fashion show photography

[catarinavaz]

Hello
I have very basic equipment canon 450d with EF-S 55-250 IS lens and i must photograph a runway fashion show aswell as backstage. Should i shoot in raw mode? For the fashion show which settings would work better without flash.
And for backstage/events photography which flash would you suggest me to buy.

Thank you

Catarina Vaz

[Dennis_Vied]

Yes, I would shoot in RAW mode, unless you have an immediate need for the image, or if you can process the image right away.

You will get good backstage flash results with a powerful flash used in bounce mode with a diffuser, so I would suggest the 580EX series of flash. It will appear very top heavy on the 450D, so you might want to consider a flash bracket which converts for horizontal/vertical shooting. I use the Really Right Stuff brackets.

[catarinavaz]

Thank You Dennis for your repply.
I was wondering if the 430EX II would work for this too and i have a question... I have seen lately many people using macro flash for event pictures. Would that give any good effect on this kind of image or is it just some trend experimental thing?

Catarina

[Dennis_Vied]

The smaller flash is more convenient to carry, but in this case, I assume you are looking for good results. You want to use the most powerful flash that is convenient to carry with you, so I recommended the 580EX.

If you're just shooting snapshots for your own enjoyment, then anything will do. If you're looking for solid results you can sell, you need the most powerful flash you can carry.

[David_Buzzard]

Just to be contrarian, I think you'll be fine with a smaller flash back stage. It'll be pretty dark back there, and you'll want turn it down far enough to pick up some of the ambient light. You'll also be pretty close to your subject, so too much flash is going to blow things out. You definitely want to use a wide lens, a 18mm lens at a minium, and turn up the ISO to 400 or 800.

I always shoot RAW, unless the client asks for JPG's. I would go early and get a custom WB reading, as who knows what kind of lighting they'll be using. If you're going to be using flash for the runway, you will need a big one.

Good luck,

David Buzzard

[KevinStecyk]

If you are shooting a runway, here's a great article:

Photographing Fashion Week

[Noel_Carboni]

I'm kind of with Dennis on this one...

Imagine the additional options, with a powerful flash, to say bounce the flash off the ceiling under more varied circumstances, perhaps with a Lumiquest 80/20. Bounced flash images generally look 1000% better than straight deer-in-headlights shots.

-Noel