daylight shoot - shoppers in town centre

[lister]

I wonder if you can help (knowledgeable/technical advice). I am in the process of gathering up some information on how to get the best out of my Nikon D90 for a small shoot I plan to do. Basically I was hoping someone could give me some advice on the correct tools I may need or any good resources.

The shoot will be outdoors on a sunny day with a wide focal point, example town centre with people shopping. My knowledge of lenses, filters and reflectors are very small. What's your take on shooting in this environment for beginners.

If this is the wrong forum mods, please move..

lister

[BigFuzzy]

outdoors + sunny day = trouble unless you have open shade or lighting kit and know how to use it.

What kit do you have? Might help us give you a better answer. What's the subject? The shoppers? A particular subject/model?

What is it you're actually trying to capture?

[lister]

well as I am a complete newbie at the moment all I have is a Nikon D90. My question is, what items would I need, where can I get good tips for this environment, The shoot is basically highlighting people walking in and out of shops.

Sorry if this is vague, i'm just getting some advice...

[Hill Country Hack]

Originally Posted by lister

well as I am a complete newbie at the moment all I have is a Nikon D90. My question is, what items would I need, where can I get good tips for this environment, The shoot is basically highlighting people walking in and out of shops.

Sorry if this is vague, i'm just getting some advice...

I'm going to assume you have a basic grasp of the exposure triangle (Apeture/ISO/Shutter speed). If not, you can find a tutorial on this site.

I live in an area that is VERY sunny all summer long and this makes daylight photography a challenge. Trying to find some shade to put subject in, if a person, or making adjustments if a still object or shooting candids in mixed light. Take a look at this Sunny 16 rule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia it helped me out a lot. This link takes into account one is shooting in full manual mode where all three aspects of the triangle can be controlled by the photographer.

The last time I was out on a sunny day I followed the linked rule and:
1. Minimized the amount of sky in my photos
2. Metered to the sky or brightest area of the intended capture for proper exposure of the bright area knowing I can fix the underexposed portions of the capture in post production.
3. I did use a UV filter. A circular polarizer can be used. My filters screw onto my lenes so they rotate when the lens focusses. When I use the polarizer, I focus first and then adjust the circular polarizer.

I hope this helps and gives you a starting point for shooting without additional lighting. I don't have any lighting gear yet, so I must leave light gear input to the real pros.

[lister]

great thats a start.., I'll check out that link.. Thanks for the tips..