Kids Photo Advise Needed

[brlcc]

Hi Bros,
Quite an amateur in photography, just went to a kids party and took a few photos. Need some expert advise whether how can I improve on the skills later on. Thanks.

Details of the Photograph:
EOS 500D | Lens 18-200mm | Aperture f4 | Focal Length 18mm | ISO 400 |

Questions:
1. The place was dimmed to just some disco lights, only light source was from the windows in the background. I did not have any external flash with me, hence in this kind of situation, does it helps if I use together with a 270EX or better 580EX external flash during the shoot?

2. Will the shoot be better if I get a 50mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.8 lens? I understand these lens are suitable for low light shooting.

Thanks.

 

[brlcc]

 

[Numnumball]

I said u need both a fast lens and an external flash..
Used sparingly and it will help, the pic is seriously underexposed without the aid of an external flash. There's not much ambient light, tats why ur ended up with a dull flat pic..

 

[oracle0711]

I will definitely go with a external flash - http://www.flickr.com/photos/sypro/sets/72157622794863658/ (some pictures from a birthday party taken inside a childcare center using 30d with 580 ex II (for some reasons, the exif data on flickr state flash was off... but a 580EX was used on that day as it was raining outside)

Wide aperture lens such as the 1.4 or the 1.8 does help but in the end, it is still depends on how well lit is the place and your shooting preference. For me, I tend to shoot more on aperture priority mode and balance the flash power with ISO. In most instances f/4 or 5.6 is what i tend to set in my camera.

I cannot help you with the composition based on the above. So you might want to pose more so that other members can give their comments as well.

Cheers

Daniel

 

[Will03]

hmm.. y not u increase yur ISO ?
do not be afraid to shoot at higher ISO.. since the noise control is quite good in all these new cameras..

fast lenses definitely will help in a certain way..

flash or no flash.. really depend on personal preference and shooting style..
for me, in such situations, I will not use any flash..

also.. wif regards to composition.. you might want to think about wat you want to show in the picture ?


cheers

 

[brlcc]

Thanks for your all kind advise.

 

[brlcc]

From your Flickr photos, seem that there is already flourscent lighting in the classroom, right? By the way,
wat's the lens you are using?

 

[brlcc]

1. As I understand that 50mm f1.4 is used in low light conditions, do people still use the external flash together with it during the shoot?

2. Shall I get the 580EX external flash or the 270EX is sufficient enough?

 

[ortega]

1. get the flash first
2. then puch up the iso

try not to use big aperture for group shots

 

[brlcc]

Here are some more poor photos taken on that day. ;p

Photo #2

Photo #3

 

[m3lv1nh0]

FWIW, I would have a prime lens + flash ready for different situtations. When the lights are dim with only the disco lights on, the prime lens + high iso would help to capture the ambience. Using flash here will likely cancel out the disco lights. When it's time for group shots, I will whip out the flash, set a small aperture to have enough DOF for the whole group to be sharp.

 

[pinholecam]

Get a flash. Learn how to use it.
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/

 

[oracle0711]

Yes, the room was lighted with fluorescent lights. Lens was my friend's 24-105 and I borrowed his 30d also... I don't own a camera

From your Flickr photos, seem that there is already flourscent lighting in the classroom, right? By the way,
wat's the lens you are using?

 

[Squid]

Should pace of action not too fast, you can also experiment with this combination
-- set flash to front (or rear) slow sync mode
-- set ISO setting to highest or close to highest possible level

High ISO setting reduces the shutter speed. Outcome maybe a image reflecting the ambient lighting of room and children properly exposed.

Image stabilization of lens is a definite plus in this instance.

 

[m3lv1nh0]

Should pace of action not too fast, you can also experiment with this combination
-- set flash to front (or rear) slow sync mode
-- set ISO setting to highest or close to highest possible level

High ISO setting reduces the shutter speed. Outcome maybe a image reflecting the ambient lighting of room and children properly exposed.

Image stabilization of lens is a definite plus in this instance.

I think you meant high ISO "increases" the shutter speed.

 

[catchlights]

Should pace of action not too fast, you can also experiment with this combination
-- set flash to front (or rear) slow sync mode
-- set ISO setting to highest or close to highest possible level

High ISO setting reduces the shutter speed. Outcome maybe a image reflecting the ambient lighting of room and children properly exposed.

Image stabilization of lens is a definite plus in this instance.

I think you meant high ISO "increases" the shutter speed.

reduces as in shorten

increases as in become larger or lengthen

Higher ISO setting yield larger EV, to compensate it need to decrease/reduce aperture setting or decrease/reduce/shorten shutter speed

 

[smile_gerard]

I'd say you really need a flash with a diffuser for it. Personally i find that the "Light sphere" does the job for that kind of scenario. Where else the "Stofen" is small, light and convenient. It is very commonly used but i don't quite like it. Lens wise you don't have to go to the extent of shooting at F1.8 or even F1.4 as the DOF will be too thin. But if you are shooting individuals then yea by all means the 50mm will be great. You would still need the flash thou. I'd go with Nissin Di866 as its more affordable and get a Tamron 17-50 F2.8

 

[brlcc]

Smile Gerard: Read from some reviews that Nissin Di866 is quite comparable to Canon EX 580 II but in some ways 580 is better in performance and of course the cost of
Canon is also superior to Nissin

By the way, how much does Nissin cost? Thanks

 

[smile_gerard]

Smile Gerard: Read from some reviews that Nissin Di866 is quite comparable to Canon EX 580 II but in some ways 580 is better in performance and of course the cost of
Canon is also superior to Nissin

By the way, how much does Nissin cost? Thanks

$410
That is why i would suggest going for that. It is supposely more powerful then the Nikon SB900. To be honest i almost bought one but the dealer only gave me the info i needed after i got a SB800.

 

[brlcc]

This is another photo taken by my friend compact camera but some of my photos taken from my EOS 500D, also have the similar issues.

You can see the demonic fiery eyes in the kids, any way to avoid this? Is it becos of the flash being directly on them?