View from the stage

[beemer]

My wife and I DJ on the side. This shot from a wedding last Saturday eve.
I reduced the size a bit to fit the forum.
Shot with Nikon D3 body jpeg medium with Nikkor AF-D 35-70mm 2.8 lens and Nikon SB-900 flash. Your comments and critiques welcome. :thmbsp:

Best,

Paul

 

[timofred]

Great timing, really captured a couple having fun.
Technically, I would suggest about a stop darker,
and crop the black space on the right to balance with the people on the left.
I hope I am being helpful.

 

[beemer]

Great timing, really captured a couple having fun.
Technically, I would suggest about a stop darker,
and crop the black space on the right to balance with the people on the left.
I hope I am being helpful.

You are being helpful! when we play out, most times during open dancefloor I don't have the time I like to frame my shots, as I've also need to think about what's going to play 4 songs down the road, and handle requests. Luckily this old dog can still multitask! Your comments about crop are right on, however I'm happy with the exposure. I'll get into my editing software and see what kind of magic I can work on this one.

Thanks. :thmbsp:

Best,

Paul

 

[HandyHamlet]

Shoot in RAW and manual.
Fire the D3 in rear curtain mode.
Swivel the flash head around and back to bounce off ceiling or wall.
Shoot couples vertical instead of horizontal.
Shoot at F4, 1600 ISO or higher, 1/20 and tweak from there.

Faces hidden to protect the innocent. f4, 1250 (I have a second light on the dance floor), 1/20

 

[Naptown Rob]

I see drunk people.

 

[beemer]

Shoot in RAW and manual.
Fire the D3 in rear curtain mode.
Swivel the flash head around and back to bounce off ceiling or wall.
Shoot couples vertical instead of horizontal.
Shoot at F4, 1600 ISO or higher, 1/20 and tweak from there.

Faces hidden to protect the innocent. f4, 1250 (I have a second light on the dance floor), 1/20

Excellent! In this case, had I swiveled the flash around to bounce off the back of the stage, it wouldn't have been pretty as the whole stage area walls and ceiling were black! I could use a second light, however my prime purpose there was entertainment not photography. :yes:

Your pic is most excellent and your skills are honed far more than mine without a doubt. I'm still learning as I go. After years with a point and shoot digital I had promised myself some quality equipment.......and the learning curve that goes with it. I shot 35mm film 30+ years ago, until the "digital age" came along. HH, please do pass along your knowledge and critiques anytime I post a shot......I can learn a lot from your experience. :thmbsp:

Best,

Paul

 

[beemer]

I see drunk people.

LOL not just drunk....drunk and happy!

Best,

Paul

 

[HandyHamlet]

I could use a second light, however my prime purpose there was entertainment not photography. :yes:

I understand, just wanted to clarify why I wasn't shooting at 1600 after telling you to. When shooting at higher ISOs/slower shutter speeds you will get ambient light from the room and pick up your lights (if you are running them). Don't be afraid to step out from behind your impenetrable forcefield of gear either. Some DJs will cruise around the outside of the dance floor to get a few shots. Push the low light capabilities of your Nikon. They are dance shots. They won't be perfect. They are supposed to be fun so have fun!

 

[beemer]

Here's the stage I was working from and "photogenic" me. You'll see why a back bounce wasn't on the menu! BTW, we did haul off the head table before open dancing. :thmbsp:

Best,

Paul

 

[danj]

Dances and receptions are hard to shoot, especially when you are trying to multitask. All things considered, I think you did a fine job.

When I used to do events I would have some sort of flash softener (a soft box, Omni-Bounce, or Sto-Fen diffuser) on my on-camera flash. It reduced working distance a bit but also reduced blown out faces and other problems caused by direct flash.

My most difficult shot - ever -was a reception that had a venue change at the last minute to a place I didn't have time to check out. It ended up being a square dance hall that was used as a dance studio during the day. Durned place was too small & it had 8 foot tall mirrors around half the interior:tears:. I spent half my time checking angles and fretting about reflections. It can laugh about it now but I was sweating that night! Luckily it turned out okay.

