Help...Im the Birthday Party Photographer!

[beachy]

a couple of friends of mine have asked me will i take some photos at there daughters 21st/engagement party on saturday night, i did agree to do it having had a couple of drinks to many i think , i told them i was just a keen amatuer but i did'ent mind doing it, i won't be getting paid in any way it's just a favor to them, the thing is my gear is very limited, D50 kit lens 50mm 1.8 and sigma 70-300mm, and just the onboard flash, i did see a cheap jessops own brand one for about £25 in there closing down sale but the sales assistant advised me against it saying it would'ent be any better than the onboard, and as i can't afford a nikon one between now and then will have to make do with that, anyway i would really like to try and do a few decent photos that don't just amount to snapshots, so any advice you guys may be able to come up with would be greatly appreciated, thanks a lot in advance

[ilweran]

I'm guessing the light won't be great so you'll be wanting to use flash. If you're not too far away from the subject, try putting some tissue over the flash to soften it, and turn the flash level down. That's worked for me before, maybe have a practice with it before the big day.

[Brammers]

2 quick and easy options.

Leave the Sigma at home.

Take the 50. Put it on A mode - f 2 -> 2.8, spot metering, flash off. Take meter readings on the faces - theoretically you want about 1/75 seconds. I'm used to doing this with a stabilised 50 so I can't tell you how slow you can go, but I've had success at 1/4 & 1/10 seconds - it's up to you. You vary the shutter speed with the ISO - if the speed is too slow then increase it, if it's waaaaay too fast then decrease it, but don't worry about that too much. The area between 1/60 and 1/4 will give you really cool motion blurring, while still keeping detail sharp. Shoot a LOT of pictures, just keep taking them.

Pictures will end up like this:



2nd option is to use manual mode, manual flash exposure. You have to put in the effort here, but the idea is to get a pop of flash that freezes the subject while letting the crazy motion add to the artistic effect. Try 1/16 flash, ISO 400 (keep it low) f2.8 & 1/15 second. Pictures will end up like this:



3rd, and backup option, is to raise the flash, stick it in P mode and hope for the best! Practise as much as you can with those 3 techniques in the run up to the party, and always take as many pictures as you can, delete the losers afterwards or in a quiet moment. Enjoy

[senu]

Agree with Brammers there , the Sigma is not real use indoors with not much lighting.. and the FOV may be a bit limited for a party where long Zoom shots are not needed

Saying that, it Could come in handy for a few Portrait type shots where you are happy with existing light

I used the 50mm (1.4) at a Daytime Party last week and its fairly restricted FOV ( on a crop sensor) made difficult to get groups of people without moving a bit further back than I would have liked to but most of the images were tack sharp and had a pleasing bokeh..

I think youll need to think of how you get groups... The kit lens and flash of sorts mght need to be used unless any better suggestions come

I would say that for the 50mm...pls practice a lot and like Brammers has suggested.. take many.. Its FOV takes some getting used to if you find it second nature to just use the zoom ring to get some wider angle view

As for some of the techniques described above regarding use of Manual mode: If you feel time is short. to learn them, stay within your comfort zone and Use the 3rd option.. You are likely to get more keepers than not ..and there is always a bit of Photoshop afterwards to rescue the " almost keepers"
Dont sweat it Youll be fine
All the best

[beachy]

thanks very much guys for your all helpful comments, and thanks for posting the pics brammers, i will print off the info and try and digest as much as possible in the short time i have, so heres hoping .

UPDATE on the above, i'm hoping to get hold of a nikon SB600 flashgun for saturday, if so i guess that could change things quite a bit, and would enable me to use the 18-55mm or the sigma 70-300mm for some decent candid shots,again all your thoughts and advice much appreciated,and as i won't have much time to get used to the flashgun what other hints and tips can you recommend ?? thank you all in advance

[beachy]

well i've managed to get a good deal on a nikon SB600 so am going to pick it up tonight, so that should give me a lot more freedom using the other lense's i have, but i am going to have to have a play using the new flashgun before saturday night,so anymore advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated, thanks again