taking pics at a prom

[dphotography]

i have a cannon rebel t3 e0s 1100d ...i have two lens efs 18-55mm and 75-300mm...i know i need to get a tripod and flash..is there something else i should get and any recommended settings i should use to take these pics and NO Iam not hiring a pro this for my son prom ..i am doing it for me to capture this special moment in his life .He is Down Syndrome so foe him to get this far on this special day i wanna capture every single moment of it and i am not a pro but i have 10 days to get what i need and learn what i need to make it happen ..so any help would be greatly appreciated.do not need the sarcastic comments .....thanks ....oh yeah and they will be daytime and nighttime pics ....i know i won't be a pro in 10 days but i'am gonna try to do the best i can
i took this yesterday practicing it was on manuall mode at 100 iso , flash was on but came out a lil dark..has not been edit at all

 

[tirediron]

First of all, what type of images do you want to capture? Formal, posed portraits, casual portraits, or dancing party? (Prom = dance?)

 

[Big Mike]

A tripod is a great tool for a photographer, but it probably won't be very useful in this situation. Well, it could be useful to hold the camera and keep your composition consistent between shots. But as far as holding the camera steady for sharp photos, that probably won't be an issue (well it shouldn't) because you will be shooting people, so your shutter speed should be fairly fast anyway. And if your shutter speed is fast enough, you shouldn't need a tripod.

When light levels get low, then using a flash is a great way to get the exposure you want, while helping you to get sharp photos. So yes, I certainly recommend getting a good accessory flash for this type of photography.

 

[dphotography]

First of all, what type of images do you want to capture? Formal, posed portraits, casual portraits, or dancing party? (Prom = dance?)

i'am almost positive i won't be able to do posses. he won't pose for me and i don't think his friends wont either.Most likely it will be casual and dance . I wanna take some of him getting ready , etc ...

 

[dphotography]

A tripod is a great tool for a photographer, but it probably won't be very useful in this situation. Well, it could be useful to hold the camera and keep your composition consistent between shots. But as far as holding the camera steady for sharp photos, that probably won't be an issue (well it shouldn't) because you will be shooting people, so your shutter speed should be fairly fast anyway. And if your shutter speed is fast enough, you shouldn't need a tripod.

When light levels get low, then using a flash is a great way to get the exposure you want, while helping you to get sharp photos. So yes, I certainly recommend getting a good accessory flash for this type of photography.

So focus more on a good flash .i know its not gonna be an easy task to get those dance pics if there's barley any lighting .thanks for the info

 

[DiskoJoe]

A flash would help for low light with your lenses. Raising the ISO will help you get faster shots and better images. You should try to get at least a couple posed shots once he gets dressed. Its a prom tradition!

 

[rexbobcat]

Well....I don't mean to offend, but judging from your experience it will be a very hard task to take photos beyond those that are taken with pop-up flash.

Do you have a speedlite flash? If you do, get a diffuser and take something that you can use as a bounce card with you (if the room is large). The diffuser will soften the light and it'll help to keep the people a little more natural looking. The bounce card just bounces the flash towards the subject when you tilt the flash in a direction other than the subject. This keeps the flash from being so direct (oily skin, not flattering), and it helps soften the light.

Also remember that light falls off as a square of the difference, so someone who's 10 feet away will need more light than someone who is 5 feet away.

 

[AceCo55]

If you are getting an external flash that will have an automatic metering setting, then wack the camera in "P" mode (that would be "Program" not "Professional") and use a bounce card as previously mentioned. I have a matt white card with about 6"x4" sticking above the flash and with a "stem" on it the same width as my flash. A couple of rubber bands hold the "stem" in place. You can have the flash pointing straight up (good indoors if you have a white ceiling to bounce off of) or you can tilt the flash forwards a little (up to 45o) to get extra light bouncing forward off the card (good when ceiling is way too high or you are outside). You may need to experiment.
Program mode will give you pretty decent shots for most of your situations and you won't have to worry about changing settings - you can just concentrate on getting the shot ... but make sure you check the screen after pics in new situation. If they are too dark or too bright, use the exposure compensation facility on the flash to adjust until you are happy.

