighting situations and what you have for lenses, your onboard flash may be enough.

Not sure that full auto would be the way to go either, again for portrait style pics, that make work okay, but if you're going for some candid you may want to have a little more control of your setting to get desired results.

Well, just some things to think about. Share a little more info if you can and that will help narrow down what you might need.

I have a Canon 50D with a nifty fifty, a Canon 28-135mm (came with camera), a Tamron 28-80mm, and a Tamron 75-300mm. I was hoping to take the typical stand portraits as the arrive at the Prom and then move inside to take some candids as night goes on. It's being held at a local womens center, which I have never been in but I hear it just you typical rental hall...table, chairs and white walls. Not sure what kind of lighting they have but I'm guess its fluorescent.

I'm not against purchasing an external flash I've been wanting one for a while. I'm just not sure which one to purchase.

 

[Frantasmic]

You can't go auto (at least not without seeing your lighting). If it is a "typical" rental hall, you will need to manually set your white balance and probably your iso. You can do these in P mode. But, you still run the risk, especially in low lighting, of a longer shutter than you want.

With your lenses, you will probably be ok with your on camera flash. I would get a diffuser however so that the lighting will bounce some and not be as harsh as a plain flash can be in those situations.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I have a Canon 50D with a nifty fifty, a Canon 28-135mm (came with camera), a Tamron 28-80mm, and a Tamron 75-300mm. I was hoping to take the typical stand portraits as the arrive at the Prom and then move inside to take some candids as night goes on. It's being held at a local womens center, which I have never been in but I hear it just you typical rental hall...table, chairs and white walls. Not sure what kind of lighting they have but I'm guess its fluorescent.

I'm not against purchasing an external flash I've been wanting one for a while. I'm just not sure which one to purchase.

I would recommend against trying to obtain the pictures as they come in. You will end up with a line out the door. People will get impatient and scatter. The kids just want to get in and see their friends. I would recommend an area not near the door where you set up a tripod and take a set shot. Then its just a matter of posing them and shooting (I use a remote control, so I confirm my focus point and shoot). Its not the most creative photography, but more like run and gun!. This way every shot should be consistent. In addition to my candids, my daughter uses her P & S to also obtain candids. Usually, the yearbook pics are b & w and because of the cheaper paper used for the books the quality of the image suffers.

I don't shoot Canon, so I can't give you a recommendation for that. I use a Sigma flash on my Pentax and have been very satisfied.

 

[alloyd1170]

I like the idea of setting a time limit-get your couple/group shots done by x time. That way you have time for candids. You could also ask the parents/chaperones to bring a camera and take candid shots as well. Heck get some of those disposable digital cameras and pass them out to the parents.

As for a makeshift background, you could visit a fabric store and pick up a basic fabric, then duct tape it to a wall somewhere out of the way.

On a final note, try bargaining with the fabric store and photo developper. Tell them what you're doing, that it's for low income families, etc. Our school does a silent auction and you'd be amazed at what local businesses will donate. You'll never know if you don't ask! Just be sure that if you do get a break, you let all the parents know (announce it in the school newsletter, email, or make a little sign to display at the dance-ie background compliments of XX).

 

[photo_chick]

You'll get out what you put into it. The more attention you pay to lighting, background and settings the higher quality shots you'll end up with.

You do not necessarily need a backdrop. Where is the prom being held? is there anywhere you can pose the kids in front of? A hotel near me that's commonly used for proms has a mosaic wall that's become a trademark for prom pictures there. is there anything like that on site you can take advantage of?

Lights.. you'll need something. Diffused. It doesn't necessarily mean flashes, you can get a cheap set of hot lights and umbrellas and make them work. The important thing is that you know how to light things well. But you more than likely will need additional lighting.

You won't get this done well on auto. You need to shoot RAW because you will have to tweak the white balance (prom dresses give off some wicked color casts) and you will want to keep the settings fairly consistent.. auto won't let you do that.

Now all that said, you can go in and snap away on auto with an on camera flash. Just know that if you do you will be walking away with snapshot quality images. There's nothing wrong with that if it's what is expected.

 

[budmonster]

Hi Everyone....thanks for all of the advice I really appreciate it. I forgot to menton that I'm in Florida and the dance is at 7pm so I was thinking that I could set up outside since there will be light until 7:30 - 8:00.

I was just looking at this set-up on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-1000watt-Lighting-Backdrop-background/dp/B003TYA7TI/ref=pd_luc_top_sim_03_04_t_lh and was wondering if it would help.

I was also looking at this flash http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KQ2NP4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=AL7LHK6Q9LVTS. Would I need both the external flash and the backdrop set-up?

As for a backdrop I was going to use a king black flat sheet and a make shift holder and check with a local floral shop to see if I could borrow some greenery (fern plants and so on) for accent decorations. I also have access to a balloon arch if I wanted to use that.

I really appreciate everyones help.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Hi Everyone....thanks for all of the advice I really appreciate it. I forgot to menton that I'm in Florida and the dance is at 7pm so I was thinking that I could set up outside since there will be light until 7:30 - 8:00.

I was just looking at this set-up on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-1000watt-Lighting-Backdrop-background/dp/B003TYA7TI/ref=pd_luc_top_sim_03_04_t_lh and was wondering if it would help.

I was also looking at this flash http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KQ2NP4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&m=AL7LHK6Q9LVTS. Would I need both the external flash and the backdrop set-up?

As for a backdrop I was going to use a king black flat sheet and a make shift holder and check with a local floral shop to see if I could borrow some greenery (fern plants and so on) for accent decorations. I also have access to a balloon arch if I wanted to use that.

I really appreciate everyones help.

