Photographing a kids party.

toadstool

toadstool

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,837
Name
Toni
Edit My Images
Yes
I've been approached by a friend of my cousins after she saw my recent photos of sisters and some photos I'd taken of my nephew. She likes my work and is wondering if I would take photos at her daughters 10th birthday party.

She's essentially looking for candids of the party itself with details like decoration. Then she'd like some keepsake photos of her daughter and her friends after with a final group photo. She understands I am NOT a pro and that I've never shot in a "hall". I've shot a 1st birthday but that was in the home. She knows this will be my first. She's not after professional photos, she's after the memories and likes my style so I feel comfortable enough.

There will be around 40 children and she's thinking of hiring a face painter, a bouncy castle and entertainer.

This will take place in April in a hall.

I'm confident enough in my abilities to do a job we'll both be happy with. I'm not, however, confident enough in my kit because, like I said, I've never shot something like this before to know what it would require. I have a Canon 500D and 50mm 1.8 along with my Fuji x100.

I was thinking I could use my Fuji for wide(r) shots and the 50 1.8 for detail shots, portraits etc but I'm willing to hire, buy or upgrade within reason. I wholeheartedly love available light but am willing to learn flash if it's an absolute must; I was hoping to stick with fast glass but will admit defeat if it's really not possible.

I tried to do a search for this but all I could find were very similar threads but for babies/toddlers. I'm not sure if having an older age group (10 years old) will make a difference, hence my own thread.

:bonk: :thumbs:
 
I wont give you advice on kit but I will make a suggestion for the sake of memories.
At our family Jubilee party I fixed a small point and shoot compact on a small handle, put it on video mode with a decent memory card in it and let the kids pass it round so everyone could point it at whoever they wished. The sound track is priceless and backed up by the video, regardless of quality, is now a treasured family heirloom. From that day on we have all done this at every family event, simply wonderful to hear and see the day in real time as it was.

Definitely worth the effort and backed up with half decent pics on a dslr or whatever, you will capture the essence perfectly.:thumbs:
 
That sounds like a good idea Steve! One to keep in mind, thanks.

I've been thinking about hiring the 10-22mm for groups, wide party shots and maybe some fun portraits and my 50 1.8 for details and more "standard" portraits. Investing in a flash too? And possibly taking my fuji x100 too?

Anyone have thoughts on that?
 
I've just been recommended the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8?
 
Hi Toni
The 50m will produce very sharp images
Regards the new flash your getting, get a diffuser or if no diffuser stick White note paper over the flash it really softens things up
Nothing worse than harsh light at close quarters

If you doing the whole day why not arrive early and get them all arriving
Bit like they do on red carpet at premiers

Goodluck with the marauding crowd

Chris
 
That's something the mum wants Chris, so it'll definitely be happening :lol: She wants me there before they leave until the end. It's only a 2 hour party so not too long!

I've read conflicting things with flash... I've used my on camera flash a handful of times and either held a bit of white card up or lugged out my lightscoop so that's diffused/bounced it.

But I've read with hot shoe mounted flash that sticking a diffuser on it confuses the camera :thinking:

I was thinking I'd turn the flash head and bounce it off either the wall or the ceiling depending. So you'd still recommend a diffuser on it? Confusing when you google and find one forum saying one thing and another saying different; I'm inclined to trust and go with the views found here :lol:
 
One tip would be to try and get the kids whilst their faces are being painted - you have them stuck in one place so they cannot run around, plus you may even be able to dictate where the face painters sets up, so you can chose the best light. I did this at my kids birthday a few years back and it worked a treat.
 
Try a few test shots Toni
It's suprising how just a bit of paper can soften the light
If you flash has an adjustable head then go for bounce
Just a case of finding out works best fir the given situation

Chris
 
Milkfloat said:
One tip would be to try and get the kids whilst their faces are being painted - you have them stuck in one place so they cannot run around, plus you may even be able to dictate where the face painters sets up, so you can chose the best light. I did this at my kids birthday a few years back and it worked a treat.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping for that! :D

chris marren said:
Try a few test shots Toni
It's suprising how just a bit of paper can soften the light
If you flash has an adjustable head then go for bounce
Just a case of finding out works best fir the given situation

Chris
Click to expand...

