??!Suggestions for photographing inside a warehouse...PLEASE!!

[Skhigh]

I figured as much...just hoping there was a little trick out there that I didn't know about..lol

There is..........

Get dad to buy you the gear you need. You need a flash and a prime lens. I would recommend that you get a Minolta maxxum 50mm f1.7 for starters. Good lens and super cheap, less than $100. A flash would help too. I have a hvl42am. Its mid range and goes for about $200 used. Then you could bounce flash off stuff to get decent exposures. Start saving now!

Well if I had a daddy and I was 18...maybe..lol

 

[Skhigh]

Well, thank you every one! Im actually shooting tomorrow so I don't have time to rent anything..lol Im sure they do have some shop lights thou which I will have to inquire about! Ill post some pics of the end result tomorrow!


I have the Sony 4.5-5.6/75-300 lends and the Sony 3.5-5.6/18-70 lens. I used the 75-300 lens the other day and that was just a huge pain in the arse..I figured it would be better to use that one so I wouldn't have to be all in the way...but it just pi$$ed me off more than anything. Sooo hopefully the 18-70 will work out a little better.


Thanks again!!

 

[KmH]

Using constant lights isn't the same as using strobed light.

Lets say you have 500 watts worth of shop lights. That's 500 watts in one second. If you need to use a shutter speed of 1/100, your exposure will be so short it will only use 5 watts of the light the shop lights put out. 500 divided by 100 = 5

That little dim night light out in your hallway is about 20 watts.

 

[Skhigh]

These are the two best ones....it was even harder yesterday...it was extremely overcast which made it even darker in there...boo

 

[DiskoJoe]

I like the sparks flying. Now go buy yourself a Minolta 50mm f1.7. Its about $100. It was one of the first upgrades I got for my a200. It has been good to me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-ORI...03082166?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item231c906bb6

 

[Skaperen]

This is taken with a 5D II at ISO 6400. This image was not de-noised (there is some noise in it, but you can't see it at this size. In full-size you can see the noise.) The image was shot using a 135mm f/2 lens (at f/2) and 1/60th (you can see the motion blur on his hand as his plays.) So here I am at ISO 6400 and f/2 and 1/60th is _still_ the best speed I can get in this particular lighting. There really is no substitute for having the right gear when the lighting is a problem.

Good photography is so often about making the right compromises when you are forced to compromise. That's where system cameras (whether (D)SLR or not) give you the flexibility to do that. That photo is great because it has just enough of this and just enough of that to do it.

The OP is more limited by the equipment (and presumably the funding). It sounds like she does have the opportunity to go back to the scene and redo. And that itself is often a great flexibility, even if the best shots come and go in a given time period. I'd say she needs to learn patience, too. Some photographers wait hours for the shot to come to them.

I'd also suggest experimenting with even the wrong shots and see what happens. It was suggested to do a long exposure. That can do great. I can also suggest multiple exposures which in digital is done by just making a lot of shots and combine them in post-processing. There's more than one way to mix shots, so try them out. Try out the techniques most software has for making photos into black and white except for some parts being in color. For example, if the warehouse has people handling fruit products, make it all black and white except for the fruit products which are in color.

One idea for a welder at work is to shoot several shots in sequence. If there is minimal movement, the shots can be combined in different colors, averaging out to the original colors for things not moving, but would add color to the welding sparks, adding an artistic effect.

 

[jackmolotov]

depends on the look you want, sounds like a job for 800 speed film, the high grain will make it look extra-nitty gritty plus give you versatility you need in low light.

kit lens f/3.5-5.6

yer screwed! get a decent wide angle lens for indoors, faster than f/3 something. Even a fixed 50mm should get you down below 2. you can get f/1.8's for $100 new, and f1.4s for around $300.

You aren't a real photographer until you own, and have mastered the art of the 50mm prime.(they used to come standard on old cameras)

edit: those pictures of the welder came out alright depth of field seems to be pretty close to perfect.

 

[Timbo1961]

Just thinking about this situation .... as you said, a more sensitive camera and lighting is not in the budget at the moment.
However, this is one bit of advice that could help.
When you are down low at the factory floor, the lighting from above will cast a lot of shadows and you will have lots of dark shadow areas and lots of blown-out reflections in lighter areas ... you have to remember that you are in effect, lighting from an angle ... from the side at 90 degrees. Lights are on the ceiling and you are taking images from the floor at 90 degrees to the lighting.
Is there any chance for you to get up high?
Is there a raised platform in the factory or a cat-walk up high?
Do you have a chance to arrange a forklift ride to get up high?
Shooting from higher up would give a unique angle, would allow you to show the "flow" in the factory, and would give better effective lighting.
I think you said it was your father-in-law. Ask if there is a chance to get up high.
It might work out well.
Good luck.
Tim

EDIT ... Sorry, realized you have shot already .... hope it went well.