Wondering what type of special event photography equipment you might need? Or how about the best way to capture those memorable holiday moments? Check out this Q&A.
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Daphne Mills
member since: 7/16/2006
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Backdrop for Different Dance Costumes?
I will soon be photographing dancers - children of all ages in their recital costumes. All of the costumes are different colors and textures, depending on the number and I'm lost as to what general color would work best for everyone. Help please.
4/25/2008 9:59:28 AM
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W.
member since: 9/25/2006
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Ask yourself whether you want the colors to harmonize or contrast with each other. If you have a neutral light grey background, you can make all kinds of different pastel colored backgrounds with colored gels covering your background lights.
Have fun!
4/25/2008 10:29:55 AM
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Gretchen E. Boisseau
member since: 9/13/2004
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Daphne I would recommend going with a neutral background - white, grey or even black. Because you will be photographing so many dancers, trying to get the colours right could be time consuming - I am assuming you won't have a a lot of time to change background colours while you are shooting. You want the focus to be on the kids and their costumes. High key (whie background) and grey backgrounds are quite popular right now... hope this helps - good luck!
4/30/2008 2:30:28 PM
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Debby A. Tabb
member since: 9/4/2004
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Daphine,
if you use a Grey or White with a backlight,get your self some gels as they will make all the differance in the world.
and you'll find you will use them all the time to expand your background offerings.
I hope this helps,
Debby Tabb
4/30/2008 3:25:31 PM
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Debby A. Tabb
member since: 9/4/2004
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such as with these.
4/30/2008 3:26:06 PM
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Daphne Mills
member since: 7/16/2006
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Thanks guys. This has been helpful. I currently have a light grey so I'm going to go with that for now. Gretchen, you're right there won't be much time for changing backdrops. Thanks again.
4/30/2008 5:50:38 PM
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I would stick to grey or maybe a tan background. If you are shooting dancers with dark skin, they may get lost in a black backdrop. Deb has some good advice with the gels. Also, you may want to think about using a polarizer filter to make the colors look more vibrant. Have fun and keep shooting,
Mark H.
5/1/2008 9:18:50 AM
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Christy Freeberg
member since: 4/2/2005
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I just did one for my friends daughter-and former basketball player of my husbands- dance was her passion, so she switched completely....anyhoo- I used a balck back drop and am pretty happy with the results: (for her seession)
5/1/2008 8:53:18 PM
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Amanda M. Freese
member since: 10/18/2007
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2
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Airports and Your Camera
This isn't a problem (yet), but I was wondering about airport screening and your gear. I will be taking my camera as a carry-on and, of course, it will have to go through the X-ray scanner. I wanted to make sure nothing would happen to it or the CF cards in my bag. Any tips or pointers anyone has would be so greatly appreciated. :) Thanks!
2/27/2008 4:41:53 PM
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From everything I've read and heard, it isn't a problem. I recently flew from Houston to Chicago, on American and the screener had me take my camera out of the camera bag and give it to him, and he handed it right back to me after I walked through. My bag went onto the belt with all my extra cards, and they all work fine. Have a great trip!
2/27/2008 8:31:43 PM
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David A. Bliss
member since: 5/24/2005
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I have taken my DSLR as a carry-on many times, with no ill effects. I have a camera pack that fits nicely (sometimes nicely with some mashing) in the overhead. I have only once had a screener take pause. He called over his supervisor, who took a look at the X-ray, then looked at me and said, "Nice gear, how long you been shooting..." I do always pack my tripod in my checked bag, simply because not only is it unwieldly, but I don't want to have issues with something they may consider a weapon.
X-rays will not hurt your flash card or your camera.
2/28/2008 8:05:09 AM
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The only danger to your photo gear is theft from checked baggage. Both Airline baggage handlers, and, less often, TSA people have been caught stealing from passengers' luggage.
2/28/2008 10:40:42 AM
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Amanda M. Freese
member since: 10/18/2007
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Thank you guys so much!
2/28/2008 2:03:42 PM
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R K Stephenson
member since: 10/5/2007
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Hi, Amanda,
One more bit of advice (and this goes for computers, too): Be sure to go through the magnetometer after your gear has started through the X-ray. And, don't put the gear on the conveyor for the X-ray until you're actually ready to go through the X-ray.
A lot of cameras and computers are lost by people not being aware of where their gear is as they're going through TSA.
