Lessons from Shooting Events

Shooting Events, aren't as "pretty" as landscape or holiday shots.

But I've been shooting quite a few recently - All Saints 20th Anniversary celebration (Men's breakfast; Dinner and Sunday Service); ARPC church camp, there's a few things I'd learned.

1. Background.

 The stage had a backdrop of projector screen. So if you shoot straight on, the background will be messy and very bright, and person cannot be seen so well.

So I had to shoot from an angle, pick a dark and relatively uncluttered background, so that the person's face can be clearly seen and stand out.













2. Moments/Expression.

I think a picture is more interesting when it captures a certain expression/moment/expression. So here, I wanted to shoot Philip and Judy together (coz they were obviously the VIPs), but waited till they laughed at something said - it makes them look better, and it's a picture that invokes an emotional response - you just smile.

Like here on the right, some interaction between the people you want to shoot, always works better.










3. Shoot long and go Candid

I spotted these 3 men all engrossed, but ended up with similar poses and shot it quickly.

As you see, I prefer candid shots, and sometimes, it is easier to shoot candids with a long(er) lens, in this case, 200mm. You spot, you shoot. and the Subject doesn't know or doesn't have time to respond to the camera!

But it is very much up to the person's preference.



4.White Balance

If you note, the pictures taken for All SAints (2nd and 4th) have a more yellowish tone. It is both a function of using orange gelled flash, light of the room. Although I do like a warmer picture, in hindsight, it is tend to be a bit more yellow. The 1st and 3rd picture, was shot under white light, and no flash. The colors come out more natural and nicer.
I still need to go understand better on using flash and color of ambient light.

5. Mixing it up.

Since I have the fish eye, I always use it when I want to capture "it all". Composition is also important, balance between the elements. In this case, the groovy lines of the carpet balances with the roof, and yet you can take the whole ballroom in.

 Here's another use of the lens I like, to shoot people sitting in a circle, which would be much harder to, using a normal lens. I went, took 5 sec, snap and off I went. Didn't have to get people to move around.

Here, again it is to play with the carpet and composition. Just a fun shot, with kids playing, and them having a "natural" reaction.

Have fun shooting, shoot what you like, shoot for yourself, and sometimes, that fun comes through, and you break the boredom of shooting boring shots.





Conclusion
Shooting events requires you to watch people, anticipate reactions. You have to observe lighting, be familiar with your gear and settings (you know what settings each lens require, instinctively), watch the background. I experiment, shoot from different angles and then pick and choose. Like the camp, by the time I reached the 5th day, I knew where I knew which angles/lens work better. And you are very much limited by the venue, so mix it up using different lenses.

I obviously have a lot to learn, but it was good fun (albeit functional) just shooting, learning, then shoot somemore.

Happy Shooting!