I don't have a flash yet Chris! Looking to buy and hoping to get one with an adjustable head. It's not until April and I'd be looking at buying the flash very soon so hopefully will have enough time to get to grips with it.

I think getting the name of the hall and going down for a nose soon might be worth it.
 
Depending on the shape of the room and your kit you could setup 2 flashguns in opposite corners and bounce them to hit the main dancing/playing area. If you do this you can always shoot with the same settings on camera and get consistent results so you can focus on timing. This is a shot I took a while back at one of our parties with a 50mm 1.8 (I think)


Untitled by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr

Edit: I've just seen your previous post about not having any flashguns! Look for cheap manual flashguns like older Vivitar or alternatively, I use a couple of Jessops 350AFD's for remote work and they can be found for £30-40 each.

Cheers
Steve
 
Last edited:
That's a great shot Steve! I don't think I'll be able to stretch to more than one flash though :(
 
Ah 2 of those would be cheaper than 1 of the flashes I was looking at (Canon). I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be though... I've barely touched on camera flash, nevermind off camera flash and more than one :eek:
 
After a quick google, they don't get a very good review either :(
 
stevelmx5 said:
Depending on the shape of the room and your kit you could setup 2 flashguns in opposite corners and bounce them to hit the main dancing/playing area. If you do this you can always shoot with the same settings on camera and get consistent results so you can focus on timing. This is a shot I took a while back at one of our parties with a 50mm 1.8 (I think)


Untitled by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr

Edit: I've just seen your previous post about not having any flashguns! Look for cheap manual flashguns like older Vivitar or alternatively, I use a couple of Jessops 350AFD's for remote work and they can be found for £30-40 each.

Cheers
Steve
Click to expand...

I LOVE that kid's hoodie - I need one for when my son comes along :)
 
I've shot many kid's parties with one lens and one flash. Hot shoe mounted, bounced off the ceiling. You don't want to kill the ambient too much when it's time for cake though!

The tamron 17-50 is what i've used most, when I was using the D90 - and a cheap yongnuo flash, which is full manual but very easy use.
 
I can't add anything to the advice here about the photography but one other thing to consider is that some folks may not want their children photographed.

Last year I think there was a thread on here where a TP member came in from some flack from a parent because her child appeared in party photos posted on Flickr.

The chances are slim and this may be over the top but you may just want keep it in mind. Perhaps your cousin's friend could mention that photos will be taken during the party on the invites.

Dave
 
If you can, try and get access to the hall ASAP for a quick look round, as the details of the hall will determine what will work and what won't.

How much natural light is there?
How high is the ceiling?
Are the walls / ceiling white or some odd colour (which would tint any bounced flash)?

For flashguns, Yongnu are cheap - the 560-II's are ~£50 for a fairly powerful manual flash, with built in optical trigger (so you should be able to use the pop up flash to trigger them) - as already suggested, if you can afford 2, put them in opposite corners pointed at the ceiling ~ 1/4 of the way into the room - the hall will be flooded with nice diffuse light whenever they fire (this assumes a not too high white ceiling).
 
This may sound a bit jokey, but check, check and double check that your flies are done up!

I made this mistake once, and only once. But it explained some of the dodgy looks from parents I got at a kids party, walking around with a big camera and hanging low. :bonk:
 
Cagey75 said:
I've shot many kid's parties with one lens and one flash. Hot shoe mounted, bounced off the ceiling. You don't want to kill the ambient too much when it's time for cake though!

The tamron 17-50 is what i've used most, when I was using the D90 - and a cheap yongnuo flash, which is full manual but very easy use.
Click to expand...

Do you have photos to share with the one lens + flash combo? And possibly a bit more info about the approach you take? It's my first time and whilst she doesn't expect "pro" photos, I'd like to do my best.

The 17-50 has been recommended before to me. I don't have much experience with primes, though I have used Canon's 17-55 and really liked it.

Could you tell me more about the yonguo flash you used? Manual scares me because I've literally never touched flash that wasn't the cameras built in.

Tringa said:
I can't add anything to the advice here about the photography but one other thing to consider is that some folks may not want their children photographed.

