Photographer
Connor Photography
Posts: 8539
Newark, Delaware, US
I always want control, I have never used the advanced features that comes with the professional camera, Now I want to some event shooting either outdoor or indoor (not night club) with constant lighting changes, What is the prefer setting I should use that will give me close to the ball part of a shoot.
Please state your metering parameter, focusing parameter, flash setting (I assume it will be iTTL)
Photographer
Shawn Wright Photo
Posts: 208
Niagara Falls, New York, US
Connor Photography wrote:
I always want control, I have never used the advanced features that comes with the professional camera, Now I want to some event shooting either outdoor or indoor (not night club) with constant lighting changes, What is the prefer setting I should use that will give me close to the ball part of a shoot.
Please state your metering parameter, focusing parameter, flash setting (I assume it will be iTTL) Manual, manual, manual. As for the speedlight, AA, not TTL for me.
Photographer
tcphoto
Posts: 1030
Nashville, Tennessee, US
Back when I was starting out, I shot Music Industry meet and greets. Digital was not acceptable at that point so I shot Nikon in auto flash, set the aperture and adjusted the shutter to get a little environment. The Nikon flash system is outstanding and the formula never failed me.
Photographer
Mikey McMichaels
Posts: 3356
New York, New York, US
Connor Photography wrote:
I always want control, I have never used the advanced features that comes with the professional camera, Now I want to some event shooting either outdoor or indoor (not night club) with constant lighting changes, What is the prefer setting I should use that will give me close to the ball part of a shoot.
Please state your metering parameter, focusing parameter, flash setting (I assume it will be iTTL) It depends on the camera.
The ideal is a 1D with exposure increments set to a full stop and the shutter speed range limited to 160th - 1/125th. I'd probably use a fast prime, but set a maximum aperture of f4, to keep people not exactly on the same focal plane in focus. I might not set a minimum size, but I imagine I wouldn't need smaller than f11. Safety Shift set to ISO and then I'd use a Q Flash in either auto or auto fill, neither of which are really auto modes, it means the flash is using its own meter rather than metering TTL and the flash's meter is way more accurate.
With those parameters, any of the semi-auto modes should work well. I'd probably set the IS0 to 1250 or 1600 and limit the max ISO to 3200, maybe 12,800 with a 1Dx.
If it's extremely low light, I'd probably use a manual focus lens at f8 and zone focus.
When using a lens with an aperture ring, you can force a 5D to have Auto ISO with EC, by shooting in Shutter Priority with ISO set to safety shift. It's been a long time since I've done this, and my recollection is that Safety Shift set to ISO is different from auto ISO because with a flash, the ISO defaults to 400 or 1600 if you bounce. It's something to play with.
Otherwise, the Sony A7s and I assume the other A7's have an option to have the EC dial control both ambient and flash, and that if you change the flash from zero, both exposures move together respectively, so you keep the same ratio of ambient to flash.
In that case, I'd probably shoot Manual with auto ISO.
I'd also gel the flash with full CTO.
If it's a situation where I can shoot as B&W, I'll gel the flash with CTO and ND gels to kill the power of the flash and shoot with a high ISO so that the flash and ambient are truly balanced. It's a great look, but usually requires 12,800 or 25,600.
Another option is to set the camera to manual and leave the settings alone and just work with the flash exposure.
Then flash can be manual and you adjust by distance, which is going to get the best exposures.
I might also just pick a flash power of 1/4th or 1/8th and set the thumb wheel to ISO and adjust that based on distance because I find that way easier ergonomically.
Definitely a bracket for the flash too, and either a quantum battery or several sets of Eneloops, and change them regularly.
Photographer
ontherocks
Posts: 23575
Salem, Oregon, US
especially when using flash it's manual all the way for me. use the custom setting banks if you have to switch quickly between inside and outside.
now Av mode can work sometimes if i'm not using flash and the camera will float ISO to maintain a minimum shutter speed.
otherwise it's just too much of a crapshoot with the auto modes (including ettl on the flash).
outside i'll often be in manual (with fill flash) at say f5, 1/125 and then use ISO as my exposure control. flash will be on manual and like 1/8 (but that depends on the distance to subject and how dark i'm trying to make the background).
for me it's all about balancing the background and foreground.
Photographer
udor
Posts: 25255
New York, New York, US
Connor Photography wrote:
I always want control, I have never used the advanced features that comes with the professional camera, Now I want to some event shooting either outdoor or indoor (not night club) with constant lighting changes, What is the prefer setting I should use that will give me close to the ball part of a shoot.
