Need help shooting people indoors with my D90. Please help.

noonephone · May 13, 2010

Hi, I just recently purchased my 90 with the 18-105 lens. I'm going to people shooting people in an indoor convention center pretty soon and I need to know the best idiot proof settings to work with. I will learn how to use manual later but for now I just need something that works.

I was thinking of using jpeg fine large (don't want to change this) and Program mode with central focus point and neutral with Sharpness on 6 and Saturation +1. Will the +1 be too much for skin tones?

My other option is Portrait mode. I'm unsure of what this actually does. I don't want to have to control apature and exposure. But I heard it does something better with skin or skintone? I'm new to this bare with me.

Anyway, any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Foques · May 13, 2010

it really depends on what kind of lighting you are looking at, there is no idiot proof setting, sorry.

I would expect that you will need to use an external flash.. Depending on the situation, I would be bouncing it off the ceiling.

If area is lit well enough, then, you can try and bump ISO a bit and try to pull 1/160-1/200 shutter speed.... But again, if you plan on using P mode, be ready for uncontrollable surprises.

What I do, in every venue I shoot, is do a dozen shots to see what settings work best to my liking.. then, shoot in RAW.. I will never ever ever go back to Jpeg (unless, I have to turn pictures over right there by the end of shoot).

zoomer · May 13, 2010

Practice....a lot.... and get familiar with your camera.

Qarik · May 13, 2010

do you have a flash? flash diffusers or modifiers?

do you have any post processing software? (ie shoot in raw?)

I am assuming no to both. If this is the case it then you are at the mercy to the conditions/lighting of the venue. It is rather difficult to suggest a "setup" with out actually being at venue. Furthermore if you are reluctant to shoot in at least A,S, or P mode then that further restricts any kind of advice that can be given.

My advice to get there a few minutes early and take test shots and see what works. Concentrate on white balance and exposure.

noonephone · May 13, 2010

Qarik wrote: »

do you have a flash? flash diffusers or modifiers?

do you have any post processing software? (ie shoot in raw?)

I am assuming no to both. If this is the case it then you are at the mercy to the conditions/lighting of the venue. It is rather difficult to suggest a "setup" with out actually being at venue. Furthermore if you are reluctant to shoot in at least A,S, or P mode then that further restricts any kind of advice that can be given.

My advice to get there a few minutes early and take test shots and see what works. Concentrate on white balance and exposure.

Could I just use Program mode and set my ISO to 800 or 1600 depending on the lighting. I think the place will be pretty well lit, it's a convention center.

Or, should I just use aperture priority mode set my aperture to 5.6 and whatever ISO I can get away with.

Thanks for the help again.

Caspian · May 13, 2010

Before you go to event, read the manual and take as many pictures as you can experimenting with aperture priority mode. Program mode will probably work too, but you will need to watch your shutter speed unless you are working in very good light. Depending on what the pictures are used for, you can push the ISO on the D90 to about 800 and get decent results if the light is good. As you go over ISO 800, the image quality begins to degrade. Even at 800, you will begin to see digital noise. The D90 is a good consumer camera, but it is not a point and shoot. You will need to be familiar with the settings and the fundamentals of photography to understand what it is doing and why. I hate to keep repeating myself, but it is all about the light in this kind of situation. The D90 will work very well with little intervention if you have good light. If not, you will need to know how to adapt.

If you do not have a good processing software, invest a program like Photoshop Elements so that you can shoot in RAW. By shooting in RAW, you can adjust the white balance and exposure (to some degree) in post processing. As for the other settings, sharpness, etc, I prefer to make those adjustments in post processing rather than leave them to the camera. If you can tell us a little more about the event, we may be able to offer better suggestions.

David

Gary752 · May 13, 2010

Qarik wrote: »

do you have a flash? flash diffusers or modifiers?

do you have any post processing software? (ie shoot in raw?)

I am assuming no to both. If this is the case it then you are at the mercy to the conditions/lighting of the venue. It is rather difficult to suggest a "setup" with out actually being at venue. Furthermore if you are reluctant to shoot in at least A,S, or P mode then that further restricts any kind of advice that can be given.

My advice to get there a few minutes early and take test shots and see what works. Concentrate on white balance and exposure.

noonephone wrote: »

Could I just use Program mode and set my ISO to 800 or 1600 depending on the lighting. I think the place will be pretty well lit, it's a convention center.

