Black tie event (1 week) - How's my preparation and checklist looking?

[emc]

Greetings fellow Photo.net patrons.

 

I was invited (and asked nicely) by my company to photograph one of our

upcoming black tie social and dinner events. (I am the office's official

photographer these days.) The setting calls for indoor and outdoor photography

beginning at 4:30PM and ending sometime in the evening around 9PM. The sun

sets at around 6:15 these days so I am anticipating constantly changing light

not to mention indoor incandescent vs. sunlight. I anticipate the facility

where the event is being held to be inadequately or dimly lit at best. I've

photographed 2 weddings "for friends" and had decent results. The environment

or people do not worry me as much as the settings described above.

 

I have not been given any specific instruction or request for photos, but the

event will feature some of the following elements: ice sculpture, food buffet

w/ carving station, outdoor fountain, horse drawn carriage, floral

arrangements, etc. In addition, VIP's and local politicians will be present.

 

Do's and Don'ts: Is there any particular etiquette I should follow in terms of

when to and when not to photograph? Is it courteous to request a photo of a

guest rather than just candidly snapping away? I imagine there will be a

presentation or guest speaker at some point. A tuxedo will be provided for the

event so appearance is not a concern. I may eat something in advance so that I

can remain productive throughout the evening.

 

Equipment & redundancy checklist:

 

(2) Nikon D100 bodies w/ grips & extra batteries

(2) Nikon SB-600 w/ Stofen diffusers, WB gels, & plenty of batteries (16 or so)

(1) Nikon SC-28 sync cord

(1) Stroboframe Pro-T w/ anti-twist plates (just ordered today!)

(2) 2GB cards

(The extra gear will more than likely be locked in a closet)

 

Ok - which lens to use? The widest angle lenses I currently have are a Nikon

24-120 VR 3.5-5.6 and Sigma 28-70 2.8-4. I'm not totally thrilled with either

of these lenses in previous situations where the light was dim. The pictures

were slightly out of focus or too soft. I would like something wider somewhere

around 18mm, but I'm not too sure there is much difference there. Should I

invest in a 50mm f1.4 or f1.8 for this event? Should I consider a super wide

angle lens such as a Sigma 10-20?

 

Flash usage - bounce flash with a card or stick with the Stofen? Red eye

should be minimized if not completely eliminated with the bracket - correct?

Additionally, there shouldn't be a need to enable the red eye reduction

feature on the flash - agreed? I've never used a flash/flip bracket before.

Tips there would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you for your insights, suggestions, "gotchas", and encouragement. I

anticipate the evening to be a success. I have a week to prepare so thanks for

the prep talk.

 

- Eugenio

[cameradude]

I have three things for you to think about:

 

Memory cards.

 

How high is the cieling at the event? Bounce flash might not work.

 

Your lenses will work for this event, but you might consider renting or investing in a wider one than you have.

 

The SB-600 will work, but be sure you recognize when the batteries start to wear off... SB-800 is stronger and can be thrown brighter and further.

 

I wouldn't photograph someone with a mouthful of jumbo shrimp about to sip from their martini glass. Dirty tables are also a distraction. I've heard most people put their camera down when the forks are picked up.

 

Good luck, sounds like you got it under control, but remember to assert yourself as the photographer and don't be afraid to ask someone to move around, but just be polite.

[j_c38]

Did I miss or did you forget to put Tux in your equipment list. Don't stick out. Blend in.

 

As far as asking, depends partly on what they want. It never hurts to know who's who and get some quickly posed "candid" shots of the VIP's.

 

DO NOT take pictures of poeple eating, drinking, or smoking.

 

Lens, I would go with the 28-70. the 24-120 would be my runner-up.

[steve_l]

Hi Eugenio, I agree with all of the above advice. I shoot these type of events all of the time, and in my experience candid shots during the coctail hour or social do not work too well. I usually walk around and look for small groups of people mingling and ask them if I can take a quick shot of them together. People are always receptive to this. Always take two because I guarentee somebody will have their eyes closed in one. Try to do a lot of these type photos. My customers always like these the best. Bounce if you can. And also shoot manually and shoot with the slowest shutter speed you can handle to pick up ambient light. Good luck.

[lucafoto]

All great tips to follow!

4gb of memory may not be enough, especially if you are shooting RAW.

 

I would like to add when shooting the VIPs or politicians always make them look good! Taking a lower angle makes them look bigger- they like that, and you may get other jobs from them.

[emc]

Robert - I have a Sigma 17-35 f2.8 on the way. I figure I'll get a request to shoot the Holiday Party in December so I'll need it then too.

 

JC - Free tux rental included with the job. :) Thanks for the "no eat/smoke/drink" photo tip! I hadn't really thought of it, but I can see where it can be somewhat rude and not flattering.

 

Steve - Gotcha on the ambient lighting thing. I am anticipating low lighting so I'll do the best I can there.

 

Luca - I haven't had the best of luck with RAW. On my old Hitachi 4GB MicroDrive, the camera buffer (D100) gets full quick and leaves my camera disabled until everything is written to the card - VERY frustrating! My newer SanDisk Extreme II seems to have a *much* better r/w spped. Perhaps I'll have the 2nd D100/SB-600 over my other shoulder to fill in while the buffer clears on the first camera.

 

Thanks all for your comments. Only a few more days and counting until the event. I'll post some follow-up photos for your review next weekend

 

Thanks again,

 

Eugenio