please help!

[annelizly]

hi all,
I have been asked to photograph my daughters cheerleading team(plus individual photos) I want to do a good job! I have a minolta x700 and I love it! I bought some backdrops and hotlights (with diffusers)but I forgot the light meter and there is no time to buy one. I know, I know...I have probably bitten off more than I can chew but I really need help.

I usually take outdoor photos and love the outcome but since it is cold here that isn't an option for the girls.

I took some practice photos in my living room...set up backdrop and lights and through the viewfinder everything looked great and well lite and well focused. When i got the pics back they were sort of fuzzy and not very bright. I used 400speed film.

The pics I will take of cheerleaders will be in a gym. Any advice at all for a newbie with a big responsibility will be welcome!!!

I am looking for sharp and colorful thanks!

 

[duncanp]

the minolta has built in TTL metering, so i suggest that you see how it meters thats really all i can say..


duncan

 

[bigfatbadger]

I would stick with your 400 speed film, as the lighting in the gym isnt likely to be great. You could even go up to 800, but this will make your pictures look quite grainy.

Can you check out the lighting before you get there? I don't know about hotlights, but some types of light will give your film a colour cast. You can correct this with filters, if you know the type of light beforehand.

I also don't know about the Minolta, but I would advise that you turn it onto spot metering (if you can) and take a meter reading from the girls faces. This is the most important thing to be metered correctly.

Do you have a scanner? Can you show us an example of the type of photo you got? This might help sort the specific problems

Hope this helps
Jon

 

[craig]

I will photograph cheerleaders for you!!! That might not be funny. Anyway, I have photographed a lot of H.S teams. I position them mid court with a brick wall behind them. Set the camera on aperture priority to blur the background. I shoot super tight to get the ladies faces and costumes. For me framing the shot then not looking through the viewfinder is ideal. This way I can see who has their eyes closed or whatever. Also tell them that it is going to be a slow exposure. Always be talking with them about how the photos are looking.

Cheerleading team could be a lot of fun with getting flips and some intense facial expressions. The individual shots will be your time to shine. Try and shoot at your house or at least a dark corner of the gym. Any place that your hot lights will be the only light source. Use a lot of bounce cards.

We can help further if you post the exact details of the test shoot.