I've got a fashion show to shoot tonight *PICS ADDED!*

B

bulb763

Suspended / Banned
Messages
711
Name
Jon
Edit My Images
Yes
...and I don't have a clue.

I've got very few details so far, but it's being organised by my sister and is for charity. I need advice and tips about pretty much everything!

She mentioned the possibility to me months ago, and last night out of the blue reminded me that it is tonight :bang: I've got a feeling that she is relying heavily on me and I'd rather not let her down.

Guests arrive at 7pm so I plan to get there a lot earlier to take a look at the place. Show starts at 9.30 ish after a dinner. Can anyone advise as to what sort of settings I should be using, as a rough guide. I realise it's never that simple, but I really have no experience at this.

My kit includes the following
D200
70-200 f/2.8
17-70 f/2.8-4.5
10-20
SB600

I guess the 17-70 is the most suitable lens that I have? It's not the fastest and the D200 isn't brilliant at anything over ISO400, so I figure that I should be using the flash? What sort of settings should I use for this? Fully auto and let it sort everthing out for me? Few test shots and work it out for myself? Aaargh!

I'm nervous and I need your help!

Any advice on how I deal with the rights to the pics? I will not be charging for them, and I won't be giving up the copyright to them either. I guess the best sort of agreement would be that she and the business she works for can use the images in reports of the event and things like that. And if - by some miracle - they deem them good enough, there will be some sort of charge for using them in a promotional context. How would be best to agree this? This is soemthing else that I have no experience with either!

Please, please, please... I need HELP! :nuts:
 
Hello, will this be a runway/catwalk style fashion show?

If so, the best bet will be to stand at the end of the runway with a flash (im guessing its indoors?) and take some test shots before you start with a helper model :thumbs:

You will have to decide where to shoot them on the catwalk, half way down? at the end when they stop and pose, but before they turn around? it would be good idea to clarify with the person in charge of the models where they will be walking as they will no doubt have a plan for that. Then you will be able to decide what lens you want to use then...

With regards to the ownership of the photos. They will be all yours unless you let them know otherwise. So its up to you if you will want to sell them. I'm not sure about prices etc though :thinking: i've never sold any in this situation. If you've taken quite a few they might want to buy the whole bunch, of maybe just a few of the best.
 
Ive shot a couple of fashion shows now and id say your best combo will be the D200 with the 70-200mm and no flash. I avoided using flash as the amount of shots needed would mean getting through lots of batteries and would end up giving everyone an epileptic fit. Try and position yourself at the end of the catwalk (If it is a catwalk) and slightly to the side. Depending on the lighting, metering can be quite a problem so your going to have to play around quite a bit. Also depending on lighting, the ISO might need to be cranked up. Remember noisy images are better than blurry ones. Im not sure about the image rights issue, but if you know what you want, then lay this out on paper first. Ie, they can have all the images at low/medium res for free, however if they want full res ones for promotional or publicity work then they have to play you at X price. Good luck. :)
 
Don't forget to make sure the white balance is OK. (Back to those test shots again!)

Is the catwalk going to be raised at all? Or floor level. If it is raised you are going to get some funny angles. Take a box or some folding steps to stand on. (I'm short so I have this problem a lot)

As for camera settings, white balance, ISO and shutter speed adeqate to freeze the action. Both your 17-70 and 70-200 are f2.8 so pick which ever frames the models the best, pick your spot on the runway and fire.

Good luck
 
Messiah Khan may be right about the flash. You will have to check that when you get there. The models should expect some flashes from audience people and yourself, but just see what looks best. I did one once where there was no light but something that looked like it came from a childrens disco. Definately glad i had my flash that evening, haha.
 
Hi there,

I think you need to get to the venue as soon as possible, you need to see how the models will walk down, where they will walk, stand, pose and turn (sometimes there is no turning, they just do around a room or a circular path). Basically, you will need to see where is the best place for you to be.

Since the organiser is your sister, get yourself the BEST possible location based on the model’s path, and ensure that there will be no one in your field of vision.

As has already been said, you will need to see what lighting is provided. Is it indoors, outdoors? Based on that you can decide on what gear to use.

Initially, I would say try to not use the flash and your best lens seems to be the 70-200VR (with the constant f2.8). However, only after you see the venue and know what conditions and confines you will be working in can you decide on this.

If the 70-200 is too long for this occasion, then go for the 17-70 with flash.

