Getting right exposure for indoor group shot in tight space

[sfogel2]

Hi, all...

I've got some fancy equipment, but still not enough skills!

My question: My photo was sharp, but not tack sharp. With a tripod-mounted camera with slow-sync flash, is 1/25 sec too slow for a group photo?

I had to get an indoor group shot of 4 people, and I had to be one of them. I used the Canon IR remote control so I wouldn't have to run back and forth. Canon EOS Rebel T2i was tripod-mounted. Had to use auto-focus, because I couldn’t be behind the camera.

I placed the group near a window to their right, and used wireless fill flash on the left. However, because there wasn't enough light coming in through the window, I had to enable the flash on the camera-mounted Speedlite, pointed to the ceiling with a diffuser.

I wasn’t happy with the shadow in the background from the flash, and couldn’t move the group, so I went to slow sync to allow more ambient light in the photo and added negative flash compensation. That fixed it. But at ISO 400 I ended up with a shutter speed of 1/25 sec at f/8.

I had NO time to fiddle, so the photos were sharp, but not tack sharp. Oh, and I forgot to turn off image stabilization, which they say you should do when on a tripod.

So what would have been a better solution?

Many thanks!

Steve

 

[480sparky]

A sample photo would be nice.... then we could see the issue instead of making assumptions.

My assumption, however, is 1/25 is slow enough to allow ambient light to be recorded. And at 1/25 to 1/8, some of the people are moving and causing the blur.

You may need to up your ISO enough to get a short enough shutter speed to stop the blur, or eliminate the ambient light altogether and light the group with just flash(es).

BTW, Autofocus is not limited to your being behind the camera. Unless everyone moves radically, once you focus manually, the focus point will stay where you set it.

 

[tirediron]

As Sparky indicated, a photo is really necessary to making accurate judgements. My guesses are (1) That your IS messed things up, and/or (2) that your camera chose to focus somewhere other than where you had intended.

 

[sfogel2]

Hi...

Actually, the two people in front were sharp (not tack sharp, but sharp) and the two in the back were less sharp. I used f/8, but then got home and pulled out Scott Kelby's book where he suggests f/11 for group shots.

I used ISO 400 and with my Canon Rebel T2i, I probably could have easily gone to 800 without noticeable noise, to get to the f/11 or increase shutter speed.

What do you think? (Can't post the photo...would need to get permission from too many people)

Many thx

Steve

 

[KmH]

You don't need anyone's permission to legally post the photo here, because doing so would be an editorial use, not a commercial use.

Though Scott Kelby recommended f/11, that is a generality and may not apply to your specific set up, because 4 factors need to be considered:
The lens focal length you are using.
The lens aperture.
The focus point distance from the camera.
The focus point distance to the background.

Look at the Depth-Of-Field calculator at www.DOFMaster.com