How to light this school event?

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Dan
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I have shot this event before, but with fast primes - I'm shooting with a pair of Sony A9's, I have fast primes as well as the 2.8 GM zooms.

It's an award ceremony, there is a stage at the front with speakers, well lit. They announce a winner for an award who gets up from their table and walks to the front.

Here's an idea of the layout with an idea (table positioning guessed) for off-camera lighting (red stars), but I would appreciate experienced input. Thanks!

lightingsetup by dancook1982, on Flickr

Here is the the room ambient, there was also a smoke machine on the stage..

event by dancook1982, on Flickr

f2 1/125th 400 - well lit stage
event by dancook1982, on Flickr

People getting most of the light from the stage
f3.2 1/40th 7200
event by dancook1982, on Flickr

Then walking to the stage, the lighting is mixed so I did a lot of black and white.
event by dancook1982, on Flickr

f1.8 1/200th 12800
26261818934_f8b3eventc883b8_b by dancook1982, on Flickr
 
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Isn't caution required when considering using on or off-camera flash lighting repeatedly in a darkish room full of people in case someone with photosensitive epilepsy is present? I'd be inclined to just use high ISO and available light to avoid the possible risk of ruining someone's night. Besides, I think available light can add to the atmosphere of photographs and, as you've found, you can always provide a black and white option if the lighting happens to give someone the skin colour of a tray of beef in a butchers window and it can't be put right in Photoshop or Lightroom.
 
Isn't caution required when considering using on or off-camera flash lighting repeatedly in a darkish room full of people in case someone with photosensitive epilepsy is present? I'd be inclined to just use high ISO and available light to avoid the possible risk of ruining someone's night. Besides, I think available light can add to the atmosphere of photographs and, as you've found, you can always provide a black and white option if the lighting happens to give someone the skin colour of a tray of beef in a butchers window and it can't be put right in Photoshop or Lightroom.

They are drama students, and the school puts on a lot of shows with dramatic and dynamic lighting.

I'm just trying to find a ways of taking photos, technically, to the 'next level' - if I had my own spot light on the people who walked to the stage - that would be a great start :D
 
Snoots have too much light loss. Better Beamer would work but would produce very harsh lighting
 
I can understand blurring the photos so they can't be copied. No doubt the photos taken will be up for purchase from those taking part. Also it is a school event from the heading, we all know about photographing youngsters!!
 
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I can understand blurring the photos so they can't be copied. No doubt the photos taken will be up for purchase from those taking part

Also being a school they can't be identified.

Just trying to cover myself..

I did the event now so many different coloured light sources. It's a tough gig.. But I did what could. Only used bounced flash before the main awards event for shots.
 
One of my biggest problems is if I visit a place of interest with loads of school kids about. I forgo a good photo if the kids are in frame to be on the safe side.
 
I can understand blurring the photos so they can't be copied. No doubt the photos taken will be up for purchase from those taking part. Also it is a school event from the heading, we all know about photographing youngsters!!


Do we ?


Thousands upon thousands of school pictures over the last ten years....
www.kipax.com/schools


.


.
 
I realise you have now done this event but I thought I would chime in.
Having done a number of fashion events with varying light sources and flash being a no no, I up my ISO, as fast a shutter speed as possible and choose my white balance accordingly.


Budapest fashion week

by Brian Lewicki,
on
Flickr

ISO 2000 f3.5 640sec

Events are notoriously variable with their lighting, the worst I came across was in Gibraltar where they had stage lighting for a play they put on and there were so many light and dark areas on the catwalk!
The last event I went to was pretty good and fairly consistent though.


Top Model UK 2018
by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/metroman2/]
Brian Lewicki
,
on
Flickr[/url]​
https://flic.kr/p/261Uvpp
 
I couldn't up my shutter speed beyond 1/200th as I got artificial light banding.

Even with all the lighting the event was much darker than the above. More like 1/200th f1.4 and high iso. Unless it was pointed to the speakers on stage.

Fairy lights, light from a pair of projectors, wall up lights, coloured led stage lights, main stage lights, coloured illuminated cubes on tables.. Then fireworks and smoke machine..
 
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I couldn't up my shutter speed beyond 1/200th as I got artificial light banding.

Even with all the lighting the event was much darker than the above. More like 1/200th f1.4 and high iso. Unless it was pointed to the speakers on stage.

Fairy lights, light from a pair of projectors, wall up lights, coloured led stage lights, main stage lights, coloured illuminated cubes on tables.. Then fireworks and smoke machine..

Welcome to event photography, it's a very challenging genre, I admire some of the results folk on here have got when there are those garish lighting effects and ever changing crowds in front of you.
 
Looks like one of those extreme situations Dan. Personally, you'd only want a small blip of flash to add to the skin tones to lift them, it's finding that balance which you'd undoubtedly need to play with.
 
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