Auditorium Lighting

[lynweber]

My daughter is performing in her Dance Recital and I can't seem to get the lighting right on my camera. Looking for some help. It is bright on the stage and not so bright in the audience what should I do to capture her clearly? I need to shoot in Shutter mode in order to capture the movement as well. I have a Nikon Thanks for the help.

I took some pictures last night at the rehearsal and it seems they have a yellow tint and it is so harsh on the girls and looks like there is no background. I know I'll need to post a picture probably but havent got the memory card with me here at work so I"ll do that tomorrow. Any thoughts?

[ARKreations]

Low light, action photography is just about as challenging as it gets.
I've spent a lot of time shooting dance competitions and recitals in dark auditoriums and have found that given the usual "no flash" restrictions, there's really only one solution -
Fast Glass + High ISO.

I typically shoot a 2.8 lens wide open at 1/250 (or faster if possible) at ISO 1600+.
To get sharp images without blurred hands/feet, you really want to be closer to 1/500.

You're going to be somewhat limited with your current gear. I generally prefer to shoot off of a tripod from the rear of the auditorium to get decent positioning where you aren't shooting through people's heads or up dancer's costumes. If you can secure an unobstructed vantage point up front, you may be able to get by with a 50 or 85 f/1.8 without breaking the bank. Otherwise, you'll probably need a fast focusing 70-200 f/2.8 to do any justice.

Definitely shoot in RAW so you may be able to pull another stop or so in the exposure. And then utilize a good noise removal tool to clean them up. Good luck and let us know how it goes for you.

[natek313]

In addition to what Ross has already said, the color cast that you're seeing is due to the fact that your white balance is off. If you can, shoot a custom white balance before you start shooting the event. But, if you're shooting in RAW, adjusting the white balance is a breeze.

[lynweber]

Originally Posted by natek313

In addition to what Ross has already said, the color cast that you're seeing is due to the fact that your white balance is off. If you can, shoot a custom white balance before you start shooting the event. But, if you're shooting in RAW, adjusting the white balance is a breeze.

I think I'm going to try shooting a custom white balance hopefully this will work. Thanks for you help both of you.