Suggestion for tomorrow night please

ShaneF

No longer a newbie, moving up!
Joined
Jun 2, 2013
Messages
456
Reaction score
110
Location
Ontario
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
I am taking my camera to my aunt and uncles 50th anniversary tomorrow night which will be held in Chinese food restaurant. i am assuming the lighting wont be the greatest.

I am still learning and not that comfortable choosing settings yet since i have only had my camera 2 weeks. I actually want some usable pictures lol. i know if i shot in automatic mode with a flash the pictures will be horrible everyone light up like a ghost so i plan on using Av mode on my canon dslr.

Can anyone suggest some general settings as a starting point and i can adjust from there. I know its hard to say without seeing the room for yourself but i just need a good starting point to work from. Flash/no flash general starting iso etc.

Anything would be helpful. Thanks
 
What flash (built in, or external speedlight?) and what camera? If you have a speedlight, then your best bet will be to leave everything in Program/TTL and bounce the flash off of the ceiling. That will diffuse the light, eliminate red-eye and produce a much nicer overall image than direct flash. If you've only got the built in flash, then use something to diffuse it; a piece of translucent Tupperware or even a piece of tissue-paper will help (I've been known to get decent results from toilet paper in emergencies, and it works as a flash diffuser too! ;) ).

Switch to Av/Tv etc probably isn't going to help a lot, and this isn't the time to try and learn manual flash exposure. Diffuse the light, leave it in program and have fun!
 
Thanks its a canon T4I and i have a speed light for it that was given to me as a gift 430EX II. i have never used it because it seems a little advanced for me. I guess its time to read the instructions :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks its a canon T4I and i have a a speed light for it that was given to me as a gift 430EX II. i have never used it because it seems a little advanced for me. I guess its time to read the instructions :)

I'm relatively new to photography, and I was given a camera last year that I didn't do much with. I've gotten back into the 'hobby,' and really, you have to fumble through a bit, and make mistakes. It's ok! lol It's important to remember to enjoy this...and have fun with it. I think that if you just keep your eyes open for some beautiful moments of tomorrow night, and have your camera ready...you'll bring those moments to life. They might not be perfection, but that's ok. The technical piece will come...you will get better the more you do it. I hope you enjoy yourself tomorrow night! 50 years is wow, a long time! :)
 
Thanks, for advice. It really all is about having fun and capturing moments.
 
If the ceiling is not very white, or not very reflective, there is another way to modify the light using a bounce card. Does your flash have a small white card that pulls out? If not, get a large white index card and either tape it or band it with a rubber band to the speedlight head forming a reflective surface to reflect light forward toward your subjects.
 
I personally always like to shoot with lenses that can open up (i.e. lenses with a f-stop lesser than 2.8) such as the 50mm 1.8. That way you can capture a ton more light and also have a awesome depth of field, and that always makes a awesome photograph, just check this photo out
http://iancookephotography.weebly.com/uploads/1/5/4/1/15416518/1793195_orig.jpg
It allowed me to get the light i wanted, the depth of field i wanted and also the quality i wanted, and this was all during less light than you would find at p.f. changs.
 
If the ceiling is not very white, or not very reflective, there is another way to modify the light using a bounce card. Does your flash have a small white card that pulls out? If not, get a large white index card and either tape it or band it with a rubber band to the speedlight head forming a reflective surface to reflect light forward toward your subjects.

its has a small semi clear plastic cover that can slide out over the flash. does that defuse the light? or left not all the way out will it reflect it?
 
Thats only going to diffuse the light, sorry, try the card like Designer suggested.
ps. i took this photo with no flash at outback the other night, just to prove what a fstop of 1.8 can do :)
$_CSC8859.jpg
I just wanted to point out that outback keeps their restaurant dim to the point of its hard to read the menu,
but with that lens i was able to make it look brighter than it actually was.
Sorry if im annoying lol, just trying to point out how much i love the big f-stops :)
 
When I was starting out using a flash, I had a 550EX and simply set it on ETTL and set the camera on Auto. It was a good start and produced acceptable pictures...especially after I learned to bounce the flash off the ceiling.

As I do much of my shooting without a flash these days, when I do want to use the flash, I'll sometimes hit the EASY button and I'll do just that...ETTL + A. It's quick and it works! I can always touch it up a bit in post, if needed.
 
Just to be more clear:

The pull-out card in my Nikon flash is intended to direct some light toward the front WHILE the flash head is directed up toward the ceiling.

Or a wall.
 
Thats only going to diffuse the light, sorry, try the card like Designer suggested.
ps. i took this photo with no flash at outback the other night, just to prove what a fstop of 1.8 can do :)
View attachment 47008
I just wanted to point out that outback keeps their restaurant dim to the point of its hard to read the menu,
but with that lens i was able to make it look brighter than it actually was.
Sorry if im annoying lol, just trying to point out how much i love the big f-stops :)

Actually that would be BIG APERTURES... as a big F-Stop would be F22 or F32... Small apertures! Gotta be precise now!
 

Most reactions

Back
Top