The issue with shooting outside using natural light is that it is constantly changing. A cloud may drift by or the setting of the sun. You may have to keep adjusting your camera to keep up with the changing lighting conditions. Otherwise, your photos will lack consistency. This past weekend, the Speedway I work for, held an Easter fan event. My job was to shoot the kids in Victory Lane with the Easter Bunny and our mascot Dash. It was cloudy for the entire event and I did not have to make any lighting adjustments. A pretty easy shoot. In December, for the Santa/Victory Lane shoot, it was partly cloudy. I worked twice as hard in December for half the number of images that I did this past weekend. It was a constant battle with the changing natural light. That is the reason professionals use their own lighting systems. They provide the consistent light. You have to be careful when relying on natural light as your main source.

 

[photo_chick]

If you use a sheet you have to iron it on site. A wrinkled backdrop (when it shouldn't be) will look worse than no backdrop. Velour makes an awesome backdrop.

If you use black you'll need a light on it to separate the guys in black tuxes from the backdrop. And be really careful not to underexpose and clip those blacks.

The all in one studio setups can be made to work for this. The key is knowing how to use them and making sure you get one that puts out enough light. Ideally 2 lights that equal at least 1000 tungsten watts and a third that's about 500.

IMO, skip the cheap flash. There are very few 3rd party flashes that are any good and this is something that if it is the wrong voltage it can fry your camera over time.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I only have one more thing to say on this thread: IMHO, I would recommend that our recommendation be dialed down a bit. The OP has been asked to photograph an Eighth grade prom in a low income area. I don't think we are going to see black tuxes at this event. In any given situation we always like to create the best images possible, but the OP cannot be expected to produce professional, studio like images in this situation. I have done 4-5 of these type of events in a similar economically depressed area for my DGD's school and the expectations of the participants are much lower than if they were paying megabucks to a professional. Unless the OP is willing to shell out a considerable amount of money, time and effort for a one-time event, I believe he needs some down and dirty quick advice to produce the best images he can with what he has on hand or creatively scrounge. If the OP desires to create a studio like setup so be it, but from what I have read that is not the case. I apologize if I have offended anyone, however lets get real about recommendations. There are some excellent photographers on this thread (Mark B, Zackiedawg, William Beem, Srisons, Scottwdw, and others) that if asked by a school to do something similar have the equipment on hand to do a thoroughly professional job. Unfortunately our OP does not have that type of equipment readily available to him.

 

[BigGreen73]

I have a Canon 50D with a nifty fifty, a Canon 28-135mm (came with camera), a Tamron 28-80mm, and a Tamron 75-300mm. I was hoping to take the typical stand portraits as the arrive at the Prom and then move inside to take some candids as night goes on. It's being held at a local womens center, which I have never been in but I hear it just you typical rental hall...table, chairs and white walls. Not sure what kind of lighting they have but I'm guess its fluorescent.

I'm not against purchasing an external flash I've been wanting one for a while. I'm just not sure which one to purchase.

If an external flash was on your buy list, then this is the perfect time. But it really looks like you might not need it.

With the lenses that you have, you are definitely not going to be able to go full auto for the candids, but that may work okay for the stand portraits where there will be no movement.

For the portraits, the nifty fifty or the 28-80 or 28-135 should be fine. With the 50, you need to stand a little further away to get everything in frame but w/ the larger aperature you will need less light and w/ being be further away w/ the flash will not be so harsh if you don't get an external flash with a diffuser. The 28-80 will give you more flex room where you can be a little closer and zoom in if the situation warrants. But flash may be stronger here.

For the Candids, any of your lenses will work. But you will need to manually adjust the settings. Since indoors, you will need to work the ISO and aperature to get the fastest shutter speed possible as the shots will be hand held in low light w/ movement. The 50 will give you a larger aperature so you can keep the ISO lower resulting in sharper images, but if you decide to go w/ a zoom, then the ISO will be a little higher. You will need to decide the highest ISO that you find usable on your camera based on what the pics will be used for.

 

[budmonster]

Hi everyone! So the prom is over and I went ahead and bought a portable portrait stuido for the shoot and everything went really well. I ended up using the background that came with the prom decor kit, the theme was Empire State of Mind. I will post as picture when I get home tonight.

So now here's my delemia... I'm in the process of cropping and cleaning up the pictures. I had planned on posting them on the FB page that the prom committe had created for the prom so that the kids could just download them from there and have their parents print them as they please. Only I'm not sure with the way that FB compresses pictures if I should do that or not. I afraid that if they download the pictures from FB and have them printed out to an 8x10 the quality won't look as good as it should.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to where I should post them so that the kids can download them for free and print them?

Thanks for any help.

Melissa

Here's one of the pictures from prom:

[/IMG]

 

[photo_chick]

FB is a bad place to post images for download. But the kids can easily tag and share there. Most free services compress the snot out of files. Smugmug, Zenfolio and Flickr (the paid pro service) are good places that don't compress much. But if you want it free consider a place like Shutterfly, Snapfish or similar service where you can set up an album and share the link so they can order good quality prints.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Can i just say: Crap!!! thats a nice photo!

 

[10dedfish]

I love that backdrop!! I wouldnt mind owning one of those!

Matt

 

[BigGreen73]

So just curious, what equipment, lenses etc did you end up using?

 

[budmonster]

Can i just say: Crap!!! thats a nice photo!

Thank you...when I first glanced at your comment all I saw was Crap and I was ready to start crying.

 

[budmonster]

I love that backdrop!! I wouldnt mind owning one of those!

Matt

I actually got to keep the backdrop, they were going to throw it away because it's made out of heavy duty photopaper. It is a nice backdrop but had a lot of shine to it and I was worried that people would say something because the twin towers are still in the picture.