photographing an outdoor party

I friend of mine has a huge outdoor barbq/pig roast every year (200+ people). I'm going to photograph the event this year, im not being paid and he didn't ask, but he'll be happy to get good shots of his party. I'm going to use the opportunity to practice on events and hopefully nab some new clients.

Concerns:

one its during the day, not much shade, most likely harsh sun.

not a very scenic location, in fact not scenic at all.

drunk people, lots of them, but i know most of them

any tips? also which lens should i use? thinking about the 50 almost exclusively...

Don't forget to bring a fill flash.

i would just bring the 17-40 and 135

wide angle would be the most important for these type of outtings considering all the group shots with friends. the 135 makes for a perfect candid lens to capture the essence of the moment.

50 would be cool too actually for the dof.

highly recommend bringing a flash. great opportunity to learn.

There is an other little detail: If people standing under a colored sunshade, then always include the sunshade in your picture. If you take closeups then you have this annoying tint on all the faces.

drmaxx wrote in post #16157531
There is an other little detail: If people standing under a colored sunshade, then always include the sunshade in your picture. If you take closeups then you have this annoying tint on all the faces.

good point, i was there last night and not too many colored shades to worry about, but i'll keep that note for the future.

i may luck out with an overcast day today

This is what 28-135 was made for at f/8

Yeah i'd slap the 17-40 on with a flash (just in case) and work the crowd... should be easy enough to mingle and grab informal shots of groups. Shoot into the sun so they're not squinting and there's no harsh shadows... if the sky is being completely blown out then drop the ambient exposure to about -1ev and turn the flash on. Either the 85 or 135 would be great to capture those candid moments of people embarrassing themselves...

plus 1 on the fill in flash and 17-40

mingle with folks to get them to let their guard down