Gota do a photoshoot

[cameramike]

Well my buddy just told me today that some time this week his band need me to do shots for their new album. Not sure where the shots are going to be but because of the short notice i dont have enough time to buy a backdrop or a flash.

I just wanted to make sure that shooting in RAW would give me the best results as i can then go in and modify from there right? I do have shop lights (like 500 watt halogen ones) would those be to any advantage to use?

 

[Sideburns]

You should just do it outside. A band's album cover in a studio would be stupid in my opinion...they'd be laughed out of the scene most likely.

Depending on their musical genre, go find a skatepark, train tracks, abandoned building, etc....and take the pics there.

 

[Peanuts]

Agreed, go to some alleys, use fire-escapes, things like that. If it is private property, make sure you ask.

 

[Double H]

You are in Jersey, there are LOTS of abandoned locations all over the place.

As for shooting in RAW, sure, do it. No matter what file format you shoot, however, you should learn to go by your histogram, not the postview screen. If you trust your histogram, you should need to do minimal adjusting to the final images.

 

[cameramike]

i'm not sure where the guys want to shoot, i think one of their basements but if its nice out on that day i'll suggest we go outside, the one kid lives on a coldasac (sp?) so i'll keep that in mind too. I'm about 10 minutes from Asbury park and a lil farther (20-25 minutes) from Redbank both are places they'ved played at many times but not sure if they're going to want to go out there to shoot.

I'm gonna let them choose i'll just give them suggestions, it should be fun. thanks guys

 

[D-50]

Those shoplights should work fine, be careful because they get hot but they will produce decent light. Try doing different things with the lights as well i.e. bounce them off a wall, shine them through a sheet (keep the sheet far enough away so it does not ignite) aim them up, down,or anywhere but directly at the band. Try putting the lights behind the band and shoot into it you'll get a nice sillouette. If you have a power source it would be great to bring those lights out with you into a dark alley or building. Definately shoot in RAW in fact never shoot in anything but RAW there is no point to shoot in JPEG unless you want to get hundreds of images per card. Raw will allow you to edit setting that may have been off at the time and considering you may be using halogen lights and your not used to it the wb may be an issue that you do not want to get bogged down with during the shoot. Good luck post some pics when your done.

 

[cameramike]

thanks d-50 i'll be sure to post up some pictures. i actually picked up a really cheap (8$) 50x60" cotton throw from Cost Cutters that is white and should work okay if i need a back drop.

 

[cameramike]

great news! i asked my digital photography teacher today if we had a flash i could borrow. just my luck we did and its the one i've been lookin at the sunpak 383 only downside is he had just gotten it in didnt even know how to use it yet. so i've been snapping away trying different settings and all .