First project - need some tips and advice

[kamran]

Hello all,

I am invited by a friend to shoot at a football match. I won't actually be shooting the game itself (I don't really have the required gear!), but rather the guests and VIPs. It will be night time (8:30PM). I expect the lighting to be mixed (tungsten and fluorescent). For the gear, that I'll be using, refer to my signature. Also, I got myself a SB-800 Speedlight last night. It seems wonderful but haven't really had a lot of time to try it out. I need some tips to make the most out of this photo session. And since this is my first, I will need all the help I can get. I'm planning to shoot RAW. I have 1 GB + 512 MB CF cards at my disposal. My friend does not need prints; some sort of slide show on CD will do for him.

A few questions are:

- What WB setting should I mostly use (with the SB-800)?
- Should I use the flash off camera mostly or leave it on the camera?
- As I don't yet know how to properly use all the modes on the flash, what mode provides easiest (automatic) operation when used off camera? I am not very confident in dialing different aperture values on the flash.

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Regards,

Kamran

[bouyant_clown]

A question for you.
What are you and your friend going to achieve by shooting in raw format.
For instance if the pictures are going to be just to get a feel of the croud atmosphere of the night i would say that the extra pictures you could take in .jpg would be of more value than the few you might want to adjust (and have time to).

[ajo43]

There are lots of people here who will have a view on this but here is what I would do:

- use the SB800 on camera (too hard to move it on and off and set the camera to Commander mode quickly when you are moving around a croud)
- set wb to auto (the camera is pretty good at getting it right when you have an SB800)
- you don't have much memory so I'd use JPEG Fine or Normal rather than RAW
- Set the flash to TTL-BL (TTL back light)
- use the diffuser and if you have a white ceiling that is not too high the bounce of the ceiling
- take a spare set of batteries (especially for the flash)
- try different angles - low high etc
- take a laptop - incase you run out of memory and need to download
- make a list of shots you need to get before you go and tick them off as you get them
- find out who is important and get their picture

Good luck

[MHD]

Actually I dont like to leave my camera on Auto WB..

What I do is try to get the WB as correct as possible using manual or one of the modes then shoot something I know is meant to be white and store that image... then I can work out later how much I need to shift the WB in PP later and just apply it to all images as I know WB was constant the whole night...

Now how serious is this job?

What I suggest is first get the must get shots, always make sure your shutter is at least 1/(2xfocal length)

after you have them you can play with higher quality shots.., for example using the flash to expose the subject (often person) and then leaving the shutter open for a bit longer to expose the background...

[Matt. K]

Definitly DO NOT set the flash to TTL-BL! It will be dark so trying to balance the flash against...what?.....you will encounter very long shutter speeds. Suggest you set your D70 to Manual...shutter speed to 125 and f/stop to f5.6. Set the SB800 to TTL and it will automatically pick up the correct f/stop. Check the first few images on the LCD.

[ajo43]

I take your point on TTL-BL. I have not had a problem using that setting in rooms where the lights are on. But to be on the safe side set your flash to straight TTL.

I still think auto WB works pretty well with the SB800. Do some test shots at home and make up your own mind.

Btw, probably also worth loading a custom tone curve like one of the photogenics ones.

[the foto fanatic]

Here are some tips which you may care to consider:
- set WB for flash
- shoot RAW so that you can correct any colour shift caused by the ambient lighting
- set flash at TTL, not TTL-BL
- leave flash on camera, otherwise you'll need an assistant or you'll be shooting one-handed. You may have to correct some red-eye.
- use manual settings as Matt has described, or alternatively aperture preferred at f5.6.
- try to bounce flash where practical
- take multiple shots to allow for closed eyes etc
- watch out for reflective surfaces like mirrors, glass and so on
Good luck

[christiand]

Hi Matt,

thanks very much for your suggestion:

Definitly DO NOT set the flash to TTL-BL! It will be dark so trying to balance the flash against...what?.....you will encounter very long shutter speeds. Suggest you set your D70 to Manual...shutter speed to 125 and f/stop to f5.6. Set the SB800 to TTL and it will automatically pick up the correct f/stop. Check the first few images on the LCD.

Cheers,
Christian