How to take night group photos?

[ezhub]

Hi, i've experience a hard time trying to take night group photos against SG skyline(esplande).
The group is about 4 to 5 pax & camera is on a tripod. People appeared to be unexposed vs the brightly lit background. Used flash and the background tend to black-out. Using remote to activate shutter.
Any tips on it?

 

[ThePortfolioPro]

I'm not that best at night shots but I'd use a high ISO like 6400 and a high F-stop like F13 and see if you get better results. whith everything coming into the picture.

 

[catchlights]

Hi, i've experience a hard time trying to take night group photos against SG skyline(esplande).
The group is about 4 to 5 pax & camera is on a tripod. People appeared to be unexposed vs the brightly lit background. Used flash and the background tend to black-out. Using remote to activate shutter.
Any tips on it?

shoot with flash, set your camera to slow sync.

 

[luntut]

do what catchlights say.

or else, if you wan very very nicely exposed pictures, do this:
1. put on tripod, set it to 5 second exposure, ISO200, f/11
2. set up flash. normal or rear sync also can.
3. aim, and shoot. make sure your group of people do not move, after the flash goes off. wait for 5 secs.

you will get very nicely exposed pictures, frnt and rear, with a great DOF.

 

[Diavonex]

Hope the group can freeze themself for 5 seconds.

 

[luntut]

Hope the group can freeze themself for 5 seconds.

they dun need to freeze themselves totally. as long as they stand there to block out the background light.

if they move away after the flash goes off... the image captured will make them appear to be transparent...

 

[Diavonex]

Got you! Basically the flash capture the group while the time exposure capture the background.

 

[smile_gerard]

Actually why experiment a little... Fix it up on a tripod, take a shot of the background first. Then get everyone to come in and you shoot with the flash. Go home and photoshop the background in? If not i guess high ISO with big aperature would be your best bet.

 

[luntut]

Got you! Basically the flash capture the group while the time exposure capture the background.

haha exactly.

however, effect will still come out a bit weird, somehow... not natural... though the exposure will be very nicely done on foreground and background...

i tried the photoshopping idea.. looked even more weird...

 

[jgjonathangoh]

maybe instead of 5 sec, just use 1/2 sec with flash at low power? lights up the pple yes the slow shutter allows more light from background to be taken in?
I dont know.. just talking crap

 

[zac08]

As jg said, I prefer a slightly slower shutter speed of as low as 1/15 which I can be comfortable with hand holding speeds and fire with a negative ev flash setting (-1.0 to -2.0, depending on how far or near your subjects are) Do remember to bump up the ISO and use a larger aperture for this.

Practise and try... you'll see....