film for evening outdoor pictures...

[rlynn5]

Well, I finally got to the point where I fee okay about taking pictures at this wedding that's coming up, but the mother of the groom has now asked me to take outdoor candid shots at the rehearsal dinner this week-end...it never ends with these people! I have very little experience with evening pictures, even with point and shoot, I've primarily taken daytime shots. Will I be okay with 400 speed film and 50mm lens and SB28 flash? I also have the 28/105 lens, but I haven't used it in low light situations yet and I don't think this is the time for experimentation. I've searched other threads here, but I couldn't really get an idea of what would be best. Some posts make it seem like maybe 800ISO would be best? Will I get a lot of red eye in this situation? I'm going to buy a flash bracket, but even though I know it may be the best thing to use, I feel silly using it (a complete amateur posing as a real photographer).

As always, thanks for you input and patience. I hope to someday feel confidant enough to contribute here instead of just mooching all the free photography advice!

[another view]

A flash bracket will make a big difference with shadows and redeye. With the flash a little higher than it would normally be, the shadows will drop behind the subject and you won't have a dark shadow ring around someone who's close to a wall. I liked Stroboframe's Cameraflip the best out of the two I had and it fit my Nikon F100 very well - but not the others. I wouldn't buy one of these without trying it out first. I'd recommend the anti-twist plates for both flash and camera too, and you'll need a TTL flash cord like a Nikon SC17.

Film speed doesn't cause redeye (not sure if that's your thinking from reading your post). Stick with 400 for everything so you won't have to worry about any mixup with that. The 50 is a good bet but bring the 28-105 and see how it handles. I'd set the flash in 3D Matrix mode, camera in manual exposure at 1/60 and f5.6 and let it do it's thing (assuming it's inside, outside settings would be different). Glance down at the camera from time to time to make sure the settings don't get bumped. Other than that, it's focus and shoot!

EDIT: Oops - just read "outdoor" evening pictures... Don't use manual exposure mode, save those settings above for indoor use where it's pretty dark. I'd probably recommend Program mode here (yeah, that's a first!). Before sunset, maybe set the flash still to 3D Matrix but at -0.7. After sunset turn it back up to 0.0 (zero). Still keep that ISO400 film.

[rlynn5]

okay...thank you as always for being so helpful. I just found out the other person that is taking pictures at the rehearsal and wedding will be using 400ISO for the "portraits" and 800ISO for everything else. I wasn't sure what to make of this because supposedly she has done this before and from everything I've read, that's a big no-no. I may cheat and use some 800 during the rehearsal also...we'll see...

Someone here had told me at one point that I should leave my camera on shutter priority during the ceremony to avoid camera shake. What does that mean exactly?

[another view]

ISO800 may come in handy, but it's one more thing to think about - that's why I suggested staying with ISO400. If you go this route, it might be good to keep the film separated (400 in on place in the bag; 800 in another) just to avoid an accident.

I don't often use shutter priority; generally with moving subjects and I don't do a lot of that. I guess it would work though. Flash is rarely allowed during a ceremony so you'll have low light levels to deal with if you're inside a building (another place for that ISO800 film). You could set the shutter speed at the lowest speed that you can comfortably handhold and let the camera pick the aperture. I use aperture priority most of the time but everyone works differently - there isn't really a right or wrong with this, it's what works best for you. If I'm in really low light and have a fast lens, I'll open the lens up all the way and let the camera pick the shutter speed. That way I know I'm getting the fastest shutter speed I can get based on the situation. If I notice my shutter speeds are faster than what I need, I might close the lens down a stop to get a little more depth of field to lessen the chance of a focusing error (f1.4 isn't very forgiving!).

It's best to try it for yourself, but a good starting point for the slowest shutter speed that you can handhold with acceptable sharpness would be the reciprocal of the focal length. All this means is that you'd want to shoot your 50mm lens at 1/60 or faster. With practice, you can probably get down to 1/30 but you also have to keep in mind what you're shooting. A subject that blurs at 1/30 will blur regardless of whether you use a 20mm or a 400mm lens, so there's only so low you can go. Fast lenses can really help keep the shutter speed up.

[rlynn5]

ohmigosh...there is so much to think about. It is all starting to make some sense though (just in time for the wedding! )

Thank you so much for all of your help. I'll try to post a couple of pictures when the whole thing is over, if I can. I don't know how much access I'll have to the pictures after I take them. I'm sure mother of the groom will take them back to Texas to get developed.

I can't thank you enough for all your help!!!

[another view]

Glad to help, hope all goes well! Batteries - don't forget the spare batteries...