Apparently, I have to photograph all of the executives of my company tomorrow

[AndyNJ]

I guess when you work in a small company (like under 30 employees), this kind of thing can happen. The guy who handles our marketing is one of my friends and it's no secret around here that I'm into photography so he asked if I could take some photos of our CEO tomorrow. I wouldn't mind except for the fact that photography is just a hobby for me and I don't really have much experience taking portraits, not to mention that my confidence in my skills is very low. I have yet to get any details about what they are looking for and now I just found out that it's actually the top four people in the company, not just the CEO. Oh, and last week, there were some mass terminations out of nowhere so we're all a bit on edge. This is not a situation that I'm happy to be in, but I don't see any way out of it.

I just got a Canon 430EX II which I'm figuring I'm going to need, but I've never worked with a flash before and haven't really had time to mess around with it yet.

So yeah, any tips on what I can do tonight to prepare/practice for this?

[Biomech]

I guess.... look out for harsh shadows (use a reflector of some sort even just some A4 white paper). Check all 4 corners for shit inframe that shouldn't be there. Red distracts so watch out for that. Keep them comfortable by putting them in-situ.

Are you getting paid? My personnel manager wanted pics taken, so I charged him. Knocked some off because it was done in work time but charged him non the less

[AndyNJ]

Nope, no pay. I don't feel confident enough in my skills to ask for money...plus, it's probably a little late now to say something. I'm just hoping that agreeing to do it will help keep me on executives' good side.

[zona5101]

bounce flash! ettl bounce flash! Super simple and you should get decent results as easy as point and shoot. Bounce off wall or wall/ceiling when possible rather than just ceiling as the top down lighting causes some racoon eyes. Utilize window light if possible and bounce the other direction for fill.

[jml79]

I don't envy your situation. If you had the time I would suggest trying out som off camera flash techniques with a reflector but with such a short time to learn you might be better using TTL and bouncing off of a ceiling or close wall.

Try not to use wider than about 35mm or so. 50mm is better. If you go wider and get closer a couple of bad things happen, one you may distort proportions. IE you can make the nose look bigger than it is. Two if you are using bounce flash a little distance can even out the light. If you get to close the angle of the reflected light can cause harsher shadows.

When I was presented with a similar situation... Actually when there is any new technique I want to learn I make my wife (or a giant stuffed Eor) sit in as a model and then I play until I get it figured out. Get a setup ready and just go with it. Work out your lighting options, camera settings, white balance etc in advanced. Be flexible but at least you will have an idea of where to start from. Scout your location and have a plan and like Biomech said, find all of the nasty distractions today.

Fake the confidence... Take control and roll with it. You can be shaking inside but don't let it paralize you or show. Best of luck.

[Poider]

Just relax and go with your heart on what you think is good, do not doubt your ability.
You must be confident enough inside if you are into photography enough to tell your friends about it.
Peter

[autofocus]

Andy, for what purpose are they planning on using the shots? Some applications may be more critical than others.

[AndyNJ]

I wish I knew! hahah

My buddy is out today, so I couldn't get any of the info from him. I'm going to have to give him a call later or something and find out. I hope it's just for like our website or something.

[autofocus]

As others have already said, bouncing your flash is the way to go, but, and it's a big but, be conscious of your bounce surface color...pukey colors = pukey skin tones. Shoot RAW which will give you a little more latitude to correct things. Being that this is all somewhat new to you, I'd recommend shooting in "P" mode, ETTL on the flash, and let the camera make the decisions

[faeriegodess612]

Don't forget your tripod. Stand up straight and smile. Studies show acting like your confident tends to effect your mood and makes you feel confident. If this is done in the evening where window light wont be available, have you thought about some possible lights on the fly? Like getting a set of work lights from a hardware store, and using a white sheet for diffusion. Maybe a colored sheet for a backdrop? Dont forget something to reflect the light for even shadows.

This would be what I'd try as much as possible before hand. Take test shots of someone other than who you'll be shooting at first, to make sure you have the settings right and the color is coming out ok.