Daughters 21th coming up..

OzzyDevil · Apr 4, 2014

As the title says I have a few questions if I can ask.. On my Daughters 21th there is going to be a photo booth sides are 2m and back 1.5m and its all going to be black with 2 chairs and I don't think there is going to be much light in there.. Its all indoors so I'm not sure of the lightning.. My Daughter has a big lamp which I was thinking of a light sauce but not sure if I should have it pointing in or from the side..

My next question is I'm was going to shoot in aperture mode and I have 2 lenses 55-300 and 18-55 which lens should I use.. I have bought a ok tripod and a remote for my D5200 so I try and get the best picture and sharpness possible..

And my 3 question is what ISO to use I was looking between iso 200 to 800..

Paul

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Mtothepoweroftwo · Apr 4, 2014

I think the light source is a critical factor in what you described. A weak light source will give you troubles with exposure/sharpness/image noise (depending on your camera and your lens.

So what you want is as bright as you can get it with as soft light as you can get it. Easiest would be a speedlight through an umbrella if you have one. (something along these lines: Amazon.com: Photography Photo Studio Flash Mount Umbrellas Kit Three Umbrellas By Fancierstudio Fan UB1: Camera & Photo).

You can also use the umbrella with a permanent light source like a bright construction site lamp (like this: Amazon.com: Designers Edge L14SLED 1000-Watt Twin-Head Adjustable Work Light with Telescoping Tripod Stand, Halogen: Home Improvement)

For maximum sharpness use iso 100 to 200 (depending on your camera) if possible. Also most lenses have a sharpness optimum at a given aperture. So the 55-300 might have it at f8 for instance.

If what you want is more of a portrait I would pick the 55-300 (make sure you have fast shutter speeds!), it distorts the proportions less and looks more flattering. The 18-55 I would not use for this unless you have to or want full body shots that you can't get otherwise.

Judobreaker · Apr 4, 2014

If you have only 1 lamp I'd probably get it slightly from the front-side, the lighting with 1 lamp will probably leave a pretty dark shadow area (depending on how much ambient light there is).
You could try creating a reflector with cardboard and tinfoil (just an idea that just popped into my head xD) to fill up those shadows if they're very dark.

As a lens I haven't got too much experience with either, but I'm thinking both would work. For the 18-55 I'd put it at max zoom (55mm), don't go lower because the photo will get distorted the lower you get. The other one is probably a bit more versatile, you can use about the whole range of that lens for portraits (although at 300mm you'll have to walk back quite a bit).
I think I would choose the 55-300 and go somewhere between 55mm and 100mm, depending on how close I'm standing.

The ISO question is highly dependent on the light. I don't know how much light the lamp gives, I don't know how much ambient light there is.
Try these steps:
First stop down the lens aperture a little for extra sharpness (probably around f7.1 or f8 will be good), your lens will most likely perform best around this aperture.
Secondly choose your shutter speed. You're working with a tripod and the shots are posed so you can use slower speeds. If the subjects are able to sit pretty still for a while you can probably get away with something like 1/20 easily when using a tripod+remote, possibly even lower.
Lastly choose your ISO. Simply take a shot and see if it's too dark. If it is, get the ISO up.

I think this should get you some decent results. I'd suggest you try it out sometime so you can see if it works, that way you make sure you know what to do at the actual event.

I hope this will help you.

OzzyDevil · Apr 4, 2014

Thx for the reply

ATM I can't afford 1 of those umbrella mount thing lol so that's why I thought of my Daughters lamp.. Sorry I know that might be better but I just don't have the money for it as I got sucked in and I'm paying for the whole thing like 2 grands worth..

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Mtothepoweroftwo · Apr 4, 2014

you know a really simple alternative is what Judobreaker suggested. don't shine your light directly onto the people but shine it onto a white piece of canvas that you point towards the people.. like reflect it off the white canvas towards them. know what i mean? this way you also get very soft shadows and a pleasant light (but you loose some brightness of the light of course).