Pkfish Loc: Wilson Wy

My folks are having their 60 anniversary this week and we are having a dinner for them and the kids that can make it at a nice Italian restaurant. I've been asked to take pictures for the ones that can't make and just for memories. It will be fairly poor light and I don't want to use a flash. My mom has severe dementia and I do not want to confuse her anymore than she is. I have a Canon 6d and will be using a 24-105L lens. This will probably be their last anniversary and I would like to do this well. I am looking for suggestions on camera settings. Thank You for advise !!

watchcow Loc: Moore, Oklahoma

i am not terribly familiar with that camera or lens, but i have shot a lot of wedding receptions and dinners in venues that felt like they were as dark as the inside of a whale. Is this a place you are familiar with? do you know the management well enough to ask them about turning up the lights or arranging the table to be in a part of the restaurant where the lights could be a little brighter without disturbing the other patrons? Are there any tables near windows? If possible a window and an earlier start time could make all the difference in the world.

Otherwise, the method on the camera will me messy. probably select aperture preferred mode. set the aperture maybe one stop down from wide open and pray. dial up the ISO until you can get shutter speeds around a 60th or faster. at that point you are on the very edge of hand holding even if your subjects did not move. so i would suggest a monopod to walk around the table and try to get tight shots of clusters of just a few people at a time and hope they will hold still enough that you can get reasonably clear shots. then maybe have a tiny tabletop tripod so you can be in a couple of the shots yourself. and you can aim the camera down the table to get some overviews at a tighter aperture and ask people to try to hold still.

I would set a manual white balance (check the manual) and if you don't do it already, have the camera record raw+jpg for this event.

All this of course would be trivial if you had light.

If the 6D holds up well at 3200ISO, this might just work out. It may not be ideal, but do you think a smallish LED light panel like you use with a video camera might be used without causing too much distraction for your mother or the patrons? That too might be subject to feedback from the management. In addition, have one of the other siblings or nieces/nephews shoot video. there are a lot of camcorders out there that do well in low light where SLRs struggle. that way you hedge your bets on getting memories recorded.

Best of luck.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

From the few details you have provided It sounds as though you are in need of a faster lens, if you can arrange for one. The 24-105 is a fantastic lens, but it is lacking in low light. If you have access to a lens rental situation you might consider the EF24mm f/1.4L II USM. This lens practically "sees in the dark" and would help you big time. In addition to the speed and great AF, the W/A lens is ideal for large groups in small spaces. Considering your ISO range you should be able to shoot most of what you want with a lens like the one mentioned. If the 24mm is too wide the 35mm f/1.4L is another option, fast and great AF. Be very careful, those two lenses will push your GAS will power to it's limits! GL.

Pkfish Loc: Wilson Wy

Thanx Watchcow, the camera does have high iso capabilities,I also can see about the restaurant turning up the lights. This will only be a small group and no video being done. I really only want to take some nice shots and the rest of the time enjoy the moment. Thanx again!

Pkfish Loc: Wilson Wy

Thanx davidrb, just got done looking at the 24 1 .4 and the 35 1.4 . OH BOY! I'm trying to rationalize getting the 24. Thanx for the advice.

watchcow Loc: Moore, Oklahoma

If all else fails, a 50mm f1.8 is relatively inexpensive and will extend your low light capability a lot compared ot your zoom. if canon has a low to moderate cost 35mm f1.8 that might be the ticket. 1.8 to 1.4 is just a third of a stop, and that *might* be significant at times, but a third of a stop more than doubling the cost seems like a mighty big hit for a third of a stop.

Cameoblue Loc: British Columbia Canada

What watchcow said.
:thumbup: :thumbup:

watchcow Loc: Moore, Oklahoma

I just looked it up. Canon makes a 28mmm 1.8 and sigma makes a 28 and a 24mm 1.8 for similar prices. $450 to $550. that is certainly not an insignificant expense, but it seems like a person would be able to use those quite a bit. of course the 50mm 1.8 is $125. seems like a relative bargain, but then again it is not a wide angle lens and needs no exotic designs to make it work.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

My suggestion?

Get a flash that will do TTL, flag it with a piece of 50cent craft foam and bounce it and take great side lit photos without bothering anyone with the flash or upsetting your mom.

here is a site explaining the simple process.

http://neilvn.com/tangents/the-black-foamie-thing/

avemal Loc: BALTIMORE

WHITE BALANCE SOOOOOOOOOO NECESSARY TO SET.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU & YOUR PARENTS

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

Just remember f1.4 is a shallow depth of field. Maybe try 17-50mm F2.8.

djtravels Loc: Georgia boy now

I agree with this advise. I have the 24-105L and wouldn't consider it to be the lens for this job.
:lol:

Bobbee

Somewhere I remember the saying 'Painting with light.' So some of the already suggestions are good. Make sure you shoot RAW. You would be amazed at what hitting the 'Auto Correct' button in Adobe Raw will do. These pictures are not going into a wedding album where the girls are going to examine under a microscope every detail of their pretty little faces. You know, I have two continuous lights I use for little kids that flashes would otherwise upset. Think about that. These are family members so you could enlist one of two as helpers to move lights. Good luck. Make sure you lens can go down to 2.8, 1.4 would be better. Rent if you have to.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Boost the ISO, and you will get good results. Practice in low light and see what works best. Buying an expensive lens you might never need again is an expensive alternative to changing the ISO setting. These photos will not be published in national magazines, so just relax and enjoy the day. Be sure to practice with various setting ahead of time so you know what to do.

bweber Loc: Newton, MA

I use that same lens as my standard lens. You can easily increase the ISO to 800 or 1200 and get perfectly good prints at a reasonable shutter speed. I would try and place the major players fairly close to the lighting in the room, lamps or overhead lights and you should not have a problem. Simply asking your mom to move a little closed to a lamp or underneath a ceiling light should solve your problem. Although I find that Canon's auto white balance is fairly accurate, I would shoot RAW and leave the white balance correction to post processing.