Last year I think there was a thread on here where a TP member came in from some flack from a parent because her child appeared in party photos posted on Flickr.

The chances are slim and this may be over the top but you may just want keep it in mind. Perhaps your cousin's friend could mention that photos will be taken during the party on the invites.

Dave
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave, that was something I'd thought about but had slipped my mind when I started thinking about equipment! I'll mention to her that it could be a wise move to inform parents via invites etc.

Faldrax said:
If you can, try and get access to the hall ASAP for a quick look round, as the details of the hall will determine what will work and what won't.

How much natural light is there?
How high is the ceiling?
Are the walls / ceiling white or some odd colour (which would tint any bounced flash)?

For flashguns, Yongnu are cheap - the 560-II's are ~£50 for a fairly powerful manual flash, with built in optical trigger (so you should be able to use the pop up flash to trigger them) - as already suggested, if you can afford 2, put them in opposite corners pointed at the ceiling ~ 1/4 of the way into the room - the hall will be flooded with nice diffuse light whenever they fire (this assumes a not too high white ceiling).
Click to expand...

Definitely going to try and get to the hall asap!

If those 2 flash heads are triggered by the pop up flash, won't that mean close portraits/detail shots etc will be flooded with the pop up flash?

What would the flashes stand on? Mini tripods close to the floor or tall, fully extended tripods? Will this work no matter the size of the room (not talking ceiling height)? I'm guessing the size of the room etc will determine flash strength? Doing this seems really out of my league at the minute! Like I won't be able to figure out how to set it up in time.

bass_junkie83 said:
This may sound a bit jokey, but check, check and double check that your flies are done up!

I made this mistake once, and only once. But it explained some of the dodgy looks from parents I got at a kids party, walking around with a big camera and hanging low. :bonk:
Click to expand...

Haha! I might wear a skirt to be sure :p :lol: :lol:
 
Hi,

Just to update this, I shot pictures at my son's 6th birthday party yesterday afternoon in a pretty dimly lit hall using a single remote flashgun bouncing from one side off the ceiling. The ceiling was about 18-20ft high so I was shooting at 1:1 power and 85mm zoom (Sigma EF-500DG flash). On camera I was shooting at 1/200th F3.5 ISO400. I could have got some more light in and reduced my flash power with a slower shutter speed but 40x 6 year olds don't really stand still much!


Jake's 6th Birthday Party by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr


Jake's 6th Birthday Party by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr


Jake's 6th Birthday Party by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr

These are pretty much straight out of camera so could probably do with a slight exposure boost.

Cheers
Steve
 
For SOOC, they look great! I've been given the name of the hall and managed to snoop out some photos of what I think is it.. that one, the ceiling is quite low and white. One wall is also floor to ceiling windows. I could be wrong though... I've got the name so will try and get down to scope it out.

I'm looking into getting a flash. Have never used anything other than the one built in though. Would it be fine on camera, bounced off the ceiling?

Also been shown a photo of the big bouncy slide she's getting... have had a look about and a lot of people say for shots on slides etc, to pre focus.. With "action" shots, I usually use AI servo..
 
Thanks. The only difficulty with bouncing the flash from on-camera is you'll be swivelling the head constantly to switch between portrait and landscape. Other than that it should work ok although you'll be bouncing it from different directions each time if you're moving around. The benefit of keeping it off camera is that you get a consistent light in the same place as you walk around.

With regards to a bouncy slide you may be better Pre-focussing on the landing point or anywhere else to get consistent focus. Although saying that, most SLR focus should keep up with kids sliding, it's the shutter speed that's as likely to cause blurring.

Cheers
Steve
 
The 500d with the 50mm will be fine in a hall, if you can get a wider lens then it will benefit you as the 50 is quiet long on a crop sensor, single on camera speedlight would be more than adequate, pick up a cheap flash softbox, I have a few only about 4quid a piece from good old eBay, they diffuse the light really well, to go for off camera stuff is to be honest over complicating things, and sticking things on tripods unattended with kids running wild is bound to end up in disaster lol, I would grab a cheapish flash set it to an appropriate power depending upon lighting in the hall, ISO 800 then adjust aperture depending on what Dof you are looking to achieve, then just have some fun!
 