 

[beemer]

I'll say this.....I'm having the time of my life with Nikon. Back in February I bought a D7000 w/18-105 kit lens. Great camera....I was thinking if I can get up to a quality level I need I may try and take on some weddings as photographer. Then I'm thinking again (remember, when I think it costs me $$$)......that I would need a backup camera, so I picked up a D90 body new.

Previous research made me buy only Nikon bodies with motor drives so I could take advantage of all that great older glass. Then the FX bug hit......more research.....more thinking and $$$$. I found a "used" D3 with only 302 shutter count. Now I wish I had just popped for an FX body in the first place! If you could "love" a camera, I love the D3. I'm going on week 2 with it now.

I don't even want to start about lenses....85mm f1.4 AF-D Prime, 20-35mm f2.8 AF-D, 35-70mm f2.8 AF-D, 80-200 f2.8 AF-D (new style, ring zoom, not the sliding barrel), there's more primes, but I'll end up with carpal tunnel.

There's more glass but these AF-D's have all metal build from Japan and Japanese glass. And...they were "affordable" :nono:

All I need do now is get my skills up to the level of equipment!

Best,

Paul

 

[HandyHamlet]

When I used to do events I would have some sort of flash softener (a soft box, Omni-Bounce, or Sto-Fen diffuser) on my on-camera flash.

Oops. Good point.

Use the diffuser that came with the SB-900 always. Never take it off. That low, white ceiling over the head table was perfect for bounce flash! Get out from behind that wall of equipment. Take a stroll around the outside of the dance floor for a few shots. They don't bite.

:thmbsp:

 

[beemer]

Dances and receptions are hard to shoot, especially when you are trying to multitask. All things considered, I think you did a fine job.

When I used to do events I would have some sort of flash softener (a soft box, Omni-Bounce, or Sto-Fen diffuser) on my on-camera flash. It reduced working distance a bit but also reduced blown out faces and other problems caused by direct flash.

My most difficult shot - ever -was a reception that had a venue change at the last minute to a place I didn't have time to check out. It ended up being a square dance hall that was used as a dance studio during the day. Durned place was too small & it had 8 foot tall mirrors around half the interior:tears:. I spent half my time checking angles and fretting about reflections. It can laugh about it now but I was sweating that night! Luckily it turned out okay.

Oops. Good point.

Use the diffuser that came with the SB-900 always. Never take it off. That low, white ceiling over the head table was perfect for bounce flash! Get out from behind that wall of equipment. Take a stroll around the outside of the dance floor for a few shots. They don't bite.

:thmbsp:

I'll work more with the diffuser on the SB-900, I picked up an SB-400 as well and a Sto-Fen diffuser for the SB-400. I need some time to go shoot in a few places, write down what I did and see what looks best. Unfortunately it's DJ busy season, I'm booked just about every Saturday thru the summer. Tough trouble to have, however it is taking time away from the learning curve with the cameras. :sigh:

Best,

Paul

 

[mulester7]

That low, white ceiling over the head table was perfect for bounce flash!

.....absolutely....with the illumination coming from above, there will be no whiteouts or visible shadows, with usually better picture quality the entire depth of field.....

 

[Sandy G]

Neat shots !

 

[beemer]

.....absolutely....with the illumination coming from above, there will be no whiteouts or visible shadows, with usually better picture quality the entire depth of field.....

Slightly OT: Mulester, you're running a K2 on a home system...that's awesome. I use a pair of K2's strapped mono on a pair of JBL SR4719X dual 18" subs on some of my bigger gigs. The K2's are bullets. :thmbsp:

Back on topic: I've seen some of your work, another I can learn from, thanks for the advice.....most appreciated. :yes:

Best,

Paul

 

[mulester7]

Slightly OT: Mulester, you're running a K2 on a home system

.....yes, one side of a K2 is currently pushing my sub.....