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Archive 2009 · Lighting for group formals?

Thats Fresh
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p.2 #1 · Lighting for group formals?

John, ive shot many group formals with flash mounted on camera on tripod and remote in hand and still got great shots indoors.

Nov 13, 2009 at 02:10 AM

DavidWEGS
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p.2 #2 · Lighting for group formals?

John, I use an off cam SB800 (or two) on a stand with remote firing on cam.

Those units stay on that stand and it just unfolds for formals, then collapses super fast when done. It goes to the reception and sets up in seconds, literally.

If you get it set up before you arrive, its a no brainer.

One of the most important things a client sees in a togs work... consistency.

Nov 13, 2009 at 04:25 AM

paparazzinick
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p.2 #3 · Lighting for group formals?

we throw a nikon sb900 on a stand and blast at 1/16th or 1/8th depending on the church and blast it in to a 40" umbrella. camera settings are usually on iso 400-800 again depending on church but aperture and shutter are always 1/40th and f5.6 we also have an sb900 on camera bouncing straight up with a flipit throwing some light forward at -.3 ev and that flash has a pocket wizard strapped to it to trigger the other flash. works great, its easy to setup and light to travel with. we used it with 30 people in the shot and it worked fine.

Nov 13, 2009 at 04:58 AM

Strat60
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p.2 #4 · Lighting for group formals?

It depends on the group, the time allotted, the church, etc. But we use one of these setups:

1. 1 or 2 580s on stands triggered by Cybersyncs; usually I'll barebulb the 580s, but have used a shoot through umbrella from time to time.

2. 1 or 2 AB800s with shoot throughs, powered by Vagabond IIs

I really hate lugging the AB800s and Vagabonds, but sometimes you need that much power.

BTW, we then use the two 580s to shoot a lot of the reception shots. Nice results.

Nov 13, 2009 at 02:49 PM

John--G
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p.2 #5 · Lighting for group formals?

Well, the deed is done. Again, I appreciate everyone's helpful suggestions. In the end I went with a single 580EXII flash on a RRS bracket. I had hoped to use my lights but flash photography was not permitted during the ceremony and the pastor did not want me setting up any lighting ahead of time. That meant I would need to wait till the ceremony was over to start hauling out equipment and getting setup. Working alone I did not think the folks would have the patience for that and I was right. There was really barely time to setup the tripod and get a few group shots before they were getting antsi to move on.

Here is an example of how the group shots turned out. While I think I could have done better with more lighting I think it turned out okay given the hand I was dealt.

PS. For some reason the example posted here looks brighter than how it looks in Photoshop or in the prints.

2012 © John--G

2012 © John--G

Nov 15, 2009 at 09:53 PM

MC Yorke
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p.2 #6 · Lighting for group formals?

Check out Cgardner's website he is on the people forum....his explanations and diagrams are amazing and reading his work enabled us to nail indoor group shots every time!

Nov 15, 2009 at 10:59 PM

jcolman
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p.2 #7 · Lighting for group formals?

John--G wrote:
Well, the deed is done. Again, I appreciate everyone's helpful suggestions. In the end I went with a single 580EXII flash on a RRS bracket. I had hoped to use my lights but flash photography was not permitted during the ceremony and the pastor did not want me setting up any lighting ahead of time. That meant I would need to wait till the ceremony was over to start hauling out equipment and getting setup. Working alone I did not think the folks would have the patience for that and I was right. There was really barely time to setup the tripod and get a few group shots before they were getting antsi to move on.

Here is an example of how the group shots turned out. While I think I could have done better with more lighting I think it turned out okay given the hand I was dealt.

PS. For some reason the example posted here looks brighter than how it looks in Photoshop or in the prints.

That's not a bad job John. You did well with what you had. The posing leaves a little to be desired but the lighting is fine.

One thing you can do on your next wedding is get your equipment needed for the formals set up prior to the ceremony and set it aside. I've always been able to find a spot in a church where I can stash my lights already mounted to their stands. This saves a lot of time for both you and the wedding party when it comes time for the formals.

Nov 15, 2009 at 11:41 PM

John--G
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p.2 #8 · Lighting for group formals?

jcolman wrote:
That's not a bad job John. You did well with what you had. The posing leaves a little to be desired but the lighting is fine.

One thing you can do on your next wedding is get your equipment needed for the formals set up prior to the ceremony and set it aside. I've always been able to find a spot in a church where I can stash my lights already mounted to their stands. This saves a lot of time for both you and the wedding party when it comes time for the formals.

No argument there. :-) Posing is not one of my strong points and I relied on the bride/groom to setup the poses. I am primarily a sports shooter and feel more comfortable on the sidelines of a playing field. This was only my second wedding and it was done as a favor for a co-worker. I have no intention to make a habit of it and my hat is off to those of you who specialize in this sort of thing.

Nov 16, 2009 at 01:03 AM

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