Prom Portraits

[Cardinal]

Newbie here, ran across this website while Googling for some info, and decided I'd try and find some here!

So, I'm a sophomore at my HS. I'm kinda like the "school photographer" - I did yearbook this year, and I'm going to be doing some friends' Senior Portraits. Whenever someone needs some pictures taken, I'm usually the one they ask.

Prom is coming up, and the senior class has asked me to do the pictures. I gladly accepted, because I want the pictures to look good - the homecoming shots from this year were terrible (red eye, bad lighting, etc), and that same person was on deck to take prom pictures as well.
Unfortunately, I've run into a bit of a situation. The prom is at the ballroom of a newly constructed hotel near us, so it's very nice. My only problem is that they want me to do the pictures inside the ballroom - where it will be dark. Unless I can convince them to let me set up elsewhere, I'll be stuck.
This leads into another problem - I lack major lighting equipment. I don;t have the income to purchase any, so I'm stuck with what I have - a Canon Digital Rebel XSi, the kit lens (which is what I'll be using), and a Speedlite 430EXII flash.
So, I'm hoping you guys can help me out - how can I accurately light and take those pictures so that they'll look wonderful? I want them to be a good memory of the prom, and when I put my name on a project, it WILL be good - so I want to capture the best images possible.
Thanks so much for any help you can give me.

[OsmosisStudios]

See if you cant find yourself somewhere to rent/buy a cheap lightstand and umbrella with some radio triggers of some sort. You could even just get a swivel head and umbrella and use a tripod.

That way you can throw the flash up on the stand with the umbrella and get some nice light.

[Benji]

It sounds to me like you are in deep trouble. You cannot get good prom shots with an on camera flash. Snapshots yes, good shots that the gang will like? Nope. I suggest telling them you have bit off more than you can chew when you agreed to shoot the prom and tell them to get a local "real" professional photographer, otherwise you will end up on the wrong end of the stick.

Now assuming you are charging for these images, you could rent a couple of lights and pay for it out of the profit you will make, but if you agreed to do it for free, you are out of luck.
Benji

[Cardinal]

Originally Posted by Benji

It sounds to me like you are in deep trouble. You cannot get good prom shots with an on camera flash. Snapshots yes, good shots that the gang will like? Nope. I suggest telling them you have bit off more than you can chew when you agreed to shoot the prom and tell them to get a local "real" professional photographer, otherwise you will end up on the wrong end of the stick.

Now assuming you are charging for these images, you could rent a couple of lights and pay for it out of the profit you will make, but if you agreed to do it for free, you are out of luck.
Benji

Unfortunately there isn't a local "real" photographer within 30 miles; and the closest one, would charge an amount that we simply could not pay.

I am charging - they'll be packaged portraits.


--How much, on average, would a decent setup cost to rent?

[Benji]

Originally Posted by Cardinal

Unfortunately there isn't a local "real" photographer within 30 miles; and the closest one, would charge an amount that we simply could not pay.

I am charging - they'll be packaged portraits.


--How much, on average, would a decent setup cost to rent?

I don't know but I would find out, rent them and begin practicing and getting comfortable with the equipment and with a decent work flow. The night of the prom is NOT the time to learn how to use new equipment or how to get proper exposure on both subjects while getting proper exposure on the background, and getting good expressions. This is all second nature to me but I've done about 45 proms so far and I have another coming up on the 17th.

Benji

[Cardinal]

Originally Posted by Benji

I don't know but I would find out, rent them and begin practicing and getting comfortable with the equipment and with a decent work flow. The night of the prom is NOT the time to learn how to use new equipment or how to get proper exposure on both subjects while getting proper exposure on the background, and getting good expressions. This is all second nature to me but I've done about 45 proms so far and I have another coming up on the 17th.

Benji

Wow, that's quite a few.
If you have a bit of time...
Photography Lighting Equipment Rentals
I've used this before for a lens and it worked nicely. Could you take a look at the offered equipment and tell me what I could possibly use?
I know I must be frustrating with all of these questions - this is just entirely new to me, and I'm determined to do it right.
And thank you so much for the help so far. I really appreciate it.

[Benji]

Here is how I light mine.

One 62 inch white umbrella on a light stand behind and above the camera. The flash is about 400 WS. It is metered at about 1 to 1.5 stops BELOW the main light.

Main light is a 200 WS unit in a 24 x 36 inch softbox feathered in front of the subjects and about three or four feet away from them off to one side. It is up rather high but not so high that it casts shadows across the eyes of either subject. It also is on a light stand. I trip these units with a radio slave. If I know i won't be doing any groups at the prom I will also use a hair light suspended above them and slightly behind them. I place pieces of duct tape on the floor where they will be standing so every shot has identical lighting. I can color correct with a Zebra card, and get perfect exposure for every shot with about three clicks of my mouse.

Benji

[lputman]

You might be able to utilize this kit from lensrentals.com, LensRentals.com - Rent a Strobe - Dynalite Monolight Twin Kit.

[Cardinal]

Originally Posted by lputman

You might be able to utilize this kit from lensrentals.com, LensRentals.com - Rent a Strobe - Dynalite Monolight Twin Kit.

Oh, a kit. Looks like something a newbie like me could definitely take advantage of.
Aside from not having a softbox, that kit appears to have everything you listed, Benji.
Do you recommend a softbox as well?
Again, many thanks for both of ya'lls help. I'm going to make a trip to a bookstore soon for a book on lighting basics, as I've learned from reading these posts that I'm extremely unfamiliar with most of these terms.

[lputman]

I think you would be able to pull it off with umbrellas, but it would require practice to get placement and angles just right.