Cheers,
RK
2/28/2008 8:46:54 PM
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Stephanie M. Stevens
member since: 4/20/2005
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The only problem I ever had taking my equipment through security was with my lens cleaner, with all their new rules about liquids, they took it out to check. They gave it back, no problem, but it was kind of a hassle.
3/1/2008 3:58:33 AM
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R K Stephenson
member since: 10/5/2007
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Hi, Stephanie, There are stations at the entrance to TSA inspection points that offer plastic bags. If you take all liquids out of your carry-on and put them in one of the plastic bags you will sail through. Cheers, RK
3/3/2008 1:52:42 PM
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Hi Amanda; Everyone is correct. I have traveled to Africa and Central America and have never had a problem with the X-ray. I've never had to take my camera out of my bag either. Only one time they had to "hand" check the bag but that was because they didn't know what they were looking at. Other than that, its been no problem and treated just like any other carry on. Laura S.
3/4/2008 4:40:30 PM
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Hi Amanda, I've travelled to Asia, Europe and the US and have never had any issues with my digital gear or memory cards. One thing to remember is to remove your lens cleaning solution from your camera bag and put it in your checked luggage or in your plastic 3-1-1 ziploc bag. Cheers
Chad
3/4/2008 7:44:57 PM
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Oliver Anderson
member since: 11/16/2004
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Hey Amanda, I travel a ton with the my equipment, including checking 3 HUGE suitcases full of strobes/softboxes/power cords.
1. NEVER let your laptop go through w/out you watching
2. Always bring sandwich size ziplocks(thrown away too many lens cleaners)
3. Keep the camera bag well organized and they let it fly through the checkpoint...and I carry 2 Quantums sometimes.
4. Plan on 15 extra minutes because my bags are so packed through security they always check and the batteries show weird on the screener.
5. Bring a Hot model...they talk to her and let you walk through...this doesn't always work but its better than a guy in a suit asking what I do.jk
3/5/2008 9:14:15 AM
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Amanda M. Freese
member since: 10/18/2007
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ha ha . .. that's really funny Oliver..
Well Im actually going to check my laptop (I think) and then carry on my camera bag- it just feels really funny passing it through the little xray machine thing. . . This has all been so helpful! :)
3/5/2008 12:17:42 PM
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R K Stephenson
member since: 10/5/2007
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Hi, Amanda, If you're checking the laptop due to concerns about the x-ray, it isn't a problem. My laptop has been through several hundred x-rays with no problems. ;^) I would not recommend checking camera body's, lenses or laptops anywhere at any time. By the way, a number of manufacturers are making camera backpacks with built-in laptop compartments. Cheers, RK
3/5/2008 2:18:10 PM
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Amanda M. Freese
member since: 10/18/2007
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no, now that I called the Military flight terminal I will be carrying on my laptop and my camera bag. so both will be with me. Thanks!
and thanks for the tips. .
3/5/2008 2:24:16 PM
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W.
member since: 9/25/2006
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Airport X-ray used to be a scourge for chemical photo films. Especially in 3rd World countries, as they used the old, redundant high-dose X-ray machines that had been replaced in the west with advanced low-dose X-ray machines. If your films were 'touched' you had bluish 'veils' in all your images! In those days I had 3 lead lined bags to hold my exposed films, my unexposed films, and my (loaded) camera.But the image quality of DIGITAL photo files is NOT affected by X-ray! So your camera and memory cards run no risks in that respect. The security of your valuable gear should be your biggest concern when travelling, imo. Have fun!
3/6/2008 12:12:47 AM
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Oliver Anderson
member since: 11/16/2004
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Could also be seen as an Excellent time to trade up to a better laptop.....once again turning negatives into positives.
3/6/2008 7:41:40 AM
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Anonymous
member since: 2/10/2008
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X-rays no problem. The screeners sometimes are carless so keep an eagle eye on them.
The only problem I ever ran into was flying to Europe when I put my gear in the overhead ,because I was in sitting at the exit, some German man smashed my bag over to the side wall and tried to shoved his oversized bag into an imposible fit. I said "hey, thats expensive camera equipment in there" and the stewardess jumped in to help him find a better spot. Luckily I had good padding.