Again, as has already been said, a noisy picture is better than a blurry one. Keep that in mind all the time. Accordingly, you need to ensure that your shutter speed is adequately fast to ensure that the model is frozen when you click the shutter release! See with the model’s coordinator what speed she / he will have the models walk around in and practice with that.

Of course, you have the rest of the day to practice. So get yourself over there with a friend who will help you with the rehearsal.

Items that may help you over there are the box to stand on, as already suggested, a tripod (I didn’t see you list this in your kit), spare batteries (D200 eats battery power for breakfast), and enough CD memory.

As a last note, and I know this is your sister and it is for charity, but try to make it a rule that you never accept last minute venues. Getting to know the people you’re shooting, the venue and the ability to rehears is of the utmost importance. Should your pictures, God forbid, turn out to be not so good then your sister will be very upset with your lack of performance and not because of her lack of planning! The average person thinks that you can give expensive photography gear to any Tom, Dick or Harry and wonderful Playboy front-page stuff will come out automatically!

Good luck with your assignment.
 
catchpole_11 said:
Hello, will this be a runway/catwalk style fashion show?
Click to expand...

I've just been told that the models will be meandering between the dinner tables.

catchpole_11 said:
it would be good idea to clarify with the person in charge of the models where they will be walking as they will no doubt have a plan for that. Then you will be able to decide what lens you want to use then...
Click to expand...

Apparently they will have a set route, and I will be able to watch them rehearse, so that's good :D

Messiah Khan said:
Ive shot a couple of fashion shows now and id say your best combo will be the D200 with the 70-200mm and no flash. I avoided using flash as the amount of shots needed would mean getting through lots of batteries and would end up giving everyone an epileptic fit.
Click to expand...

I would have thought even 70mm would have been too long :shrug: agreed that its the ideal lens if the space is there, bit it doesn't matter now since there is now catwalk lol

Messiah Khan said:
Try and position yourself at the end of the catwalk (If it is a catwalk) and slightly to the side. Depending on the lighting, metering can be quite a problem so your going to have to play around quite a bit..
Click to expand...

I wish it was a catwalk-style show :thumbsdown: would be a bit easier I imagine

Messiah Khan said:
Also depending on lighting, the ISO might need to be cranked up. Remember noisy images are better than blurry ones..
Click to expand...

agreed :thumbs:

Messiah Khan said:
Im not sure about the image rights issue, but if you know what you want, then lay this out on paper first. Ie, they can have all the images at low/medium res for free, however if they want full res ones for promotional or publicity work then they have to play you at X price. Good luck. :)
Click to expand...

I've now been told that the local paper might turn up. I'm not particularly keen on that, but hey-ho. My sister assures me that they will only take a small number of shots, but I'm not too sure what makes her say that. Im going to tell her that she can use the images for reports etc, and to send to her area manager which she mentioned, but any promo or commercial uses need further discussion. I think that's fair.

AliB said:
Don't forget to make sure the white balance is OK. (Back to those test shots again!)
Click to expand...

I'll be shooting RAW so setting the WB wont be an issue. Not sure what the lighting itself will be like though - I shot at a meal in a restaurant once and the different light sources (candles, up lighting on the walls, light from the kitchen) caused all sorts of colour-casts that were unfixable.

AliB said:
As for camera settings, white balance, ISO and shutter speed adeqate to freeze the action. Both your 17-70 and 70-200 are f2.8 so pick which ever frames the models the best, pick your spot on the runway and fire.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the 17-70 is only f/2.8 at 17mm. Ideally I'd use the 70-200 (sigma btw, so no VR), but if I cant fit the whole model in the frame I'm not sure how much use the pics would be to my sister :shrug:

AliB said:
Good luck
Click to expand...

Thanks! I've got a feeling that I'll need it!
 
Wail said:
Hi there,

I think you need to get to the venue as soon as possible, you need to see how the models will walk down, where they will walk, stand, pose and turn (sometimes there is no turning, they just do around a room or a circular path). Basically, you will need to see where is the best place for you to be.
Click to expand...

I plan to do this ASAP, which turns out to be ~5pm :gag:

Wail said:
Since the organiser is your sister, get yourself the BEST possible location based on the model’s path, and ensure that there will be no one in your field of vision.
Click to expand...

I'll make that clear to her!

Wail said:
As has already been said, you will need to see what lighting is provided. Is it indoors, outdoors? Based on that you can decide on what gear to use.
Click to expand...

