Family party this weekend, could use some advice

Aze

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Alright guys, this weekend we are having a huge bash for my mothers 50th birthday party. Most importantly I will NOT be the main photographer, so thankfully no one is counting on me for any pictures from this event. Even though I think this will be an excellent opportunity for me to get some great practice in. Here is what I'll have with me

Cannon T1i, Kit lens (18-55) and 50mm 1.8. I'm also possibly snagging a Speedlite 430 EX.

We're having the party at your average banquet hall. Lighting will be mediocre, but not TOO dark. Which lens should I work with the most? what sort of aperture ranges should I stay within? I find that when I'm photographing people I tend to get poor focus when shooting with the 1.8 wide open, but I assume thats because I'm not focusing it right.

I'm planning on using spot/partial metering for individual shots and evaluative for groups. Also single spot AF for individuals and multi AF for groups. Am I on the right track there?

I know thats a lot to ask in one post, but I'd like to surprise my mom with some nice shots from the party, and this seems like a great chance for me to get my feet wet photographing people. Any suggestions are highly welcome. Thanks!
 
The poor focus results when using f/1.4 is because the depth-of-field (DOF) is so very shallow. At 10 feet from your subject the total DOF is only 0.81 feet (9.7 inches), a very shallow plane of focus that is parallel to your image sensor.

For me and an indoor venue, using a speedlight off the camera would be a requirement. I would use radio triggering and just handhold the speedlight. I would have both the camera and the speedlight in manual mode, making the in camera light meter useless so what mode the in-camera was set to wouldn't matter a whit.
 
Best guess: ISO 500. Bounced flash. 50mm f/1.8 lens set to f/5.6. Camera in Manual Mode. with user-selected shutter speed being set at 1/125 second.
 

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