Fashion Show

[bradrjames]

Last weekend my wife was Modeling at a fashion show. I thought this would be a good place to do some shooting.

I found this fairly hard as there was a mixture of different lighting, some very bright and some soft. I had to shoot at ISO800 just to get a quick shutter speed. It was also hard because the models were moving so fast and I had a lot of shots out of focus.

Any tips would be appreciated.

[jerryph]

Any tips would be appreciated.

Movement and location:
- Models do move fast, but they also always follow the same path and stop in near always in the same location. If you are in a good location (you do not want to be up close to a raised stage, you will be shooting up their noses), then pre-focus on ONE spot in the stage, set it to manual and take your pics there. A deeper DOF helps, but that often means slower shutter speeds if taken too far.

Different lights... You have 2 choices:
- Live with the colour casts and use high ISO and fast glass (shoot RAW and adjust in post processing is an option too, if your camera supports it).

- Off camera flash triggered wirelessly... overpower the colour casts and gel to whatever your needs are if needed.

Just a couple suggestions.

[bradrjames]

Hey

Thanks for your help 

That’s a good tip about manually focusing on one point; I will try that next time. You are right I was quite close, I noticed this when I got home.
I am unsure of what to do when shooting in RAW mode, I have only just started the course and I am assuming that it will be covered.

Thanks again
Brad

[carri]

Brad, do you have an 'Al Servo'focus mode on your camera? If so use it! This is the mode to select when your focus distance keeps changing. Catwalk shows are a perfect time to switch to Al Servo mode as the subject tends to approach and retreat from the camera at a constant rate. In Al Servo mode the camera will track the subject and predict the focusing distance immediately before the shot is taken.

[jerryph]

Good thought Carri. I also thought of that but I was unsure what camera he had and not all dSLRs have this feature. Also if it is a slow focusing lens, he could end up chasing the focus and never quite get it... but DEFINATELY a thought worth trying and if it does work, would work far better than my suggestion of focusing in on one area. :)

[perfectoarts]

Brad well done with your photoshoot.
Yes I also try to remember to choose Al Servo mode as well, there is an endless amount to remember, isn't there? I continually keep forgetting this or that. I made a promise to myself that I will always shoot Jpeg + RAW.
When I download I can quickly navigate through the jpegs first.