Low light, high ceiling, vertical spotlights - now what?

Event. Very low light levels overall, too low for f/2.8 no flash. The ceiling is too high for bounce. The light that there is is vertical spotlights, which makes the men who have lost some hair along the way look really bad. Assorted panels are dark wood.

Now what? I went with:
- one camera direct hotshoe flash and zoom lens
- one camera wide open primes
- grab people and drag them to where I had an umbrella setup
- track people, panning, until they step into usable light, but that was too time-consuming

That worked not too badly, however the wide angle no-flash shots are really not good enough. I used a 28/f1.8 and the light wasn't enough to prevent motion blur in all pictures. The 85L did a fine job on faces, but the 28mm has all the top of the heads orangy blown out, and the 5d2 can't reach into the dark areas between the spotlights for PP pushing in those wider shots.

It really isn't terrible, just wondering what I should do next time. Maybe it's time for the 24L? It really looks like the 28 f/1.8 reached it's limit there. But the shallow DoF might prevent this from working at all.

Maybe a pair of Alienbees bouncing with radio triggers? Yeah those triggers won't fail on an event with 50+ cellphones and tons of geek toys, right?

Grab yourself this:
http://www.amazon.com …=c&ref=pd_sl_59​i6kdg6n6_e


Use a high ISO 1600 to fill in more ambient. Try to get the flash off your hot shoe. Flash on one hand and camera on the other. Shoot away. If you have people walking around and mingling, you aren't going to drag them to an area to shoot them. I did this event, half way, shooting with one hand holding a 1dmarkIII and a 24-70L. That was a work out....

Actually I have on of the more conventional funnel like things for a shotshoe flash. I didn't think about it. Oops

I also have a flash bracket with quite a bit of offset - but now we are getting into territory when I can't operate the second body.

uOpt wrote in post #16465299
Actually I have on of the more conventional funnel like things for a shotshoe flash. I didn't think about it. Oops

I also have a flash bracket with quite a bit of offset - but now we are getting into territory when I can't operate the second body.

You mean the Gary Fong like toilet looking diffuser??? The flash bender is nice. It actually defuses the light and putting towards the subjects. Like a mini reflector.

Well, I'll try out some mobile emitters (sorry, watching Voyager in the background). Thanks so much

uOpt wrote in post #16465422
Well, I'll try out some mobile emitters (sorry, watching Voyager in the background). Thanks so much

Voyager? Are they home yet? I am more of the Deep Space 9 fan.

The Alien Bees would certainly do the job but it depends on the event, venue, etc. Then again you had an umbrella set up there so discretion was apparently not a requirement.

When I am shooting wedding receptions, sometimes in similar conditions, I would point 2 strobes directly towards the center of the room. No bounce. Just direct. I also have a hot shoe mounted Speedlite as well. As for the triggers and interference, that shouldn't be a problem.

If I only had a speedlite, I would have left it on the hot shoe, used a bounce card, and jacked up the ISO some. Maybe even gel the flash. Regardless, you'll get the dark background look, especially if the ambient is low.

Does a bounce card/flashbender work better than a mini softbox? I have a mini softbox which i think would work better for many applications I use it for (e.g. macro), but for people/events are the flashbenders better?

TooManyShots wrote in post #16465496
Voyager? Are they home yet? I am more of the Deep Space 9 fan.

Oh yeah, but I just made it through DSN

nicksan wrote in post #16465611
The Alien Bees would certainly do the job but it depends on the event, venue, etc. Then again you had an umbrella set up there so discretion was apparently not a requirement.

Well it's not that I asked. I simply carried the set in a corner section where bounce would work, too, before the catering folks could occupy the space . Boots on the ground and all.

How do you manage power on the strobes? Do you have everything dialed in manually before the show hits the road?

ejenner wrote in post #16465622
Does a bounce card/flashbender work better than a mini softbox? I have a mini softbox which i think would work better for many applications I use it for (e.g. macro), but for people/events are the flashbenders better?

Looking at the pictures I also have to say that the "naked" hotshoes flash didn't work too badly. I can follow focal length and for the longer shots I think I might have run out of light without it. Of course those were also covered by the non-flash 85L camera.

uOpt wrote in post #16466112
How do you manage power on the strobes? Do you have everything dialed in manually before the show hits the road?

I used to use an Einstein and an AB800 for receptions. I would control the power remotely with the Cyber Commander.

I still do pretty much the same except the strobes have been replaced with a pair of Cheetah Light CL-360. I can still control the power remotely using the remote that came with the lights.

ejenner wrote in post #16465622
Does a bounce card/flashbender work better than a mini softbox? I have a mini softbox which i think would work better for many applications I use it for (e.g. macro), but for people/events are the flashbenders better?

I think it is depending on the events. If you have to cover multiple locations and you need to get in and out and covering couple of shots with people having fun and mingling, you need to be mobile. I think a flashbender with off camera flash would be a step up from shooting with the flash on the hotshoe with little or no diffusion. Of course, you need either an assistance holding the flash or shooting with one hand and the other with the flash. Or you can carry a lightstand with you.