Need Tips and Help Shooting People Indoors

[JosephH]

Soo let me explain a little. I did an outdoor group shoot thing last weekend and I had so so success. I need to work on my focus lock as it was fosusing in the wrong spots as I moved the camera slightly.

The shots that they did like However, did get me invited to be one of 3 Photographers to shoot a Valentines Day Dress Party. The venue is a rented Studio, Do not know anything about the Lighting and theres about 20 Models going there to be shot.

All my stuff other than a couple macro photos have been out doors during twilight. I have no idea where to begin with my settings for an indoor shoot and expecially with Models.

I figure to be using my 18- 55mm Lens with a 3.5-5.6 range.
I am using a Nikon D3500 DSLR

I practiced on a Patient Model Tonight just to see

 

[JosephH]

For the Photos I used the below settings. I dont like the slow shutter speed and want to keep the Iso as low as Possible for as little noise as Possible. I would Ideally like to go a lot faster on my shutter speed but I dont really know what the lighting will be like

ISO of 200
55mm
f/5.6
2.0 sec

 

[JosephH]

Also should I shoot in AF-A AF-S or AF-C mode?

 

[Derrel]

I am going to venture a guess that you should be prepared to use an ISO level of 1250 or maybe even 1600. Again, this is a guess, I have no idea how bright the venue is. I would use AFC. Whatever the lighting, do your best.

 

[photo1x1.com]

If the venue is a rented studio, you´ll probably have access to flash. That opens up a lot of opportunities, but never having worked with flash might be a little overwhelming at first.
You need to have a trigger for that flash that fits your camera - probably the studio will have one. Try to get as much info from them as possible.
If you do photograph with flash, use settings around: 1/160sec f/9 ISO100. That will probably remove a lot of your focus issues, because f9 will give you quite a big depth of focus.
The complete scene will be lit by flash. If the flash will not be strong enough, use a lower f-number.
The rest is lighting. Unfortunately that´s a completely different story. If you are totally new to this, the easiest way to do group shots is to place two lights in an angle of around 45% to the group/model, and power them both relatively similar and enough to get the desired image brightness without changing the camera settings. If the image is too dark, add power to the flash, if it is too brigth, reduce the power.
That´s about it. How great the images are going to be is a question of how you use those lights - the above metioned 2xflash @45° is a start for a novice. By differently placing and powering the light and adding others for background/hair light, etc. you can improve your image.
Plus: one of the most important thing will be to direct your models and make them enjoy the shooting so that you get some genuine shots.

 

[JosephH]

Thanks. I also got lucky and got invited Sat to a Laundry Pinup shoot. That should be fun and should be able to use Natural Lighting and give me a prep for the 3rd

 

[Strodav]

Shooting indoors can be tough. If its a bright day and you are by a window you might need a fill light or reflector to avoid shadows. In general, for people who might move a bit you want to keep your shutter speed at 1/125 or faster in natural light. If you are away from windows you will probably need a flash. To avoid that flash look (bright flat faces and dark background), you'll want to bounce the flash off the ceiling at a minimum or pick up a diffuser (softbox) to put over your flash. Kudos for practicing with a "model", but you might want to find someone larger to help and try several different scenarios.