Indoor Shots Digital Rebel XT

My great grandma is having a 90th Surprise Bday party. I am by no means a photographer, but my grandmother has told my aunt that i have a good camera & I would be more than willing to take pictures. I don't do much but dablle with the the camera & do take some portraits of our kids, but not really anything spectacular. It will most likely be low lighting and I want to get some good pictures. I have the lens that comes with it, but would be willing to purchase a better lense if need be. ANy and all tips you could give me would be wonderful, I have about 2 weeks to practice before the big party. Thanks.

Just use the lens you have but buy a good flash. Canon flashes tend to be more expensive than their nikon counterparts but what can ya do? The Speedlight 430-EX is probably the best deal you'll get canon-side. The reason the flash is going to be the most important thing is that with an external-non camera flash you can use bounce flash (tilt the head up and bounce the light off of the ceiling) that will yield professional level results. The lighting will far offset any improvements that a different lens will give you. There are some excellent articles online on how to bounceflash. You might also want a little diffuser (they usually sell for $14) that you put on top of the flash to give you nice high quality soft portrait light.

You may also want to look at the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. It's awesome for portrait shots, allows lower light shots than the kit lens, and generally yields a better quality photo. Best of all, it only sets you back $75-$100. I put one on my DRebel XT, and I don't think I've had the kit lens on it since.

BUT, the flash will help you more with indoor events than the lens will, so if you're only going to buy one, buy the flash.

- Joe U.

P.S. Go Navy!