If you get more adventurous try semi-automatic mode. Set aperature say around f5.6 - f8 and then use ISO level to ensure that you have a shutter speed of say around 1/90-1/100 with your 18-55mm lens. Again check your screen when you change conditions and adjust ISO/exposure compensation to suit. Changing the aperature will have an effect on the foreground exposure (whereas changing the shutterspeed will affect the background. Slower shutter speed = more of background is visible). So maybe run a few tests inside and outside changing those and the angle of the bounce card.

If you are taking a group of people that you want exposed roughly the same, then try to have them the same distance from the flash (because light falls off more quickly on the edges of your field of view, then have the people form a slight semi-circle as opposed to a completely straight line)
If people are at different distances then you will get a more even exposure if they are all further away.
If the closest person is say 2metres(yards) from the camera and the others are a metre (yard) behind (so 3 metres) there will be a much bigger difference in the exposure of the two than if ...
the closest person was 4metres away and the others still a further meter away.

Easiest path that will give you decent results without too much effort:
* Program mode (but check that shutter speed is fast enough to avoid camera shake and that aperture will give you the depth of field you need)
* Bounce card
* Use flash exposure compensation and ISO to adjust exposure (remember to check regularly)

Good luck - I hope both you and your son have a wonderful day.

 

[dphotography]

If you are getting an external flash that will have an automatic metering setting, then wack the camera in "P" mode (that would be "Program" not "Professional") and use a bounce card as previously mentioned. I have a matt white card with about 6"x4" sticking above the flash and with a "stem" on it the same width as my flash. A couple of rubber bands hold the "stem" in place. You can have the flash pointing straight up (good indoors if you have a white ceiling to bounce off of) or you can tilt the flash forwards a little (up to 45o) to get extra light bouncing forward off the card (good when ceiling is way too high or you are outside). You may need to experiment.
Program mode will give you pretty decent shots for most of your situations and you won't have to worry about changing settings - you can just concentrate on getting the shot ... but make sure you check the screen after pics in new situation. If they are too dark or too bright, use the exposure compensation facility on the flash to adjust until you are happy.

If you get more adventurous try semi-automatic mode. Set aperature say around f5.6 - f8 and then use ISO level to ensure that you have a shutter speed of say around 1/90-1/100 with your 18-55mm lens. Again check your screen when you change conditions and adjust ISO/exposure compensation to suit. Changing the aperature will have an effect on the foreground exposure (whereas changing the shutterspeed will affect the background. Slower shutter speed = more of background is visible). So maybe run a few tests inside and outside changing those and the angle of the bounce card.

If you are taking a group of people that you want exposed roughly the same, then try to have them the same distance from the flash (because light falls off more quickly on the edges of your field of view, then have the people form a slight semi-circle as opposed to a completely straight line)
If people are at different distances then you will get a more even exposure if they are all further away.
If the closest person is say 2metres(yards) from the camera and the others are a metre (yard) behind (so 3 metres) there will be a much bigger difference in the exposure of the two than if ...
the closest person was 4metres away and the others still a further meter away.

Easiest path that will give you decent results without too much effort:
* Program mode (but check that shutter speed is fast enough to avoid camera shake and that aperture will give you the depth of field you need)
* Bounce card
* Use flash exposure compensation and ISO to adjust exposure (remember to check regularly)

Good luck - I hope both you and your son have a wonderful day.

thank you for taking ur time i really do appreciate..

 

[dphotography]

A flash would help for low light with your lenses. Raising the ISO will help you get faster shots and better images. You should try to get at least a couple posed shots once he gets dressed. Its a prom tradition!

i am gonna try but he wont stay or he will make funny faces ..he's down syndrome very independent but when it comes to pictures he won't pose ..this prom is gonna be lots of fun and vey special

 

[dphotography]

Well....I don't mean to offend, but judging from your experience it will be a very hard task to take photos beyond those that are taken with pop-up flash.

Do you have a speedlite flash? If you do, get a diffuser and take something that you can use as a bounce card with you (if the room is large). The diffuser will soften the light and it'll help to keep the people a little more natural looking. The bounce card just bounces the flash towards the subject when you tilt the flash in a direction other than the subject. This keeps the flash from being so direct (oily skin, not flattering), and it helps soften the light.

Also remember that light falls off as a square of the difference, so someone who's 10 feet away will need more light than someone who is 5 feet away.

I'am not offended by criticism ...so critique away i could handle it .i don't like the unnecessary things said, no need for it .....thank you i will follow these steps ..wish me luck