Photography Advice for a Costume Party

[Winny "Nasha" Winston]

Hi Everyone,

I need some advice and was hoping you delightful people could help me out.
I'll get straight to the point, I have been asked by a friend to take photos at a costume party at a London club/bar, so im guessing there will be indoor and outdoor shots (in the evening I believe).
She was hoping to have some of the pictures published in the weekly glossy magazine(newsletter), if any of them were any good.

Now I am an amateur and by no means the best photographer in the world (my friend knows that). She is letting me use this opportunity to improve my ability and get some exposure.

So I was hoping people could help me with the setup I should use for the job.

In my arsenal I have,
Camera: Sony Alpha 200
Lenses:
Minolta 50mm f1.7
Minolta 70-300mm f4.5-5
Minolta 35-70mm f4.5-5
Sony 18-70mm f4.5-5 (Kit Lens)

I don’t have an external flash and I think I might have to get one for this, right?
If so could I get some recommendations and any extras that I might have to get, please be gentle I’m on a shoe string budget.

My thoughts are to use the Minolta 50mm and an external flash with a diffuser.

People feel free to comment, all advice is welcome.

Thanks, Winny.

[Digidave]

I would say that you absolutely will want a external flash. Even for the outdoor shots, you'll need fill-flash(If during the daylight hours). When indoors, aim the flash towards the ceiling for a bounce effect. This may produce the infamous "Raccoon Eyes"(shadows under the eyes). So take a small card & rubberband it to your flash. This will throw a little more light directly at your subject. I don't know how good your kit lens is, but I would use that one. I think, with the 50mm, you'll find yourself running out of room. Especially if your want full length shots. You will absolutely want to play around with a new piece of equipment before the party.

Hope this helps a little bit, & remember, we love seeing results. Even if they didn't turn out to your liking, we can make suggestions for the next time.

[Winny "Nasha" Winston]

Originally Posted by Digidave

I would say that you absolutely will want a external flash. Even for the outdoor shots, you'll need fill-flash(If during the daylight hours). When indoors, aim the flash towards the ceiling for a bounce effect. This may produce the infamous "Raccoon Eyes"(shadows under the eyes). So take a small card & rubberband it to your flash. This will throw a little more light directly at your subject. I don't know how good your kit lens is, but I would use that one. I think, with the 50mm, you'll find yourself running out of room. Especially if your want full length shots. You will absolutely want to play around with a new piece of equipment before the party.

Hope this helps a little bit, & remember, we love seeing results. Even if they didn't turn out to your liking, we can make suggestions for the next time.

Great! Thanks for that definitely gonna take that on board. Could you suggest any flashes that I could use Brand/Model, which would work on my Sony and do a good job (based on a budget)?

Do you think that I could get sharp enough pictures with the kit lens? What would be the best focal length lens to use, assuming I could pick up a lens before the event (most likely second hand).

Any Sony/Minolta users out there that could give some specific advice.