How would you light it?

I'll be doing presidential handshakes (company, not US) at an event on Wednesday... and come to think of it, I'll also be doing group portraits next week too. I have to get through a large amount of people in a very short amount of time (less than 1 minute per group, mostly 4 or less people... possibly a few larger). For the event on Wednesday, EVERYONE will be old, since it's a 30, 35, 40 service award ceremony. It is likely that MOST will be wearing glasses (academics), and likely a good number without anti-reflective coatings. I do these regularly on a one-to-one basis with no problem, but having to do groups of four or five at a time, with a fast turnover, has me thinking I need a foolproof lighting solution that doesn't need to be moved for anyone. Glasses reflection is my main concern, shadows on larger groups another. Since the room I'm doing this in doesn't have especially high ceiling (probably 9, possibly 10 feet), I'm thinking that a strobe on a stand, either side of the group, and just in front, bounced off the ceiling (which is white) is probably my most foolproof set up. I'm thinking Godox AD-200's with the speedlite head so that there's no direct light hitting glasses. With this, I might get some slightly dark eye sockets which should be cleanable, and possibly some graded, longer reflections, which hopefully won't completely kill the eyes. Only need to get 10x8 prints from my D850, so lots of latitude to up the ISO a bit, and lots of latitude to touch up some shadows in the eyes. I have some set up and test time ahead of the start of the event to tweak position of lights. Lighting in the room is not good.

I do have umbrellas (and softboxes come to that), but I think ensuring there are no reflections from such, that bounce lighting is the best option.

Do you agree, or would you do it differently? The room is a decent size, but set up is within around 15ft wide by 25ft long area within the room.

Sure, you can set up a strobe with an umbrella and that will work nicely, though it nails you into one location and someone will have to round up your subjects. This can be a super headache.

I've shot hundreds/thousands of these things and I almost always use the newsman's trick of an on-camera flash with a white card on the back of the flash head. You use bounce flash, but the white card provides pleasant fill light. This way you can move freely and get tons of shots.

Just to clarify... To honor 30-35-40 years of service to an organization, it has assigned you the task of devoting 15 seconds per person (four together, in a minute) to commemorate their careers, up to this week.

I'm not sure how you cut four steers from the herd and get them into the corral in 15 seconds each. Shift one from the left end to the right end, move one eight inches to the left so the background symbols can be seen, and so on. Fix a necktie.

Touch up some hair.

Powder the bald guy's noggin.

Takes a while

I'd build a white room using scrims with strobes on the outside, sending light through the sides. Like putting them in a big softbox.

I would give no thought at all to a plan to light the eyes poorly in the first place, and then try to fix them all in Photoshop. I'd try to do it right in the first place.

Or, flash on a bracket on a camera. Second flash on a lightstand pointed at the background.

BAK

BAK said:

Just to clarify... To honor 30-35-40 years of service to an organization, it has assigned you the task of devoting 15 seconds per person (four together, in a minute) to commemorate their careers, up to this week.

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No, but close. they've assigned me 45 minutes to shoot anyone who wants to get shot. There will be 40-50 people at the event, each with their families, and/or work colleagues. So they don't arrive in groups of four and have to be shot one at a time. It's arrive however they arrive and get one shot per group. Well, preferably several to allow for blinkers.

It's not part of their package, or their celebration. It's just a thing they can do if they want while they wait for the proceedings to begin. Some do, some don't.

BAK said:

I'd build a white room using scrims with strobes on the outside, sending light through the sides. Like putting them in a big softbox.

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I don't have scrims but in any event, I don't think there would be enough room to do this.

BAK said:

I would give no thought at all to a plan to light the eyes poorly in the first place, and then try to fix them all in Photoshop. I'd try to do it right in the first place.

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Of course. If I bounce the light far enough ahead, most people would not have this problem. Some people have very deep set eyes... it will happen.

BAK said:

Or, flash on a bracket on a camera.

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Pointing where?

hotdog321 said:

Sure, you can set up a strobe with an umbrella and that will work nicely, though it nails you into one location and someone will have to round up your subjects. This can be a super headache.

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It will be in one location... that's not a problem. Subjects come to me, not me to them.

hotdog321 said:

I've shot hundreds/thousands of these things and I almost always use the newsman's trick of an on-camera flash with a white card on the back of the flash head. You use bounce flash, but the white card provides pleasant fill light. This way you can move freely and get tons of shots.

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How do you avoid reflections from your bounce card in their glasses?

richiebee said:

hotdog321 said:

Sure, you can set up a strobe with an umbrella and that will work nicely, though it nails you into one location and someone will have to round up your subjects. This can be a super headache.