It's at a bar/restaurant, so I pressume it's going to be indoors. I also realise that the available light is going to change drastically between 5pm and 9.30 when the show starts. And then probably quite significantly during the show too, as the sun sets (big windows at the entrance to the place). So I'm going to be prepared to have to adjust to the lighting on-the-fly.

Wail said:
Initially, I would say try to not use the flash and your best lens seems to be the 70-200VR (with the constant f2.8). However, only after you see the venue and know what conditions and confines you will be working in can you decide on this.

If the 70-200 is too long for this occasion, then go for the 17-70 with flash.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I've not got VR - I've got the sigma lens.

Wail said:
Again, as has already been said, a noisy picture is better than a blurry one. Keep that in mind all the time. Accordingly, you need to ensure that your shutter speed is adequately fast to ensure that the model is frozen when you click the shutter release! See with the model’s coordinator what speed she / he will have the models walk around in and practice with that.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking the best way to approach this is to set a nice wide aperture on aperture priority, and set the auto ISO to activate at speeds below ~1/100 (assuming I use the 17-70). How does that sound?

Wail said:
Of course, you have the rest of the day to practice. So get yourself over there with a friend who will help you with the rehearsal.

Items that may help you over there are the box to stand on, as already suggested, a tripod (I didn’t see you list this in your kit), spare batteries (D200 eats battery power for breakfast), and enough CD memory.
Click to expand...

3 batteries in total and 2 sets for the flash. Everything is going on charge as soon as I get home from work at ~3pm ish! I do have a tripod, didnt think of this! Wouldn't it be a bit restrictive in terms of following the models around the room (panning, not stalking :nuts:)

Wail said:
As a last note, and I know this is your sister and it is for charity, but try to make it a rule that you never accept last minute venues. Getting to know the people you’re shooting, the venue and the ability to rehears is of the utmost importance. Should your pictures, God forbid, turn out to be not so good then your sister will be very upset with your lack of performance and not because of her lack of planning! The average person thinks that you can give expensive photography gear to any Tom, Dick or Harry and wonderful Playboy front-page stuff will come out automatically!
Click to expand...

Like I say, she asked me months ago and I expected her to mention it again with a bit more notice so that we could discuss things properly. Alas, I should have known it would be left to the last minute :bonk:

Wail said:
Good luck with your assignment.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great advice :)
 
Since the venue is a restaurant, then I guess the 70-200 is ruled out. It may be too big a lens for the confined quarters. The same goes for the tripod. Since you will have to walk around the room / restaurant to get different models and different perspectives.

With that said, the 17-70 seems like ideal along with the SB flash. You may want to bounce the flash off the ceiling (depending on how high it is), or use a diffuser on it to soften it a bit.

You do seem to have enough batteries, I see :)

One last thing, there is no harm in you going to the venue now to check it out. Even if there is no one there, just go there, walk around, see where the models will dress-up and change, where would you like to setup your stuff, etc. Being there before everyone else may trigger some thoughts that no amount of discussions can fill in.

Again, best of luck …. Most of all … have fun along the way.
 
The above advice is great, i'll just comment on the local photographers, as I also shoot in Southport.

Both the photographers are great, and they realise that you have a job to do as well as they do. If its the Visitor / Champion then they will probably be in and out as they have other jobs to do, if its a magazine (Lancs Life) he may stay longer?

Either way don't worry, they can be helpful as they are generally experienced at this, so introduce yourself and explain what you are doing. See if they use any tricks that you aren't doing. Its maybe not the best time to try them, but its worth remembering.

Good Luck.
 
Bounce the flash - good tip, I'd have forgotten this if it hadn't have been mentioned. I do use a stofen - should I use it at the same time as bouncing? Or just stofen or just bounce? Are you a Nikon user - can you advise what sort of compensation is needed when using the diffuser? I have found that about +0.7 tends to bring the histogram back to where it would be without the stofen :shrug:
 
lol, quite a lot of questions.

Bounce depends on the size of the room, if its high ceilings bounce may not be good.

Stofen works well, take a shot and have a close look at the display - dont rush just have a look and check the histograms, you have to make the alterations for the night.

Remember if they are a little dark or light, generally most can be made good by post processing - This is an event, not a model shoot in a studio.

Most of all have fun!

PS Watch the SB600 on the batteries, when you use it a lot you will have to give it time to fully recharge, or you will get variable results. When it looks like its struggling, change the batts.
 
