Small Group Photo Indoors- lighting help needed

[elizabeth_horne]

A friend asked for an indoor family portrait of about 11 people in a

home- her dad is sick and they have limited time. I typically do

outdoor work- my indoor stuff is typically individuals or events

(candid). I have a few Nikon speedlights and I've used them

off-camera w/small softboxes, etc- but I realize this isn't enough.

The shoot will be in the evening too- so not much chance of window

light. I'd buy another flash or two but I'm not running out to buy

studio lights. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[michael_madio]

Have a look at this post http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00FI1s&tag= for lighting positions. You didn't mention which speedlites you are using but assuming they are reasonably powerful, you should be able to use ISO 400 film and get good results.

[rffffffff]

I think you could probably get away with speedlights as long as the walls and ceilings arent green or red or a real strong color... You could probably bounce as many of them as you can get your hands on off the ceiling and perhaps an appropriate wall to create a nice soft light...

 

from there, shoot with a low shutter speed, higher ISO and just enough aperture to cover the DOF needed. If you need more DOF and dont have enough light, bump your ISO up to cover the change in aperture... You can also point them towards the group at a 45 degree angle if you really dont have enough light, but I would avoid that if you can...

 

If the light is too directional and you have dark eyes, a single flash pointed directly at them from on the camera can create a nice fill too, but you have to be careful not to get the power up high enough to create new shadows...

[elizabeth_horne]

Thank you. This is very helpful and confirms what I was thinking. I really appreciate it.