How to light a wedding? - in particular s-bowen modifiers?

[dancook]

I need to improve my lighting game at weddings, I'm relying too much on ISO handling and poor lighting.

On an unrelated matter, I just bought this set of lights.
https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-citi600-manual-battery-powered-twin-flash-kit/

I figured I could use them during reception/speeches and dance, however I'm pretty sure those large soft-boxes are not ideal - so what should I be using instead?

Also I will need to be able to gel them to match environment lights.

Any advice on how I should be positioning/directing the lamps, particularly during speeches - if they are in corners of the room, do I aim them at the top table or bounce them off something white?

Really any advice on lighting throughout the day will be just great, i should soak it all up.


I'm considering ditching the primes in favour of a 24-90mm af zoom, so I can stick to one camera and one hot-shoe flash on it. I've used bounce lighting, but it's not always an option - do people go direct flash or use a small white reflector?


I'm still only second shooting, the primary photographer only ever goes so far as to use hot shoe flash.

 

[holty]

i use my 17-35mm2.8 24-70mm 2.8 70-200mm 2.8 along with my d500 dx and d750 fx
also use on the bodies sb900 flash and have another 4 which i can place remotely anywhere in the room you need them
i have also used my 8 by 7 hi light box to capture granny wanting a picture with the bride and uncle tim with his great nephew
or any other requests

 

[DG Phototraining]

Nice kit bud, but at most of the venues I shoot at there'd be nowhere you can position those stands even without the softboxes, which would also be pointless being at the back of the room anyway

During speeches the tendency is to shoot the speaker, then the B&G's reactions to the speaker, then guests too - all at different distances and in different directions, hence an on-camera speedlight bounced off walls or ceilings works well - so unless you just pointed these lights up against the wall/ceiling to try to evenly flood everywhere I can't see it working as a light source, nor it being practical either

Outside for OCF fun yes, inside - well unless you shoot in castles with acres of space then I just can't see them being much use, and if space is tight you have added problems of trip hazards

I can't think of any of my usual venues where I could have used them indoors except as lighting for a mini-studio for prating about with hats & wigs etc. But maybe that's just my venues and not yours

Sorry - probably not a view you wanted to hear

Dave

 

[f/2.8]

Not sure I would want to be carting an ad-600 around at a wedding. Maybe the ad-200 at a push.

I will be leaving my 600s at home for portrait sessions etc and the ad-200s will be for portraits after the wedding meal but probably wouldn’t be using them for speeches, just too much hassle.

 

[dancook]

Nice kit bud, but at most of the venues I shoot at there'd be nowhere you can position those stands even without the softboxes, which would also be pointless being at the back of the room anyway

During speeches the tendency is to shoot the speaker, then the B&G's reactions to the speaker, then guests too - all at different distances and in different directions, hence an on-camera speedlight bounced off walls or ceilings works well - so unless you just pointed these lights up against the wall/ceiling to try to evenly flood everywhere I can't see it working as a light source, nor it being practical either

Outside for OCF fun yes, inside - well unless you shoot in castles with acres of space then I just can't see them being much use, and if space is tight you have added problems of trip hazards

I can't think of any of my usual venues where I could have used them indoors except as lighting for a mini-studio for prating about with hats & wigs etc. But maybe that's just my venues and not yours

Sorry - probably not a view you wanted to hear

Dave

Thanks, I understand and I will start using my hot shoe flash more.

What do you do if there's nothing to bounce off?

 

[MK1 Photography]

Hi Dan when I shoot weddings I don’t use much on camera flash but if I have to I use the dem flip card

 

[dancook]

Hi Dan when I shoot weddings I don’t use much on camera flash but if I have to I use the dem flip card

What's a dem flip card? I've heard of it in the past, but a google doesn't show me.




This is not the best example, but it's the easiest to find.

The whole place is wood panelling, colour photos are grainy and washed out - I think perhaps I could have done more in PP and maybe the white balance could have been better (was not a paid gig)

 

[Phil V]

Like Dave I tend to shoot receptions without flash.

Low light levels and WB issues are easier to work round with modern cameras. There’s a vocal minority of photographers who place lights round a reception, but I don’t see much point, the light is rarely ugly enough to make it necessary.

So my flash use at weddings is confined to OCF portraits and the ‘party’ shots, and for the party shots bouncing is a bit of a blunt weapon. I’m more likely to hand hold a flash and point it where it needs to go, (Not all hard light is bad)

The AD600 could be a cool tool for OCF fighting the sun a-la Simon Revill, but I tend to go later in the day when the atmospheres more relaxed, the sky is more interesting and I don’t need that much power.

 

[gremlin16]

As above, I generally don’t use flash at all during weddings. You just have to work a little harder. If I take the bride outside after dark for a specific shot then I may use a little ocf 1 or 2 units.

 

[MK1 Photography]

I used two off camera flashes here at this reception it was a low ceiling cave like room.
Normally I use available light as most have said.

 

[MK1 Photography]

Hi Dan this is it
It’s not as gimmicky as it looks it’s basically a white mini ceiling it works quite well. Sorry if I spelt it wrong
http://www.dembflashproducts.com/

 

[Deleted sulking member 63079]

Like Dave I tend to shoot receptions without flash.

Low light levels and WB issues are easier to work round with modern cameras. There’s a vocal minority of photographers who place lights round a reception, but I don’t see much point, the light is rarely ugly enough to make it necessary.

So my flash use at weddings is confined to OCF portraits and the ‘party’ shots, and for the party shots bouncing is a bit of a blunt weapon. I’m more likely to hand hold a flash and point it where it needs to go, (Not all hard light is bad)

The AD600 could be a cool tool for OCF fighting the sun a-la Simon Revill, but I tend to go later in the day when the atmospheres more relaxed, the sky is more interesting and I don’t need that much power.

Yeah same for party shots, sometimes on camera, sometimes hand held. Drag the shutter and freeze the action. I don't bother with second shutter, so I know I freeze the moment that I want rather than guessing.

Sometimes use them for the speeches if the weather is bad, but usually have one in a corner pointing at the speaker, and another on camera.

 

[DG Phototraining]

Thanks, I understand and I will start using my hot shoe flash more.

What do you do if there's nothing to bounce off?

The highest ceiling I've ever had for a reception was a converted church, so the ceiling was about 50ft high. Shooting at 4000 ISO, f2 (on both my 85 & 35) and 1/125th ambient was just 1/2 stop under as it was reasonably evenly lit and even my aged SB800 speedlights managed to go up & down and provide that extra 1/2 stop, with the white-card up too for catchlights

My most common venue (15 there last year, probably that again this) has reception in its orangery, so pitched glass ceilings, and yet still enough reflects for what I need even though I usually top-out at 2000 ISO

In more normal height rooms and plastered (white usually) ceilings then my default is 1000 ISO and bouncing back off the wall behind me if its close, or just up into the ceiling with the white card out; that said, if the light in the room is pretty even, so no panda-eyes on the couple, then if I can use 2000 ISO or less I'll generally not use flash at all

Dave