Please state your metering parameter, focusing parameter, flash setting (I assume it will be iTTL) I shoot manual only... now... one of the companies I am under contract with, needs me to shoot in Aperture Priority mode for bracketing, because I also have to work with the GigaPan system. This is a robotic device that takes the bracketed images, and stitches them together to create a 360' view of a room... and that just doesn't work in manual.
It took me quite a while to figure out how to even get into that mode, had to watch YouTube instructions to get this automatized.
So, for real estate.. I started to shoot in Aperture Priority... which was weird to give up that control, but now... that's what the company wants and that's what I deliver.
![https://static.bhphoto.com/images/images500x500/gigapan_epic_pro_with_promote_1374248291000_689699.jpg]()
Photographer
HV images
Posts: 634
Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Connor Photography wrote:
Please state your metering parameter, focusing parameter, flash setting (I assume it will be iTTL) Centre weighted, SF-S or CF-S (depending on the situation), ITTL, Aperture priority, Auto ISO (base 100, max 6400) with a minimum shutter speed of 1/160.
I shoot Nikons D750, barely ever I need to dial any form of exposure compensation and the noise is actually quite pleasant.
Other cameras might have a lower usable ISO.
Ps, when you said "constant lighting changes", you don't mean stroboscopic or disco type lights, right?
For concert type or disco, etc. I just default to everything manual, except the speedlight. That type of lighting really messes up with the light meter in your camera.
Photographer
Images by MR
Posts: 8908
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
I shoot everything in full auto.
Photographer
Mike Collins
Posts: 2880
Orlando, Florida, US
I mostly do corporate event work. A lot of it. 99% of the time I am in manual. Manual on camera. Manual on flash.
It's not like there is ever this "special" moment I might miss. But even still, I've done this so much I pretty much know what to set everything at to get a good exposure right off the bat. I mean, I'm a pro right? I SHOULD know that. I better!
Even still, usually I haver time to tweak and things don't change that much.
Photographer
J O H N A L L A N
Posts: 12221
Los Angeles, California, US
Even in changing light I'd use manual. I think most cameras have a little offset indicator when your light changes - just watch that and twist the dial that makes the most sense for what you're after.
Photographer
Louis Li Photography
Posts: 1177
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Manual, manual, manual. As for the speedlight 'M'
Photographer
ValHig
Posts: 495
London, England, United Kingdom
Everything's always in manual - I want to shoot the way I want to shoot, not the way the camera's been programmed to understand as correct.
(Which means I kind of over-expose everything and don't want to do that in post.)
Photographer
Jerry Nemeth
Posts: 33355
Dearborn, Michigan, US
udor wrote:
I shoot manual only... now... one of the companies I am under contract with, needs me to shoot in Aperture Priority mode for bracketing, because I also have to work with the GigaPan system. This is a robotic device that takes the bracketed images, and stitches them together to create a 360' view of a room... and that just doesn't work in manual.
It took me quite a while to figure out how to even get into that mode, had to watch YouTube instructions to get this automatized.
So, for real estate.. I started to shoot in Aperture Priority... which was weird to give up that control, but now... that's what the company wants and that's what I deliver.
![https://static.bhphoto.com/images/images500x500/gigapan_epic_pro_with_promote_1374248291000_689699.jpg]() I often use Aperture Priority.
Photographer
Claireemotions
Posts: 473
Einsiedeln, Schwyz, Switzerland
I shoot Manual mode and when using flash it is off camera with TTL and exposure compensation -7 on camera and -3 for the off camera flash. WB set to flash. This makes it easy and fast to post process.
Shooting events at least 2x every week I want something that is consistent, easy to process in post and looks good enough for my clients.
Are these award winning pictures ? Hell no.
Are they good enough for most people ? yes and definitely much better than the Iphone picture their friend did take at the same time.
I know others who work I Aperture priority mode and auto ISO or plain P mode and they are happy with their results and the variation. I want consistency in my style. On my 2nd body I will change the lens and settings to be more creative and keep me excited for something that is pretty routine work
Photographer
ChanStudio
Posts: 9219
Alpharetta, Georgia, US
depends on the lens I use but usually in situation like this, I usually like shutter priority. This is one of the main reason why I like sharp lens even wide open.
Photographer
Connor Photography
Posts: 8539
Newark, Delaware, US
Hello people, thanks for the replies.
I was surprise that there was no consistent answer to my question regarding using flash in auto mode. SO gave it a try using my YN622 trigger and SB800 flash and set them in iTTL mode. The results are not so bad. I moved from room to room with totally different lighting condition, and some subject was back lighted. iTTL did give a consistent result. With YN622, I can fine tune it with just push a bottom if I want.
So I think I am ready to shoot some events during the holiday season to see how that goes.
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