3/7/2008 11:01:30 AM
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Christina Hill
member since: 1/5/2007
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3
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Lenses and Concert Photography
I'm shooting for a local concert and was wondering what lens would be better. It's in a smaller venue, and I'll be able to get in the front. I'm using a Canon Rebel XT body. I have a Canon 28mm 1.8 and a Sigma 18-50mm 2.8. Which would be better to use?
1/5/2007 10:15:44 AM
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Ariel Lepor
member since: 9/8/2005
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I would choose the latter, since you would be able to have a wider angle (you're up close). You would also be able to zoom in on one subject better.
1/5/2007 12:03:21 PM
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Rebecca A. Steed
member since: 5/6/2005
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Ariel's right, use the 18-50mm. However, the questions that I have are: Do you have a tripod? are you planning to use flash? Are they going to have stage lights going crazy?My husband is a musician, so I have 'covered' a lot of his shows, and concert pics are some of the hardest in the biz. If you can time the lights, have a tripod and use a semi-high ISO (I suggest no higher than 800), you should be able to get some pretty good shots without using flash. Stage lights are just prettier in a picture. If they are looking blurry this way, experiment, take lots of pics and find what works best for you.
1/5/2007 2:17:14 PM
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Mark Feldstein
member since: 3/17/2005
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Greetings, Christina. While Ariel is right in principle and a zoom would be helpful for those reasons, the problem with both of those lenses you mentioned is that their focal length is pretty short, even the 50. How useful they are to you is going to depend on where you're positioned and both lenses would be most useful if you're either on stage or really close, say in the first row or two. At a minimum, when I'm a couple of rows or equal distance back at a concert, I use either an 85mm or even 135mm fixed focus, or a 35-105 Nikkor Zoomer.
Becky is right, in that a camera support is really helpful, but a lot of venues, if you're just visiting and not a member of the media, may not let you use a tripod since they're worried someone is going to trip on the thing. A monopod is useful too, BTW, and if they allow you to shoot (which is a separate issue entirely), a monopod might be the way to go or even just resting the camera on some kind of support, even a bean bag.
I shoot concerts and theatrical work for publication, on film. If I'm not using strobes, I shoot with Fuji Press color negative film that allows different ISOs on the same roll up to 800. For b&w, I prefer 3200 speed pulled down to 1600 so Becky's suggestion of 800 is right in the ballpark. It depends on the lighting you have anyway.
As for flash, if you're back more than a few rows, unless you you're shooting with something fairly powerful, it's not going to do you much good and you need to get permission to use one (as is the case with most concerts or they'll just have signs posted that say "no flash photography" or no photography. If you can use a flash and you're close enough, you want to set it about 1/2 or 3/4 of a stop less than your ambient stage light so you get it for fill rather than as a primary light to get the effect Becky suggested. Otherwise, a flash, not the on-camera one I think the XT has, can blow out the colors of the stage lighting.
Take it light. ;>)
Mark
1/7/2007 10:19:22 AM
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don't forget about the people that will get angry that you are distracting them with your shutter noise and fumbling of your dials and constant movement in your seat.
1/7/2007 4:33:15 PM
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Roy Blinston
member since: 1/4/2005
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I photographed a small play/musical using stage light and a 28-300mm zoom f3.5 IS L at 800 ISO. No problems generally with the pics, only the odd one blurred - mainly because I didn't know when people would move (more homework needed with the Play itself).
One problem I did encounter though was the "noise" from my camera shutter (ie: small theatre where quiet moments in the play were quite distinct).
Next time I may try wrapping my camera in a thick black towel to try and stifle the sound. Does anyone have any other suggestions to overcome the noise/mirror problem in a quiet venue?
1/27/2007 6:06:20 PM
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Desiree C. Preckwinkle
member since: 8/20/2005
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4
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Background for Family Photo Shoot?
I was asked to do a family photo shoot with 6 or 7 people and a baby. The problem is, though, they want it taken at their house, and I don't have much to work with in the way of a background. They have just a few bushes and shrubs. I have a 28-100 lens and a 70-300. Any suggestions on how to approach this would be great. Thanks,
Desiree
11/15/2006 1:51:40 PM
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Justin G.
member since: 7/13/2004
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If they have nice grass (not brown and dead) and you have a ladder, you could shoot from the top of the ladder. Make sure there is a little space behind them - 20 feet to 30 feet. And if you shoot from a slight distance with your 300 on the ladder, you should get a nice green background.
