Beginner Shooting inside a castle without flash

Isokl

Isokl

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Hi guys, I am going to Arundel Castle tomorrow. I wonder if you could advise me manual settings for shooting inside without flash.
I have Canon EOS 70D and 18-135 canon lens.

Thanks in advance!
 
Personally, if was me, I'd avoid manual in this situation. Lighting conditions are likely to be changeable thru various parts of the castle. I'd use aperture priority, shoot wide open, either selecting auto iso or manually taking care of that yourself. Without flash, or a tripod, you're likely to need high iso, but better a noisy image than a blurry one.
 
Jonnypanic, thanks! I was thinking the same actually.... My camera gives pretty good noise-free results up to 1600 certainly...so I thought I'd use it...what do u mean by 'wide open'?
 
I'v got a neat little tripod for these situations, quick and discreet.

Phone them up and ask if you can take one?
 
Happygolucky, I dont have time to buy a new tripod this time.... but what is a 'neat little tripod'? Could you advise some models please? Because mine definitely doesnt fall into the category 'neat little' :))

How do you put it on in the middle of a castle room? :) There is a constant stream of people usually....even in the middle of Wednesday (like today).....

I visit castles and manor house often (I write about Britain to a number of foreign travel magazines) and I know usually they dont allow tripods and flash. Some allow a monopod.

Many thanks,

Irina
 
In your situation I would be working out the slowest shutter speed you can hand hold.

With a good image stabiliser such as the one on the 18-135mm I expect you could get very sharp results at 1/15th second and with a bit of practice (or something to lean on) and care you could probably get away with 1/8th second. Try to keep to 18mm where possible as your lens lets most light in here - and aperture at F3.5.

In your situation I would start off using shutter priority and select 1/30th ISO1600 and see what sort of exposure you are getting - I would expect the camera to set F3.5 on the lens based on where you are shooting. Then just change your shutter speed and/or ISO to allow more light in should you need to. If you are seeing the aperture go above F5.6 then consider increasing shutter speed a stop followed by dropping ISO a stop. My reason for not using aperture priority is to prevent the shutter speed dipping too low. A dark shot is better than a blurry shot!
 
Sometimes tripods are allowed so asking is a good idea but an alternative to aid support and steadying would be a monopod and this would be less prone to the wrath of the elfin safety brigade as it takes up no additional room and doesn't generally present a trip hazard :)
 
Yeah I was thinking about buying a monopod actually....for my next trip. Does it really stabilise well?
 
Isokl said:
Yeah I was thinking about buying a monopod actually....for my next trip. Does it really stabilise well?
Click to expand...

Not as well as a tripod obviously but it can give you that little bit extra when you need it, I've used mine inside Cathedrals and the like without problems :)
 
I have a 70D too!

Make sure your aperture is as wide open as it can get, and bump up your ISO to what matches your exposure while metering. A lower shutter speed will help too. However, be cautious. If there is a lot of movement, a lower shutter speed will give you blur. If it's stationary, lower your ISO and shutter speed and use a god pod (rest it on something laying around). The stability will make sure that there is no movement so there won't be blur and you can get the fantastic shots you want.
 
If I am going to photograph some where indoors like a cathedral I try and get there before the crowds arrive. I use a small bean bag to rest the camera on and a 2 second delay on the shutter.
I have used his even to the point of putting the camera on the floor and taking a shot. There is usually some where you can get the camera supported on the bean bag and do a long exposure shot. It really depends on how busy the place is.
 
Why do you need a bin bag again please? I didnt understand this bit.
 
Not a 'bin bag' ... a 'bean bag' to settle the camera on ...

beanbag-doorstop2.jpg
 
I'd check before you start taking pictures, I'm pretty sure photography isn't allowed inside the castle
 
Yeah I always check before actually venturing out. It was allowed all through the Arundel Castle before..... Today I've failed to get there in the end.
 
I was challenged by a warden in a National Trust property when she saw my camera, & told that photography wasn't allowed. I bet that lots of people take photos & get away with it, esp with phones etc! I tried to interrogate her about why (politely) but she didn't know - it was obviously just a policy handed down from above.

I can't for the life of me think why they have that policy, and for the NT it's a negative in marketing terms (deters me from visiting their places).

Anyway, it varies a lot. In a quite different place, under another organisation, my camera didn't cause alarm, but when I nipped back in with a tripod over my shoulder I was called to the desk and asked to sign a form stating that any photos wouldn't be for commercial use. This I understood (sort of).

For other places, I've phoned in advance about taking photos and/or using a tripod, and it's been fine. I also have a guerrilla mode of just getting on with it until possibly challenged.

Isokl said:
Yeah I was thinking about buying a monopod actually....for my next trip. Does it really stabilise well?
Click to expand...
I'd say from experience that a monopod's worth 1 or 2 stops of exposure-conferred sharpness, if that means anything. In other words, less than what a modern lens with vibration control contributes.
 
Gremlin said:
I'd check before you start taking pictures, I'm pretty sure photography isn't allowed inside the castle
Click to expand...
Most of the time it's because of flash and the damage the light causes some artifacts. If you go to a castle that is still owned by the party (like in Pottenstein) then you can't because it's personal property and you don't have their permission.

I hate using this term, but it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission in this case. I did this in a church in Albania and was told no photography. I explained that I wasn't going to us flash or anything else and they let me. Got some cool shots of it. Had I asked the wrong person, I might have not even been allowed in we my camera
 
I live close to Hinton Ampner, which is NT and was allowed to shoot all the interiors inside without a problem. They gave me a badge to wear on entrance. But no flash. Flash as they say can damage things with extra light.

The only place I had problems - sort of - so far was Highclere Castle. They simply dont allow any photography inside. As I write for travel magazines, I asked their PR to provide me with good resolution pictures for my article about them then. I was told they dont currently promote the castle, but some books by the lady of the house..... and they sent me 4 low resolution pictures of interiors which are highly circulated over the internet anyway! I took it quite insulting really. I even offered to buy 2-3 pictures of interiors. As the magazine paid, it wasn't an issue at all.
 
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Isokl said:
Flash ... can damage things with extra light.
Click to expand...
That thinking was current at one time but I'm not sure that it hasn't been discredited - check the literature. It hinged on the emissions of UV, which perhaps even cumulatively turned out to be miniscule?
 
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Well, that's what people in castles and museums believe... I dont thnk you can change their mind by simply giving them facts :) I wish :)
 
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