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Welcome to the 617th issue of SnapShot! Hello,
February may be winding down, but here at BetterPhoto, we are gearing up for March. In fact, next week is the launch of a new session of online photo courses! Classes kick off on March 6th, but if you enroll now, you can get started with an early lesson. See the school schedule here... Not sure which class is best for you? Check out our updated course calculator. In this issue, see the work of several BetterPhoto instructors: two Get Creative articles ('Gaining Stature with Wide-Angle' and 'The Art of Going Back for Seconds'), and an excellent Q&A ('Portrait of High School Orchestra'). That's it for now. Have fun with your photography! Kerry Drager
Newsletter Editor
Articles From BetterPhoto:
One of the ways to make a short person appear taller is to use a wide-angle lens and shoot from a low perspective. Check out instructor Jim Zuckerman's excellent BetterPhoto article! Start paying more attention to the quality of natural light and your photographs will more consistently match your hopes - and your vision. Read more in Kerry Drager's BetterPhoto article...
Photo Q&A:
Portrait of High School Orchestra Q: I have been asked to take a portrait of a high school orchestra that has 60-70 members. The orchestra will be on a stage with a black background.
I plan to use two AB 800 strobes, placed high and about 1/3 from each end and pointed towards the back of the opposite side. I plan to use 64" soft silver parabolic umbrellas. Alternative is to use the reflectors with no modification. The strobes will be 10-20 feet from the first row. I can also use my Nikon 700 speedlight to fill in the center area, if needed. I plan to shoot from a ladder with Nikon D700 with a 24-85 zoom, using shutter speed 160 or greater, adjusting f-stop and ISO to give good DOF. I will need to check White Balance with the stage lights and the strobes. I might be able to turn down the stage lights just before I shoot. I will ask for an opportunity to test out lighting prior to the event.
My concerns are: if the strobe s will give adequate light, shadows in the orchestra and on the background, best position for the strobes, do I need light on the background, etc. I will appreciate any suggestions and comments.
Thanks - Bill - William R. Box
ANSWER 1: Hi Bill,
Interesting question! If your umbrellas are truly parabolic, do NOT use them. A parabolic umbrella is designed to throw a big spot, which would be very bad for lighting a large group. I did a test on my silver parabolic umbrella and it really does throw a spot. You might test yours by shooting against a large white wall. A 45-inch standard silver umbrella might work well for you, and you can get them cheaply.
Next, have you successfully synced your Nikon Speedlight with the Alien Bees in the past? If not, you may find that this is difficult to do. Just the reflectors on the Alien Bees will probably work pretty well. I would use the stage lighting with the Bees. Change your shutter speed until you find one long enough to allow the tungsten stage lighting to fill the shadows and warm up the shot just a little; I would guess around a 15th to a 30th, rather than the faster speed you men tioned. Shoot in RAW, then you can adjust for a pleasing color balance when you convert to JPG.
Good Luck!
- John Siskin, BetterPhoto instructor Learn more about John Siskin and his online courses here...
ANSWER 2: Consider doing composites of smaller groups of people. Or if lighting the entire area poses too much of a problem, you can light smaller sections and move the lights light other sections. Then put them together. A lot of photos of large areas are done that way. - Gregory LaGrange
Read the complete 'Portrait of High School Orchestra' discussion here...
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