angiehunt Loc: Florida

Hi, everybody!

On Sunday, in my role as volunteer photog for my local SPCA, I'm going to be walking around the Ray's ballpark (Tropicana field) before the game to shoot photos for "Bark in the Park," a gathering of Rays' fans and their dogs. The folks will be in a special area, and I'm presuming it will be fairly well-lit, but it is indoors. Question: I have a Nikon D5000, and several lenses to choose from: my 35mm prime, my Tamron 17-270, my handy Nikon 18-55, and a Nikon 55-200. I also have a speedlight and of course, on board camera flash.

So . . . what lens would you use for these "walking around" photos ? I'm thinking the Tamron and shooting either in portrait or aperture mode. But I really don't want to mess this up, as it's my first outing. :-)

Suggestions would be welcome.

richnash46 Loc: Texas

The Tamron 17-270 will of course give you the most range, but if it's primarily the dogs you want to shoot and you only want to carry one lens, then the 18-55 might be a good choice!

angiehunt Loc: Florida

Of course--it's not like the dogs will be a ballfield away. :-) I tend to use the Tamron when I'm shooting the dogs as it allows me to sit some distance away from a camera shy dog and still get a close-up. But I'll need shots of the dogs and their owners, so the 18-55 should work better. Thank you!

professorwheeze Loc: Maine, USA

Take them both and a back-up camera. Don't presume (assume) the lighting will be satisfactory. Take a minimum of 5 shots with each subject. If you are doing a group shot shoot atleast 5 and take care of your lighting. Shoot in Raw(NEF) + JPEG (highest quality). Have fun at my ball park!

Ray

Mudshark Loc: Illinois

watch where you step.......

ole sarg Loc: south florida

Wear a hat and take plenty of water. It is hot out there.

Doug B Loc: Edmonton Alberta

Take a run over and check out the lighting if you can. Then you will know what you are up against.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Get down on their level. If you lie flat on your belly, you can get great dog shots, assuming the dogs aren't all over you. :D

A wide angle lens would come in handy, too.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

In those circumstances you need the fastest lens you own, probably the 35mm prime. In most cases there is no flash coming back from the high ceilings and far away walls and the surroundings are usually dark. Forget about the built in flash . . it is useless. Definitely use the speed light . . . ideally off-camera on a stand, or better still with an assistant. A Lite-Scoop or equivalent will eliminate the harshness you can expect with direct flash, but better harsh light than not enough light. Do not attempt to bounce flash or use a bounce card.

One other tip . . . establish manual exposure setting and stick to it if you are shooting in just one area. Windows and other sources of light will negate the meter's ability to give you consistent proper exposure. Portrait or aperture modes will almost surely guarantee too slow shutter speeds and you will be disappointed with your end results. I would shoot at 400 ISO, 1/200th second and lens wide open for individual subjects, and probably F/4.5 to F/5.6 for groups or multiple subjects. The flash is automatic, so that will take care of itself.

Cameras in any "auto" mode (shutter priority, aperture priority, portrait, fully auto - the green box) and the flash also on TTL (auto) is always a bad combination and confuses the camera. If you are using TTL, best results are had with the camera in Manual mode.

Just some ideas for you to consider . . .

angiehunt Loc: Florida

Many thanks! I'll go early and take some test shots for exposure, etc. Thanks again!