Need tips/tricks about lighting!!!

[TSEE]

Ok, I'll be shooting my first wedding photos with my 20D in about 3 weeks and I got to see the church this weekend and frankly I'm a wee bit concerned.
The thing that got me worried is the lighting in the church, the church has 8-10 big stained glass windows, and they're a green/blue color, so the entire light in the church is a greenish color! :confused:
They will probably have the ceiling lights on and they'll have a huge candelabra in the the front (which was suppose to have 30 tapers in the middle section and teh two side sections hold 12 each). I'm still concerned about the lighting, I just got a sigma 500 external flash for my camera, don't have access to umbrellas and alike and we don't want the photo equiptment to take over the wedding. The ceremony pictures are no big deal, the bride wanted these pictures black and white, so no problem with lighting I guess.
But the posed/traditional photos are suppose to be in color, I"m so freaked out now that those are gonna have a greenish light/tint to them. How can I prevent this? Any ideas at all?

Thanks!

[Merle]

TSEE,

I've been photographing weddings for some 32 years. If you are going to attempt to use available light with your 20D, CUSTOM WHIE BALANCE. If you are going to use available light for the groups ( I would choose a good flash for the formals) You may want to check your stain glass window light at the time of day you will be shooting it.
As your outside light source changes (sun movement and clouds ect.) the lighting effects on the intererior of the church will change. You have an excellent piece of equipment in the Canon 20D, but don't short change yourself on lighting equipment, light is the fundamental beginning of all photography. ;) :) :D

Good shooting to ya !!
Merle

[TSEE]

Thanks Merle!
Thankfully I was there at the time of day the wedding will be 1-2pm, it was of course a pretty gloomy day, we had snow storms pull thru and seeing the wedding is still 3 weeks away, the weather might be bright, but the over all effect of the light was it was GREEN!
You're talking about custom white balance, what do you mean by this. Is this something I need to program into the camera right off the bat or something I can deal with after the pictures are taken.
I did buy an external flash which I hope will do the job, cuz the attached flash just wasn't sufficient for normal photographs.
Thanks again!! :)

[robertwgross]

Sue, look in your 20D manual on page 51. That spells it out.

Basically, you are going to show up on the scene with a pure white card or a pure gray card. The card cannot have any color tint to it.

You will follow the procedure and shoot the card with it illuminated in that dim room. Then, following that procedure, you will select that particular shot for the camera to study for whites, and you tell it you want it to save a custom white balance based on that shot. Now you have a custom white balance saved inside the camera. Now, select away from Auto White Balance and select into custom. All that is the set up.

Now, when you shoot, the camera is going to save that white information along with the image data. Then when you process the RAW image in the computer, you tell the program to process using the shot settings, and that should include your custom white balance. The processed images should then come out shifted slightly so they look right for whites. If you shoot JPEG files, then it is even more automatic. That custom white balance is already figured into the JPEG file, so you don't have to fool with it so much.

One problem is that if your card has any color tint to it, then the result will be "the wrong way", colorwise.

---Bob Gross---

[Merle]

Sue,

The information the Bob Gross gave you is right on the dime. I might suggest that you take your 20D back to the camera store where you purchased it and see if they will give you some personal instruction on Custom White Balance and how to read and use your Histogram. This will help you to get both your color and exposure correct. Then consider taking a fair skinned person (as a model) and photograph a series at the church under the lighting conditions you will be experiencing. Then have your test series printed that should tell you a lot. Sue you are going to do OK. Down the line when you run into another difficult lighting situation you will have this experience to draw from, that is what makes you a Pro. By the way I compliment you on the fact that you were able to observe that you may have a difficult lighting situation to deal with. GOOD EYE. ;) :) :D

Good shooting to ya !!
Merle

[TSEE]

Sue, look in your 20D manual on page 51. That spells it out.

Basically, you are going to show up on the scene with a pure white card or a pure gray card. The card cannot have any color tint to it.

You will follow the procedure and shoot the card with it illuminated in that dim room. Then, following that procedure, you will select that particular shot for the camera to study for whites, and you tell it you want it to save a custom white balance based on that shot. Now you have a custom white balance saved inside the camera. Now, select away from Auto White Balance and select into custom. All that is the set up.

Now, when you shoot, the camera is going to save that white information along with the image data. Then when you process the RAW image in the computer, you tell the program to process using the shot settings, and that should include your custom white balance. The processed images should then come out shifted slightly so they look right for whites. If you shoot JPEG files, then it is even more automatic. That custom white balance is already figured into the JPEG file, so you don't have to fool with it so much.