Or, should I just use aperture priority mode set my aperture to 5.6 and whatever ISO I can get away with.

Thanks for the help again.

I agree with Qarik, especially on white balance, since you want to shoot in JPG. Read your manual on setting a custom white balance, and practice setting it till you can do it without thinking about it. I'd also pay close attention as to the type of lighting there, especially if it is floressant, as it will change color as it cycles, which will require you to check your custom white balance from time to time. With good lighting and an accurate white balance setting, you should be able to get away with using portrait mode. I would also do as others have already stated, and that is to get there early and take a bunch of test shots, in case you have to change your game plan. I personally would shoot in RAW, manual, and take readings from an external light meter, and use external flash (off camera) if lighting was poor. I hope that everything everyone is sharing with you helps, and you will share your results from the event.

GaryB

divamum · May 14, 2010

My thoughts, fwiw:

1. Shoot raw. Don't try to to second guess yourself, just get some bigger cards and shoot raw, or at least raw+jpg. You'll thank us for it afterwards

Lighting in convention/sport centers is often funky colours (you'll want to adjust white balance afterwards) and, more importantly, what your eye sees as "bright enough" the camera will NOT. Shooting raw gives you more room to adjust the exposure afterwards.

2. I usually shoot manual these days, but there's a strong case to be made for shooting aperture priority when taking portraits at high speed. Select your aperture to get the depth of field you want, which in this case will help you blur the background if you want that effect (smaller number = LESS depth of field, thus more blur behind your subject. Larger number aperture = "stopped down" and a deeper depth of field, thus more will be in focus behind/in front of your main subject).

3. Let the camera calculate the shutter speed for you and, if it has an auto iso feature, automatically adjust the ISO as needed. If not, then remember to manually adjust the ISO if you can't get decent exposure while keeping the shutter speed up.

3. That said, use the lowest ISO you can so as to avoid very grainy/noisy shots.

4. IMPORTANT POINT: Keep your shutter speed HIGHER than you think you will need. Thus, the absolute minimum should be 1/focal length but since it's a crop camera, tack on approximately another 50% above that, and once I'm above ~75mm I usually try to keep it at 1/2x focal length if possible. Thus for a 50mm setting, be at least 1/80. For 100, be at least 1/160 and even better 1/200. Etc. This will avoid pictures which are blurry due to the motion of the shutter/your hands moving the camera a tiny bit without you realising it.

Hope that helps. You do, as others have said, need to practice, practice, practice. Read your manual, shoot your kid, your dog, your neighbour, your spouse - whatever. Just get out there and keep adjusting settings and checking shots until you can see the kind of image you want, and know what settings you used to get it. There is absolutely no replacement for just getting out there and doing it a LOT - thankfully, with digital, this is no longer as expensive an exercise as it was on film!!

noonephone · May 14, 2010

Hmm, leaving in a bit. If I'm using a single center focal point, should I be aiming at the face or the body? Thanks.

michswiss · May 14, 2010

divamum wrote: »

My thoughts, fwiw:

2. I usually shoot manual these days, but there's a strong case to be made for shooting aperture priority when taking portraits at high speed. Select your aperture to get the depth of field you want, which in this case will help you blur the background if you want that effect (larger number = LESS depth of field, thus more blur behind your subject. Smaller number aperture = "stopped down" and a deeper depth of field, thus more will be in focus behind/in front of your main subject).

I think you have that backwards, F8 will give you great DOF than F2.8. Oh, and there seem to be two 3rd points!

But to the OP, yes practice is important as is thinking about focussing and hand holding techniques. Doing street portraits, I find it helps dramatically to have a basic compositional idea in mind and preset the primary autofocus point to that area such as "Head left - looking in". Focus point is 2/3rds up frame left. Get the eye.

Caspian · May 14, 2010

The eyes. For portraits, you almost always want the focus on the eyes. If the depth of field will not allow you to get both eyes in sharp focus, get the nearest eye in sharp focus.

divamum · May 15, 2010

michswiss wrote: »

I think you have that backwards, F8 will give you great DOF than F2.8. Oh, and there seem to be two 3rd points!

OUCH. You are, of course, absolutely right (and I will go back and correct). Please forgive - I was typing in superhaste, copied/pasted to reverse what I said and forget to change the smaller/larger!! Big oops.................. Tx for correcting!!

Need help shooting people indoors with my D90. Please help.

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