Need HELP to do my best at a fundraiser

Was asked by a business acquaintance to help out at a fundraiser for the local foodbank ... a 1970s dance night. I shoot wildlife, birds and landscape but usually don't do people. Even so, I agreed.

The expectation is that I will take pictures of people arriving for the evening, made-up in their best 70s fashions. These folks will donate $$ to the foodbank for a digital copy of their image. They will print their own, if they wish.

I have a 7D with a 24-105 lens. No prime. I also have rarely used accessories: a good tripod (used only for aurora shots!), wireless remote shutter release, Speedlite 430EXII. I usually shoot in the wilderness, not the city. Will take business cards with me too.

I'm thinking of staying handheld; feel confident with this as this is how I usually capture wildlife and birds in flight. Also thought it might keep it more informal and fun, rather than a school-photo-type thing.

Sure would appreciate input regarding things I need to think about.

I just don't know what I don't know. Feel more comfy taking pictures of grizzly bears in the wild than party people in their finery.

It looks to me that the 430 EX is your only solution? I don't trust "Auto", so I'd put the strobe in manual & run a power level test at a given distance, like 8'. See post #3:
Tips for Xmas Ball Please
Look at the "Fill light at sunset" link in there for more.

I've the used the flash only once, at a family Christmas function. Had reasonable success but will read up more about it.

My learning curve will be steep ... which I like. Keeps me challenged & interested!

Lots of reading here ... thanx!

Lots of questions here so bear with me. Are you going to do standup shots in front of a background or are you working red carpet style? What sort of room are you working in? Do you have a low enough ceiling you can depend on the flash to bounce? How much time do you have to prepare?

All good questions to which I won't have the answer until an hour before the event.

I learned today via facebook that they've decided to create a "photo booth" where guests can stand and pose for a shot. Initially the plan was to take shots while people arrived, red carpet style. I had anticipated being able to do this outside, especially with a long daylight hours now. This has changed though ... now a "photo booth" apparently. I'm still hoping to have the opportunity for some candid shots. I figured being quick on my feet and responding to the guests' preferences would go over best with them. Lots of people don't like "posing" so keeping it casual could be beneficial.

The "room" is a multi-purpose recreation centre in Whitehorse, Yukon. From images I've seen the ceiling is low enough for flash bounce ... that is my plan, anyway. I have used the flash that way previously with success.

I arrive a 7 PM and the event starts at 8 PM. People in the north tend to wing it a lot. Which I'll do. I could possibly arrive a bit earlier and hope someone is there to open up. I think the DJ is setting up in the afternoon BUT I live an hour out of town so hadn't planned on going in then. It would mean killing about four hours between set-up and event start. I've other work to do (writing/editing) and can't invest the whole afternoon and evening.

ARGH, I'm beginning to regret that I agreed to help out.

I'm not investing a lot of time in this, but don't want to make a complete fool of myself either. Not being reimbursed for time or mileage ... this is to raise funds for the local foodbank.

I'm sorry to say that to do a photo booth you will need some additional lighting, background and support system etc. - typically a photo booth would make use of a couple of off-camera strobes to even up the lighting - a single 430 is unlikely to to give you pleasing results.

If you are committed to doing this then make them aware of what you can achieve - it was stupid of them to announce a photo booth without making 100% sure that their photographer could deliver it.

sue.t wrote in post #15843811
All good questions to which I won't have the answer until an hour before the event.

I learned today via facebook that they've decided to create a "photo booth" where guests can stand and pose for a shot. Initially the plan was to take shots while people arrived, red carpet style. I had anticipated being able to do this outside, especially with a long daylight hours now. This has changed though ... now a "photo booth" apparently. I'm still hoping to have the opportunity for some candid shots. I figured being quick on my feet and responding to the guests' preferences would go over best with them. Lots of people don't like "posing" so keeping it casual could be beneficial.

The "room" is a multi-purpose recreation centre in Whitehorse, Yukon. From images I've seen the ceiling is low enough for flash bounce ... that is my plan, anyway. I have used the flash that way previously with success.

I arrive a 7 PM and the event starts at 8 PM. People in the north tend to wing it a lot. Which I'll do. I could possibly arrive a bit earlier and hope someone is there to open up. I think the DJ is setting up in the afternoon BUT I live an hour out of town so hadn't planned on going in then. It would mean killing about four hours between set-up and event start. I've other work to do (writing/editing) and can't invest the whole afternoon and evening.

ARGH, I'm beginning to regret that I agreed to help out.

I'm not investing a lot of time in this, but don't want to make a complete fool of myself either. Not being reimbursed for time or mileage ... this is to raise funds for the local foodbank.

Ideally you want to get your strobe off camera via a cord or wireless setup and use an umbrella on a stand to diffuse the light. I'm not certain you are equipped with the gear or skills to pull this off in short notice. If you cant be bothered to find out about the shape of the room or the height of the roof in advance I fear this isnt going to end well for you.

A quick update to let you all know how it turned out.

The "photo booth" was a very dark corner of the dance hall, about 6' x 8', surrounded by shiny balloons and bad background (emergency fire equipment, baseboard heaters). The entrance was about 3' wide, blocked with tables. After I arrived, we removed the tables to open up the space so I could stand back 10-15' to take the shots. And I cleaned out the clutter to provide a clean background and hid what couldn't be moved with disco decorations.

Photos were by donation. Folks were contributing $10-$20 for a picture.

As the sun set and it became totally dark inside, other than the disco ball and disco lights on the dance floor, it became impossible to see anything through the camera viewfinder. So I was taking shots in the dark, literally. After the flash went off, then I could see how well I guessed. I took 2-3 pictures of each group to ensure I had at least one good one.

I also took random shots of people dancing, and was sure to capture a dance image of each group/couple who used the photo booth. Being it was a 70s Night event, the costumes were the highlight!

The end result ... surprisingly good, which was a tremendous relief for me. Generally, the images turned out exceedingly well. On some of the images I did some retouching to remove face shine caused by the flash. This morning I emailed the images to each client and the feedback has been extremely positive.

One fellow, who manages the convention centre & hotel, was extremely happy with his images.
One person wants to use one of their images in her business's 2014 calender.
Another wants to use hers with her biography on a book she's about to have published.

Thus, going with the flow, being able to adapt, and adding some extra features resulted in a good outcome. Likely helped the foodbank raise an additional $300, which is the best thing.

It's always good to hear an update. Glad you managed to pull it off and help out people who need help. Well done.
I'm sure you have learned some lessons though, at no ones expense which is great. Good luck