One problem is that if your card has any color tint to it, then the result will be "the wrong way", colorwise.

---Bob Gross---

Thanks I found the page, I'm gonna try to follow those directions.
So the white balance is that something I can photograph here at home and program in before I leave for the wedding? You were talking about a white or grey card, just any card? Sounds like a dumb question I know.
I believe I will be shooting JPG for this wedding, I need to obtain some more microdrives before attempting to shoot RAW files, this way I get more pictures on the card.

Thank you so much for the advice, I will do the CWB and hope it works like you said it will!!!

[TSEE]

Sue,

The information the Bob Gross gave you is right on the dime. I might suggest that you take your 20D back to the camera store where you purchased it and see if they will give you some personal instruction on Custom White Balance and how to read and use your Histogram. This will help you to get both your color and exposure correct. Then consider taking a fair skinned person (as a model) and photograph a series at the church under the lighting conditions you will be experiencing. Then have your test series printed that should tell you a lot. Sue you are going to do OK. Down the line when you run into another difficult lighting situation you will have this experience to draw from, that is what makes you a Pro. By the way I compliment you on the fact that you were able to observe that you may have a difficult lighting situation to deal with. GOOD EYE. ;) :) :D

Good shooting to ya !!
Merle


LOL, there's a wee bit of a problem taking it back to the store, it was an internet purchase from some camera shop in NYC, driving there would be a 8-9hr drive from where I am. I think what Bob said make sense, now if I can just do that! A little fiddling and I'm sure it will be ok.
Oh something I forgot to ask bob was, do I have to keep the focus on Manual with the CWB, or can I switch it back to auto focus and still keep my settings?
I suppose you're right, live and learn right? Next time I will know what I have to do, I just hope I never run into it again, LOL...horrendous light! Now I'm kind of glad I went to that bridal shower, if I hadn't I would never have known what the light inside the church would look like until I was already there and would have had a time with those photos. At least I can prepare myself now!
Thanks you guys!

[Merle]

Hello Sue,

Your CWB is something you have got to do at the church in the light that you are using and every time you move into a different lighting source. This has been frustrating for me as well switching from film to digital. With film I just took the film out of the camera and sent it into the lab. The procedure I have established for myself when I arrive at the wedding location, (church) I go to each location in the church I will be using and with a sheet of white paper I will take a reference shot noting the file numbers then when I move into this new area to work during the wedding I do a CWB change using the reference shots I have taken earlier.

Sue if I were in your shoes, I would do a CWB only with the light that is unusual in the auditorium and then set everything else using AWB until you get used to your equipment.

I would not be a good one to ask as to what settings to use I have shot manual for over 32 years and do not know any other way. I had never used autofocus until 6 months ago when I switched from film to digital and I have incountered some problems with auto focus (low light moving shots). Because I have trouble absorbing things from a written manual, I went to e-bay and purchased a training manual in video (DVD) form. ;) :) :D
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43454&item=3880518184&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43454&item=3880518184&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)

Good Shooting to Ya !!
Merle

[TSEE]

Hello Sue,

Your CWB is something you have got to do at the church in the light that you are using and every time you move into a different lighting source. This has been frustrating for me as well switching from film to digital. With film I just took the film out of the camera and sent it into the lab. The procedure I have established for myself when I arrive at the wedding location, (church) I go to each location in the church I will be using and with a sheet of white paper I will take a reference shot noting the file numbers then when I move into this new area to work during the wedding I do a CWB change using the reference shots I have taken earlier.

Sue if I were in your shoes, I would do a CWB only with the light that is unusual in the auditorium and then set everything else using AWB until you get used to your equipment.

I would not be a good one to ask as to what settings to use I have shot manual for over 32 years and do not know any other way. I had never used autofocus until 6 months ago when I switched from film to digital and I have incountered some problems with auto focus (low light moving shots). Because I have trouble absorbing things from a written manual, I went to e-bay and purchased a training manual in video (DVD) form. ;) :) :D
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43454&item=3880518184&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43454&item=3880518184&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)

Good Shooting to Ya !!
Merle


Ok I think I get it. The light should be ok in the reception hall and the place where the bride and groom gets dressed, seen those locations, lots of natural light, white walls etc. No funky green/blue windows to screw me up. :p
THanks for all the suggestions, I hope I can make it work now!!!! I better write all this down for future reference.