Advice on taking shots before a Prom.

[Orange Peel]

I've been asked to photograph a friends daughers pre-prom gathering. There will be around 10 girls all wanting photographs which make them look like princesses. There should be good day light unless the weather takes a turn so I'll either be outside in the garden or inside. If inside I'll have a wall in my living room which has floor to ceiling, wall to wall curtains in a deep purple colour. Could that make a decent backdrop?

I'll be using my Canon 40D and a Tamron 17-50 with a 430EXII Flash.

I'll be bouncing the flash as I have some experience in that area but don't have any other lighting besides household lamps and lights.

Any tips or advice would be great

 

[cyclamens]

Hi Orange - outside will be great as long as you don't have any trees growing out of the young ladies' heads

For me try to find as uniform a background as possible and use your flash for fill as harsh shadows are a bummer on faces. Also avoid the lawn if you have heavy rain before - the long dresses don't look good with mud around the hems!

Deep purple can make a good backdrop and again use flash bounced from the ceiling or a light coloured wall