SoccerRef
27th of July 2007 (Fri), 14:31
I am going to do my first Choir Photo Shoot in about 10 weeks and I need some advice.
BACKGROUND:
My sons are both involved in a Childrens Choir and last year the photographer that came and shot their photos screwed everything up so badly, she ultimately had to refund everyone's money.
I have done sports photography for quite a while and have shot a lot at my sons' concerts. The director has seen my photography and frankly has some of my photos hanging on the walls of her home. She asked me if I would do the group and individual photos this year, and I agreed.
There are 4 choirs, the smallest is 24 choristers, the largest is 80+.
I don't think I'll have any issues with the small choir as I have shot many sports teams and have experience getting folks into position so I can see faces, and keep everyone in focus, etc. But 80+ is a much larger number of faces to concern myself with.
As mentioned, I have plenty of time to prepare. I have four different venues in mind where the photos could be taken (two outdoor, two indoor). I plan on going to each of these and shooting some "test shots" to check out lighting, etc.
I am open to suggestions on anything and everything from those of you who have done this type of work.
Some of my concerns are:
Getting everyone looking at the same spot at the same time.
Being able to see everyone's face, and get all of the faces in focus.
Background - The two outdoor venues have trees behind so the background isn't much of a concern there, the two churches however may have very distracting backgrounds. Any ideas on how to deal with the background would be appreciated. I normally use a rather short DOF so the background is blurred, but with the large choir a shallow DOF obviously won't work!
Lighting... Since I won't be able to use a low f-stop, due to shorter DOF, lighting is a concern.
Work flow. Some of the choristers will want individual photos as well. I am thinking I will stagger the choir photos by 30 minutes or so, allowing me some time to shoot individual shots for those who want them between the choir photos. I may even bring along another Photog. If I do this, I will schedule the largest choir last, so if individual photos take longer than expected, I will inconvenience the fewest number of people.
Which lens to use. (Don't limit your advice to what is in my sig. I am willing to rent or purchase a lens for this event if necessary.)POTN has never disappointed me before, your advice is very much appreciated!
Thanks.
BACKGROUND:
My sons are both involved in a Childrens Choir and last year the photographer that came and shot their photos screwed everything up so badly, she ultimately had to refund everyone's money.
I have done sports photography for quite a while and have shot a lot at my sons' concerts. The director has seen my photography and frankly has some of my photos hanging on the walls of her home. She asked me if I would do the group and individual photos this year, and I agreed.
There are 4 choirs, the smallest is 24 choristers, the largest is 80+.
I don't think I'll have any issues with the small choir as I have shot many sports teams and have experience getting folks into position so I can see faces, and keep everyone in focus, etc. But 80+ is a much larger number of faces to concern myself with.
As mentioned, I have plenty of time to prepare. I have four different venues in mind where the photos could be taken (two outdoor, two indoor). I plan on going to each of these and shooting some "test shots" to check out lighting, etc.
I am open to suggestions on anything and everything from those of you who have done this type of work.
Some of my concerns are:
Getting everyone looking at the same spot at the same time.
Being able to see everyone's face, and get all of the faces in focus.
Background - The two outdoor venues have trees behind so the background isn't much of a concern there, the two churches however may have very distracting backgrounds. Any ideas on how to deal with the background would be appreciated. I normally use a rather short DOF so the background is blurred, but with the large choir a shallow DOF obviously won't work!
Lighting... Since I won't be able to use a low f-stop, due to shorter DOF, lighting is a concern.
Work flow. Some of the choristers will want individual photos as well. I am thinking I will stagger the choir photos by 30 minutes or so, allowing me some time to shoot individual shots for those who want them between the choir photos. I may even bring along another Photog. If I do this, I will schedule the largest choir last, so if individual photos take longer than expected, I will inconvenience the fewest number of people.
Which lens to use. (Don't limit your advice to what is in my sig. I am willing to rent or purchase a lens for this event if necessary.)POTN has never disappointed me before, your advice is very much appreciated!
Thanks.