Shooting indoors ~ in bright light

[Tigger]

I've been asked by the Scout group I help out to step in as photographer for a special event next month (50th Anniversary Mass).

The Chapel is very-well lit up and very bright (White walls & lots of marble)

I took a few indoor shots the other night playing with different settings but nothing came up how I wanted

If I got the colours/exposure right people were blurred if they made the slightest movement
When I got people in focus the background was totally out

Any ideas for getting a good shot in these conditions?

Cheers
Trev

 

[Stuart.Atkinson]

id start with an ND filter mate and drop down a couple of stops on the exposure if its needed.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Turn the shutter speed right down so it's really fast shutter..? What settings are you using .. Which camera ?

As above - turn the exposure comp down !?

 

[Tigger]

I have a D40 with a few lenses - mainly my new Sigma 17-70mm & 70-300mm

Also have a SB-600 Speedlight flashgun for it too

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Settings dude .. not set up :rasp:

What F-stop, shutter speed etc. did you use to get naff photos ?!

 

[Tigger]

Ahh - oops!

I'll have a ganzy at the pics when I get home from work tonight

 

[vibrio]

if it was bright with white walls etc then you could have used manual and bounced the flash (if you had one) if not then you can only bump up the ISO and use the onboard flash to freeze the action

 

[Tigger]

I had the camera in Aperture mode at f4.5, sometimes 5.6 - shutter was 1/60 & 1600 ISO

Best shots are at 19mm f4 1/60 & 1600 ISO but still not very sharp

 

[vibrio]

sharpness decreases as ISO increases

 

[Tigger]

So I Need to use a lower ISO & faster shutter then?

 

[steven.m]

ISO increases the sensors sensitivity to light, so a high ISO will be more sensitive, lower ISO is less sensitive. Higher ISO helps you use a faster shutter speed in low light. Also in addition to what vibrio said, 'noise'/graininess increases with ISO.

As the subjects are blurred then I'd suggest that shutter speed was too slow, hence creating the motion blur you are experiencing.

Also select the appropriate white balance for the chapel.... I'd assume either tungsten or fluorescent depending on lighting, or go custom if you know how.

Best thing to do is experiment with the settings and find what works best.

 

[Tigger]

Cheers Steven

That's what I'm doing over the next few weeks - playing around to get the settings right so as to "get it right on the night" so to speak

 

[Tigger]

Just to give an idea of where I intend to be taking shots

http://www.parishofdungannon.com/Movies/centre.html

 

[Ian]

Looks like a nice place that. The end furthest from the door (Sorry - I really don't know a lot about churches! ) and the windows without stained glass in them look to be your best best for increased natural light levels, depending on the time of day.

Plenty of interesting features to try and include as well, although careful you don't end up with them as distracting backgrounds.

 

[Tigger]

That would be the Altar I'm guessing? lol

We will be in it at night so I can forget natural light!
- I will be taking photos of our Cubs lowering the flags at the Altar and a few others during the mass

 

[Ian]

I was going to say altar, but didn't wan't to get it wrong lol! Ahh ok, well there's a few lights in there, but I imagine it's going to be very very dingy in there with no outside light. I'd say it's going to be on the limits of your equipment tbh, but if you've got a steady hand you might be alright. Ideally I'd be looking at wide aperture lenses and some form of fill flash, but I don't know if you have any of those?


Edit: just seen this: http://www.parishofdungannon.com/Dedication/index.htm. Doesn't seem to be too dark there actually. To make sure you're not getting blurred people, just make sure the shutter speed is high, which you can help by using a wide aperture and if necessary a higher ISO.

 

[Tigger]

Ive got a Sigma 17-70mm (2.8-4.5) lens and a Nikon SB600 flash if that's any good?

 

[Ian]

Sigma sounds decent at f/2.8, atlhough you'd probably get a bit of distortion at 17mm. It will be better than the kit lens I think though.

Not sure if you'll be allowed to used flash and to be honest I don't know much about using them; but if you are allowed it might be worth bouncing it off somewhere (the ceiling looks quite high..) to give a bit of fill flash for the background.


Edit: Orrr you could expose right for the background and then use the flash to freeze the people, that way you could keep your ISO down a bit.

I dunno, it's a tough gig!

 

[Tigger]

IIRC I'm allowed to use the flash

I drove past the Chapel today and had the gear in the boot. Was in a CBA mood so didn't bother going in to test it out lol

 

[Tigger]

Would a softbox help me out if I'm using the flash?

 

[Ian]

I dunno mate, what I would say is that the more stuff you use, the more likely you are to forget something, or set something up wrong, just the law of averages! I think a stofen type diffuser would help reduce any harsh highlights if you do use flash. I don't want to lead you down a route you're not comfortable with though. Like I say, I've only ever used onboard flash in outdoor situations. Other people like vibrio and shadowness might be able to help you out.

Best thing you can do I'd say is go along to the chapel with somebody and have a practice taking shots of them. No substitute for practice.

 

[Tigger]

Cheers Ian, any advice is better than none and yes a practice session is on the to-do list as I don't want to make a balls of it on the night! :star:

I'll try get some tomorrow evening before I go to the photography club & see what I can pick up from that

 

[riz]

I just purchaesed the 35mm Prime for the D40/x . In low light it is amazing. F1.8 it goes down to. £170 bit much for one night but worth a thought for future.


I found putting the ISO up a little and a small F stop should give a decent enough Shutter speed to reduce blur.

 

[Ribena]

what type of shots are/were you looking to take? portraits?

 

[Tigger]

Pictures of a group - getting them all to stay still at the same time is a nightmare!

Inside is very well lit-up

 

[Ribena]

Pictures of a group - getting them all to stay still at the same time is a nightmare!

Inside is very well lit-up

Just make sure your dof is large enough to keep the whole group in focus. (If that's what you want...) Other than that, I think the flash will come in very handy - I would do the same as Ian - expose for background and use the flash to freeze motion. practice!!!

 

[Tigger]

Cheers - I got in the other day for some shots but all the feckin lights were off lol

 

[Tigger]

Got some shots - your C&C is very much appreciated

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyeofthetigger/sets/72157622631320838/

I need to know how to improve these now
All straight off the camera BTW

 

[Tigger]

^ Are they good enough to use?

Constructive opinions wanted - good or bad lol

Some previews

 

[Ian]

They look sharp, in focus and correct in terms of white balance etc, so I'm sure they will be happy enough with them. Considering they're straight from the camera I'm impressed! I'd be tempted to up the exposure a little, but I wouldn't go too far. How did you find it - was that the main ceremony or just a rehearsal? (I assume just a rehearsal based on what they're wearing etc.)