Portrait help .... quick!

Grantsteve

Grantsteve

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Hi all - I'm in desperate need of some help, fast.

A friend of my girlfriend's family is involved with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and she has an award ceremony on tomorrow evening. Her photographer has let her down at the last minute and she has asked if I could step in and 'do my best' :laugh:

Venue will be the town hall (quite a grand affair - think high ceilings, chandeliers and long velvet curtains). I've not been in there for a while but imagine lighting will be far from ideal.

Setup will be (I think) pose with the Mayor whilst shaking hands and receiving your award - although after the main ceremony. I have no lighting equipment or backdrops so I'm hoping for a bright room with a nice curtain to use as a backdrop.

My kit is listed in my sig.

Any help would be much appreciated but I am specifically interested in the following:

1. Setup. Would I be best to find a decent spot and tape a couple of marks on the carpet, set up my tripod at an appropriate distance and work like that?

2. Lighting. I only have 1 SB600 - I doubt the ceilings will be low enough for bouncing off. What can I do here? Straight on flash mounted on camera with sto-fen?

3. Lens. The nifty fifty or the Sigma?

Thanks guys and gals
 
hey and welcome Grantsteve! I am by no means the most qualified here, and I hope you will get some more informed answers but lens wise (i own both of yours) I would go for the sigma. Nifty fifty is nice but you will not have the option to quickly zoom in or out to reframe if your subjects move. I find the fifty more of a lens for when you have lots of time and patience to setup and frame your shot.

Flash wise, go for your SB600 with stofen and point upwards.

Just my own ideas, and I am sure you will get more!

Good luck! :thumbs:
 
A stofen will do little if the ceilings are high, so make a paper reflector that you can tape onto your flash so that with the flash pointing upwards, it bounces the flash towards the subjects - by all means use the stofen as well if you like. Try to get them to stand a fair way from a background is possible to minimise the harsh shadow. Use the 24-70.
If there is a white wall close by, swivel your flash to provide a much nicer softer light, and have them stand at about 45 degrees to it, to give some interesting modeling.
However, if there is enough natural light, use the 50mm, up the ISO and try for at least 1/60th and f4 - this will get a reasonable depth of field and you should be fine hand holding - you should know if you can hold your camera much slower and still be sure of the shot. A tripod will be a hassle, so forget it, and anyway, s*ds law says they won't or can't be posed in the place you planned. Try to make sure that they are both roughly the same distance from the camera to ensure both are in focus.
Don't sweat about it too much - be relaxed and try to make them relax.
Good luck !

Steve
PS - As lightkey says, I too am not the best to advise, but have been in the same situation, so my advice comes from a little experience..!
 
Thanks guys - helpful stuff.
 
after the ceremony how about going outside a take the pose by some greenery trees bushes ect
 
Nice idea, but its an evening event and it'll be dark by the time I get going.
 
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