Advice for graduation

[Cathrine]

My daughter is graduating this Friday and I want to bring my camera with me. I need some tips to help me take some good pictures. I am very new to using my DSLR and when I get in situations that are very important to me, I get nervous and mess up the pictures. So I am asking for guidelines!

I do not have a telephoto lens and I am going to have to use my kit lens--so I will be utilizing the crop method.

It will be held in the gym with very poor lighting... I've attached a picture to show you what it will look like.

My questions are: What setting should I stay on? AV, P, TV (for when she's walking??)
ISO???
No flash, right???
any suggestions??
White balance setting?
I have a Canon t1i

[Jim Bryant]

Go early and set your camera at manual. Do some tests with the various ISO's and shutter speeds. Most likely, you'll have to set your lens at the largest fstop to be sure you can use a high enough shutter speed so you won't be getting any blurred movement

[kirbinster]

Boy these shots are tough. I got to my daughter's early - they actually let me in early as I had two cameras with a big lens on one, they thought I was a pro there for the event. Scoped out a good seat, but it was still fairly far away, and the lighting sucked. I used my 70-200 f/2.8, mostly stopped down one or two stops and shot at ISO 1250 and 1600 -- would liked to have gone lower but needed a decent shutter speed. The results were ok, but not great. Here are a few:


Camera: Nikon D300
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 1600




Camera: Nikon D300
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 1600

[Cathrine]

Thank you soo much!
Kirbin, your pics look great! I'm taking both of ya'lls advice and I will get there early and play around to get the right settings.
And I am assuming no flash, right????

[omni]

Originally Posted by kirbinster

lol, the cameraman at the bottom left corner is probably thinking "Heh, I'd like to see someone try getting pictures like these.

Anyways, the biggest problem you'll have in taking these kinds of pictures is the lighting. As suggested earlier, just get there and experiment first.

[Cardiiiii]

Originally Posted by Cathrine

Thank you soo much!
Kirbin, your pics look great! I'm taking both of ya'lls advice and I will get there early and play around to get the right settings.
And I am assuming no flash, right????

I have my sisters grad and will be shooting with a 550D. If you're sitting too far away, flash won't matter. I guess fast glass is the way forward.

[kirbinster]

Even if they allow flash, odds are you will be too far away for it to be effective.

[kirbinster]

Originally Posted by omni

lol, the cameraman at the bottom left corner is probably thinking "Heh, I'd like to see someone try getting pictures like these.

Anyways, the biggest problem you'll have in taking these kinds of pictures is the lighting. As suggested earlier, just get there and experiment first.

That camera man in the lower left was my father, using my D5000 with Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 to get close-up shots of my daughter --- I brought my own second shooter

[scootermcq]

I was at one last night. RENT GLASS if it is an important graduation.

I was wide open at f2.8 and still cranked the ISO up to 1600 to maintain shutter speeds of around 1/125, so thank goodness I had the monopod. Time to invest in OS, VR....

Anyway, a kit lens and shooting f5.6 would not have worked in the place I was, hopefully yours will be lit somewhat better.

[Benji]

Full auto, flash on ISO 400. When the row of graduates that your daughter is in stands to receive their diplomas you also get up, you walk up front, get within about 10 feet of where she will be to receive the diploma and when she holds out her hand, shoot. Return to your seat.

Will people be watching? Yup. Will you get a once in a lifetime shot? Yup. Do you care people are watching that you are getting a once in a lifetime shot? I don't know, but as you already know sometimes we must do uncomfortable things in life.

Benji