ISO for wedding receptions

Alison · Oct 11, 2004

Question for the wedding photographers out there. We've been shooting receptions at 100 with a Quantum flash, I think we should try shooting at at least 400 but my photography partner insists that 100 better. I find that the results look like the flash is working too hard to compensate. Would love to hear how you handle low light situations.

voodoocat · Oct 11, 2004

I would much rather shoot with higher ISO and available light.

Artemis · Oct 11, 2004

personally I would have said 200...but Im not the person to go by...

Scurra · Oct 11, 2004

I would have said that 400 would be a good ISO to go with, you should be able to get away with available light and hence remove any dodgy unwanted flash effects from the pics. Also if shooting in B&W a faster film and thus larger grain can look quite nice.

I guess it's up to you..

Varthlokkur · Oct 11, 2004

As Alisons buisness partner you need to know that this is a professional flash and does not need the extra iso to compensate for low light. We are also shooting digital and not film.

photogoddess · Oct 11, 2004

I would think that a higher ISO with the flash toned down would be better. That way you wouldn't have severe shadows or have skin tones blown out.

JPPLAY · Oct 11, 2004

It matters how much you are going to be blowing up the pictures. As you don't want grain to appear on a enlargement of a picture. I would do some experimenting on the side with 200 and 400 iso film.

markc · Oct 11, 2004

No matter what kind of flash it is, the higher the ISO you use the less light it has to output, which, to my eye, is more pleasing. When I have the choice, I shoot without flash, even if it means using 3200 pushed. Of course I make sure that the high grain is going to be okay with the customer.

With digital, I'd go with 400, even with the flash, as long as your camera doesn't exhibit too much noise.

Alison · Oct 12, 2004

Thanks! Mark, we shoot with a 10D and I haven't had any problems with noise.

Varthlokkur · Oct 12, 2004

I dont think we will ever be able to shoot available light. To low of light and too much movement. Next time we should try the 555 and see how that works.

markc · Oct 13, 2004

AlisonS said:
Thanks! Mark, we shoot with a 10D and I haven't had any problems with noise.

Cool! So do I.
I use BreezeBrowser for my image conversions. Well worth the registration price, as it can pull more detail out of the hightlights and has a good noise reduction filter.

Almost everything on my website was with available light. For a couple of the portraits I used a hot light as part of the light, but none were with flash. These shots were indoors with the 10D and only available light. Most of the portraits are with the 10D also (except for #2 and #3).

A lot depends on the look you are going for. It's also much easier if you use prime lenses with wide apertures. I'm not very good with a flash, so this is what works best for me.

danalec99 · Oct 13, 2004

Mark,

Have you ever handled an event where there is absolutely no inlet for the natural light to come in? If you have, how did you handle the lighting?

Sharkbait · Oct 13, 2004

I shot a reception last weekend in a hall with no windows at all. I was fine shooting my 300d at ISO 100 and 200 with just the speedlite 550EX. If I tried to do a whole room shot, it dropped off a bit after 50 or 60 feet (that's with a softbox attached). Even on a pretty much totally dark dance floor it shot fine.

Alison · Oct 13, 2004

Thanks everyone! I guess we will just experiment at the next wedding, drop the Quantum and try the 550 and natural light and see what looks best. It's great to have a place to get a variety of ideas.

Marc, I have to say I love your work. I love natural light in photos, even if it does mean higher speed and therefore some additional grain. But, I know not everyone likes that style.

Thanks again!

markc · Oct 13, 2004

danalec99 said:
Mark,

Have you ever handled an event where there is absolutely no inlet for the natural light to come in? If you have, how did you handle the lighting?

Yup. All of the indoor wedding shots are in rooms with only dim artificial light. I used T-Max 400 pushed to 1600 for some and 3200 pushed to 6400 for others, and shot at mostly f1.8. I looked for places where existing light fell in interesting ways. I did end up with a lot of throw-aways, but this was the look I was going for.

I've found it much more satisfying to focus on one particular style than to try and do everything well. If I don't enjoy using a flash and don't like the results, why struggle with it? On the other hand, I have a friend that uses a flash as easily as I use a toothbrush. His is also a photojournalistic style, but his images are very sharp and clean, and that's what he does well. It took me a while to not worry about what other people were doing and just find what I liked.

And thanks, Alison!

I hope your next session goes well,