I don't want to be un-PC, but I'm facing a small problem.

I've been doing reunion photography for my high school's classes. I've done over 30 of them, all as an unpaid volunteer with the stipulation that they provide food for me. I volunteer because the four hours of any high school reunion are often the happiest times on earth (and that happiness is infectious) and also I don't want our alumni, some of whom are loaded, others not so much, to spend extra money hiring a photographer.

For reunions, I use my Canon EOS Rebel T2i w/Canon EF-S 18-135mm lens and either the pop-up flash or my Canon Speedlite 430EX II with a diffuser, usually mounted on a bracket.

Otherwise, I'm a street photographer, so the only time I use the heavy T2i is for reunions, as many as four per year. I've photographed classes from 1950 through 1971.

Here's the problem: Next weekend, I will be photographing our graduation class of 1977's 40th reunion. My school existed from 1931 until 2011 when it was closed and the building converted into a charter school. Beginning in the mid-'60s, the school's demographics changed fairly rapidly. Whereas my 1961 graduation class had fewer than 2 percent people-of-color classmates, the 1977 class seems to have greater than 95 percent African-American classmates.

I will be going in blind. I haven't visited the reunion venue so I don't know either the lighting situation or the composition of the ceiling. And, I'm concerned about being able to capture all the facial details possible. Furthermore, the faces will be variable from very dark to light.

My thought is to bracket-mount my flash and adjust the tilt according to what I see on my first test shots.

I guess my main question is whether I should do anything specific to accurately capture dark faces.

I wrote this tentatively so as not to offend anyone. It's basically a question of the physics of light.

Thank you.

Hi Markie.... Amazing how off topic this membership can get. I would suggest that you take a 3/4 shot. I personally have more trouble with young white kids blowing out facials (with their lack of color), then kids that have darker skin tones. I suggest that you use your camera mounted on a tripod. If you wish to purchase an umbrella/stand for more even light spread, I'd mount the flash there. Place the umbrella close to subject, just above eye level, and just to your right. Set your camera to F8, Shutter 1/125th, Iso 100% to start with, then walk back to place (frame) your camera. Take the photo, & then look at your histogram. Then adjust the Aperture to get the histogram to the correct exposure. For the group, I suggest if weather/daytime permitting, shoot it outdoors. Shooting next to a window is another suggestion, no need for speed light. You more than likely with be doing couples rather than individuals. Place the male behind the female, with their heads close.
You may have to learn how to adjust your flash in Manual mode, so that you can adjust the output, rather than adjusting the Aperture. The only problem I have had with dark skin is skin reflections. That is a matter of light placement/ output. Your equipment is good for this shoot.

Getting the shot close to the right exposure, is just part of the task. It is in Post Editing that you can adjust for good detail, sharpness and shadows. I use Light Room, and adjusting the black levels as well as the shadows would clear up any problems you might have.