Setting up booth at company event... minimum lighting setup?

So on May 17th we are having our annual company dinner for all the supervisors/management​. I proposed the idea of setting up the camera on a tripod with a trigger and a backdrop with a couple of flashes.

Right now I have none of that gear and need to purchase the equipment. So what I was thinking was:

trigger, cable or wireless?
backdrop, muslim for this? white, black?
backdrop stand, sandbags needed?
couple of light stands & modifiers... umbrella or softboxes.... sandbags?

flashes... I know I want to pick up a couple B800s for sure. I'm pretty sure for this setup you would want to stay away from battery powered speedlights.

am I missing anything?

How many people are to be in the shot? If you are going with AB's you only need a simple trigger. The cybersyncs made by PCB are fantastic, long range, durable, very reliable, but cost more than other solid offerings from YN like the 603. Background should probably be gray. White is tough to light, black is too dark without a hairlight, gray offers contrast so you dont lose dark hair into it. For group shots, shoot through umbrellas are great. THe bigger the better. Another option would be the PLM system, also by PCB.

This would be setup for people to come and go as they choose. Maybe some of the big wigs all together. I'm thinking 5-6 max.

wonder if I should setup a playback screen of somesort so they can see the result, not sure if I know how to pull that off or not.

Having two lights, one on each side of the camera pointed forward at the same power will be a very versatile setup. It will give you consistent exposure across the drop. Its a bit flat for individual portraits, but great for well exposed shots of a group. I use that setup for dog show winner photos.

http://kevin-jones.smugmug.com …hd86/0/XL/LDC_0​048-XL.jpg

You've never done this before, you don't own the gear....you're setting yourself up for fail. Why not simply hire a Photo Booth company or professional who has all the right gear and knowledge of how to use it.

Talley wrote in post #15782548
So on May 17th we are having our annual company dinner for all the supervisors/management​. I proposed the idea of setting up the camera on a tripod with a trigger and a backdrop with a couple of flashes.

Right now I have none of that gear and need to purchase the equipment. So what I was thinking was:

trigger, cable or wireless?
backdrop, muslim for this? white, black?
backdrop stand, sandbags needed?
couple of light stands & modifiers... umbrella or softboxes.... sandbags?

flashes... I know I want to pick up a couple B800s for sure. I'm pretty sure for this setup you would want to stay away from battery powered speedlights.

am I missing anything?

Two strobes, two umbrellas. Used here.

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jcolman wrote in post #15782625
You've never done this before, you don't own the gear....you're setting yourself up for fail. Why not simply hire a Photo Booth company or professional who has all the right gear and knowledge of how to use it.

Hmm... Thats inspiring.

So instead of challenging myself and advancing my capability I might as well just hire someone else to do it. Kinda like back when my wife and I before we had a baby, I never had a baby before nor never made one... might as well had someone else move on in there and make it for me right?

For the record, I'm well aware how to use the damn equipment, my lack of owning the equipment means nothing.

Talley wrote in post #15783062
Hmm... Thats inspiring.

So instead of challenging myself and advancing my capability I might as well just hire someone else to do it. Kinda like back when my wife and I before we had a baby, I never had a baby before nor never made one... might as well had someone else move on in there and make it for me right?

For the record, I'm well aware how to use the damn equipment, my lack of owning the equipment means nothing.

Sorry to rustle your jimmies. But my reply comes from countless threads I read that start out very similar to yours; "I've never shot a wedding before but my friend asked me to shoot his...what kind of gear do I need?". This invariably leads to discussion concerning what the thread starter is getting him or herself in to and how ill prepared he or she is. I was simply trying to steer you away from making a fool of yourself in front of the company if you didn't have the experience or knowledge to use the gear.

Which leads to my next question. If you know how to use the gear? Why are you asking your questions if you know the answers.