I struggle with flash... well, I don't have one yet so I struggle with the idea of flash. Like how it will change how I expose etc.. and I've read with flash on you can only have 1/200 shutter speed?

If I have the flash off camera and it's triggered by on camera flash.. won't that affect the photo? Or does it turn itself off and go solely through the off camera flash?

I've never had to prefocus either! As I said, if I was shooting action I've always used AI servo. How do you focus on something before it's there?
 
Thedodo said:
The 500d with the 50mm will be fine in a hall, if you can get a wider lens then it will benefit you as the 50 is quiet long on a crop sensor, single on camera speedlight would be more than adequate, pick up a cheap flash softbox, I have a few only about 4quid a piece from good old eBay, they diffuse the light really well, to go for off camera stuff is to be honest over complicating things, and sticking things on tripods unattended with kids running wild is bound to end up in disaster lol, I would grab a cheapish flash set it to an appropriate power depending upon lighting in the hall, ISO 800 then adjust aperture depending on what Dof you are looking to achieve, then just have some fun!
Click to expand...

Now this sounds like something I might be able to get my head around! :lol:
 
Thedodo said:
sticking things on tripods unattended with kids running wild is bound to end up in disaster lol,
Click to expand...

I agree hence standing the flashgun on a shelf (or on top of a piano as with yesterday's party!) so it's out of the way from both accidents and prying fingers :)


toadstool said:
I struggle with flash... well, I don't have one yet so I struggle with the idea of flash. Like how it will change how I expose etc.. and I've read with flash on you can only have 1/200 shutter speed?

If I have the flash off camera and it's triggered by on camera flash.. won't that affect the photo? Or does it turn itself off and go solely through the off camera flash?

I've never had to prefocus either! As I said, if I was shooting action I've always used AI servo. How do you focus on something before it's there?
Click to expand...

You will have a maximum sync speed with your camera. My 40D was 1/160, the 5D is 1/200. Anything faster than this will result in a black shadow/band across the bottom of your shot where the shutter curtain is still closing. This is the same for the on-board flash as well as any flashguns on the hotshoe.

With regards to triggering, you can use the popup flash on camera (if your flashgun has an infrared trigger built in) and just turn down the power of the on-board flash so it has minimal effect on the picture. The problem with that is infrared triggers on flashguns are relatively line of sight meaning you need to be roughly facing the direction of the flash to trigger and they will also be set off by other people's cameras flashing! I use cheap radio triggers (RF-603) which use RF to trigger the flash remotely.

With regards to pre-focus, you can either autofocus on someone at the point you want to shoot then switch to manual focus (either get someone to stand in or just take a few practice shots of people on the slide) or just manual focus in the first place but you may be fine with just AF. The easiest way is to shoot a few AF test shots and see if they're sharp.

Cheers
Steve
 
The 500d has a function which allows you to control the hotshoe flash from within the camera, also if you got a ettl enabled flash (most are), the camera/flash will auto select settings for you, so no need to fumble about with power etc
 
My preferred setup for a very active kid:

24-70 or equiv F2.8 zoom
On-camera bounced flash on auto TTL -0.3 compensation
Manual exposure 1/160 f4
Adjust ISO to underexpose ambient - usually 400-800

Get in nice and close when you can, which gives more intimate shots. A lot of my best have been at 24mm.

As mentioned, you need to be a dab hand rotating that flash head between landscape and portrait.

I really would recommend a zoom - kids are so unpredictable a single 50mm would IMHO lead to a lot of lost shots.

I wouldn't bother with two flashes, a single bounced flash should do the trick especially if it has an auto zoom and auto TTL exposure.

Just my twopennorth.
 
martsharm said:
My preferred setup for a very active kid:

24-70 or equiv F2.8 zoom
On-camera bounced flash on auto TTL -0.3 compensation
Manual exposure 1/160 f4
Adjust ISO to underexpose ambient - usually 400-800

Get in nice and close when you can, which gives more intimate shots. A lot of my best have been at 24mm.

As mentioned, you need to be a dab hand rotating that flash head between landscape and portrait.