11/15/2006 4:12:45 PM
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Raymond H. Kemp
member since: 4/2/2004
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If they have a nice large living or family room, that would work too, which was where I shoot 90% of my family photos. I try to use a focal point as the background, such as a fireplace. Then I clear away the coffee table and anything else that can be moved easily that is in the center of the room. Take a nice formal chair - or even an ottoman - and move it in front of your background. Position the chair at a slight angle to the camera. Now start to position your subjects with some sitting on the floor (kids are great for this) and others on the chair, around and behind it. Try to form a nice balance. Someone like a grandparent can take the chair and if it has a large sturdy arm you can position someone to partially sit on that.
You’ll be surprised how many people you can start to fit into this kind of set-up. Sometimes I’ve used the fireplace with a fire in it so it can be seen in the background, and positioning a lamp or two in the shot with the lamp on adds warmth to the image. To pick up the incandescent lights and fireplace, you may need a tripod to shoot at a slower shutter speed to pick up the lamps and fireplace. And sometimes I bounce a strobe off a gold reflector to cast a warming effect as well. This is popular for holiday family images.
Just something that has worked for me in the past!
Ray
11/15/2006 5:58:30 PM
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Pat Wimpee
member since: 1/23/2003
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5
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Car Show Pictures
Does anyone have suggestions for taking pictures at car shows? All the cars are highly polished, and everyone of my pictures show the refelection of people, other cars or trees on the sides or fenders. I've tried different angles but it's not working. How do you do this?!!!? Thanks for any input.
7/13/2006 9:01:08 PM
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Jason A. Woodcock
member since: 9/3/2005
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Try using a polarizing filter. As you rotate the filter, the refelctions should be minimized.
7/13/2006 9:55:08 PM
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Shoot in a studio, or do lots of cloning. A polarizer will get rid of glare, but reflections of people and trees you're stuck with if you can't actually remove the people, trees, or the car to a different location.
7/13/2006 10:39:21 PM
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Shoot early morning before the sun gets high and it helps some. Wear black or gray to minimize your own reflection, and all the above. Not much else you can do but live with it. What I hate is the people who leave their cars hoods up. Fine if you want to shoot engines, but if not it kind of ruins the line. Sometimes I just shoot from the back of the car and clone out the hood along with the rest of the background.
7/14/2006 2:27:25 AM
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Oliver Anderson
member since: 11/16/2004
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Hey Pat, I've been building cars for a very long time - Concours, Hot Rods and now Import Tuner cars (Porsche 993TT). What are the conditions you're photographing the cars in, outside or inside? Studio is the only answer and you're still going to have to do post-production on all the photos. Even for the posters and car mags, if you look you'll notice reflections in the photos but you always notice them more in your own photos. When I photograph HIN Chicago in 2 weeks I always photograph the cars early before all the people get in and crowd me or get in the reflections. I bring two 500 watt Studio Strobes to photograph models with the Porsche, and I don't get too many reflections but its a white car.
7/14/2006 2:42:48 AM
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Pat Wimpee
member since: 1/23/2003
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Thanks everyone for your quick responses. All of these have been at car shows outside. Some of the owners have asked if I could get shots of their cars. I usually just do portraits of people, so the reflections in the cars are really a challenge. I've been doing Greg's technique of cloning but I was hoping there was an easier answer. :) I'll try the polorizer and earlier hour and see how it works. Thanks again
7/14/2006 7:52:22 AM
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Bob Chance
member since: 2/19/2006
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Pat, move in close. Don't just shoot the whole car, but also focus on key points of interest about the car. Maybe the emblem on the hood or fender. The side mirrors, the wheels. Pick out points of interest about a car that make it stand out. But concentrating on smaller areas, you can greatly minimixe reflections.
7/15/2006 4:21:41 AM
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Pat Wimpee
member since: 1/23/2003
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Thanks Bob for your imput. Good Idea!
7/15/2006 8:10:04 AM
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No one will thank me for this perspective :o) BUT I like looking at the stuff in the reflections. Whenever I see a car photo in the contest, I immediately look at the reflections to see what I can see ;)! I think it makes it more interesting.
7/15/2006 9:06:06 AM
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Pat Wimpee
member since: 1/23/2003
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Oh I'd probably agree with that thought, but unfortunately people who are "into" their cars probably don't care how "artsy" the reflection all over the side of their baby looks. :)
7/15/2006 3:26:56 PM
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They should probably show them off in a vacuum then ;)! Good luck with it. Sounds difficult if not impossible!
