I have been invited to a retirement party and asked to "bring my camera". I was also informed that I will be the "official photographer" at said party. I guess I'll miss out on some of the fun.......but........the memories will be worth preserving for the attendees.
I have a question or two. I am not a wedding photographer. I am assuming this retirement party will be similar enough for me to post questions in this forum.
I have at my disposal a Canon 5D and a 24-70f/2.8L lens. I also have a 35f/1.4 L and a 135f/2 L. I also have a 16-35f/2.8II and a 70-200f/2.8IS. I have a 580ex flash as well with a stofen diffuser. I do not want to complicate things here. This will not be a party where I will want to be using all those lenses. I could probably survive quite well with the 24-70. I have been toying with the idea of using just the 35f/1.4 and no flash for a minimalist and easy on me approach. **note** I will actually be attempting to enjoy participating in the party as well as photographing it.
I will have no idea about the room I will be shooting in except to say it is a 3rd floor "Ball Room" in a small city in a recently renovated building built in the 1860's. I assume the ceilings are relativity high. I also don't have any idea on how the lighting will be except to say I assume it will be common to ball rooms in general. The party starts at 6pm which means it will be dark outside by 6:45pm est, thus no beautiful light coming in through any windows.
What approach would you suggest to me on photographing this party? I want to capture nice memories yet I don't want this to be complicated. Any advice would be profoundly appreciated.
It would be a good idea to get an itinerary of the event from whoever is doing the planning... that way you know what's happening when. Can you check out the venue ahead of time to maybe get some test shots?
Your gear looks good but I would try and get a second body... in case your 5D goes down and also having the second camera means you can carry around two lens with different focal lengths... say, the 24-70 on the 5D and the 70-200 on the second body. As for the idea of using the 35... sure, why not... but, the only way you're going to learn how to use your flash well is to shoot with it!
If you are going mainly as a guest who happens to have some fancy toys, the 5D and 35L make a great combo for this kind of thing. It's what I use for family and friend get togethers. If you really want to make sure you get "the shot" the 24-70 with a flash is probably more versatile, of course making the kit noticeably heavier and bulkier to carry around. My vote is for the 5D with the 35L and enjoy the party.
I would also say bring the 5D with the 24-70 and the 580 flash. A second body with the 70-200 and a second flash would not hurt things either. As far as the flash, point it straight up with the little white tab out and then angle it forward a click or two. Set the EV to +2/3 to start and adjust as needed, less if your closer to subject, more as you move away from subject. This will bounce the light off the ceiling and also provide some forward fill light.
Be sure to share some images from this event!
Thomas
Edited by TMGraphics on Feb 28, 2008 at 02:18 PM GMT
Edited by TMGraphics on Feb 28, 2008 at 02:19 PM GMT
Thank you Thomas and elader. I think the 24-70 and flash is what I will bring. The 70-200 is a bit cumbersome and I'll be all over the place so I don't want to burden someone at the party with watching it for me.
So......the 24-70 plus flash will be the equipment I have along with the 580ex.
Any suggestions on what ISO or f/stop to shoot at an event such as this. I'll do some f/2.8 stuff for the nice bokeh but I would love to shoot f/5.6 at ISO 100......if that's possible.
Depends on the room lighting. You may end up shooting ISO400-800 f5.6 @ 1/60 or may even need f4 @ 1/40. Most, if not all the benefits/banquets I have done were poorly lit (low lighting) for ambience/mood. I also would shoot RAW as there may be a miriad of colorful lighting both tungsen and flourescent plus whatever Home Depot had on sale!
If you can get there early and take test shots in the different lighting areas then that would be good. Bring a helper to test the flash angle I mentioned above.
You will do very well, based on the images from your www site, at this event I am sure!
My thanks for the advice. I may have a chance to go there a few days before the party. That should be a big help. I can check out the ceiling height and room layout as well as the lighting inside.
Gels will help a lot, as will high-ish ISOs and slow shutter speeds so you can catch all the ambient possible. On my 24-70L, I average f/4 during events since it's a fairly wide lens and DOF isn't exactly small. Check out dofmaster.com to see the technical details on how much DOF you'll have at your proposed apertures/distances.
