photo composure advice

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Mon Dec 08, 2008 2:12 pm

I need some photography advice from you experts. I’m assigning myself the unofficial role of photographer for my mother-in-laws 80th birthday (yes, we get along quite well). I have a rebel XT I bought from Kevin along w/ a ex430 flash. I was going to set the camera on “auto” and let it do the thinking for me. I’m sure a lot of the shots I take will be portraits, but I’d like to get some other shots of what might be going on.

My concern more than anything else is composure of the shots. I’m aware of the rule of 3rds, but what tricks of the trade do you recommend for me to use? I’d also like to use the 300mm lens since I like the short depth of field it produces.

Advice? Any websites you can recommend for some visual aids?

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:49 pm

Rodney,

I'm by no means an expert so I won't even try to give advice. But a couple of websites that I like when I need inspiration are...

www.thephotoforum.com

www.photoforum.com

Yes they are seperate sites and have a ton of incredible photographers that post photos there.

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

www.photo.net

300mm lens is waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy too long for a birthday party (unless it's in a stadium or large auditorium), and is (usually) way too long for portraits. Use something around 80mm for that camera. Also think about the fact that you'll probably taking group shots mostly, so you'd be best off using the 18-55mm kit lens.

Watch the background for distracting objects (like stuff that looks like it's sticking up out of the top of somebody's head).

Use bounce flash if you can. Direct flash sucks. But if you haven't practiced a lot with bounce, just use direct.

Look at examples of professional event photos, and look at some crappy amateur photos. Do what the pros do. Don't do what the amateurs do.

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Oh, and it's "composition" btw.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:22 pm

Practice your portrait shots before the party. That is what my father did prior to doing weddings. He practiced using my mother as the subject. The nice thing about that, when my mother passed away, there were some great portrait shots of her that my father passed on to me.

Chuck Frank · **Posted:** Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:32 pm

IMHO the difference between a photograph and a snapshot is the composition. A photographer gets in close and flills the shot with the most important subject(s) that tell the story and cuts out the excess clutter. It's usually not necessary to get the entire room, people's feet, the wall/ceiling/floor behind, the top of their hair, etc in the shot. Some cameras capture a little more or less than what is shown in the view finder, so take some test shots with the lens you'll be using to find out just how tight you can get. Try to tell a story with the shot that doesn't require explanation: Close up of the twinkle in her eye, the smile of pleasure, the surprise of a gag gift, the love in a hug of the grandkids. Try to not just shoot the cliche: here's Mom sitting with aunt Maude and uncle Harry standing behind, here she is same pose with John and Joanne, with little Harriett, etc etc. ad nauseum, as well as the: here's Mary opening gifts, here she is looking at the cake, here she is standing at the sink, sitting at the table, headed for the bathroom...
Oh one more thing there is no such think as taking too many pictures! Pros take hundreds of shots and delete most, that way there is a much better chance of getting a few really good shots!
Unless you will be shooting out of doors, the 300mm lens may be a little too much lens for indoor use. Depth of field may be limited to the tip of the person's nose being the only thing in focus. Remember also that a flash is pretty useless past 15', so if you have to step much further back to take the shot, you might as well turn it off. Flash and telephoto lenses are pretty much mutually exclusive. Most digitals do well in natural light, if there is enough light to read a newspaper, there is probably enough light to shoot, and not having a flash going off will allow you to capture more candid shots and natural poses. Be as unobtrusive as possible, yelling "say cheese" before each shot makes people freeze up and look like manekins in a store window. Try to vary the camera position and orientation. Stand on a chair, kneel or lay on the floor, take some vertical shots (especially portraits and closeups) and even a few diagonals!

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:12 pm

You might invest in the $90 f1.8 50mm Canon prime lens before the party. It's dirt cheap and takes very nice pictures (it's also a fast enough lens to let you turn the flash off every now and then)..

A $10 diffuser might also be a good buy (in the event you can't do the bounce flash all of the time).

Scott

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

scottjohnson wrote:

You might invest in the $90 f1.8 50mm Canon prime lens before the party. It's dirt cheap and takes very nice pictures (it's also a fast enough lens to let you turn the flash off every now and then)..

A $10 diffuser might also be a good buy (in the event you can't do the bounce flash all of the time).

