Will be shooting 40 kids for a dance recital. I will be taking indivdual and group photos. I have a 5dm III, with flashes 600ex, 500exii and 430ex. I have four yongnuo triggers YN-622. Will I get away with the flash units or should I rent some alienbees?. Never shot this before. Any tips you might have would be appreciated. Also, what other equipment/backdrops do you recommend?
canon5dmiii wrote:
Will be shooting 40 kids for a dance recital. I will be taking indivdual and group photos. I have a 5dm III, with flashes 600ex, 500exii and 430ex. I have four yongnuo triggers YN-622. Will I get away with the flash units or should I rent some alienbees?. Never shot this before. Any tips you might have would be appreciated. Also, what other equipment/backdrops do you recommend?
your equipment appears to be adequate -- check in early for practice shots !
Are you shooting the recital itself? I doubt they will let you use flash for that - although maybe the rehearsal, but I doubt it. In that case, you need an f/2.8 or wider aperture lens - the 135/2 is an excellent recital lens.
Doing 40 portraits you will be fine with flashes, although putting them on lightstands with umbrellas will get much better results.
canon5dmiii wrote:
...Will I get away with the flash units or should I rent some alienbees?. Never shot this before. Any tips you might have would be appreciated.
The Speedlites should be fine.
For the individual shots I'd use one of the big ones for bounce light for broad fill (a back wall, if available, or the ceiling), one for your key light (centered above the camera, probably), and one for a rim light (behind and to one side of the subjects).
For the group shots, turn off the rim light. (It'll be too close to one side of the group, too far from the other.) If you have time, moving the rim light to act as a second key light would help with the large group.
If any of the shots are "action shots" with the dancers in motion, use the fastest shutter speed you can sync with (1/200 on the Mark III, I believe), with a high enough ISO setting and wide enough aperture to get the correct exposure with the light produced by your Speedlites, for sharp shots. Using a slower shutter with rear-curtain sync will yield more-blurrred shots with a crisp finish, for a more artistic rendering. If you can't do both, then I'd suggest just the sharp ones, because most parents will want to see their kids "properly focussed."
Addendum: With the non-Canon radio triggers you may not be able to sync at 1/200; you may be limited to 1/125 or even 1/60. Practice with your camera and your radios before the event to determine the max sync you can get.
I do lots of dance photos. During a rehearsal, or a performance, there is almost no chance that they will allow flash. A 135mm f/2 lens is the best for that.
For posed portraits, flash or strobes would be allowed. Good luck. That kind of shoot is always lots of fun.
I would also check to see if flashes are allowed. Typically they are not. Even if you could use flash, it is very tricky with the stage lighting. I would suggest as others, to use a fast lens.
I've shot very dark modern dance productions and I've found my 135F2 and my 85F1.8 to be very usefull and pushing the iso to 3200 - 6400. Of course your situation may vary depending on the stage lighting and the shutter speed you want.
