I am going to shoot an evening parade with Christmas trees and Santa and the like. Do you have any helpful tips?
I have a 50 1.2 and an 85 1.2 , 70-200mm 2.8 and a wide angle which I am going to bring. I have other lenses.
Have you tested your lenses to see how they handle lens flare/ghosting from lights when it’s dark? I’ve never had a problem with mine, but I’ve always checked a new lens to make sure.
In low light I use manual mode with auto-ISO, I put the lens wide open, and I vary shutter speed to keep the ISO reasonable while keeping shutter fast enough to avoid blur. I might stop the lens down a little for more depth of field, if lighting allows. The parade might be lit up enough where you can get away with auto exposure. I would scout out the location and see what the lighting is like at night.
Changing lenses out in the open at night with people walking around is one of my least favorite things to do as a photographer. I’ve seen parade photographers in my area with two bodies, they seem to favor 70-200 and 24-70mm. I also shoot with two bodies but I don’t have those lenses yet.
When I’ve shot parades I find a spot with a couple of good vantage points near each other, like a corner where the parade rout makes a turn (so I can take pictures from “in front of the parade” without actually being in the way) that might be near a picturesque or recognizable back drop like a fountain, park, fire station, town hall, library etc. I scouted out what I thought would be a good spot, and the professionals came to the same spot.
It seems like the photographers and town employees are friendly with each other and they build some good will by taking pictures of all the fire fighters and EMT responders if fire trucks and ambulance are part of the parade.
I have the 24-70mm as well, but only the one camera. I’m not a fan of changing lenses either, but I will if I have to.
I have used the 1.2 lenses for indoor dinner events when the lights are down for a presentation and they worked really well.
I will go to the location the night before.
Scout the location for good viewpoints and angles (same time as the parade).
Probably a good idea to carry two cameras with different lenses.
Unfortunately, I only have the single camera so I have to change lenses. I’m waiting for the next gen Z9 to come out before I get another camera.
Going to the location the night before is a good idea.
I’d go with two bodies, one wide and one telephoto (not too long if you are going to be close) mounted so you don’t have to swap lenses.
Maybe a speedlight if you want more people shots. I sometimes do a timelapse or long exposure from a tripod for these kind of things too.
I want to do people shots, but unclear if flash will make a good photo. When I have used flash for crowd shots you see the light fall of in an unpleasant way. I guess flash is best just for a few people and crop out the rest?
I currently only have one body.
Since it’s in the evening you will need a flash for any posed shots of people. Most only work with normal lens unless it’s specifically designed for wide angle or telephoto. You need a light source of any pictures that aren’t of the lights themselves. Street lights might work for some subjects but it’s not good for lighting for people.
Who is your client and/or what are their expectations? The benefit of knowing what you can ignore is immeasurable. And then, remember to ignore it.
Become familiar with the route and if possible the itinerary. Go there in person ahead of time at the same time of day as the event. It will be hard to line up shots and have them actually occur as planned, it’s a moving subject and things just happen (the subject may arrive as scheduled but YOU may not be there at the required moment for whatever reason), don’t rely on planning lines of sight (and don’t promise them) unless you know exactly where a needed shot will be, or if there is a must-get background, just be ready for anything.
I could shoot the whole thing with just those two primes, barring any required reach or FOV advantage. At 1.2 it just opens up the possibilities, at the expense of depth of field of course, so I would prioritize more shots at a greater subject distance to avoid overwhelming bokeh in every shot for a client that wants to convey the presentation and atmosphere of the event.
Medium teles force you to make space between you and your subject, so manage your working distance–only consider subjects/scenes >X feet away and position yourself accordingly, look for opportunities to layer interesting foregrounds and backgrounds to open up your compositions and create depth and space, compose with bright lit-up backgrounds, and just think on a larger scale in terms of subject distance than a wide-angle would afford, you will see the great shots if that’s what you focus on. Of course get the great closer-up bokeh shots too, just don’t get hypnotized by aesthetics when the job you need to get done requires more. If you do have a wider lens it’s probably larger and not as fast. I would opt for the faster speed and smaller lenses over the greater field of view.
There will be plenty of holiday vibe family and performer portrait opportunities everywhere you look. If these are on your shot list, prioritize a flattering direction of light on the subjects’ faces for all portraits. Running around, cuteness abounds and you want to get it all, but if it’s a streetlamp directly over their heads it’s not going to be a keeper. Get it if that’s what you have in front of you, but plan and think ahead of time as you move around where the great light is, everything shot in it tends to also look great, especially portraits.
Get a shot list, underpromise and overdeliver
Wear comfortable shoes that will perform as needed
Keep your hands and batteries warm
Watch out for condensation when moving your equipment from warm to cold air
Take advantage of moments to pause and take in the event without a camera in your face
This sounds fun, good luck.
Thanks for the reply,
I asked the client what their expectations are. They just want shots the can put in the local paper. I could not get more specifics other than “journalistic shots”
I am familiar with the location, just not at night. I am going there tonight to take test shots.
I have the wider lenses for the Christmas tree and people around it and establish shots. There will be some time before sunset that I can use the longer lenses.
Your tips on composition are great! If I use brightly lit backgrounds, I can use the flash to fill in the faces.
I will definitely prioritize the light! A well lit picture is worth a thousand poorly lit ones. I will look for that tonight when I am there for a scene eval.
Fortunately, it should not get colder than 45 degrees
Thank you so much! There is enough here I need to read it multiple times to get it all.
Journalistic shots = a clear and obvious subject/center of interest, bold compositions, peak action (the most demonstrative moment of a movement or gesture), a story (juxtaposition of subject and scene, what’s happening and the people experiencing what’s happening; people interacting, emotions, reactions).
Newspapers don’t like printing too much black or high contrast, try to keep your shots bright and balanced in terms of exposure across the frame, or snap a brighter alternative to a must-have but dark shot.
As it’s for a newspaper that deprioritizes single candids/portraits, they want more of a story–unless it literally is the story, like the mayor or a participant, or if they are themselves a story, like a local celebrity.
Look at similar events from past editions if you can, to see what kinds of pictures they ran.
Really try to avoid providing the client with any previews on the spot if asked, they may just want to know if you got a particular shot, if you did, describe it and reassure them that you got it. Maybe that’s just me.
Formally end the coverage with your handler/contact if they are on site, find them or call them (not text) and say thanks, do you need anything else, so they know you’re done or in case they have any last minute requests. If they are not on site I usually shoot an (time-stamped) email or text to say I’m done. I do not ask if they need anything else if text is the only way to communicate.
Thank you so much! That helps a lot.
I don’t have many options for the part of the parade that happens after sunset. I just went to the site at the time I am supposed to shoot and it was very dark. Hardly any light. No street lights, just some Christmas lights wrapped around some trees.
I am going to go much earlier to capture as much as I can when there is available light.
I saw similar events from the paper and they were all earlier in the day.
I won’t provide previews. I just have a deadline, which I can easily meet.
They are on site, so it is a great idea to tell them I have finished and if they want anything more.
They did say they want close ups of people, but they did not say anyone specific. Just people I find interesting. That is one of my strengths.
shoot jpg + raw
if your camera has two card slots, use them both
do u have a speedlight???