Need to know if I can shoot indoors without flash & how to excel at photoshop CS5

[pammy_g]

<p>Hey there guys! I own a Nikon D5000 and I have lenses Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm, Nikon AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm and Nikon 35mm f/1.8. I don't have any flash systems because I don't really shoot indoors. I'm currently building my photography portfolio and I offered photography services for free just so I can build up portfolio and get a lot of pix taken so I can complete my photography website and start a small business as a side job. I use Lightroom & Color Efex Pro for editing, but now I am learning photoshop CS5 and doing everything I can to learn it. I bought a whole bunch of actions as well...but I am still going nuts learning how to use it! Do you know of any good courses or books I can read to learn more about photoshop because I really want to excel at it, especially for my business.</p>

<p>Another issue I have is that I am taking pics of a engaged couple this weekend, and they asked me if I can shoot their baptism. It will be in a church and at a reception later...since I don't have a flash system, I am hestistant to say no, especially since I have never done indoor photos. What should I do? What do you guys recommend I do? Should I get a flash system and do the event? Or should I decline and stick to what I know best and do better at? I never really liked using flash indoors either way because I feel flash annoys people. </p>

<p>Any tips or suggestions appreciated, thanks!</p>

[RobertChura]

<p>Any book by Scott Kelby is a good start</p>

[lisae]

<p>I have a D5000 and take a lot of indoor pictures without flash, but whether it will work for this occasion depends on the lighting in the church. Have you been in the church/reception area? Can you visit and take a few practice shots? I have a 50mm f/1.4 lens that I use indoors. Depending on the amount of light, I set the ISO as high as 1600 and I can get a decent shutter speed/aperture. I would think you could do the same with your 35mm lens. You can reduce the noise from the higher ISO in Lightroom.</p>

<p>I think Adobe has some free Lightroom/Photoshop tutorials on its website. You might also look here: http://tv.adobe.com/product/photoshop/ </p>

[pammy_g]

<p>That's a really good idea - I think I will stop by this weekend since I've never been there. She said the reception is connected to the church as well. I was thinking to use my zoom lenses.... I don't know what's appropriate to take for pictures inside a church...how close to be, or how far to be. I don't wanna be so close since it's a baptism. I have NO idea how it works but there's a first for everything!</p>

[lisae]

<p>I hadn't thought about the baptism part of this. Yes, you will probably need a zoom but your zoom lens may not let in enough light. I think it will be very helpful for you to visit ahead of time. In our church, it's fine to use a flash for events like this, but I'm not sure a flash will reach far enough to be effective. So far, I've only used an on-camera flash for fill-light - I haven't gotten any further than that so I don't know how to guide you. Also, someone at the church might be able to tell you where it is appropriate to stand. In our church it's common for parents/relatives to stand in front but off to the side to take pictures/videos. </p>

<p>I went to an outdoor baptism this summer and one of the church members took photos. It was early evening and we were in the shade so he used an on-camera flash with one of those plastic diffusers. He was within a few feet of the event. It's another idea...</p>

<p>I hope someone with more experience will weigh in!</p>

[pammy_g]

<p>I almost feel like I shouldn't do this because I have no experience with indoor events and I don't know what I'd do...I don't want to end up taking pictures she isnt happy with, but at the same time, the baptism is a week away. Maybe I should research photographers than can do that for her on a short notice, because I don't feel confident enough to do this while I'm still learning and growing as a photographer.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>Practice low light shooting by taking some photos in your house in the evening with the lights on, or during the last hour of daylight with a few lights on. See what ISO and shutter speed you need to take sharp hand-held photos.</p>

<p>Load the photos onto the computer and check for noise and grainy artifacts. See what you can do about minimizing them with noise reduction. Look at the histogram to see if you underexposed the shot. You might need to apply exposure compensation next time and keep an eye on each image's histogram. Look for motion blur and figure out how to increase the shutter speed if you need sharper images.</p>

<p>If you can't meet their expectations it might be better to pass on the job. If you do the job well it could lead to referrals, but if you screw it up it could lead to bad publicity. Practice hard and choose wisely.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>What do you need to do in PS CS5 that you can't do in Lightroom?</p>

[pammy_g]

