Lighting for group portraits of dancers

I've been asked to take the pictures for an upcoming performance of

the "Nutcracker" ballet by a local community dance studio. I've shot

dance performances before and I'm pretty comfortable with shooting the

perfomance (actually dress rehersals), but the director would also

like some portraits of the dancers, preferable full length in their

costumes. The last dance performance I shot for another studio

included simple portraits (head and shoulders) of each dancer with a

black backdrop. I used one strobe with an umbrella and a reflector

for fill and simple loop lighting. I was then able to make a photo

collage of the portrait along with a shot of the dancer performing as

well as a group shot. I'm sold prints of all the photos and collages

as a fund raiser for the studio. The director of this new studio

would like something similar. But since the dancers are in costume,

she'd like full-length portraits and small group shots if possible

(ie. all the soldier dolls together).

At my disposal I have my 20D with an assortment of prime and zoom

lenses, and an Alienbees 800 with 60" umbrella. I also have a 550EX

that I can slave as a kicker. I'm still learning how to light for

portraits, that's why last time I kept it simple.

This time, I'm struggling a bit with these larger groups and the full

length portraits. Since the costumes are colorful and vary, and I

don't want the backdrop to compete with the costumes, I'm planning on

using a black or black/gray backdrop. I have a 10x24 I can borrow.

The space I have to work with is about 25 feet wide and about 20-25

feet deep (I haven't measured it yet). The ceiling is a vaulted

ceiling that peaks in the center about 11-12 feet. At the room sides

it's about 6 feet high.

I would appreciate some suggestions in a lighting setup for this

shoot. I'm open to getting another strobe, perhaps with a another

umbrella. I'm considering trying to make a large diffusion panel and

using one of the strobes as a key light through the panel using either

the umbrella or a dish with barn doors. I'd use the other umbrella as

fill. However, for the cost of making a scrim, I could probably buy a

large Alienbees softbox for not much more and get more control.

For the single portrait work, I'm pretty sure this would work (large

diffuse source for the key, umbrella for fill), but I'm not sure how

to do a group and where I should place the light sources? Another

consideration is that I'll be shooting these during a costume rehersal

so I won't have a lot of time to tweak settings; the dancers will come

for their portraits between their rehersals. I'd like to make one

setup and know it'll work for the entire shoot (or perhaps two setups,

one for the individual portraits and one for the small group).

Sorry for the long winded (worded?) question, but I wanted to make

sure I gave enough information for informed replies. I have to take

these portraits in about three weeks and if I need some more equipment

I wanted to get it and practice with some setups before the actual day.

I'd appreciate any help or advice. Thanks in advance.

You're right to keep the lighting the same for the individuals and the group: Less confusion, more aesthetic consistency.

If more than several individuals I think you really do need two big light sources, one on each side: You're trying to show people and costumes, not trying to create directional drama.

I'd forget that AB entirely and rent a more substantial unit with two heads and two white umbrellas (or two portable soft boxes). 800WS is plenty, split (I use Norman 800 and slow film that way). If you do use the AB and the little strobe you should restrict the AB to the same visual output... do some test shots on location, positioning your test individual on several extremes of the proposed setup.

Sounds like you're considering making things too complex, with various scrims and workarounds...

Check Joe McNally's website:

www.joemcnally.com

Lots of folks can do what he does, but his website contains examples and pages from his field notebooks. Might give you some ideas.

I would also reccomend Joe McNally's "the speed of light" DVD producded by Nikon School.

To say "a lot of people can do what he does" is a stretch though. I don't know many

photographers who can light Ellis Island with strobes or photograph a man changing a

light bulb on top of the Empire State Building.