Runway Photography.

[Michael_Lambert]

Hey guys question..

I have been asked by a local group to shoot a fundraising fashion show they are putting on, This cultural center is putting on this show this saturday and i have said i would shoot it for free, and will post my images forsale if they wish to buy them.

This same hall has a soccer team i shoot during the summer which is why they asked me.

Its been made clear i have not done anything like this and the organizer said that if i did not offer my services then she would be just doing what she can with her pocket camera.

So i have attached a couple of shots of the layout thus far, no place to hang strobes and they do not want light stands on the runway. I could setup a AB800 at the end of the run way on a wireless trigger however its a high platform and i would hate to be shooting light straight up.

Anyone have suggestions on how to best approach this..

The models ( Mostly children ) will be coming through the door to the left of the stage do a turn around on the stage, walk out the platform do another turn around and back again..

Please see the attached pictures and provide any input you can! See my gear list for what i have.

[DDCSD]

Why not set up light stands in the back corners of the room?

[Michael_Lambert]

What are you suggesting?

I had thought about setting up my AB800 only have one in the back corner on the right, directly across from the door where they enter the stage.. and get the shots of them coming back toward me this way i could get the light high enough and shot them directly on, If anything kneeling down kind of out of sight.

however the organizers did not want me on stage at all.. Might have been a dumb ideal on my side.. but again never done this.. lol

Are you suggesting having the AB in the back corner and shooting with the light coming on behind them?

[Michael_Lambert]

Sorry, I think you meant in the back corners of the actual hall? if that is the case the stage is about 300 feet away from the other side of the hall and they have tables lined up so that might not work well.

[DDCSD]

Yikes! I didn't think the place was that big!

Yes, I meant the back corners of the hall, pointed at the stage. I would think that could give you some dramatic direct lighting. I've never done anything, so I'm basically shooting blind with ideas.

Any way of superclamping lights to the ceiling? I see it is lift out tiles, but maybe there is something you could attach to (possibly above the ceiling)?

[geeewocka]

yeah I was going to suggest the same thing...ceiling centre at the end of the run way
would not take much to hold a flash up there

[Michael_Lambert]

they are not expecting much, i was speaking with the president of the hall lastnight as i wanted to try and hang my Ab800 from the roof. He said i am not to make or hang anything as there insurance will not cover it.

I am not to have any thing on the stage or platform and they do not want me to setup a light up on a light stand at the end as it will apparently block the view of some.

So it kind of looks like i am stuck shooting with a bracket and my 580ExII mounted.. I do have a optiquest or something like that softbox for the 580 so i might just attach that and hope for the best.

[nuffi]

Good luck.... I'd probably have told them that it is close to pointless you even showing up if you can't hang a strobe. That was a perfect solution. Ideally you need to get the light a bit higher than the floor...

[Michael_Lambert]

Yup I agree,

I mean even if i could just set the strobe up in the back courner and sit on the stairs and shoot them as they way back towards me i would be getting the light on the model, i would be getting a decent background and the light stand would not be bothering anyone!

I can see the issue with the drop down ceiling, there would be no power up there ither so i could not plug in the strobe and when the batteries crap out on the flash i would be stuck.

I AM REALLLY hoping the DJ they have hired will have a light rack upfront as i don;t know how they are going to light this event if so, then i will superclamp my strobe to it.

[DDCSD]

Why not fashion something to attach to the end of the runway (not on the runway)? Do you have a magic arm (that would make it very easy), or something similar? Then you could hook it underneath the stage, and have it point towards the model. I wouldn't think that would impede anyone's view.

[FlyingPhotog]

Just an out of left field thought:

I'd be very, very careful about using strobes here.

If you were to temporarilly "blind" a child and have them fall off that platform?
Very bad JuJu...

I'm sorry I can't offer you an alternative (the place looks like a cave) but like I said, just throwing out something to consider.

[Michael_Lambert]

Yea the concern of blinding the children was on my list of worries. Which is why i was hoping to just shot them the once when they hit the end of the runway and stop for there pose.

[Michael_Lambert]

Okay,

Was there tonight and still they have no interest in allowing me to setup any sort of lighting, They have told me that the floods on the ceiling will be running and they will have two floods at the end of the runway shining from each corner so they claim i will have plenty of light to work with, Now they are not photographers and first time doing this so they really have no clue.. but we will see.

Here is a shot of the hall itself so you can see how large it is and why i can't setup the strobe at the end of the hall.. And a sample shot i took using my flash straight on of the camera so i think i might be okay.

Now my plan is to shoot using my 1D mark3 with my 70-200 2.8L ( might have my hand on 70-200 2.8L IS ) and then using my 30D with a 24-105 F4 IS.

Plan on using my 580EXII with 6 inch softbox attached, it mounted on a bracket simular to this (http://www.vistek.ca/store/ProPhotoLightingComponents/224901/custom-brackets-cb-digitals-short-camera.aspx).

[DDCSD]

That place is big! I don't think the direct flash looks too bad.

[Michael_Lambert]

That was direct flash on my camera.. When i shoot saturday i will be using a Softbox attached to the 580 and i will have it on the bracket so it will be a good 4-5 inches higher up so that should clear up any red eye issues, and will clear up any shadowing issues when shooting in portrait.

[Michael_Lambert]

Well i just left the hall and they have no more lighting than they did the other night. Allt hey have one is Add balloons and a couple of lamp post at the end of the runway which if anything just make it harder to shoot :(

So will be shooting with the flash attached to my bracket with a Optitec or something like that softbox attached.

They have asked that when the show is over i setup my lights on stage and do portaits for families if they want them..

[Michael_Lambert]

Wow - I must say it was anything but professional.. lol

30-40 people crowding around this little runway all with point and shoot cameras made for horrible shooting.. If i was catching heads in the shots i was catching scattered lighting from all the flashes going off :(

[DDCSD]

:)

Live and learn!

[Michael_Lambert]

I tell you i wanted to cry when i looked at the shots this morning :( However i fired a few off to the organizer and she loves them.. My keeper rate is really really low in my eyes, they don't seem to mind the screwed up lighting and heads popping up in the way.. lol

Here are a couple of examples of the ones i liked