Corporate/Seminar Shoot

Hey guys,

So I've managed to land myself a corporate shoot, however I'm really unsure how to get a correct exposure with little light and high ceilings. I'll be typically shooting high profile speakers in a lecture room, and I'm allowed to use flash in this shoot.

I'm thinking of taking along my:
Canon EOS 7D
70-200 2.8 IS II
tokina 11-16
17-55 2.8
580ex ii
gary fong collapsible diffuser

I'll be standing maybe 5 to 10 metres away from my subjects, and I was wanting some advice on where I should be pointing my diffuser. Should I pump up my flash compensation and continue to bounce off a high ceiling? Or should I point the diffuser + dome towards the subject. The problem with the first is that my shots may become underexposed, and the problem with the second is that it may create harsh lighting flashes/shadows on my subjects. In terms of settings, I'm thinking using an ISO of 1600 (I dont think the client will be blowing up any of the photos), an aperture of about f5.6 or so, and a shutter speed of 1/100-1/160. The disadvantage here is that I wont be able to capture the ambient lighting in the background (not that there will be much anyway)

What do you guys think?

Why would you agree to a corporate shoot that you didn't know how to shoo...nevermind.

Try to shoot with the ambient first, don't be afraid to push your ISO. That far from your subject (90-100 feet) on-camera flash isn't the best option. Is there anyway you can put the flash on a stick and trigger it remotely?

when you say put it on a stick, do you mean a light stand? Even if I was to arrange one, where would I position it and in which direction? also, will I need to organise an umbrella or will my diffuser be sufficient?

mrdunu wrote in post #13899303
when you say put it on a stick, do you mean a light stand? Even if I was to arrange one, where would I position it and in which direction? also, will I need to organise an umbrella or will my diffuser be sufficient?

Yes a stand. It all depends on the room and the height of the ceiling ect. You could fire it directly at the speaker or bounce it from the ceiling or off a wall. I would go with pushing your ISO though like I did here

MIME changed to 'text/html' | Content warning: data

If you don't mind me asking, what were the exif data on this shot? And what setup did you use? Umbrella's? Softboxes? Or did you use another type of diffusion? did your flash irritate the speaker?

Straight ambient
Date Time Original 2011-11-04 15:07:13
Exposure Time 1/160
F Number 3.5
Exposure Program Manual
ISO Speed Ratings 1600
Metering Mode CenterWeightedAve​rage
Flash Flash did not fire
Focal Length 153
White Balance Auto white balance
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS-1D Mark III

I shot a recent corporate event, and they specifically asked for me not to use flash. I was shooting at ISO 1600 - 4000 (thank god for 7D!), and apertures between 2.8 and 5.6 on a 70-200 F2.8 lens

JacobPhoto wrote in post #13910659
I shot a recent corporate event, and they specifically asked for me not to use flash. I was shooting at ISO 1600 - 4000 (thank god for 7D!), and apertures between 2.8 and 5.6 on a 70-200 F2.8 lens

Id love to see how they came out! Any chance of you posting some shots?

arich wrote in post #13900629
Straight ambient
Date Time Original 2011-11-04 15:07:13
Exposure Time 1/160
F Number 3.5
Exposure Program Manual
ISO Speed Ratings 1600
Metering Mode CenterWeightedAve​rage
Flash Flash did not fire
Focal Length 153
White Balance Auto white balance
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Thank you! I will definitely give this a go! We're many of your shots 'usable'? Or was this one of your lucky winners?

mrdunu wrote in post #13911278
Id love to see how they came out! Any chance of you posting some shots?

can't release them yet. Probably won't be able to for awhile...

not a corporate event, but here's a dance event I shot with the same approach. When you have a stage with spotlights and some mood lighting, the settings are all pretty much the same whether it's a dance event or a corporate speaker.

http://www.facebook.co​m …148567.30672003​897&type=3

mrdunu wrote in post #13911307
Thank you! I will definitely give this a go! We're many of your shots 'usable'? Or was this one of your lucky winners?

75%+ were keepers. I was also running the lights and sound for the conference so I made sure we had consistant lighting on the stage and podium

One thing to keep in mind is that if you do end up going with flash, it really does no good to point a flash with a Fong type small diffuser at your subject. The diffuser will not increase the size of the light source in relation to your subject and therefore will not decrease its specular or hard-light quality only its level of light output. I wouldn't even pack the wide angle lens unless you think you'll be able to shoot from a much much closer position or want coverage of the whole room. The good thing about a wide angle is that you can shoot at a much lower shutter speed.
You can actually shoot at lower than 1/100th- 1/160th if you are able to use a tripod, or monopod. I would still use an off camera flash, remember to get it up as high as possible to avoid any under lighting, or as I call it Frankenstein lighting.
But yeah, either way, treat this as a learning experience I guess. With the risk of sounding crass, I have to agree with arich here in saying that you should be prepared before you accept a job, I mean I understand feeling a bit nervous before a big shoot, but not knowing how to shoot in a room with a high ceiling and taking the job anyhow,.....hmmm.

Digital_zen wrote in post #13932850
One thing to keep in mind is that if you do end up going with flash, it really does no good to point a flash with a Fong type small diffuser at your subject. The diffuser will not increase the size of the light source in relation to your subject and therefore will not decrease its specular or hard-light quality only its level of light output. I wouldn't even pack the wide angle lens unless you think you'll be able to shoot from a much much closer position or want coverage of the whole room. The good thing about a wide angle is that you can shoot at a much lower shutter speed.
You can actually shoot at lower than 1/100th- 1/160th if you are able to use a tripod, or monopod. I would still use an off camera flash, remember to get it up as high as possible to avoid any under lighting, or as I call it Frankenstein lighting.
But yeah, either way, treat this as a learning experience I guess. With the risk of sounding crass, I have to agree with arich here in saying that you should be prepared before you accept a job, I mean I understand feeling a bit nervous before a big shoot, but not knowing how to shoot in a room with a high ceiling and taking the job anyhow,.....hmmm.

Thanks for the advice! The reason why I accepted it is because it was an unpaid shoot starting from 7:30am to 5:30pm. There's no windows in the room, which is why I'm debating whether or not I should use flash. Yes, I've never done something like this before, but it would get me outside of my comfort zone. I have already notified my client that I cannot guarantee the quality of the images that come out, and they were completely fine with me trying my best. Anyway, I had a look at the lecture room on Monday, and the ceilings weren't as high as I thought - maybe 4 metres or so. I'm now inclined towards shooting the event without flash, simply because of the harsh shadows created. Maybe its because I'll be shooting in a portrait orientation most of the time, without a flash bracket. What do you guys think? Shall I shoot the entire event without flash? Or should I use the flash, and just reduce the flash exposure compensation? And would you recommend I still attempt to bounce the flash using the gary fong collapsible (without the dome top)? On a side note, my sole purpose for my tokina 11-16 is to shoot the room as a whole. Most of my shots will be taken using the 17-55 / 70-200.

I'd do it without flash so as not to impose