Reading mode: Light Dark

Powerful enough?

Go to last post
R

rshunk1964

Forum Enthusiast
Messages
337
Reaction score
1
Location
Columbus, OH, US
My sister is studying to be a Medical Assistant and her class is having a pinning ceremony next month. There are actually three classes and they would all like a class picture. Unfortuneatly, I will only have about 15-20 minutes to get all three classes posed and shot (separately) before the ceremony starts.

I seriously doubt that in that short amount of time I will be able to set up a couple of strobes with softboxes - so I was thinking of using my Sunpak 622 (GN 200) as my main - and only - light.

Do you think that would be powerful enough to shoot some quick class pictures? The largest class has 20 people but the other two classes are smaller.

Bouncing will probably be out of the considering the gym ceiling is 30ft high, so I was thinking of mounting the flash on a lightstand above the camera.

Thoughts? Ideas/Suggestions?

Thanks!
Bob S.
 
Since you are essentially working with a point light source, arrange the people in an arc to avoid having too much fall off on the ends. You'll end up with the people in the middle being well lit and the edges being too dark if you aren't careful.

Also, if you have say, three rows of people, you will need to up the aperture to get enough DOF. Which will require more power from the flash. So be sure to let it recharge between shots.
--
Chefziggy
http://www.pbase.com/chefziggy/lecream

 
The two-light setup, each at 45 degrees to the group, will give you a better quality light, then you can line up the classes in a straight line which also looks better than having them stand in an arc, which means you can worry less about depth of field. And you don't necessarily have to set up softboxes, which would cut down the setup time. Just use strobe heads with the standard reflectors.

At the very least, you could use two speedlights instead of studio strobes, in the same configuration.

Since your shot is before the ceremony, can you not set up in advance?
rshunk1964 said:
My sister is studying to be a Medical Assistant and her class is
having a pinning ceremony next month. There are actually three
classes and they would all like a class picture. Unfortuneatly, I
will only have about 15-20 minutes to get all three classes posed and
shot (separately) before the ceremony starts.

I seriously doubt that in that short amount of time I will be able to
set up a couple of strobes with softboxes - so I was thinking of
using my Sunpak 622 (GN 200) as my main - and only - light.

Do you think that would be powerful enough to shoot some quick class
pictures? The largest class has 20 people but the other two classes
are smaller.

Bouncing will probably be out of the considering the gym ceiling is
30ft high, so I was thinking of mounting the flash on a lightstand
above the camera.

Thoughts? Ideas/Suggestions?

Thanks!
Bob S.
Click to expand...
 
Sushifiend3000 said:
The two-light setup, each at 45 degrees to the group,
Click to expand...
Just one light will ensure you don't get cross-over shadows and dark holes which tends to happen with refletors on direct flash.

With the SunPak you will be shooting at around f8 at ISO 100 so you shouldn't be lacking in any DOF.

--
Ian.

Samples of work: http://www.AccoladePhotography.co.uk
Weddings: http://www.AccoladeWeddings.com
Events: http://www.OfficialPhotographer.com

Theres only one sun. Why do I need more than one light to get a natural result?
 
Sushifiend3000 said:
The two-light setup, each at 45 degrees to the group, will give you a
better quality light, then you can line up the classes in a straight
line which also looks better than having them stand in an arc, which
means you can worry less about depth of field. And you don't
necessarily have to set up softboxes, which would cut down the setup
time. Just use strobe heads with the standard reflectors.

At the very least, you could use two speedlights instead of studio
strobes, in the same configuration.

Since your shot is before the ceremony, can you not set up in advance?
Click to expand...
There won't be any access to the place where the ceremony is being held until 1/2 hour prior to the ceremony. So whatever set-up I choose, it will have to be something that sets up fast and tears down fast. With the time constraints, there won't be time for a two light set-up.

Bob S.
 
UKphotographers said:
Sushifiend3000 said:
The two-light setup, each at 45 degrees to the group,
Click to expand...
Just one light will ensure you don't get cross-over shadows and dark
holes which tends to happen with refletors on direct flash.
Click to expand...
It tends to happen when there's nothing to fill in the shadows. That's what the opposite light is for.

The other factor is the ambient exposure. If the strobe exposure is close to the ambient, not more than 2/3 stops over, shadows won't be a problem.

One light right in front will work. Two lights just looks better. The OP should do tests anyway so he can walk into the situation with confidence.
 
rshunk1964 said:
There won't be any access to the place where the ceremony is being
held until 1/2 hour prior to the ceremony. So whatever set-up I
choose, it will have to be something that sets up fast and tears down
fast. With the time constraints, there won't be time for a two light
set-up.
Click to expand...
I hear you, Bob. I shoot corporate events and I understand the virtues of keeping things simple under time constraints.

I understand if you don't want to mess with this one. For the future though, I would familiarize myself with the two light setup for group portraits. It just looks better. In this case, I have to say that two light stands and two speedlights is not much effort considering the payoff, assuming that you have familiarized yourself completely with the setup before the day of the shoot.

I hope you can post the result of your group portrait here.

