Question About Flash.

[Tigertail]

Tonight I will be photographing a "red carpet" event for a movie premiere (not anything too big, it's a like a film festival bound film). I'm doing it for experience as I'm not being paid.

I'm a bit concerned about the lighting as it will be in the late evening and I don't have a flash besides the one built into my camera. (Canon 60D + a 24-70L lens) And if I use the in-camera flash the lens/lens hood creates a shadow. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to purchase a flash before-hand and if so what type? I'd like to consider a ring-flash as I want to get into portrait photography and I like the effect they leave. But, I'm not sure if that would really work in this setting. Or, could I work without a flash and still take decent photos? Lastly, would a flash diffuser do much to the internal flash (they're cheap enough that I wouldn't mind trying)?

I know that any pro would have all the equipment needed and I could technically afford to get it, but I would much rather make due with what I have until I am further along with my career. (Though I still want to take as high of quality photos as I can!)

 

[kundalini]

Tonight I will be photographing a "red carpet" event for a movie premiere ........... I'm wondering if it would be worth it to purchase a flash before-hand .....

The best time to try and figure out a new piece of kit, a complicated piece of kit in a complicated field like flash, that you have no experience with thus far...... absolutely, get it a couple of hours beforehand.

That way you don't have time to read the manual and by the time the event is over, you'll have mastered it. So then there really is no reason to read the manual.

You're welcome.

 

[KmH]

Career?
You don't need to use the lens hood to shoot 'red carpet' stuff.
For portrait photography you will need several kinds of light, several kinds of light modifiers, reflectors, diffusers, scrims, and all kinds of stuff. I would not recommend someone start with a ring light.

Any small light source like a built-in or hot shoe flash will deliver harsh, sharp edged shadows, even with after market modifiers on them. The modifiers just can't be made big enough to make the light source apparently large enough and many of them just waste light by scattering it to places you don't want the light to be.

You might notice that almost all 'red carpet' type photos have harsh, sharp edged shadows for that very reason.

It usually takes a few outings to become familiar with how to use new gear.

You don't say what camera make/model or lens you plan to use so no one can say if you can get by without supplimental lighting based on camea ISO performance or lens maximum aperture.

By the way, "make due" due to what? Or did you mean "make do"?

 

[Tigertail]

Tonight I will be photographing a "red carpet" event for a movie premiere ........... I'm wondering if it would be worth it to purchase a flash before-hand .....

The best time to try and figure out a new piece of kit, a complicated piece of kit in a complicated field like flash, that you have no experience with thus far...... absolutely, get it a couple of hours beforehand. That way you don't have time to read the manual and by the time the event is over, you'll have mastered it. So then there really is no reason to read the manual.You're welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Derrel]

How about this: set the ISO to 800. Turn the red-eye reduction to ON. Shoot flash shots at f/5.6 using the pop-up flash. Ditch the lens hood. The closer you are, the less red-eye you will get. Maybe even try some PROGRAM flash on the 60D. Keep and eye on the shutter speed; if it is full NIGHT-time, there's very little chance of getting ghosti images from the ambient light, and the exposures will be "all made by the flash", hence my suggestion of ISO 800 and f/5.6.

If the event is at twilight time, or in the early evening, and there is a lot of slanting sunlight coming in---then you need to watch out for blurring on hands and feet as people move, and in general, you need to watch out for "ghost" images; this is a time when Programmed exposure can give you a beautiful balance of flash + ambient light--BUT, which can also have ghosting!!!! Bright ambient sunlight + fill-level flash can lead to ghosting.

 

[Tigertail]

Career? You don't need to use the lens hood to shoot 'red carpet' stuff.For portrait photography you will need several kinds of light, several kinds of light modifiers, reflectors, diffusers, scrims, and all kinds of stuff. I would not recommend someone start with a ring light.Any small light source like a built-in or hot shoe flash will deliver harsh, sharp edged shadows, even with after market modifiers on them. The modifiers just can't be made big enough to make the light source apparently large enough and many of them just waste light by scattering it to places you don't want the light to be.You might notice that almost all 'red carpet' type photos have harsh, sharp edged shadows for that very reason.It usually takes a few outings to become familiar with how to use new gear.You don't say what camera make/model or lens you plan to use so no one can say if you can get by without supplimental lighting based on camea ISO performance or lens maximum aperture.By the way, "make due" due to what? Or did you mean "make do"?

Thanks though I did say what I'm using...Canon 60D with a 24-70L f2.8 lens.

 

[Tigertail]

How about this: set the ISO to 800. Turn the red-eye reduction to ON. Shoot flash shots at f/5.6 using the pop-up flash. Ditch the lens hood. The closer you are, the less red-eye you will get. Maybe even try some PROGRAM flash on the 60D. Keep and eye on the shutter speed; if it is full NIGHT-time, there's very little chance of getting ghosti images from the ambient light, and the exposures will be "all made by the flash", hence my suggestion of ISO 800 and f/5.6.If the event is at twilight time, or in the early evening, and there is a lot of slanting sunlight coming in---then you need to watch out for blurring on hands and feet as people move, and in general, you need to watch out for "ghost" images; this is a time when Programmed exposure can give you a beautiful balance of flash + ambient light--BUT, which can also have ghosting!!!! Bright ambient sunlight + fill-level flash can lead to ghosting.

I'll try that!