Sorry if you've seen this post from me before in another forum.
Long story with some background, before my question.
I spent a few years with a bridge camera that over time, increasingly showed it's age. However, I really enjoyed using it, and got some photographs that I was pleased with. I took the camera to London Comic Con in 2013, and with a combination of blind luck and perseverance, got a small number of portrait style shots I was happy with, among a large collection of okay to show your friends but nothing to be proud of shots.
That was part of my reasonably recent discovery, that I enjoyed photography as an activity rather than just as a way of recording events. That in turn led to the purchase of a Canon 600D, and a year or so of playing with that and various lenses.
I took that camera, and my Sigma 17-50 lens to Comic Con in London at the start of this year, with the intention of spending the day just taking photographs. However, I had a significant crisis of confidence at the start of the day (for various reasons), and ended up taking a small handful of shots, mostly struggling to approach anyone and asking them to pose. The shots I did take were terrible (technically) in the end, and the whole thing was quite disappointing.
I'm planning to go to Birmingham Comic Con in November, again, with the sole intention of taking photographs; both as a way of increasing my confidence and my skill (no point sticking inside your comfort zones eh?).
Although the convention centres usually feel bright, they're still indoors and people rarely want to stand stock still long enough to get low ISO shots without a flash and without any movement blur.
So to my query. I've got experience of (not much) using a flash indoors in situations where the ceiling and walls can be used to bounce the light and prevent those hard flash shadows. In the convention centre, that's not going to be an option. So what are my best options for getting acceptable photographs, without any sharp flash shadows, of people who usually only want to pause and pose for 5-10 seconds (because they're usually being harassed by a lot of other people taking shots)?
Here's the kit I've got to work with (upgraded body, money from a redundancy payout, I know it's overkill, but it's lovely).
Canon 7D2
Sigma 17-50mm f2.8
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 (the model before the latest one)
Canon Speedlight 430ex ii
I've listed 2 lenses, although I suspect the only one I'll take is the Sigma. The Canon 50mm is a bit tight for anything more than pure headshots in a convention centre which is usually quite packed (on a crop sensor), and if it's a group of people, I'd be screwed.
I've got a very basic plastic diffuser for the flash (similar to, but not exactly like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/MaxsimafotoŽ.../dp/B002U3BI5Q ), although I've not found it hugely effective.
Does anyone with experience of taking shots in this kind of environment have any advice? Do I just use the flash normally and deal with the shadows, is there a simple diffuser option which is effective and will help but won't add a lot of bulk (already working in quite tight conditions). Should I forgo flash and just deal with high ISO shots to keep the shutter speed up and prevent motion blur?
Long story with some background, before my question.
I spent a few years with a bridge camera that over time, increasingly showed it's age. However, I really enjoyed using it, and got some photographs that I was pleased with. I took the camera to London Comic Con in 2013, and with a combination of blind luck and perseverance, got a small number of portrait style shots I was happy with, among a large collection of okay to show your friends but nothing to be proud of shots.
That was part of my reasonably recent discovery, that I enjoyed photography as an activity rather than just as a way of recording events. That in turn led to the purchase of a Canon 600D, and a year or so of playing with that and various lenses.
I took that camera, and my Sigma 17-50 lens to Comic Con in London at the start of this year, with the intention of spending the day just taking photographs. However, I had a significant crisis of confidence at the start of the day (for various reasons), and ended up taking a small handful of shots, mostly struggling to approach anyone and asking them to pose. The shots I did take were terrible (technically) in the end, and the whole thing was quite disappointing.
I'm planning to go to Birmingham Comic Con in November, again, with the sole intention of taking photographs; both as a way of increasing my confidence and my skill (no point sticking inside your comfort zones eh?).
Although the convention centres usually feel bright, they're still indoors and people rarely want to stand stock still long enough to get low ISO shots without a flash and without any movement blur.
So to my query. I've got experience of (not much) using a flash indoors in situations where the ceiling and walls can be used to bounce the light and prevent those hard flash shadows. In the convention centre, that's not going to be an option. So what are my best options for getting acceptable photographs, without any sharp flash shadows, of people who usually only want to pause and pose for 5-10 seconds (because they're usually being harassed by a lot of other people taking shots)?
Here's the kit I've got to work with (upgraded body, money from a redundancy payout, I know it's overkill, but it's lovely).
Canon 7D2
Sigma 17-50mm f2.8
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 (the model before the latest one)
Canon Speedlight 430ex ii
I've listed 2 lenses, although I suspect the only one I'll take is the Sigma. The Canon 50mm is a bit tight for anything more than pure headshots in a convention centre which is usually quite packed (on a crop sensor), and if it's a group of people, I'd be screwed.
I've got a very basic plastic diffuser for the flash (similar to, but not exactly like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/MaxsimafotoŽ.../dp/B002U3BI5Q ), although I've not found it hugely effective.
Does anyone with experience of taking shots in this kind of environment have any advice? Do I just use the flash normally and deal with the shadows, is there a simple diffuser option which is effective and will help but won't add a lot of bulk (already working in quite tight conditions). Should I forgo flash and just deal with high ISO shots to keep the shutter speed up and prevent motion blur?
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