High speed, Low Light, High Stress

[runnah]

So I just got back from shooting a celebration of sorts for my company. My job was to take a 100+ group shot then 10 individual photos with the president of of the company and employees who had been there for 25 years.

I had maybe 5 mins to do both setups that was it. The conditions of the room was very low light with light streaming in from semi-open windows.

I was sweating like a whore in church trying to get everything setup and take the photos in the short amount of time. All I had was an SB-800 for light and a my travel bag which I used my 35mm prime for the individual and my 10mm-24mm for the group.

I guess what are the best "get it done" settings in this circumstance? Any thing can I do ahead of time to make this less stressful and more productive?

 

[Mach0]

So I just got back from shooting a celebration of sorts for my company. My job was to take a 100+ group shot then 10 individual photos with the president of of the company and employees who had been there for 25 years.

I had maybe 5 mins to do both setups that was it. The conditions of the room was very low light with light streaming in from semi-open windows.

I was sweating like a whore in church trying to get everything setup and take the photos in the short amount of time. All I had was an SB-800 for light and a my travel bag which I used my 35mm prime for the individual and my 10mm-24mm for the group.

I guess what are the best "get it done" settings in this circumstance? Any thing can I do ahead of time to make this less stressful and more productive?

Have a second person with you.

 

[runnah]

So I just got back from shooting a celebration of sorts for my company. My job was to take a 100+ group shot then 10 individual photos with the president of of the company and employees who had been there for 25 years.

I had maybe 5 mins to do both setups that was it. The conditions of the room was very low light with light streaming in from semi-open windows.

I was sweating like a whore in church trying to get everything setup and take the photos in the short amount of time. All I had was an SB-800 for light and a my travel bag which I used my 35mm prime for the individual and my 10mm-24mm for the group.

I guess what are the best "get it done" settings in this circumstance? Any thing can I do ahead of time to make this less stressful and more productive?

Have a second person with you.

Not an option nor is buying extra equipment. My department has limited human and financial resources.

 

[thetrue]

Is renting equipment a possibility?

 

[runnah]

Is renting equipment a possibility?

Nope. I have to make due with what I have.

 

[KmH]

1 SB-800 isn't going to light 100+ people. (do, due, dew)

All you can do is crank up the ISO so you maintain shutter speed, and open your lens as much as possible.

Apparently, they didn't have a need for high quality images.

 

[runnah]

1 SB-800 isn't going to light 100+ people. (do, due, dew)

All you can do is crank up the ISO so you maintain shutter speed, and open your lens as much as possible.

Apparently, they didn't have a need for high quality images.

This is what I ended up with, super grainy but everyone somewhat well lite. Blurred for sharing

 

[Patrice]

You did good.

 

[pgriz]

Runnah, what we disparagingly call "noise" others call "texture". You ended up with a well-exposed, well-textured image. Success!

 

[PlanetStarbucks]

I think you pulled it off. It looks pretty much like the shot they would have wanted so cheers!

Funny though...I was just watching one of Jared Polin's videos and he was talking about how sometimes you gotta take a pass on a job. From what you described this almost sounds like one of those. "I get five minutes and have no light...no thanks."

 

[runnah]

Thanks guys. I was worried because it was so noisy due to me jacking up the ISO to compensate for not having time to set up the flash and camera the way I wanted.

 

[STIC]

...

 

[runnah]

Is renting equipment a possibility?

Nope. I have to make due with what I have.

Well...then, they will just have to make do with what you take...won't they?

Well I can always strive to do the best with the gear and situation I am given. In this case I was not happy with myself and the way I felt afterwards, thus I was hoping to gain some insight on how to improve before the next similar situation.

I am not going to sit in a corner and whine about lack of gear/people/time, that does nothing to help, instead I will learn to be better.

 

[bratkinson]

I've been completely awestruck on what many, if not most, people think is a good photograph of them, others, etc. When viewed at 4x6 (my normal print size), or even 5x7, unless it looks grainy at that point, they think it's a good photograph as long as they can see themselves or their child/relative/dog/whatever clearly. As long as the focus is 'pretty good' or better and the exposure is 'good enough', they're happy.

It's only 'us' that claim to have more photography knowledge than required for shooting with a cellphone that are disappointed by a 1 stop over/under exposed, graininess when viewed at 10 times screen size, etc. And the 'perfect' shot with near zero noise, drop dead perfect focus, perfect exposure, perfect bokeh? "They" wouldn't know the difference any more than I could differentiate between Chateau Lafite 1950 and Mogen David 2012. They'd probably taste pretty much the same to me.

Bottom line, 'good enough' is sufficient for most people. But with todays' technology and capabilities, everyone with a camera can be a perfectionist always looking to achieve that 'perfect' photograph. We can be our own worst enemies, sometimes...

 

[banderson]

I don't know man... This faces look pretty blurry to me.