7/15/2006 4:05:00 PM
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Jeffery Haws
member since: 11/4/2004
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One thing I have done at car shows is to let the vehicle owner know you would like to photograph their vehicle with the hood down, if they wouldn't mind. I have done that the usually they will oblige you. (you could also offer to take another photo of them and their vehicle and get their address and mail or email it to them).
7/18/2006 10:02:38 AM
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Gabrielle Pierce
member since: 10/19/2002
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I have to agree somewhat with Sharon regarding reflections......one of my favorite B&W photos I shot at an outdoor car show has a reflection of the field and trees in the halfmoon hubcap, and a great reflection of clouds and the treetops on the highly polished fender of the fiine old Packard. I don't particularly care for people reflections, I'll admit, but these nature-type reflections really made this particular photo, I think.
7/18/2006 10:21:06 AM
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Diane Miller
member since: 5/27/2003
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Hey Pat, If you cant get rid of the reflections, enhance them! I went to an air show recently and after a while I was tired of just taking pictures of planes sitting on the ground so I added my 'star' filter. It made the shine look great, especially on the dark or black planes.
7/18/2006 7:29:59 PM
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chuck Bruton
member since: 5/1/2005
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I also shoot a lot of cars, our local car show is inside the Civic Center, so there's a lot of reflections. You can make the reflections work for you. The crowed conditions bother me more than reflections. What I do is try to show the theme of the car with a tight shot of the distinctive curves or logo, some well known characteristic of the make.I have found that reworking the images in Photo Shop does wonders.
7/19/2006 6:05:27 PM
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Carl J. Morrison
member since: 1/8/2002
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You've already received good suggestions: polarizing filter, move in close, use reflections for interest, etc. My favorite is to get in contact with the car show promoter and get permission to take pictures of ALL the cars as they enter the registration line (car guys like to get to the show an hour or more BEFORE registration opens!). Talk with the promoter about having the cars drive by an appropriate background on their way to their parking spot. Give the promoter a photo CD of all the cars you shoot, for his use in promoting next year's show (with credit to you, of course). As to the comment about 'hoods up.' Some shows judge the engine, trunk, interior, chassis, and doors, hoods, trunk lids, need to be up during judging. You would not be out of like to ask the owner if he/she would close the hood for a photo (have your camera in hand at the time). If they comply, when you are done, thank them and give them your business card. Check our the few car pictures I have at: http://moknowsphotos.com/Cars/
7/19/2006 10:34:54 PM
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The problem with asking the owner to put the hood down is, once they get their car set up, they are GONE looking at everybody elses cars and you can't ever find them to ask them!
7/20/2006 4:41:07 AM
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Twynette Deloris Reynolds
member since: 8/11/2002
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6
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Christmas Tree Pictures
I would like to know if there would be a problem taking a subject in front of a christmas tree with lights. Will this cause any affect to your pictures? What advice could you give me concerning taking Christmas pictures? Also, taking pictures in front of a glass window with a Christmas tree in front of it. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ms. Nette
11/27/2005 7:55:30 AM
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Joyce S. Bowley
member since: 5/7/2004
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There's some articles here at BP that address Christmas photography: here's one from the Home Page:
Photographing Christmas Lights and Other Holiday HappeningsI've seen a few threads here on Q&A lately, as well. You might search Christmas and find them.
11/27/2005 8:53:06 AM
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Mark Feldstein
member since: 3/17/2005
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The short answer is no. The easiest thing to do is use daylight type film and a little bit of fill-in flash on your main subject so as not to wash out the color of the lights around them.
Mark
11/27/2005 5:37:38 PM
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John Sandstedt
member since: 8/8/2001
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It depends on whether the Christmas Tree is the subject of the picture. If not, focus and expose for your subject - but don't, necessarily, expect the tree and its lighting to be great.
11/28/2005 8:25:06 AM
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Aaron Reyes
member since: 2/8/2005
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use a cross filter! those look cool with lit trees.
12/3/2005 7:27:22 AM
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Jill M. H.
member since: 7/14/2005
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7
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Good Ideas for Cool Autumn Photos?
Have any good ideas for cool fall photos, or harvest? Anything ... just let me know. Thanks!
