Hi Tiff,

I've organised a surprise birthday party for my youngest in a couple of weeks time, at the local ice-skating rink. I would love to get some good photos of her & her friends so I can scrap them, but I'm seeing lots of potential problems... it's not a well lit venue, only artificial light & they tend to keep it quite dim. The kids will obviously be moving around a lot on the ice, and I can't go out there with them (not without skates on & I wouldn't want to risk my camera out there as I've never skated before!) - so I'll have to take photos from the bleachers - I've got a 55-300mm lens I can take.

And the bit in the party room, with the cake etc, I'm suspecting it's going to be fairly low light in there too! (Shall I mention how cold it's going to be too LOL!).

Any tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Hey Pepper. I've just come across your question and I'm hope I'm not too late in answering it before the party.

for low light and trying to freeze the action, you'll need to do a few little adjustments.

But it would help if you can tell me the make, model of camera you have so I can google it. Then I can help you with your camera specifically in mind. and what is the lowest f stop on your lens. lower the number = wider the arpeture = letting in more light so the shutter can work faster.



I'll be around today and tonight, so I'll answer this asap for you.

cheers
tiff

Not too late, thanks Tiff, the party is next Saturday.

I've got a Nikon D3100, with two Nikkor lenses, one is 18-55, the other is 55-300.

which lens has the lowest f number Pepper?? I'm guessing it'll be the 18-55. and are they both VR lenses (vibration reduction- helps to prevent camera shake in low light situations.)

t

to start off with.

**keep the spare camera battery in your pocket so it stays warm. It will last longer and is on immediate hand if you need it. Cold battery=shorter life.

**camera set up for those out there ice rink shots.

**Put your dial on TV (shutter prirority.)

**High ISO. try around ISO800. This makes the senor more sensitive to the available light so the shutter can work faster.

**smallest f stop number available on your lens. this will be f4.5 or if you are zooming into a shot then the fstop will be f5.6.

**Rest your body, arms or camera against a firm surface to help prevent camera shake. Tripod if you have one. If you have a shutter remote, use it.

**take a test shot and zoom into the shot on your LCD to check for focus. Up your ISO if its not bright enough or if the action is blurred.

**You'll need to be aware that wherever you have the focus point in your viewfinder, that will be the sharpest part of the image. at f4.5 not everything will be sharp. the background will be soft and people around the primary subject (your daughter) will be soft, but not blurred. (hope that made sense.)

**use flash it helps. be aware of glass, windows that will mirror back your flash to the camera, and the shadows that flash may make.


for the party room. basically is the same. I'd swap lenses over, keep the same settings and get off a shot with just the candles for light. You'll need to keep the camera very still for this. Then use flash for the blow of candles so you can freeze the action fast. try to direct your daughter to pretend to blow (without flash) and then ask her to hold a sec, so you can pop up your flash, and then she can go for it.

What if you did a test run at home a day or two before in similar light for the candle blowing. just for practise. stick one in a scoop of ice cream and let her blow it out a few times while you get a handle on the camera.

Print this out and have it on hand for reference Pepper. And let your daughter see your practise shots so she can understand what you're trying to achieve. Good chance for her to help you get better shots if she can do what you ask, when you ask as she'll understand why.

good luck

t

this will all become second nature with a bit of practise. If it's just not working, flip to Auto or P and get the shots before you lose the moment. Better that, than no shots at all!!

Thanks Tiff! They are both VR lenses, and I do have a tripod, so I'll make sure I take that with me. Don't know that I'll be able to practice "candle" photos before the day, it might give the game away!

Shall print out your tips & make sure I have a bit of a play before the day, otherwise I know I'll be trying to figure out how to change the settings & miss half the action! I really don't get my camera out as much as I should & I tend to forget simple things since I just don't do it often enough.

Thanks again - shall share some photos after the event!

can you do the candle practise when she has gone to bed.

and the tripod will help so much!!! It can be cumbersome sometimes as you cant move position quickly, but even if you have the legs of it closed and you use it as a monopod, it's heaps better than nothing.

happy to help Pepper.



tiff

Shall try the candle practice after she's gone to bed - will see if one of her sisters will stand in for her!

awesome. If you've any questions give us a shout.

t