conference photography - please help advice needed!

[antoniopolimeni]

Hi everyone,

 

I've been asked to take pictures of speakers at a conference at my university.

for some reason I've been mistaken for a professional photographer when I am

absolutely far from it. There is no way of going back so I am looking for a way

not to embarass myself. I have a Canon Rebel Xt/350D with the simple 18-55

lens) and I am learning to use it right now. However, I have no idea as to what

the best settins would be to cover this conference. The conference will take

place in a lecture hall (no natural light, white cold light I guess, cold

colors). As this is really an emergency advice request would anyone be able to

point towards the right settings? Thank you so much in advance!

[Matt Laur]

Will you have an opportunity to use a tripod? With not-very-good light, you'll need a longer exposure to make up for the fact that your kit lens won't help with a wider aperture. Do you know how close you'll be able to get to your subjects? Are these all lecturn shots, or is it more of a social mix-and-talk sort of setting? A little more insight into the sorts of shots you'll be expected to produce will help with the advice.

[antoniopolimeni]

Wow! thank you so much for such a prompt answer. It is actually a conference so there will be guest speakers behind a podium with the audience in front. I only have the 18-55 lens but can get closer to the subjects. The light will be completely artificial as there are not windows. I am guessing that taking pictures with the flash is not a good idea, but there should be more than enough light. What settings should I use so that I don't have to use a flash? What ISO? I will be holding the camera with my hands and the speakers will obviously be talking. I need the settings that will allow me to take a picture without flash, quick enough to get a still that is not blurred of a subject in cold/flurescent light and will be 3-4 meters away and I do not have an image stabilizer lens .... thanks a lot

[bill_brock1]

Im not the one to answer this but Ill try. Set your camera to flurescent lighting and run up to a iso of 500 and no higher IMO. Aperture around f2 or as low as the number will go and try to sit where there is plenty of light for your camera. And last but not least photo shop the hell of of the photos. You'll be alright!

BillDozer

[tdigi]

Antonio, I did pretty much the same thing I had a friend in marketing who's photographer

did not show up so since I had a rebel 300D with a decent lens I did the gig. I have a

design background so I was able to fix up my so so shots. This may be a good thing, it

was for me and I have gotten much better and I ended up doing many more gigs for this

same group.

 

I did have an external flash which helps. If your shooting speakers you may be far away

where its not of much use. I would suggest get as close as you can Use a pretty High ISO

maybe 800 or 1600 if needed. A grainy shot is better then no shot. Use the fastest shutter

you can get away with. and the largest aperture you can get open to.

 

When shooting someone speaking its probably good to wait for them to pause and look

up. Be ready to catch something special. ( when they make a key point ) or smile etc.

 

Good luck.

[tdigi]

Also, From what I understand that is not the best lens, maybe do some quick shots when you

arrive to make sure your getting a decent histogram. start low on the ISO and move higher as

needed. Remember you will need a shutter no slower then around 1/30 to freeze the

movement. you don't want any motion blur on the subject.

 

If you can upgrade your lens that would be of great help. You may struggle to get good shots

with that lens

[john_elder1]

Here is an idea, just an idea. Don't shoot the speakers while on stage, but off stage in a controlled, set-up enviornment with your camera on tripod in a fairly well lit room and or with lights. Shoot the speakers after they are done with their talk so they are relaxed.

[kev_400d]

Not sure when the conference is so my advice may come too late. I'm not a great photographer but I do work in conferencing and events and we often hire photogs so I can tell you what they will expect.

 

Delegate registration -

- Registration desk looking busy

- People picking up badges

- etc

 

Conference sessions:

- Close-up shots

- Each speaker

- Looking passionate

- Waving their arms

- Taking questions

- Audiance members

- Looking interested

- Asking questions

- Wider shots of the whole scene

- From the back of the hall

- each speaker - getting the audiance and screen in

- Looking passionate

- Waving their arms

- Taking questions

 

- From the front

- The audiance

- Looking interested

- Hands up

- asking questions

 

Break out sessions

- People in conversation

- People having coffee

- People looking at the schedule

 

If it's the sort of conference where you get sponsors

- Delegates talking to sponsors

- Dleagates at the sponsors tables

- Delagates looking interested in the sponsors materials

- Delegates looking interested at the tacky freebes

 

Etc. there's loads of other stuff but those above are the important ones. Ask for a briefing meeting to discuss what they want, use the above as a guide that'll give them the impression you have some idea what you're talking about. Also get them to show you what they've used the pics for in the past. Look at their website, brochures and look at pics from past conferences...

 

Equipment wise:

 

You would be much better with a longer lens, anything longer than you have would do but I'd sugest hiring a 100-400L or a 70-200 2.8l you'd be suprised how cheap it is!

 

Most of what you'll be looking for are candid shots so a longer lens would help with that and unless you can get quite close to the speakers along the side the sessions'll be quite dificult as well!

 

For the shots of the speakers: it tends to be quite dark but use a tripod / monopod and don't be afraid of long exposures speakers tend to pause motionless at the right moments, just count on a high proportion of rejects.

 

Good luck!

[aepelbacher]

Thank you all for this input - my situation is almost the same as Antonio's. My employer is having a conference, the office manager likes my photos of mountains and architecture, thus she insists that I am the ONLY one she will accept as the conference photographer. I have protested and protested. Then our IT guy asked me what kind of camera I have. When I answered "Canon 40D" (I should have said a disposable or something), he told the office manager that if I'm using that camera, I am more than qualified to be their formal conference photographer. I don't even own a flash beyond the on-camera flash. Ugh! Any more input would be greatly appreciated! :-)