10/15/2005 2:42:39 PM
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Anything out of the ordinary is always a welcome respite from the everyday cliche fall photos we've all seen (and taken) each autumn. Think of something including human involvement ... like a friend or family member raking leaves on a breezy day ... or a self-portrait of yourself photographing a leaf falling. (I played around with this one last autumn.) ;) You might also try visiting the local roadside markets laden with gourds, pumpkins and ornamental corn. Some of the displays at these places can be quite photogenic. And the proprietors are usually flattered to have them photographed (though it usually helps if you buy something first).
10/15/2005 4:50:56 PM
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"The everyday cliche fall photos we've all seen (and taken) each autumn." Yup, I spent this morning doing macros of colored leaves in my front yard ... :-(
I've had this thought, though it's probably been done a million times, about shooting from the pumpkin's view ... large pumpkin, lens size hole carved in the back, smaller hole for a very small flashlight near the lens hole ... then, hopefully, shooting the carving of the pumpkin from the inside out.
10/15/2005 5:59:41 PM
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Jeffrey J. Thompson
member since: 10/4/2005
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How about a good old Hay Ride?
10/16/2005 8:28:33 AM
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Heather Inich
member since: 5/15/2005
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8
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Shooting Fireworks
OK, I am a newbie to this site. I have a silly question ... I was reading some of the articles on here about shooting fireworks. I guess I am just confused on what you mean on multiple exposures on one frame??!! Also about covering the lens before you advance. Sorry it's a silly question ... Thanks for any help. :)
6/30/2005 9:59:06 AM
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Christopher A. Vedros
member since: 3/14/2005
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It's not a silly question, Heather. We weren't really talking about multiple exposures in the traditional sense. In this case, the camera is mounted on a tripod, and aimed at a spot in the sky. If you use a long shutter speed (several seconds) or just hold the shutter open on the Bulb setting, you will probably get several different bursts of fireworks over time in your frame. The rest of the sky is mostly dark, but if you cover the lens in between bursts, you will reduce the amount of light (other than the fireworks) that enters the camera.
6/30/2005 10:56:04 AM
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Heather Inich
member since: 5/15/2005
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OOOOOK thank you very much. :)
6/30/2005 1:14:13 PM
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Maria Melnyk
member since: 5/2/2004
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And the other part of your question - multiple exposures - means that you set your camera so that you can take several pictures on the same frame of film before it advances to the next frame. Most cameras can be set for 1-9 exposures.
However, with the BULB mode, you have more control, since you can close the shutter any time you like, whereas if you have the camera set for 6 exposures, you're stuck with having to take 6 pictures on that frame unless you turn your controls to override it.
Just check first to see what part of the sky will show in your viewfinder, and try to fill the whole frame with fireworks rather than having them go on top of one another.
This past weekend I shot 4 rolls of fireworks using the bulb technique, and I got some great images.
7/5/2005 7:17:45 PM
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moore White
member since: 10/16/2004
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9
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Shooting Christmas Lights
I have a Canon Digital Rebel. Christmas lights bloom without definition. What settings should I shoot at to get crisp, clear photos?
Moore
12/18/2004 9:25:26 AM
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Doug Elliott
member since: 9/18/2004
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Please provide me with the following information. I will be able to give you some ideas on how to make a great photo. What setting are you using? Is your flash on-camera, or built into the camera? Do you use a monopod or a tripod? What kind of a lens are you using? Are you shooting in program or manual mode.
Thanks.
12/18/2004 3:24:17 PM
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moore White
member since: 10/16/2004
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Doug, I am using Program mode with an ASA of 800. Lens is 75mm-300mm. Handheld. I have tried a tripod with ASA 100 in P mode. Same effect. I found changing white balance to tungsten helped. Thanks.
12/19/2004 6:26:04 AM
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Moore-
Sounds like the Christmas lights are just overexposing and blowing out. Your camera meter sees the dark green tree and these little light bulbs, and in trying to determine the best exposure, ends up blowing out, or overexposing the light bulbs. I have shot a lot of Christmas-related imagery for my stock photo files, and the only way it works is to use supplemental strobes and light boxes. Or use your on-camera flash as a fill light. Put your camera on the tripod and compose your picture. Take some test shots on M for manual, not P or A. Adjust your shutter speed and/or f-stop until the Christmas lights look great. Most likely the rest of the tree will be very dark, and now you use your flash to open up those areas. Turn on the flash on your camera and shoot another. If it looks too "flashed", then go into the menu and reduce the flash output starting at -1; then if you need more, try -1.3, -1.6, -2. Hopefully, something in there will work.
