first dance lighting in a hall?

Chrisly2009

Chrisly2009

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Chris
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Hi guys
I have a wedding coming up and need to know what settings work best in low light conditions with coloured lights etc. I would like ambient light to enter but need subjects sharp and with good detail especially in the brides dress. Anyone have any good shots or know how to achieve this please?
 
Is this your first wedding? Maybe find some music gigs to practice at?

Also, if you're worried about the first dance, if the service is in a church you may have worse lighting problems there!

This sounds a worrying situation and you're not going to sort it just with advice on here. You need to get some serious practice in.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I'm sure the bride will be far more harsh when she doesn't like the results!
 
I recently watched a vid (sorry best advice I have) and the photographer (cant remember who) was talking about having a flash above eye level at one end of the hall...with the distance it would give about a 2 stop of light difference over the length of the average dance floor...and or if possible one at each end...set up and meter as soon as you get there...so cross lighting the floor and more even...

Dont know if this helps...as I dont shoot weddings...

PS....CREATIVE LIVE HAVE DAY 3 OF A WEDDING PROGRAMME RUNNING TONIGHT AT 5...with the repeat running of yesterdays just now....so you could be lucky...!!!

STEVIER
 
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hi i had a bit of wedding practice . i used an aperture of f/4.5 a shutter speed of 1/8 sec with iso 1600 also using the camera built on flash . always best to get in there first and take a couple of testers to get the right settings .
 
If this is a paid wedding and you really have no idea then stick your flash on your camera and go take some pictures.

First dance is one of the hardest things to do and it's very embarrassing if the guests get better shots than you.

Usually I put one or two flashes on stands and run them with CLS so I can vary the power depending what the DJ is doing. By shooting either with or against the flashguns you can get lots of different effects.

If I have a trained assistant with me then they hand hold a flashgun and I give them signals where to be and what to do. Pretty sure there's a video somewhere in YouTube of me doing this.

But srsly, if you don't know what you're doing, keep it simple.
 
If you want ambient light, dj lighting etc, then you need to shoot wide open and slow shutter, to freeze the action use 2nd curtain flash.
 
Everyone will give you different answers because there are infinite ways to shoot the same scene, as well as every room having different light levels.

Read your camera manual and flash manuals as you will need to understand how they work and what you have to do to achieve the different looks. Learn thoroughly how your wireless transmitter/receivers work and your lights specific implementation of TTL.

Then go out (or stay in and turn off the lights) and practice in low light.

If you are a guest and shooting for fun then don't get in the way of the wedding with all your gear! ;)

On the other hand, if you are being paid, then in all seriousness, get yourself some insurance.
 
Deadlock said:
On the other hand, if you are being paid, then in all seriousness, get yourself some insurance.
Click to expand...

Insurance won't protect you against relatives with a baseball bat ;)

Actually although IMO it's essential I can't imagine how it could pay out for missed first dance shots.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Insurance won't protect you against relatives with a baseball bat ;)

Actually although IMO it's essential I can't imagine how it could pay out for missed first dance shots.
Click to expand...

Lol - very true!

As I understand it, if I ever botched the wedding photos by falling in a river and corrupting the memory card or some such then the insurance is there to cover the cost of repeating the wedding by hiring the venue and bringing all the guests back. Or so I've been led to believe.
 
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