Talley, you must always expect some negativity when posting here. Some people here are very judgmental and make assumptions. Not everyone understands that some of us don't like writing out longgggg forum posts explaining everything. I, like you, come hre hoping for quick advice and am often faced with negativity. Just brush it off and keep trying to do what your doing.

On the other hand... a LOT of people who are far too under experienced for what they are trying to achieve post here and indeed ARE setting themselves up for failure, so you have to also see where he comes from.

I think you need to know the max people per shot and just set up two lights with a trigger. To be honest, i feel liek it might be boring because the light will be so basic and non dramatic.

But since I'm a nice guy, I'll tell you what I used to pull off this setup-which allowed the people to take their own pic and see the results instantly.

jcolman wrote in post #15783244
Sorry to rustle your jimmies. But my reply comes from countless threads I read that start out very similar to yours; "I've never shot a wedding before but my friend asked me to shoot his...what kind of gear do I need?". This invariably leads to discussion concerning what the thread starter is getting him or herself in to and how ill prepared he or she is. I was simply trying to steer you away from making a fool of yourself in front of the company if you didn't have the experience or knowledge to use the gear.

Which leads to my next question. If you know how to use the gear? Why are you asking your questions if you know the answers.

In the OP defense. He didn't ask what gear was needed not knowing anything, but out of the gear he listed what might he have missed?? And any tips. BIG Difference to the type of post you are comparing him to

I understand where jcolman is coming from. He has valid points. But you have plenty of time to get the equipment and start experimenting/learning how to set it up and get the exposures correct. You can read all the books you want but you really begin to learn when you start taking pictures and moving the equipment around to get the lighting (and shadows) correct.

Good luck.

Gaarryy wrote in post #15783400
In the OP defense. He didn't ask what gear was needed not knowing anything, but out of the gear he listed what might he have missed?? And any tips. BIG Difference to the type of post you are comparing him to

And out of the kindness of my heart I listed all the gear he might need to pull off this setup.




Now, to get serious for a moment, I'm sure that he could go out and purchase everything he would need for this setup and with some practice, he could likely get everything to work. But my original post still stands. Unless he is planning on using all this stuff for future jobs which will pay for the expense, he would be better off hiring a pro to do the job.

jcolman wrote in post #15783438
And out of the kindness of my heart I listed all the gear he might need to pull off this setup.




Now, to get serious for a moment, I'm sure that he could go out and purchase everything he would need for this setup and with some practice, he could likely get everything to work. But my original post still stands. Unless he is planning on using all this stuff for future jobs which will pay for the expense, he would be better off hiring a pro to do the job.

First off.
Nice pic you posted.. very well done.
I do agree with you in theory and that often it's exactly the case you mention.

But I can see his side also. I've done similar with gear, while I have way to many speed lights, stands and basic flash umbrella's. there have been times I needed something a lot more, (Rangers, big boom, etc) and just rented it for that particular job, then included it in the price quoted.
Heck I do the same thing for home improvement projects and I can cut my arm off if I screw it up
I don't know if I'd be more worried or less since it's at his regular job. That could go both ways.

Damn, I had thought I hit post on my response but guess it didn't come through.

I was mainly asking for anything I missed and/or a better setup, maybe 3 lights or maybe just pull it off with just one. I know the lighting wouldn't be dramatic but would be better than anything that has been done in the past..... for example.

another guy had always brought his dslr and speedlight with direct flash in the green box. he works for us also. last year they forgot to charge the batteries so they relied on an ipad for the photos.

I suggested me bring my gear up there and get a booth setup so the coworkers can do their own stuff come and go as you please.

I might of forgot to mention this is for the company I work for. I'm an electrical superintendent for an instrumentation/electr​ical company. They all know me well and know my knowledge and capabilities with a camera. I've been wanting to buy this gear for my own personal use anyway but have been holding out just because I didn't feel like spending right now. I do want to buy this setup before my 4th kid is born (due july 3rd) so it's not like I'm buying it all just for one gig.

One last question... would it be better for a trigger to activate a timer or instant? I would think the 2 second timer would be best.