I really would recommend a zoom - kids are so unpredictable a single 50mm would IMHO lead to a lot of lost shots.

I wouldn't bother with two flashes, a single bounced flash should do the trick especially if it has an auto zoom and auto TTL exposure.

Just my twopennorth.
Click to expand...

Very well put, as I mentioned earlier multiple flashes is really over complicating things, I don't think the op is willing to shell out a fortune on a 24-70 though, although would be the best lens IMO, think sigma do a decent 2.8 short zoom, I have no idea on prices though
 
Thanks very much everyone! Taking it all onboard andwriting notes :) I've been looking at the Tamron 17-50?
 
Think that tamron will be perfect for what you want, regarding flash depending upon your budget, if possible would reccomend a Canon 430ex, but there not very cheap, Metz do some really good flashes at better prices, jessops used to do a half decent one, I still got mine you maybe able to pick a used one up of eBay, the build quality is not the best but does what it needs to do
 
There was a canon flash for sale on here for £150 (or there abouts).. I'm hoping for something like that next month :lol:

A Jessops one was linked earlier.. I was going to get it but I looked up some reviews first and they weren't very great.
 
toadstool said:
There was a canon flash for sale on here for £150 (or there abouts).. I'm hoping for something like that next month :lol:

A Jessops one was linked earlier.. I was going to get it but I looked up some reviews first and they weren't very great.
Click to expand...

There not great, but also not bad, I bought mine new a few years back for about £75, it was not really worth that much but needed a 2nd flash quickly, if you can get hold of one below 40quid there worth a go, but if you can stretch to a Canon or Metz you would be better off, nissin are also worth a look at
 
The tamron 17-50 is an excellent lens and spent most of its life on my 40D. I only sold it as I moved to a 5D so it wasn't compatible. The Jessops flash is pretty cheaply made but the main priority (for me) is fully manual control for zoom/power when off camera. However, they are also Ettl compatible so work in full auto on camera so are worth £45. It's not going to take as many knocks as a Canon 430/580 would but is fine for most work. The Nissin Di622 fits around the price of a 430ex but is almost fully automatic so just be wary if you do ever want to shoot anything off camera!

If you're going to be bouncing your flash, don't bother with a diffuser because you'll just be losing light that you need to reach the ceiling and back down.

I'm only suggesting an off camera flash because of the constant lighting it offers so you can concentrate on timing of your shots but using the flash on camera will be fine too. I use a flashgun on camera with weddings/events I shoot because I'm usually walking round a larger area or between rooms hence not being able to setup fixed lighting areas.

Cheers
Steve
 
Tringa said:
I can't add anything to the advice here about the photography but one other thing to consider is that some folks may not want their children photographed.

Last year I think there was a thread on here where a TP member came in from some flack from a parent because her child appeared in party photos posted on Flickr.

The chances are slim and this may be over the top but you may just want keep it in mind. Perhaps your cousin's friend could mention that photos will be taken during the party on the invites.

Dave
Click to expand...

I would second this.

Earlier this year, a friend of our's had a party for their two year old daughter. We were going along with our 14 month old daughter. Just beforehand I got a call to ask if I could bring the camera. It's a sad reflection of modern society (or maybe my own paranoia) that I immediately felt massively uncomfortable about the idea. Hear too many tales on here of people being harassed for taking photos anywhere at all so the idea of wafting a 70-200 around at a kid's party was too much for me! In the end I took the camera, got a feel for the light as soon as we arrived, dialled in some manual settings and gave it to the wife. She did a great job and everybody seemed at ease.

If the guests had known in advance that I was going to take 'official' pictures and they would be going to the birthday girl's parents only I'd have been quite comfortable with the idea.
 
Yeah, I've mentioned to the mum that she'll need to let the parents know via the invites and she said that's not a problem. Hopefully I won't come up against anything on the day!
 
If people are aware that there will be a photographer there, you shouldn't encounter any issues, with the majority of functions i have covered 99% are fine with the camera, just the odd person that shys away, I just let them be, the type of diffuser/softbox I was on about is a pop up type, looks like a mini version of a studio softbox, I would post links but its a pain to do on my phone
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top