Group and Indv w/ current kit???

brandofamily

[FONT=Geneva, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I've been asked to shoot the group and individual pics for a local dance group. I'm trying to figure out if I can accomplish this w/ my current kit.
I've been using the D2h for most pics (sports action and dance performances) and the D70 is my back-up.
I've got one SB-800 and was thinking of using the Gary Fong Light Sphere I recently purchased,
The largest group is 18 dancers. I did the pics last year, but they where on the stage and I had the benefit of the stage lighting to help. This year we will not be able to use the stage for the pics. So they will be in the studio w/ a backdrop.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. [/FONT]

brandofamily

Sill looking for advice...

Scott_Quier

I don't have many answers, but I have some questions that may help you think in the right direction:

What are the characteristics of your studio. The GF LS will work well if you have white walls to bounce the light off of. It tends to throw light all over the place and works very well if there are some surfaces to bounce off of.

Additionally, do you have a white ceiling to bounce the flash off of?

Bouncing flash will greatly improve the quality of the light from your flash.

What lens are you planning to use for the shot? The wider the lens, the greater will be your need to have multiple surfaces from which the light will bounce once it exits the LS, otherwise you may have problems getting all the folks adequately lit.

brandofamily

Scott_Quier wrote:

I don't have many answers, but I have some questions that may help you think in the right direction:

What are the characteristics of your studio. The GF LS will work well if you have white walls to bounce the light off of. It tends to throw light all over the place and works very well if there are some surfaces to bounce off of.

Additionally, do you have a white ceiling to bounce the flash off of?

Bouncing flash will greatly improve the quality of the light from your flash.

What lens are you planning to use for the shot? The wider the lens, the greater will be your need to have multiple surfaces from which the light will bounce once it exits the LS, otherwise you may have problems getting all the folks adequately lit.

Great questions... hopefully my reply will lead you be able to give more advice...
The studio is 25 feet wide (in the direction I will be shooting).
12 ft ceiling (white). Wall on the right is ALL mirrors. Wall on the left (off white, sort of tan, but light colored) has 2 smallish windows at about shoulder height (they face south). Upper portion of walls are tan carpet-like material (sound deadening).
I think we will be using a dark backdrop. Probably a 10'x24' BD hung from the ceiling...
I have the clear and cloudy versions of the sphere. I have not used them too much yet. Would it probably be best to aim it straight up w/o the lid? I'm thinking TTl matrix metering and using the cloudy sphere...
Thanks for any other insights...

Scott_Quier

The only real concern I see there is the wall of mirrors. Mirrors will bounce the light, but they will not diffuse it at all.

Do you have a gray card? Do you shoot RAW? The answers should be yes to both. That will greatly ease the issue of white balance. The tan carpeting may/will cause a color cast and probably warm the results. Warming is cool if it's intentional. With the gray you will have a good starting point from which to work and that will cut down on the amount of guess work you will do during post processing.

I don't think there's much effective difference between the clear and cloudy LS. Something that might fill the bill much better though is one of the various renditions of the better bounce card (do a google and you shouldn't have any problems finding it). They literally cost pennies to put together and don't look any goofier than the LS. Bounce of the ceiling and the BBC will bounce enough light foward to sufficiently fill the shadows around the eyes, etc.

brandofamily

Scott_Quier wrote:

The only real concern I see there is the wall of mirrors. Mirrors will bounce the light, but they will not diffuse it at all.

Do you have a gray card? Do you shoot RAW? The answers should be yes to both. That will greatly ease the issue of white balance. The tan carpeting may/will cause a color cast and probably warm the results. Warming is cool if it's intentional. With the gray you will have a good starting point from which to work and that will cut down on the amount of guess work you will do during post processing.

I don't think there's much effective difference between the clear and cloudy LS. Something that might fill the bill much better though is one of the various renditions of the better bounce card (do a google and you shouldn't have any problems finding it). They literally cost pennies to put together and don't look any goofier than the LS. Bounce of the ceiling and the BBC will bounce enough light foward to sufficiently fill the shadows around the eyes, etc.

I always shoot RAW and I do have a gray card.
My plan was to shoot one w/ someone holding the grey card and then set WB using grey point in NC4.
I have the makings of a BBC. Came from Al Jacobson when I bought my "Black Box" from him...