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07/28/2004 11:59:06 AM · #1 |
Hi All- I was recently asked to shoot some photos- candids, posed, whatever I feel like- at a party for a professional association. They're willing to pay for my shots. I don't have a lot of experience with this kind of situation, so I could use some advice on how to get the best photos possible for them.
It will be indoors at night in a nightclub, so the light will be extremely low. I'm shooting with my Nikon CP 5700, with the widest possible aperture being f/2.8 and the highest ISO being 800.
Here is a recent shot I took under similar conditions (At Preservation Hall in New Orleans), but I wasn't allowed to use flash. Settings were ISO 800, 1/8 sec at f/3.6. Yes, I handheld it, though was leaning against a post.
Obviously this involved a lot of post processing (and it's duotoned), but you can see how noisy 800 ISO is. Luckily I was going for the oldtimey feel, so the incredible amount of noise doesn't hurt me here, but at a swank professional party it would. Even at 400 ISO this camera is too noisy for my taste (in color the noise is not only annoying, it's also very multicolored!!) and 200 ISO is pushing it. I *will* be able to take advantage of a flash if I shoot this get-together.
So how would you do it? Aperture priority? Full manual? What power on the flash? (I can power it a full two stops over or two stops under at 1/3 stop intervals) I only have onboard flash, and a separate flash unit is out of the question at this point. Any other tips?
I tried searching the forums for relevant info but didn't come up with much. Any help would be most appreciated! Thanks in advance.
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07/28/2004 04:34:28 PM · #2 |
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07/28/2004 04:49:20 PM · #3 |
Get them to foot the bill for a new DRebel and 50mm f/1.8. ;)
With what you have, you will have no choice but to use the flash to get anything decent. You won't be able to save the nightclub feel though. I think your best bet is full auto.
Hope this helps.
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07/28/2004 04:50:09 PM · #4 |
i have the same camera. the onboard flash sucks. there's not very much range. it's not good for much of anything. if you can't get a separate flash, then i think you're really going to have a hard time getting many candids. i've been trying to take pictures in similar situations for a couple months now, and haven't had too much success, so if you figure out a better way, i'd like to know.
a tripod will be a huge help to at least reduce the shake in the background.
noise ninja or neatimage help with the noise at the higher iso's but, it usually ends up in very soft images.
the only thing that has helped me a little, is setting the camera to shoot multiple shots, and then just praying that a couple will turn out, but you can't use the flash with this option.
hopefully someone else will have a much better solution...
Message edited by author 2004-07-28 16:51:20. |
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07/28/2004 04:56:23 PM · #5 |
Hi Andi,
This is a hard place to shoot !
Do you use a UV filter as a lens protector? If you have it on during this low-light shoot, it will cost you almost 1 full f-stop. This is the only type of shoot where I take the filter off the lens. A tripod is a good Idea and I would talk with the club manager to see if you can turn some lights on the band only. This has helped me out more than anything else. Watch your white balance with the different lights. You might also talk them into a "lights on" song or a pre-show shoot.
Neatimage will help hide some of the grain.
I hope that helps a little. |
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07/28/2004 05:01:46 PM · #6 |
| oh, one last thing, prefocus on a scene you want to capture, and look for a "break" in the action. this can be difficult, especially with people who are very expressive when they talk, but sometimes it helps. |
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07/28/2004 05:14:14 PM · #7 |
| If they are willing to pay for pictures, they should be willing to deal with the occasional flash. There are lots of options if you want to use flash to get some really good shots - I suggest offboard flash to avoid the snapshot look. With simple low light shots you can use a tripod and ask people to stand reeealy still :) But as the booze pours, this could be difficult. Good luck. |
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07/28/2004 06:00:31 PM · #8 |
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions, but after reading everything here I'm not feeling very confident :) Gringo, I was planning on going completely filterless for this shoot, so we're on the same wavelength there. Also, I'm not shooting a band, I'm just shooting partygoers. I posted the band shot just to show what 800 ISO looks like with this camera. I doubt the club would let me turn up the house lights in the entire place just so I can get some well lit shots :)
I'm hesitant to take my tripod just because it's not exactly agile for mingling amongst partiers, but I may not have a choice!
Any other suggestions would be great! Thanks guys.
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07/28/2004 06:24:23 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by ahaze:
Also, I'm not shooting a band, I'm just shooting partygoers. I posted the band shot just to show what 800 ISO looks like with this camera. I doubt the club would let me turn up the house lights in the entire place just so I can get some well lit shots :)
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I know you are after the candid shots of the audience, but if they will turn up the lights on the band it will light up the rest of the room a little for you. Turn up the lights on the bar too. ;)
It's hard to use a tripod in a crowd, but a monopod would stabilize at least some of the movement.
Good Luck, not an easy fix. Just take plenty of shots so you can toss out the bad ones and post them all here so we can see how you did. |
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07/28/2004 06:24:42 PM · #10 |
How about going in shutter priority mode and setting a shutter speed fast enough to avoid the worst potential blur? I'm no expert, and not sure how it would react in your situation, but I've had some success with that method.
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07/28/2004 06:32:02 PM · #11 |
| Maybe this isn't in the spirit of the question, but perhaps if you're getting paid, renting a 10d or D100 with a flash and a soft box (or one of those cool-looking flat panel flashes) for the night might be the best thing to do, especially if they want to publish the images in a printed medium. I'd price the job to cover the bill for the rental and pay yourself token wage over that. |
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07/28/2004 07:37:19 PM · #12 |
Thanks all! alanbataar, good thought on renting- I'm sure what I get paid won't be much, but maybe at the very least I can rent an off camera flash unit to use with my 5700! I'd hate to be having to get to know a different camera while dealing with all the other issues as well...
I think what I'll do is shoot a LOT in shutter priority, ap priority, manual, and every other option available to me and hope to get 20% halfway useable shots. One of the nice things about having a 512MB CF card, it holds a lotta pics :)
Thanks again!
Message edited by author 2004-07-28 19:38:59.
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