50 mm lens HELP!

[Designer]

I will be doing prom pictures around 3pm direct sunlight unfortunately...

That is unfortunate. Almost the worst light possible.

If it were me, I'd take along my speedlight, a light stand, white umbrella, RF triggers, one or two large white reflectors and somebody to hold them.

Then I would try to make the session last at least two hours to get better light.

 

[astroNikon]

I understand that and I do plan to learn and practice as much as possible in my free time... Im asking for quick help now only because I want good pictures of my children this saturday. It seems as though I am bothering some of you and in that case why even respond?!? I joined a forum to talk to other people and learn more about photography.

You're not really bothering us.

But you are assuming you can learn DSLR photography in a 20 step / 5 minute cheat sheet to read in your spare time.

I am surprised no one has said .. since you have a few days and just BOUGHT a camera that you do NOT know how to use, that it would be advantageous to hire a Professional to take pictures for you. And we're not talking about the $50 Craiglist "professional" either.

Thus the recommendations to use AUTO. Then you don't have to worry about trying to learn how to use the camera. AUTO is best because you only have one shot to get the photo right. And the camera, at this point would probably make better decisions than you can.

I'm also going to guess that you bought a flash that does not do TTL either.

I would recommend this book for starters ==> Mastering the Nikon D7100 Darrell Young 9781937538323 Amazon.com Books

but it's out of scope of the timeframe you have available.

 

[ashamee3]

I understand that and I do plan to learn and practice as much as possible in my free time... Im asking for quick help now only because I want good pictures of my children this saturday. It seems as though I am bothering some of you and in that case why even respond?!? I joined a forum to talk to other people and learn more about photography.

You're not really bothering us.

But you are assuming you can learn DSLR photography in a 20 step / 5 minute cheat sheet to read in your spare time.

I am surprised no one has said .. since you have a few days and just BOUGHT a camera that you do NOT know how to use, that it would be advantageous to hire a Professional to take pictures for you. And we're not talking about the $50 Craiglist "professional" either.

Thus the recommendations to use AUTO. Then you don't have to worry about trying to learn how to use the camera. AUTO is best because you only have one shot to get the photo right. And the camera, at this point would probably make better decisions than you can.

I'm also going to guess that you bought a flash that does not do TTL either.

I would recommend this book for starters ==> Mastering the Nikon D7100 Darrell Young 9781937538323 Amazon.com Books

but it's out of scope of the timeframe you have available.

I have had a DSLR for many years with a regular lens, and I know how to edit, that being said, it was old so I upgraded to a much better camera and upgraded to a new lens... I have some experience I just needed a few pointers using these 2 new pieces of equipment. I have attached several of my photos... I know how to edit and I typically stay in shady areas, but I know i will be in direct sunlight for Prom pics this year.

 

[ashamee3]

I understand that and I do plan to learn and practice as much as possible in my free time... Im asking for quick help now only because I want good pictures of my children this saturday. It seems as though I am bothering some of you and in that case why even respond?!? I joined a forum to talk to other people and learn more about photography.

You're not really bothering us.

But you are assuming you can learn DSLR photography in a 20 step / 5 minute cheat sheet to read in your spare time.

I am surprised no one has said .. since you have a few days and just BOUGHT a camera that you do NOT know how to use, that it would be advantageous to hire a Professional to take pictures for you. And we're not talking about the $50 Craiglist "professional" either.

Thus the recommendations to use AUTO. Then you don't have to worry about trying to learn how to use the camera. AUTO is best because you only have one shot to get the photo right. And the camera, at this point would probably make better decisions than you can.

I'm also going to guess that you bought a flash that does not do TTL either.

I would recommend this book for starters ==> Mastering the Nikon D7100 Darrell Young 9781937538323 Amazon.com Books

but it's out of scope of the timeframe you have available.

I'm a bit A.D.D. and cant sit and read too long, I have always been hands on.

 

[ashamee3]

The big green AUTO on the mode dial. Beyond that, you'll need to actually learn how to use your camera.

There's no short cuts. There's no Cliff Notes. There's no 'super-secret magic setting' that only seasoned pros know about and use*. They use experience, training and knowledge. And those qualities only come with time.


*If there were, we'd be asking for the secret handshake.

I don't want to use Auto because I usually don't achieve the bokeh that i want... I know how to photograph in the shade I just dont know enough about bright sunlight

 

[astroNikon]

increase your Shutter speed until you get the exposure that you want.
You'll have to do it in Manual mode
So pick your Aperture
then roll you Shutter speed until you get the exposure that you want
keep ISO at 100 if you are outside in bright light.

 

[ashamee3]

increase your Shutter speed until you get the exposure that you want.
You'll have to do it in Manual mode
So pick your Aperture
then roll you Shutter speed until you get the exposure that you want
keep ISO at 100 if you are outside in bright light.

Thank you

 

[jovince3000]

Now THAT change thing, you should have mentioned you had experience first, most of the people here assumed you were new to photography because of the exposure problem you mentioned in your first post.

