ideas for flooring at events

[AliMoore]

Hi i have a black tie event coming up in few weeks, i used hilite background 6'x7' but didnt get the floor at the time as i thought a bit of white vinyl would do same job problem was it go wrinkled and looked messy so had to keep fixing it, my other prob was with some of the taller guys i was seeing the black rim at the top!!

does anybody have any advise on the flooring and the hight difference and is it ok to shot 3/4 rather than full lenght

thanks

 

[AliMoore]

or i could just use black but was scared of losing *** in the background, that case id need to use 3 lights

 

[BigJohn]

I remember a video on the lastolite website with an event tog . He had the highlight raised from the ground on something . He also mentioned that he usually used paper for the floor and when it started getting tatty he switched to 3/4 shots . Not sure how many lights you have but he was using 6 in total . 2 in the highlight 2 to light the floor and 2 to light the subject .

 

[itsdavedotnet]

Just shoot 3/4 length. Means their faces are bigger in the frame, sells better imo. Job done.

 

[Jerm]

IMHO it's always better to offer full length at black tie events, though logistics sometimes don't allow you to do so. It's preferable, but not essential.

If you're shooting with a Hilite then the floor will be an issue.. you have to light it separately else it will end up grey. You will also have the issue of the join between the floor and the Hilite. Some people use another set of lights (hence the 6 discussed) to blow the join out.

If you do that, then you'll need a good distance of separation between the subject and the Hilite, which negates one of it's benefits.

If you haven't got the equipment, or you're not used to shooting this way then I'd be tempted to just offer 3/4 length shots.

 

[The Noir Dude]

I've never done full length shots unless I've been asked by the couple, and those requests very rare. Bear in mind that (in some experienced events photographers videos) you will need SIX lights to get the desired effect! And then when you have 10 or more people on the backdrop you will have no room but will get a beautiful shot of 10 people, plus your lights, stands, the wall behind and other obstacles

With appropriate saleable posing and accompanying lighting, full length is absolutely not necessary.

 

[HappySnappy1977]

Go black!

With a black background you can do 3 shots per couple / person (full, 3/4 and head and shoulders) giving you 3x opportunity to sell one or two prints.

We've found sales increased massively since we dropped the hi-lite.

In answer to your original question, hi-lite on a chair, tape paper to the bottom and then use a strip of vinyl on the end for clients to stand on which a. Saves wasting paper and b. makes it easier to pose people. And yes, you do need 2 lights to light the join and floor so 6 lights in total.

Or just go black and use 2 lights only for your subjects and 1 light and a gel to spray a little light on your background if you like / have enough room to make things a little interesting (we use blue a lot as it looks great black backdrops!)

Dean

 

[The Noir Dude]

Go black!

With a black background you can do 3 shots per couple / person (full, 3/4 and head and shoulders) giving you 3x opportunity to sell one or two prints.

With black because you can easily, and quickly use a selection of different lighting and poses on your subjects at events, you can almost guarantee sales of 3 or more images.

By adding a light behind the subjects you run the risk of drunken revellers falling onto, or over your light. You also reduce the available backdrop behind for large group shots.