bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I'll be shooting a party this weekend. Just like shooting a reception, some areas will be quite dark, some bright , some flashing lights etc.

I always shot in M but I think because I dont want to constantly be changing settings Im thinking about shutter Priority.

Or is there a better way? also lens suggestions

camera d810 , lenses available are 50MM prime, 24/85 2.8, 18/55 kit lens, 18/300 3.5

dnathan

If you have a flash where the head can be set at a 45 degree angle place a reflector on the top so one of the light goes forward to fill undereye shadows. A 3x5 card held with a rubber band works well to hold the card on. Shoot in program mode for speed. The idea is to get the shot quickly ith the highest chance of success. This has worked well for me. Over 1000 weddings photographed internationally over 40 years. Good luck!

jaysnave Loc: Central Ohio

I think a wedding reception or party in your case is the ultimate challenge for lighting and camera settings. Also, the greatest opportunity for creativity. Having said that, you will get many opinions, however I usually use a Light-Scoop on camera with the speed light on TTL or sometimes 1/4 power. In some situations I might swing it around and bounce off a white wall or ceiling. I use manual settings. When I have tried shutter priority and you want at least 125 to stop most motion blur it works, but sometimes the lighting condition changes and the camera makes a decision I am not happy with.

Adding to the above can be some off camera lighting for kicker/rim lighting even gelling one of them can bring some interesting effects. Now, having said all that I have on occasion ditched the lighting and used the strobes/flashing lights that are present. People look great in the party light. You will have to crank the ISO. Your D810 should handle 2500 clean of noise or possibly more. For lenses the 24/85 would be nice for flexibility, but you might be better served with the 50mm prime to get a wider aperture. Shutter priority may work well in this scenario. It depends on how dark the room is.

OK, that is my general view of reception lighting but it is really a mixing pot of ever changing lighting and people moving in and around it. There is no one right answer. You would be well served to get there early and try a few things. Oh, and remember to get some attention grabbing shots look for unique angles. Find something to climb on and shoot down (I sometimes bring a step stool) or get low and shoot up.

Good luck and post some results!

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I wish I had read shoot up , that would have been great, people dancing and me laying on the floor shooting up I'll bet that would be a great pic. I will remember that in the future. I did stand on the chairs and shoot down. I got best results pointing the light at the ceiling, dropping in the diffuser and pulling out the little white card to direct the light.
Thanks all that wrote.....

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I'm going to try to not sound "preachy" here, this is only my experience. Back in the day, when all cameras were manual, we didn't have the option of shooting in shutter priority, so that's where I'm coming from.

I've messed with modes, but always come back to manual. In my experience, it is actually easier. Since you have a D810, High ISO is not an issue for you at all.

Without seeing the room, I can't give you a starting ISO, but if you set your camera for about F-8 (to ensure capturing focus easily), and a shutter speed using the old formula of 1/ focal length. Like for the nifty 50, your shutter speed would be at least 1/50 or faster, you should be able to use your in camera meter to get you a good ISO. (something we were stuck with in the film days)

Now, your flash will give you nice fill and shadows, but you aren't depending on it for "lighting up the room" so the power will be very low, and you'll hardly use any batteries... and recycling will be almost instant. Now you can bounce off the ceilings, walls, or even someone's white shirt. Just leave your flash set for fill flash. It is smart enough to do the rest.

If light conditions change, you will easily see on your meter that you are going to over or under expose. This is where learning to adjust your shutter speed and your aperture without looking comes in handy. You can turn the thumb dials until the meter gets back to an acceptable level. In my case, I like it just a tad underexposed, so you can more easily get fancy with light direction. If you are worried about proper exposure. Frankly, this could get me attacked, but there is NO exact proper exposure. My personal preference is different than someone elses, as long as you can see detail in the highlights without them being blown, and you can see enough in the shadows, you are good. Unless the room goes from sunny in one corner, to pitch black in another, it really shouldn't be that tough.

Now, I do know people that shoot in various "modes" and do a good job. I'm only sharing my experience. I think growing up with photography with everything being manual, makes it seem a lot easier to me. If you shoot in shutter priority, there may be times that good exposure just can't be achieved with the ISO you've chosen and aperture range of the lens, so you'd have to adjust the ISO anyway.so.... in essence, it isn't that much different than manual. (at least the way I see it)

I don't look down on anyone shooting in any mode they choose, I just find it as easy, and actually less complicated just knowing how to set shutter speed and aperture without looking, and as long as I've been doing this, I can guess a good ISO without meters at all.

Good luck, and please, share some of your favorite (or not so favorite) photos from the party.
bk

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Best guess is your 24/85 2.8 would allow for the greatest adaptability to the venue's diverse illumination dynamic...
What are the deliverables? a.k.a. what does it take to meet/exceed expectations here...
If web resolution is all that's necessary it's a cake walk... Albeit as the needs predicate solutions should scale to accommodate...

What I typically use for interior events (shooting Nikon D3's and/or D7200) is a mid-range zoom...
Aperture priority, Auto ISO setting the minimum shutter speed to accommodate subject movement... 1/250 works well for mid-range zooms as long as the subjects are not moving too quickly... As for exposure? Matrix Metering and no worries, I use auto bracketing (set for 0.7 stop under; camera's pick and 0.7 over with Mode selector on CH) Thus I get a quick three exposure burst with each shutter press... Nikon's High ISO performance is so good on current bodies now that I rarely use speed-lights... However a SB910 is always in my kit and an option. Yes I shoot RAW so it is rare that I can't recover from a three frame set that still is over/under...

This works for me, however your experience may be different... There is no substitute for testing/fine tuning gear configurations... also scouting the venue before is SOP, otherwise you are gambling... never a good thing...
If I can't scout the venue prior to the event I simply won't except the job...

btw, I use to always shoot primes... but with 4 stop VR and high ISO performance so incredible now even an f/4 mid-range zoom is more than adequate... Unless the client has unrealistic expectations, for which I gracefully refer to other colleagues who enjoy such a challenge...

Hope this helps...
Or is at least food for thought...

superpijak Loc: Middle TN

As you can see everyone has their comfortable methods. Using a flash bracket I use 24-85mm and shutter priority. Doing this I thumb up the shutter speed a bit to help narrow the DOF, without looking away from view finder.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I would think you're just fine in M. If the light "aint" completely different in each room, you're not going to be changing settings all that much. And then, why would you care, if you had to push a button every now and then anyway (that's what makes it "kinda" fun in the first place)? Maybe you should consider to use flash for all the shots!

Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset

To Bkyser. I found your reply very informative as regards "I don't look down on anyone shooting in any mode they choose, I just find it as easy, and actually less complicated just knowing how to set shutter speed and aperture without looking, and as long as I've been doing this, I can guess a good ISO without meters at all".

As a Novice and one who struggles with Manual and want to master it, I am interested in how I could set the correct shutter speed and aperture as you described and what techniques you use. I will send you a PM and hopefully you can explain it to me further.

Thanking you in advance.

Heather

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Hi Heather, I answered your PM>
Feel free to ask more questions. I know that I'm not the best at writing stuff down.

Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset

You did well. Thanks.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

You just mentioned, sometimes the camera makes a decision you're not happy with. That is exactly why one should avoid shooting in shutter priority when using TTL, as it clearly influences the flash output! Stick to manual and you don't have said problem!! You can certainly work in aperture mode, without having those troubles, but why, when you get consistency in manual?

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

Thomas your comments and suggestions are great. Is there anything you don't know? lol