Jerome
 
jerome , do you have any samples of your two light setup for group portraits you could post along with light placement etc .
irishgene
Sushifiend3000 said:
I hear you, Bob. I shoot corporate events and I understand the virtues of keeping things simple under time constraints.
Click to expand...
I understand if you don't want to mess with this one. For the future though, I would familiarize myself with the two light setup for group portraits. It just looks better. In this case, I have to say that two light stands and two speedlights is not much effort considering the payoff, assuming that you have familiarized yourself completely with the setup before the day of the shoot.

I hope you can post the result of your group portrait here.

Jerome
 
I've done many large group shots quickly ( the largest being a choral group of 90 people shot in much the same time frame as described here) and find a balance of ambient and flash with one flash over the camera, well over the camera to be a pretty sure bet. You start crossing lights and if you don't get a shadow from one thing you will from another. One time we ended up editing out an an entire front row of shadows on the ladies dresses from pews. I'd rather move to ISO 400 to get the job done than mess with nasty shadows personally.

If you have the time for setup that's different. I think the OP is on the right track and has enough power with the 622 to do the job. We use the Qflash and that 90 person group we were able to bounce, though the ceiling was about 20 ft. up everything was painted white. One nice thing about a Qflash is the parabolic reflector which you can set to wide angle, it puts out pretty even light, especially on a bounce..

The problem I see here is if not to bounce and if to use multi rows for posing, equalling light intensity from direct flash will most likely require the flash to be above the camera in height but at a rear position. In other words well behind the shooting location so that intensity is more equal from front row to rear. The closer the flash is to the group the more fall off you will get to the rear row. Still, 20 people isn't very much, we do these size groups at weddings, even 35 people.

Don't be afraid to bump the ISO up to 400 and if that's a DX sensor F5.6 will give you DOF about the length of a city block with a focal length of about 30-35mm. I'm not kidding, F5.6 is actually problematic if you want a blurred background so I seriously doubt you will have trouble shooting these groups at F5.6 if you focus well into the group( maybe 1/3 way into the group). You can use ISO 100 and F8 if you like but you will just suck up battery power. We aren't talking about medium format here, then you would need F11 ( in fact I shot the same 90 member groujp when they were just 60 members in medium format probably ten years ago, ISO 800 and F11 on 6x7 film !!!!!!)..
David
rshunk1964 said:
My sister is studying to be a Medical Assistant and her class is
having a pinning ceremony next month. There are actually three
classes and they would all like a class picture. Unfortuneatly, I
will only have about 15-20 minutes to get all three classes posed and
shot (separately) before the ceremony starts.

I seriously doubt that in that short amount of time I will be able to
set up a couple of strobes with softboxes - so I was thinking of
using my Sunpak 622 (GN 200) as my main - and only - light.

Do you think that would be powerful enough to shoot some quick class
pictures? The largest class has 20 people but the other two classes
are smaller.

Bouncing will probably be out of the considering the gym ceiling is
30ft high, so I was thinking of mounting the flash on a lightstand
above the camera.

Thoughts? Ideas/Suggestions?

Thanks!
Bob S.
Click to expand...
 
WOW! Thanks David for all the great information!

I had already planned on attaching the flash to a lightstand and shooting it from above and behind the camera. Glad you mentioned that you thought that was the best way to achieve what I need.

I have a small softbox (12"x16") that fits my Sunpak 622 - do you think it would be worth it to use it or just stick with straight flash?

Thanks,
Bob S.
 
rshunk1964 said:
WOW! Thanks David for all the great information!

I had already planned on attaching the flash to a lightstand and
shooting it from above and behind the camera. Glad you mentioned
that you thought that was the best way to achieve what I need.

I have a small softbox (12"x16") that fits my Sunpak 622 - do you
think it would be worth it to use it or just stick with straight
flash?

Thanks,
Bob S.
Click to expand...
 
David Grabowski said:
..... and find a balance of ambient and flash with one flash over the
camera, well over the camera to be a pretty sure bet. You start
crossing lights and if you don't get a shadow from one thing you will
from another.
Click to expand...
Thanks David, - glad somebody else here knows what they're talking about. After a weekend away your post has saved me a load of time.

This thread shows the problem of using two lights with a group:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1025&thread=26565784

--
Ian.

Samples of work: http://www.AccoladePhotography.co.uk
Weddings: http://www.AccoladeWeddings.com
Events: http://www.OfficialPhotographer.com

Theres only one sun. Why do I need more than one light to get a natural result?
 
I have had similar situations and you should have no problem with your on camera flash. Use a tripod and set your camera for ambient light exposure, and use the flash as a fill and highlight for eyes and face. If you use a wide angle lens to get closer, make sure the lens is level and square so as to eliminate/reduce distortion.

You could easily test this out with one person before the event.
 
How about bringing an assistant? S/he should be able to setup two lights while you're unpacking and setting up the camera. Also, umbrellas set up a lot quicker than softboxes. Big ones on either side of the camera will minimize shadows.

Personally, I'd do this with three small lights:

Metz 54MZ-3 on camera

Two Lumedyne kits or Metz 50MZ-5 units on stands with umbrellas, slaved to the 54MZ-3.

You could probably even do it with three Canon or Nikon hotshoe flash units.

I avoid point source lighting like the plague.

--
'No matter where you go, there you are.'
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top