hi,
1. Use external flash unit if you have it. The oncamera flash gives nasty wash out effects, harsh shadows and very slow reload time.
agree. external flash with a reflector card is a must.
2. Push up iso to 800-1600 this is to be able to maintain shutter speeds this can be lower if your lens is fast or can go bigger aperture. (Can go for lower iso if shooting group shots coz those are most likely to be printed)
Am supprised many ppl use high ISO. I use iso400 only (but set to iso500 because my camnera's metering is consistantly under-exposed). the reason is at high iso you may have a little bit of noise. also, using too high iso will have a problem with shutter speed as i answer the next question.
3. Try to maintain shutter speed of 1/maximum focal length of the lens. Or atleast near there so you wont need to change shutter speed too often and miss out on the moment. Eg. For focal length 200mm i use 1/160. My lens are probably too cheap to go fast enough in low light.
My shutter speed is most likely at 1/30 or 1/15. not worry about camera shake when my hand is steady. subject will not move that fast, and won't be so obvious when the surrounding is not that bright. (Using rear curtain flash helps) . main reason for using slower shutter speed is so that you can expose for "longer" time to capture the dim background lighting, otherwise you have the subject will lited, but black background. The result is different from using higher ISO. try it for yourself.
Most people will probably be looking for sharp images , you wont need to try fancy stuff like slow shutter.
if shooting D & D, a little fancy slow shutter speed effects does bring out the atmosphere, esp the disco lighting. I use as slow as 1/4.
While shooting dinner try to shoot for verbs. Pictures that tell a story. Try to understand what is going on and shoot for an image that tells just that.
