What’s Your Preference?

Storm_Tracker · #1 (**permalink**) 03-04-2010, 10:54 PM

Hi everyone,

Still learning the ropes....
I bought a Canon Rebel XSi with a 18 - 55mm lens and was asked to shoot a birthday party!
Lots of people attending! 200 -250
So... my question is...What would be the best settings..
May be some low light and lots of people moving around. I understand there is alot of unforseeables and every situation may be different, but would like to have some kind of guide to go by!
Part is this Saturday, not much time to practice!

Thanks in advance
Gerald

OsmosisStudios · #2 (**permalink**) 03-04-2010, 11:57 PM

As I said in your other thread (dont cross-post), i wouldnt expect much from the images.

You either need very high ISO settings or flash, likely the latter. The on-board flash of an XSi is fine for general stuff, but wont be enough for most indoor usage.

No particular settings are going to affect this, but your best bet will be to crank the ISO all the way up and see what that looks like.

natek313 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-05-2010, 06:53 AM

Unfortunately, you don't have a whole lot at your disposal. I'm not trying to discourage you, but like Osmosis said, don't expect too much from your images. You're not in the ideal situation to photograph, though - no Speedlite, no low-light lens, and a camera that has less-than-great high ISO performance. Trust me; I know the feeling. I shoot with a Canon Rebel XS, and the high ISO performance is not good. That's part of the reason I ended up getting a Speedlite.

The kit lens is not a low-light, indoor lens by any means. That means you either need flash or high ISO. Unfortunately, anything above ISO 400 is going to be looking pretty noisy. If you don't have a Speedlite, then you're stuck with your on-board flash, which isn't going to give you much more than some flat lighting which will make your photos look more like snapshots.

I have a feeling that even if you crank up the ISO to 400-800, you're probably going to still have some pretty slow shutter speeds.

Benji · #4 (**permalink**) 03-05-2010, 02:13 PM

I've gotta agree 100% with the two above posters. You will be taking snapshots. An amateur camera, with a kit lens in the hands of a newbie photographer will generate snapshots. Hopefully that is what they are expecting also. If they were expecting more this could very well be your last paid shoot.

Benji

NaturalWoman · #5 (**permalink**) 03-10-2010, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Storm_Tracker

Hi everyone,

Still learning the ropes....
I bought a Canon Rebel XSi with a 18 - 55mm lens and was asked to shoot a birthday party!
Lots of people attending! 200 -250
So... my question is...What would be the best settings..
May be some low light and lots of people moving around. I understand there is alot of unforseeables and every situation may be different, but would like to have some kind of guide to go by!
Part is this Saturday, not much time to practice!

Thanks in advance
Gerald

i probably would get me a bounce flash, put my camera on auto and point and shoot. i would also suggest you fill the frame with subjects. your camera can't be that bad that you should not be able to get decent up close, in focus shots. since you're the photographer, you can physically walk where people may not be able. you don't have to stand in the back praying your focal length will get the job done. get up close, a few feet from people. use composition to better your shots as well. don't go for the typical head on shots either. take candids. use props.

i've taken some wicked shots with just my g10 and i'll do it with a throw away as well.
make what you have work for you. know its limitations and work within those confines.

shutterprincess · #6 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 06:42 PM

To those of you who stated that the OP will only get 'snapshots' and not real photographs, is that because of the equipment? I'm trying to understand where more experienced people are coming from, but I sometimes end up very confused.

When you say snapshot, do you mean a picture with no focal point or something like that? I never thought about the differences in a snapshot vs photograph.

I have a Nikon d3000, and the lens is 18-55mm (I don't know all the terminology yet) I just know I can't zoom as much as I'd like. ISO is 1600.

I did my first birthday shoot for an 8 year old. The pictures came out nice for my level.Though I still think I'm trying too hard. I had a lot of trouble with cropping them appropriately so that they can be printed. (That's another thread).

I want to start practicing at events like graduations, parties, etc....so am I wasting my time and will people not want to pay me because of my camera's limitations?
Would $50 be too much to charge people because of my camera and lens??

I'm totally asking this out of respect because I am confused and don't want to make any potential clients mad no matter how low I charge them. Thanks.

zona5101 · #7 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shutterprincess

To those of you who stated that the OP will only get 'snapshots' and not real photographs, is that because of the equipment? I'm trying to understand where more experienced people are coming from, but I sometimes end up very confused.

When you say snapshot, do you mean a picture with no focal point or something like that? I never thought about the differences in a snapshot vs photograph.

You know when aunt mabel says "oh look at the pictures i took of gurtrude's wedding" and you look and then you look at the actual wedding pictures from the hired photographer. There ya go. mabel took snapshots.
And in a more serious response, reread nate313 reply, he spells out the limitations...those limitations will generally result in less than stellar results.

shutterprincess · #8 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zona5101

You know when aunt mabel says "oh look at the pictures i took of gurtrude's wedding" and you look and then you look at the actual wedding pictures from the hired photographer. There ya go. mabel took snapshots.
And in a more serious response, reread nate313 reply, he spells out the limitations...those limitations will generally result in less than stellar results.

Ok, I see.
Also I re-read Nate's response. I had to google speedlite and realized that my bro-in-law has one. I hope that will make things/my images better....but I need my own, I don't like borrowing other people's things.

snapshotmama · #9 (**permalink**) 03-17-2010, 07:42 PM

I am in the same boat as you. I am new to this and do not have the proper equipment to really shoot an indoor event. However, I did just that last weekend at a wedding. My advice to you is to make sure that you have an extra battery and an extra memory card. Also, shoot in RAW that way you'll have more ability to fix any exposure mistakes. Take a lot of pictures. Make sure you are shooting as much as you can, you're bound to get a few great shots that your clients will love. Take advantage of natural light as much as possible. You will get a lot of harsh shadows with your flash but if you capture a moment and the emotion in it a shadow will not matter to the people who hired you. They know that you are not a "professional" so don't worry about it and just have fun and look at it as an opportunity to gain experience