Click to expand...

It will be in one location... that's not a problem. Subjects come to me, not me to them.

richiebee said:

I've shot hundreds/thousands of these things and I almost always use the newsman's trick of an on-camera flash with a white card on the back of the flash head. You use bounce flash, but the white card provides pleasant fill light. This way you can move freely and get tons of shots.

Click to expand...

How do you avoid reflections from your bounce card in their glasses?

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If you light faces with glasses, you get reflections. The reflections will be smaller with a bounce/card combo. Shrug.

This might help, http://strobist.blogspot.ca/2006/04/lighting-101-lighting-for-glasses.html?m=1

Being a full time corporate event shooter and having done a lot of these types of shoots over the years, I'll just tell you what I/we do.

One of our biggest clients is Publix. We do their service award dinners every year. Same thing you are doing. Employees who have been there 20, 25, 30, etc. pose with either the CEO or any one of three to four presidents/VPs, etc. At those, we set up a simple muslin and two umbrellas. Nothing fancy. Umbrella not real high but about 7 feet high. Umbrella stops right above my head and I am 5' 11"

Heres the thing. These are quick posed shots at an event. Not a fine portrait. Do I get a few with glasses and get some reflections in some? Yes. If I do see it, I ask if they can tilt their head down a bit. If I still get reflections, oh well. You don't have time to fine tune each and every person. Takes too long and I am sure the CEO or whoever does not want you to take that long. They want to get it done quickly.

I also do a lot of meet and greets. I have set up lights but most times it's flash on camera/bracket with a white bounce card. Even a Gary Fong LS would work. Depends on the walls and the ceilings. Again, these are quick grip and grins. You will get a few with glasses that will get a reflection. Again, not a lot you can do due to time. In a perfect world, sure. When you have little time and have to get it done, no.

I also just did group shots on a small stage for Enterprise the other day. I do this a few times a year for them and the always request me. Why? They want it done fast. Two shots. Thats it. I used flash on camera with a bounce card. Not the greatest lighting but for what it is and how it's being use, it's not that big of a deal. They also had a black background. And no wall or ceilings nearby for bounce. But the bounce card does at least get the flash up a little higher.

Heck, I just did a meet and greet with Tim Allen for Dish Network. He requests NO flash or ANY supplemental lighting at his meet and greets. Not sure why but it was room light only. Yes, the lighting was terrible since it was just the recessed lighting in the ceilings. I shot raw and we adjusted as best we could in post.

This is EVENT photography. Not fine art or fine portraiture. Sure, when you can, create some great lighting. But on the quick things, just get a good exposure and deal with it.

This is what it looks like.


DESCRIPTION OF THE RIG

Imagine a DSLR camera, in landscape (horizontal) orientation.

Imagine a U-shaped metal bar, the bracket, tipped sideways.

What is now the bottom of the bracket is screwed into the bottom of the camera, and what is now the top of the bracket extends horizontally over the top of the camera, ending above the prism.

On the top of the brack, over the prism, is a cold shoe.

Get a cable (Canon off camera shoe cord, for Canon)

Slide one end of the cable into the cold shoe on the bracket, and the other end into the hot shoe built into the top of the camera.

NOW, the camera and the flash will think the flash is in the hotshoe of the camera and will be fully automatic, just like an on -camera flash.

So, looking up from the bottom, and at the front of the camera, you see the bottom of the bracket, then the lens, then the prism, then one end of the flash cable, then a coiled cord, then the top section of the bracket, then a cold shoe, and plugged into the cold shoe is the other end of the flash cable. On the top of the flash cable is a hot shoe. Slid into the hot shoe is the fitting on the bottom of the flash gun. Point the flash head straight ahead. You may be able to point the flash head down a tiny bit.

You'll notice the flash head is a long way above the camera.

Leave it pointed ahead, and down a touch. (most brackets allow for this downward angle.

Set your camera and flash in a manner you know and trust.

If it was me, it would be manual camera and manual flash.

Stand your people four or five feet or so from the wall behind them.

Press the shutter release, nice bright clear light will illuminate the people. Because the flash is above the lens, shadows will be directly behind the people. The angle will make them low.

ABOUT BRACKETS - you'll see various models. The good ones can turn sideways so the flash head remains above the lens for vertical / portrait pictures.

These are favorite with old wedding photographers because the pictures are clear, dress fabrics are well defined, and so on. I've shot hundreds of weddings with Stroboframe brackets.

With the camera's neck strap around your neck, both hands are free for getting names and titles and caption information.

BAK