Trigger2007 said:
The above advice is great, i'll just comment on the local photographers, as I also shoot in Southport.

Both the photographers are great, and they realise that you have a job to do as well as they do. If its the Visitor / Champion then they will probably be in and out as they have other jobs to do, if its a magazine (Lancs Life) he may stay longer?

Either way don't worry, they can be helpful as they are generally experienced at this, so introduce yourself and explain what you are doing. See if they use any tricks that you aren't doing. Its maybe not the best time to try them, but its worth remembering.

Good Luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think it's the Visitor that are supposed to be attending. Do you know these chaps? I'll certainly be trying to pick up any tips from them that I can!
 
yep, if its the Visitor it will more than likely be Rob. Good photographer, and great at organising people and getting shots.

He may get a few models together and organisers etc and stage a shot. Keep an eye out, if he does be there to take the pic.
 
I have never bounced and used a diffuser at the same time, as such I wouldn't be able to tell you if that would be ok ... sorry. With that said, I'd suggest a look at the place and practicing before hand would tell you which of the options to go with. Personally, I love to bounce flash instead of ever using a diffuser

Yes, I shoot with Nikon :) ... sorry can't advise you on the compensation as that would depend a lot on the ambiance of the location. If there is a lot of white (walls, furniture, and model's clothes etc.) then you would certainly need some compensation. But as I hate to use diffusers, when I bounce flash I leave the meterig to whatever the camera gives, which is usually a lot better than what I can figit with.

Since you are shooting RAW / NEF (a wise step), you can always adjust a bit in PP.
 
Another thing, you may want to concider bouncing off the side-walls?!? :shrug:
 
Is bouncing off a non-white wall / ceiling advisable? Sorry for the numpty Qs, but I've got so much to prepare in so little time!
 
light will bounce of most walls, lighter is obviously better. Its purely getting away from harsh flash on face. If you are several feet away then you might need direct flash.

Generally I'd use the Stofen, directed forwards, up at around 45 deg tilt.

The wonder of digital is that you can try it.
 
I've just checked your flikr site out and judging by your photos you should do fine!!!

PS I've also got an album of that Fox knocking around somewhere :)
 
I've not seen that fox since last year. Last I heard there was a whole family of them there somewhere.

I asked about none-white walls as I wasn't sure if it'd give an unfixable colourcast to the image :thinking: I'll experiment...
 
Just remembered that I have a 50mm 1.8! Don't know how that slipped my mind :bonk: Would I be right in thinking that this is virtually perfect for the job?
 
Yup, please do share ... would love to see how it went, and what settings you ended up using.
 
OK I've just typed a fairly lengthy description of what happened last night for the second time, and it's disappeared :S I'll summarise it by saying that my sister did a fantastic job, but her inexperience + my inexperience doth not a great set of photos maketh. I'll get some shots up as soon as I've had time to process a few. Hope they don't disappoint after your fantastic advice...
 
No points for a quick turnaround then... :lol: Finally, after temporarily sorting my computer, it's allowed me to process the pictures!

Pictures are of the event generally, rather than all of the models. My instructions were very vague: "take pictures generally of everything", so that's what I tried to do...

1
2505625785_805a08bcc5_o.jpg


2
2505627451_9b5b76de13_o.jpg


3
2506454188_250e6043a7_o.jpg


4
2506459898_6e20139d6d_o.jpg


5
2505630955_78d1074012_o.jpg


6
2505634137_fe77525423_o.jpg


7
2506466156_7bb0b1b3b5_o.jpg


I got a few nice shots I think, and made a few simple mistakes which I know to avoid next time. I'm a bit disappointed in my performance though: I should have got a lot more shots of the models, and I was a bit apprehensive about approaching the guests for pictures. Completely irrational. Easily curable with a couple of swift ones, but that's not really ideal :( I'd like to be asked to do the next one to see if I can overcome my nerves...

Still, thanks very much for all your advice. EXIF should still be in the shots for those interested - any other Qs just ask. Pointers and tips would be great too! :)

Lots more of the event here
 
Nice shots, and allow me to say .. nice ladies too :) thanks for posting.
 
i think you have done really well, nice colours and sharpness in the models eyes. im sure they will be more than happy with the photos if the ones you have posted are anything to go by
 
Hi Bulb,

Interesting thread, I may be asked to do a fashion in the near future. You have some great photos and loads of information provided, in this thread, so thanks to everyone.

Gerald
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top