<p>Dan - Great suggestion! Something to practice on during the winter. Obviously, I can't learn this fast in a week since that's when the baptism is, which is why I'm gonna pass on it. </p>

<p>As for PS CS5 - I wanted to use a lot of the actions I bought which does wonders for eyes, colors, skin smoothing. Lightroom I like to use as a workflow and use my plug in color efex pro here and there. I got hundreds of presets as well, but for baby photos or face portraits, I feel like actions and photoshop would be the best type of editing.</p>

[mariosforsos]

<p>Pamela, is your baptism an Orthodox one? (something in your use of the word "baptism" as opposed to "confirmation" or "christening" made me suspect you're shooting a Greek Orthodox ceremony - forgive me if I'm wrong)</p>

<p>If that is indeed the case and the ceremony is early in the day, you will be faced with three stages, two of which will be VERY taxing for your gear. The first phase, where the godfathers are received into the church is usually done under enough light for your gear to be OK. But, in the other two phases (the actual baptism AND the clothing of the child) are usually done way indoors and churches RARELY light up too many lights for such ceremonies, so, there your gear will be VERY hard pressed to rise up to the task.</p>

<p>Which means you NEED a flash. AND you need to learn how to use it BEFORE you go out there and shoot. And NO, your built-in flash simply won't do...</p>

<p>Now, as to where you stand, well, usually, if you can talk to the priest, you have free reign to walk between the basin and the actual inner sanctum of the church, and therefore FACE the action (as it is) and get nice images. Then again, during the unclothing and subsequently the clothing of the child, you'll need to move VERY close to the table where these things happen to get the shots - THERE you will need a medium-zoom as there in neither room for you in there nor will any of the relatives move aside for you...</p>

<p>Personally I would decline shooting this given your experience and gear (again, this is neither a reflection on YOU or your GEAR separately - it's the combination that's actually weaker than the individual parts...)</p>

<p>I wish you all the luck in the world...</p>

[howard_m]

<p>Pam, a number of thoughts.....<br>

Try a month or 2 of lynda.com for CS5 tutorials</p>

<p>Get yourself a flash and learn how to use it *well* (ie. not hotshoe direct blasting). it will widen your skill and marketability and you'll *MAKE* the image via essentially painting with light instead of being opportunistically capturing an existing image. It's a whole different way of thinking about taking & making images. Check out the Joe McNally books for a little inspiration as to what you can do w/ a vision and a strobe. And strobist.com</p>

<p> </p>

[dan_south]

Kelby Training has an amazing array of tutorials on PS, LR, and many other practical photographic topics.

[jaydesi]

<p>Baptism ceremonies clearly vary by denomination. I suggest calling the church and asking what their process is, what types of photography are allowed, and where you'll be allowed to stand and where you will be restricted. If the one you're going to be photographing isn't this weekend, find out if there are any baptisms this weekend and go watch. Take your camera, too. See what shots you can get without a flash, and if they're acceptable. If not, then you know you need a flash and need to learn how to use it.</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>+1 for lynda.com. For a good book I'd recommend reading Matt Kloskowski's 'Layers'. Get the revised one for PS CS5...green cover, I think. I used the blue one, but it's built around CS4.</p>

[jgaines]

<p>For the education, consider this link to on line courses.<br>

LVS Associates:<br>

<a href="http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/index.php?cPath=1_62">http://www.lvsassociates.com/register/index.php?cPath=1_62</a></p>

 

[joanna_mcintosh]

<p>I am an amateur photographer who started out as a professional graphic designer, so I may be able to help with the Photoshop question. First of all, be patient. That program has so many features and you won't be able to master them all in a day (of course). I have been doing a lot of experimentation in Photoshop this year, in an effort to learn the more artistic aspects for my pictures. I have been using the program for over 15 years and never really used it for photo editing? I know, right. Anyway, I have learned more tricks this year just by googling ideas and looking for tutorials. There are a ton of tutorials out there that will both teach you new skills and in my case, provide excellent ideas for future shots. I don't know what the rule of thumb in the professional world is about heavy editing in Photoshop, and personally I think some photographers might edit too much, but it is a great tool and you could really do some cool things. Good luck!</p>