Any tips

[FsNovice]

I've volunteered/been asked to by my parents

[cspyro21]

Well, I'm no photograqphy expert, but we just had our school prom a few nights ago. We also had individual / group photos done, and the chaps who were taking he photos had the flash on, but they had put up a dark grey cloth in the background (you know the type, the ones that you see in the background of most professional photos )

So there's just some food for thought, hope it goes well for you!

[FsNovice]

Cheers Cspyro, i thought as much would be needed, we've had a prom but i didnt get any group/ portrait photos done. Now to proccure some cloth!!!

[pepper_airborne]

You could try directing your flash to the ceiling so it will diffuse the light,  als try flashing a couple of times in a row so the light spreads around like it bounced a few times, it will soften the area.

[FsNovice]

The problem is the flash is fixed to the top of the camera, its a popup flash, its not a flashgun, i've tried things before to bounce the flash elsewhere, but it hurts  ;) and you get horrible shadows as the flash is so close to the camera.

[pepper_airborne]

Try toning the flash down to a low setting, and fold a white-paper, or even a currency bill around it so the light will be broken in a circular pattern. offcourse people will look at you .

[61_OTU]

A flashgun will make a huge difference. I have a canon 430 ex which is superb, but jessops do some basic flashguns which will still allow you to angle and bounce the flash.

If the popup flash is all you have then you will have to make the best of it. Go through your menus and activate the red-eye setting on your flash and take plenty of spare batteries and memory cards. I think that your best bet will be to take plenty in the hope of getting some good results.

Take some test shots at the start of the evening with some willing volunteers, and for simplicity give the auto and portrait settings a go first. Check your histogram to ensure that you are getting a good spread of light throughout (nice even curve), and zoom right in to ensure that you are getting sharpness throughout the group.

If you don't want to use Auto, then consider the a-dep setting (pretty sure you have a canon 400d) as this tries to get the whole frame in focus by adjusting the aperture accordingly. See how this affects your front to back focus in your test group.

If you insist on altering the settings manually then bear in mind the need to keep the aperture at a medium setting to keep everyone in focus, and a high enough shutter speed to freeze movement. Then take two or three of each group to ensure you get everyone's eyes open.

Using a tripod then means that if the worst comes to the worst then you have the option of editing people from one shot to another if they are pulling a face.

Finally try to look like you know what you are doing, and enjoy yourself. Chat to people and they will respond, keep it lively, cheeky but not rude.

Steve

[FsNovice]

Thanks for the tip/s OTU however i am not using the 400D, or an SLR for that matter, but the SP560UZ, from which a lot of my forum photos are taken. This is why i cant use the flash gun idea!!!

But yeah, like the idea of test shots to see what the light is doing and how the focus is holding up!

I am almost there in perfecting"i'm a photographer and i know what i'm doing" look at do's etc!!!I think with kids, especially at discos etc it's fairly easy to get them to pose for photos and join in, in that respect, as long as the camera is setup and ready to go the moment they want the photo taken!  ::)  

Cheers guys

[61_OTU]

Fair enough. I did somr Santa's Grotto shots with my Fuji s5600, which looks to be not quite as good as yours, and it did very well. Ensure that you have it on the highest JPEG setting (forget RAW for this) and make sure that you understand the face detection functionality, and trial it beforehand. This should identify the faces in the shot and ensure the correct aperture and ISO/Flash/Shutter to get everyone sharp.

Try some test setups at home first, and then some more on the night, and have a plan for what you are going to try out. I'd say that a tripod is essential to maximise sharpness, and be prepared to post process in terms of brightness, contrast, noise and sharpness to make the best of the images that you get.

I would be aiming for a relatively low ISO, to keep noise down (ISO 200), the flash with red-eye enabled, an aperture in the middle of the range. Try it out and if the shots are too dark then open your aperture and drop your shutter speed accordingly to compensate.

If the worst happens and you get horribly confused then just stick it on auto or portrait and see how you go. Better to get reasonable shots than end up with a card full of rubbish because you've lost the plot.

Enjoy yourself, it can be a real buzz

[The Ruptured Duck]

get a flash.  learn how to use it.  If there is alcohol at this event, drink plenty, and have fun!

[61_OTU]

[quote]get a flash.

[Omag 2.0]

61_OTU quit nailed it, so I can't say a lot more. Just remember the limits of your camera and it's strengths.

The idea of putting a piece of paper in front of your flash isn't bad at all, a piece of paper or plastic will do wonders. Just try it out before you go shooting, because if the material it to thick it may produce unwanted results...

To give you an idea...

http://www.studiolighting.net/wp-conten ... fuser1.jpg