I have to take a couple of pictures of some team members (3 people) for a corporate awards program. These will be shot in the office and are rather informal, but still need to look corporate. The problem is I am a landscape shooter. So I need advice on creating a simple setup to create some nice shoots. If it matters I have a 5D and 580 flash.
First of all, try to get your flash off-camera. If you can't do that, get yourself a Sto-fen Omnibounce (about $20) and find a way to bounce your flash off a white wall or even a piece of foam core. Anything but straight-on-camera flash. There are a couple of really nice video tutorials on the Kelby Training website. You have to pay for them, but a membership is not that expensive, and very well worth the investment. Pay once, and all of the tutorials are available to you. If you go this route, look for tutorials by David Ziser and Joe McNally, both of whom are experts at the use of small flashes. David Ziser is primarily a wedding photographer, but his lighting tips will work for you in this application. Mc Nally is the best at small flash work; his tutorials will definitely help you.
As Steve mentioned, getting the flash off camera is probably the single most important thing you can do. For instant examples, the best thing you could do is check out Strobist.com There is an "on assignment" area, containing some corporate type shots. He gives the layouts, settings, rationale, examples, etc. The Strobist, David Hobby, was a newpaper reporter for twenty years, and developed great techniques for getting quick shots, with very portable, limited equipment. He's recently been giving classes to military photogs. The guy is a magician with this type of work.
If you can't get your flash off camera, the Joe Demb "Flip It", for about thirty bucks, will probably give you more control than any other simple on camera modifier. It allows you control of ratio between bounce and fill. Seems like most of the wedding photogs who've tried it, prefer it by far to the other on camera modifiers. It also folds flat, takes little space, and weighs nothing.
I would not use the flash. Just take the 3 to a doorway and use the natural light that flows in. You can be done with each person in 2-3 minutes. sure a 580 flash will work but it takes a lot more knowledge to use it to get results even close to the doorway. Of course you still need to be able to see the light and understand it, set the exposure, keep the dof around 4.5-5.6 and use a tripod as the shutter will be between 80-125 if the light is soft enough for a good image.
Well, we did the shots. Most were crap. We did them outside to capture signage in late day sun. Contrast was very high and there were blow out areas. I did my best in post, but they still we pretty bad with unrecoverable highlights.
My hat is off to photographers that shoot people and understand how to use flash. I don't and it looks like a hard road to learn.
