Beach Sunset Family Photos - Zoom or Wide Angle lens

[Watarski]

I am heading out to the beach today to take family photos for Christmas cards. There will be a total of 9 people in the picture. I will be using my 430 for fill light against the setting sun. Question is, should I use my Tamron 17-50 for a wider shot, or use the 70-200 a little further back for more background separation?

Thanks for the help- :cool:

[tim]

You'll want as much power as you can get, and the flash can only zoom to 100mm. I would probably use the 70-200 for its flare resistance, but keep it to 70-100mm, not 200..

[Aeth]

crank your Tamron down to f8-11 and expose for your sunset, then use your 430ex to fill your subjects.
Remember the sunset is a "member" being photographed as well.

[picturecrazy]

as to what focal length you use, that is totally dependent on your tastes. Go telephoto if you want to really pull the sun into the shot and make it big. Or if it's kinda cloudy and creates a really dramatic sky with all kinds of colours scattered everywhere, you'll need to go wider to catch it all. It all depends on your tastes. There is NEVER a 'best settting' for a certain type of photo.

Having said that, a 430 might not have enough power to light them up. Shoot right at 1/250 to get as much power as you can out of your flash, while still exposing your sunset properly.

[dtngo]

Would wireless triggers help in this situation? If you use the 70-200 you'd have to be a fair distance away, which will weaken the flash. You can try an off camera flash sitting on a tripod just out of frame. Just be careful of the flash creating shadows on them.

[tim]

If you're using off camera flash wireless triggers will be a LOT more reliable than wireless ETTL. The flash can only zoom to 105mm so having the flash closer will be more efficient, and will give you more light to work with.