Scott

I have one of those lenses that you can borrow, if you want. You have to watch your depth of field with that one, though. Sometimes if you're not focused on exactly what you want as the subject, you've just blown a shot.

For events where I need to produce results (like at a wedding or an 80th birthday party), I much prefer the wide-short telephoto zoom lens with bounce flash to a prime lens wide open. If I'm just playing around and getting photos for myself (like at the state fair), then I prefer prime lens with no flash, or longer exposures with freeze flash.

The main thing to remember here is that you need to practice what you plan to do A LOT before you arrive at the party. If you're not completely comfortable with a certain piece of equipment or technique, DON'T USE IT.

K.I.S.S.

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

Oh, also wanted to add that the Rebel XT has a pretty decent auto mode. You just have to watch out for it underexposing with the flash sometimes. So it might be good for you to explore and practice with the flash exposure compensation function & use the Av mode, instead, if you have enough time & you know you can stay focused on keeping it adjusted at the event.

David Spratte · **Posted:** Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:04 pm

I'll second the 1.8 50mm prime. You have to rely on the sneaker zoom (if you need to zoom in, walk closer to your subject). With the crop factor on that Rebel and the nice low FStop on that 50 you have your self a very sharp, very nice portrait lens.

Kevin is right on. Unless you plan on shooting from across the street, the 300 won't work.

Definitely go with a diffuser or even see about renting a bracket to get the flash further up from the lens. But at minimum the diffuser or bounce. A bounced speedlight will give a nice keylight in eyes if you have enough light.

I can't remember if Auto handles the ISO setting or not. If it doesn't, shoot at the lowest ISO you can get away with for the least noise in the finished image.

Have fun.

Matthew Fortner · **Joined:** Sun Mar 21, 2004 12:21 am **Posts:** 384

Get eye level with your main subject.

Anticipate moments: how they will interact with others and might react to the situation. Its good to be aware of composition, but don't overlook the power of a moment. Do what you can to make sure folks let you know what will be happening like if & when a cake will be brought in, a special gift will be opened or someone is about to sing to her...etc. Remember if you are seeing it in the viewfinder its already happened by the time you fire the shutter. It's much like having high eyes on track.

Great facial expressions can overcome a lot of aesthetic and technical shortcomings. Of course, when you when you connect all the dots you have a great picture.

Your lighting will depend much on where you will be shooting. A home? A banquet/meeting hall? Direct flash does not have to suck if you dial it back or use it with an off camera chord, but it is a craft that takes some of time to learn. I would prefer a have a moment with direct flash than not at all. Have you experimented with bounce flash off the ceiling and walls? You rubber band or tape an index card to the top edge of the flash to reflect some fill light.

You don't mention what 300mm you have. Is it a fixed tele or is it that the long end of a zoom that you have. A 300mm can be used for portraits (there are some good reasons why), but it is overkill for the most part.

Don't overlook how photos of things a still life of just the cake or even part of it, an invitation, ribbon on a present, flowers she got. Also things going on behind the scenes like lighting the candles. If you want to go the extra mile try and get folks to bring in old photos of her through her life. So you can copy them.

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:20 pm

Add one more to the 1.8 50mm prime club. I love mine for my D80. I was able to get some great handheld night shots at Disney back in Oct. And there was much less light than you are likely to have at the party.

Great cheap fun lens.

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:37 am

Great tips, thank you all!! I do have a diffuser on the external flash. The guy at Peace Camera recommended a bounce off of the ceiling. Been trying that at the house and what a difference in the pic, no harsh flash shadow. Need to review the ex430 directions and learn how to adjust the flash intensity.

Kevin, you mentioned shooting in the Av mode. That's fast becoming my favorite mode to shoot in while adjusting for exposure.

Matthew, yes, it's a 85-300 lens I picked up from Kevin. I've taken some close ups w/ the 85mm and really like the blur for the background. Plan on more test shots at the house and getting to the party early to find the best settings.

Again, thank you all for the tips and websites. Already started to review.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:42 am

Some tips my father gave me when I was shooting wedding receptions:

1) Bring a ladder. Usually one of the small three steps will suffice. Beats climbing on a chair and it easier to move around with you.

2) Get a list of all of the group shots or individual shots beforehand. Then have someone help you assemble the groups from that list. This was very, very beneficial to making my work enjoyable.

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