If you want to select the bokeh and don't want to have to deal with other settings ( still chose ISO 100 since you will be in bright daylight) what I would do is put the camera in aperture priority and use the spot metering mode ( may be a different name for nikon, I'm a canon shooter). Use the selective focus of your camera as well, focus on your daughter, and this should expose for her flesh tone pretty well.

Other area of the image may be blown out though, so try to "close in" as much as possible in your image.

Sadly, the photos are going to be pretty flat in direct sunlight though, but there's not much you can do about that, pray for a bit of clouds.

 

[Derrel]

I would take the camera in to a similar situation as to the one you're worried about, and shoot a few dozen test images, and see how they come out. Get a feel for how well the camera can shoot some "tall" flash photos, you know, to simulate two people standing in their prom wear.

If you put the mode dial on P (it stands for Programmed automatic, but think Prom), and press the little button on the left of the prism area to pop the flash up, you can also practice with that a bit, indoors, and maybe outdoors in the late afternoon. Get your feet wet today, and Thursday, before the event. Make sure your battery is charged before the gig.

The problem with bright sun light + flash is that there's a limit to how wide the aperture can be and still be within the shutter speed synchronization limit of many flash units. I am not sure if you have a flash that can do what Nikon calls FP Synch (commonly called high-speed synch, which is the Canon term for it, HSS).

Again, maybe try to shoot a mock-up or practice session.

 

[ashamee3]

I would take the camera in to a similar situation as to the one you're worried about, and shoot a few dozen test images, and see how they come out. Get a feel for how well the camera can shoot some "tall" flash photos, you know, to simulate two people standing in their prom wear.

If you put the mode dial on P (it stands for Programmed automatic, but think Prom), and press the little button on the left of the prism area to pop the flash up, you can also practice with that a bit, indoors, and maybe outdoors in the late afternoon. Get your feet wet today, and Thursday, before the event. Make sure your battery is charged before the gig.

The problem with bright sun light + flash is that there's a limit to how wide the aperture can be and still be within the shutter speed synchronization limit of many flash units. I am not sure if you have a flash that can do what Nikon calls FP Synch (commonly called high-speed synch, which is the Canon term for it, HSS).

Again, maybe try to shoot a mock-up or practice session.

Thank you very much, I'm not a total amateur but I definitely need help with the new camera and lens.... I work 40 hours a week and on the weekend I do photography for friends, relatives, schools, etc... These are some images I shot with the new lens, my only issue is direct sunlight

 

[ashamee3]

I will be doing prom pictures around 3pm direct sunlight unfortunately...

That is unfortunate. Almost the worst light possible.

If it were me, I'd take along my speedlight, a light stand, white umbrella, RF triggers, one or two large white reflectors and somebody to hold them.

Then I would try to make the session last at least two hours to get better light.

I don't have any of that...

 

[480sparky]

Sad to say, but there isn't an "I don't have the gear required to pull off the shot" mode.

Your best bet is still Auto. If you have the funds, pick up a good speedlight to fill in the shadows that will be prevalent in your direct-sun images. 5-in-1 reflectors are cheaper, but you'll need someone to handle them for you.

 

[Derrel]

After seeing your photos, I have new advice for you.

I disagree that 3 o'clcok is "the worst time of day" to shoot outdoors...it is in my opinion, the beginning of the BEST time of day. Seriously. Why is 3 o'clock the best time of day? it has exactly what I want: a HIGH mainlight position, for good catchlights in the eye, and a decent under-chin shadow, and some actual "direction" to the lighting. Direct 3 o'clock sunlight looks like classic parabolic studio flash, like from the golden era of Hollywood. The light has ****direction** to it.

One tip for shooting at 3 to 4 PM is to look for an area where the SUN's light is angling in toward the subjects, then place them into a bit of shaded area, out near the edge, where the SUN-lighted area meets the shade; this band is typically only four to five feet wide. This is the place where you can place your people, and shoot some TALLS, so you can see their outfits, head to toe! Do not butcher the shoot with tons of horizontal shots.

A few steps into the shaded area, the light is softer. A few steps out, toward the sun/shade line, the light is brighter. Here is what I would suggest: on a boy/girl pair, shoot from 15 feet away with the 50., tall orientation. Have him stand behind her, half of his body showing, have them turn their bodies (chests, feet, shoulders) AWAY from the sun and toward the shadows, then turn their faces back toward the sun-side. Swap the boy around, first on the right, then on the left.

If you want to shoot back-lighted stuff, take close-up FACE meter readings, and get the exposure figured out: let the background fall where it may. But again, the key at 3 to 4 o=clock on a sunny day is to get that high source of main light, which makes the shadows fall "down and to the side" in a lovely way, and then to find some GOOD LIGHTING conditions; again, open shaded areas, not the deep,deep shade, but the edge area, between sun-lighted and shade, is a generally safe place, and one that gives different lighting options, all within literally a 10-foot circle of subject foot positon, and a 360 degree arc for your camera.

 

[Vtec44]

Aperture priority, put on ND filter, put flash on TTL mode, then walk in and act like you're the badest photographer in the whole world. Trust me, it works!

 

[Designer]

Actually, what I wrote was "ALMOST" the worst time of day. But I yield to Derrel's experience at using the 3:00 time of day.