Looking for suggestoins / tips and tricks for an event shoot

[PEC]

I am by nature more of a nature photographer than people photographer but when a good friend comes to me a begs me to shoot his 85 years mothers birthday celebration... I couldn't say no.

Expectations have been set really low :) but I do want to do the best I can.

These are to be informal candids - no formal posing etc... Simply a lot of friends, family and well-wishers visiting with each other.

My understanding is they have rented an old house in grapevine with a substantial room where everyone will mingle.

I plan on using my D700 and can either use my pocket wizards and position flashes high and out of the way to light the room or just use available light and shoot high iso.

If the flashes are toned down a bit 1/2 or 1/4 power would the flash be really distracting to people visiting?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[Daniel W.]

Well, taste is up to you but here's what I usually do.

1 flash on camera with a diffuser (fong, flip-it, stofen), in a "bounce" mode. I usually work in manual, unless the situation allows for TTL (but most of the time it doesn't.)

1 flash high in a corner, triggered by a PW. Use the PC-sync on your camera for the transmitter, and usually a straight bracket (General Brand Straight Flash Bracket VA322 - B&H Photo Video) to hold it. Usually manual, 1/8 or 1/16 power, depends on the room.

This setup creates a main light (on camera flash) and a bit of fill or kicker depending on where I'm situated in the room. I keep my shutter lower to allow for a bit of ambient, around f/2.8, and ISO800-1250. To mix it up, I'll move so my remote flash is 90º to me and the on-camera acts as a fill.


Here the kicker is directly behind the groom and my on camera flash creates the light illuminating most of the couple. The 2.8 allows for a nice DOF and a high ISO allows the ambient to bleed in (coincidentally it also allows me to keep the power of my flashes low for faster recycle time).


Now the situation is flipped, the corner-remote flash is the main and the on camera is a bit of fill

[PEC]

I like your suggestion... have never thought about on camera & utilizing the pocket wizards... i didn't even know that would work...

already have the flash bracket, so i will play around a bit with it... I have 2 SB24's that I normally use as my remotes... I can use my sb800 on camera... i may look around abit at the attachments to make the flash on camera a bigger sized light source...

I'll be using my 28-70 2.8 lens...

Thanks!

[Angelo]

Paul, don't forget to post photos...
Thanks,

[Daniel W.]

IIRC the SB800 should ship with a stofen-like diffuser but this will do also:

Snook's Nikon SB-800 Diffuser

[danchez]

I would go no flash, use either a 50mm 1.4 or 85mm 1.4.....

but it kind of depends on the lighting situation. If they are using fluorescent lighting, I would go with flash, but if it's a daytime function, and there is natural light, go with the fast glass.