12/19/2004 9:19:57 AM
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Doug Elliott
member since: 9/18/2004
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Moore,
I agree with Charlie B. I have been working on a project for our local CofC. I am shooting outside lights. I use a tripod and shutter release, and meter for the lights. I shoot in manual mode, tungsten mode for white balance, and raw. I also bracket my shots.
Hope these ideas help.
Good shooting, Doug
12/19/2004 10:50:19 AM
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moore White
member since: 10/16/2004
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Thank you, gentlemen. You have given me a good project. Regards, Moore
12/19/2004 11:10:07 AM
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Frank P. Luongo
Contact Frank
Frank's Gallery
member since: 6/7/2004
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10
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Photographing Trees with Holiday Lights
At night when shooting photos of trees decorated with lights (all white), how should one accomplish this? F/22 with slow shutter speed? Wider aperture, say f/5.6 with faster shutter speed?
Where do you meter from - one of the lights itself?
Do you open up a stop? Etc.
Thanks.
12/3/2004 8:33:36 AM
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Use a tungsten-balanced film (or proper filtration), and meter off the lights. Your aperture setting will depend upon how much DOF the scene requires.
Keep in mind that a smaller aperture (f-22) will create little starbursts off each light source. You should consider this if you want that effect to show when choosing your f-stop.
It's always wise to bracket these types of exposures to get just what you want.
12/3/2004 3:23:08 PM
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Thanks, Bob. I appreciate it.
12/3/2004 4:06:07 PM
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Steve Warren
member since: 9/1/2004
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Hi, This is kind of a question for Bob ... By metering off of the lights, won't the scene underexpose? I mean, if it's a high-contrast scene such as a lighted tree at night, wouldn't the meter read the lights as a mid-tone rather than the bright part of a high-contrast scene and treat them as such??
12/6/2004 2:25:30 PM
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Steve,
You are correct, but this type of exposure usually calls for multi-second exposure times ... which doesn't always "play well" with some films.
My advice should have recommended metering off the lights to get a starting point, and to bracket OVER from there. Thanks for pointing this out.
Bob
12/6/2004 4:46:55 PM
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David Robinson
member since: 12/29/2002
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Take an integrated reading of the whole scene.
Take a spot reading off the filament of one of the lights
Under-expose from the spot reading by one stop.
Compare this new reading (ie. the minus one stop exposure) with the integrated reading to ensure that the scene will not be hopelessly underexposed. If ok then use the minus one stop reading for your exposure.
12/7/2004 6:18:38 AM
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David Robinson
member since: 12/29/2002
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Take an integrated reading of the whole scene.
Take a spot reading off the filament of one of the lights
Under-expose from the spot reading by one stop.
Compare this new reading (ie. the minus one stop exposure) with the integrated reading to ensure that the scene will not be hopelessly underexposed. If ok then use the minus one stop reading for your exposure.
12/7/2004 6:19:07 AM
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David Robinson
member since: 12/29/2002
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Take an integrated reading of the whole scene.
Take a spot reading off the filament of one of the lights
Under-expose from the spot reading by one stop.
Compare this new reading (ie. the minus one stop exposure) with the integrated reading to ensure that the scene will not be hopelessly underexposed. If ok then use the minus one stop reading for your exposure.
12/7/2004 6:21:43 AM
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Kristen
member since: 12/1/2004
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This isn't really about exposure, but just a side note...if you use a 6x filter when shooting Christmas lights, it creates cool stars from the lights and has an awesome effect.
12/7/2004 9:45:12 AM
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David Robinson
member since: 12/29/2002
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Take an integrated reading of the whole scene.
Take a spot reading off the filament of one of the lights
Under-expose from the spot reading by one stop.
Compare this new reading (ie. the minus one stop exposure) with the integrated reading to ensure that the scene will not be hopelessly underexposed. If ok then use the minus one stop reading for your exposure.
12/7/2004 3:12:51 PM
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Thank You All for your suggestions!
How about a street lined by rows of lit trees, in which you want some detail in the shadows,AND you want to stop down to f/22 to get starburst effect?
How would your metering strategy change?Thanks
12/9/2004 10:08:33 AM
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