A general question about covering an opening ceremony

[snowshine]

Hi
Just googling and found this forum and I am ever so happy to get myself registered.

I am from UK. It is sunny day today. I have been asked to capture few images of an opening ceremony of a school garden. Opening ceremony is to take place 1.30 p.m to 2.30 p.m when the summer sun is going to be very harsh for photos, I suspect.

When one cutting the ribbon , where I should position myself with the camera to capture the event that will be presentable to the local news paper.
The composition one cannot teach I understand. Is there any coverage in the forum that I could visit to obtain some ideas.
Thanking you

Regards

[Shadowman]

Welcome to the group.

A couple of questions or comments regarding the ceremony:

1. Will the photograph be printed in black and white?
2. As an invited photographer, you should be able to ask the event's organizer for assistance in positioning yourself in the right location.
3. Upload some of your photos taken during the same time of day and the group here can assist you further.

[Colin Southern]

Hi "Snowshine",

Welcome to CiC - great to have you with us.

Basically ...

Harsh mid-day sun will produce harsh shadows ... if you don't have any influence over the location then all you can hope to do is capture it as best possible. Best solution would be to use fill flash - but I've no idea as to what equipment you have available ... perhaps you could give us a bit of an "equipment rundown" so we can help from there?

[carregwen]

Hi Snowshine, and welcome.

At least it's not a wedding...

Who has asked you to do this? If it's the organisers then ask for best position (you don't want people in the way), and the opportunity to take a few formal shots, if that is what's called for.

[snowshine]

Thank you all,
I am just ready to go. It is 12.24 pm in UK. Very very sunny.
I am not a trained Photographer. I have a Canon 40d with a 17 -85 mm & Sigma 30mm lens.

Well, I am not official photographer. The local paper photographer cannot make it today. My wife in school committe wants to take photo of the opening so that she could post it to local paper!!
My children are in the same school. It is a very small village primary by the way

Lets see what comes out of the photos!!

Thanks again
Regards

[Dave Humphries]

Thank you all,
I am just ready to go. It is 12.24 pm in UK. Very very sunny.
I am not a trained Photographer. I have a Canon 40d with a 17 -85 mm & Sigma 30mm lens.

Well, I am not official photographer. The local paper photographer cannot make it today. My wife in school committe wants to take photo of the opening so that she could post it to local paper!!
My children are in the same school. It is a very small village primary by the way

Lets see what comes out of the photos!!

Thanks again
Regards

So, it'll all be over by the time you read this, but just in case;

I would strongly advise shooting RAW, or at least RAW+jpg.

Then come back for advice on PP if needed, and if the paper's submission deadline allows - do you know when they need any images by, and how much they are intending to cover?

Depending upon how 'local' a paper it is, this could be anything from a single shot used monochrome and very small to a half or whole page photo story, although that latter is unlikely unless you pictures are good and someone locally significant or well loved is opening the garden.

So many variables, we need more info to assist further.

Welcome to the CiC forums and I hope you stick around after today's adventure.

Best of luck,

[snowshine]

Hello,
The local news changed their mind and their photographer showed up for the event and phew, I do not worry.

@Dave: I only take in RAW and I would like your help.

I attach a taster for your suggestion

[Donald]

Snowshine (Can we call you by a real name if that's not it?).

You've probably noticed that your image has not appeared in your post above. If you're having problems (and we all do to start with!), don't despair. Have a look at some of the first posts here, which is our collection of very useful info (Dave says so).

[Shadowman]

I think you should have gone to the shoot anyway. It would give you some practice and give you an idea of what to expect in the future. Also, you didn't mention compensation but if this were a real assignment; perhapsyou should think of charging a fee/down payment. You never know when in the future this occurs and you lose out on another assignment.

Hello,
The local news changed their mind and their photographer showed up for the event and phew, I do not worry.

@Dave: I only take in RAW and I would like your help.

I attach a taster for your suggestion

[Sahil]

I would strongly advise shooting RAW, or at least RAW+jpg.

Does that mean, shooting RAW+JPG is inferior to just RAW??

[Colin Southern]

Does that mean, shooting RAW+JPG is inferior to just RAW??

No. With RAW you have to convert to JPEG - with RAW + JPG you can use the JPEG if it's OK (so no RAW conversion) but you have an "ace up your sleeve" by virtue of the RAW file if you need it.

[Dave Humphries]

No. With RAW you have to convert to JPEG - with RAW + JPG you can use the JPEG if it's OK (so no RAW conversion) but you have an "ace up your sleeve" by virtue of the RAW file if you need it.

Exactly, I wasn't sure if RAW was going to be an whole new process to "snowshine", but thankfully it isn't.

The RAW+jpg idea was just to provide a fall back position while encouraging trying RAW, which, if one of us had needed to step in (as a one off) to PP, it would have given us much more to work with.

I have to say (now I think back), I have been caught like that by a local paper; said they weren't coming, got myself organised, started shooting and they roll up anyway. I guess they're ensuring coverage should a story break, they can whip their staffer off to cover it without worrying. They get away with it because the inconvenience and "Grrrr" factor is spread all around the community. That was a school event and I was on PTA!

Live and learn,

[snowshine]

Hi
@shadowman :I did go and took photos. By the way I am not a professional photographer.

By the way I only take in RAW because I am unable to open the frames if I shoot in RAW + JPG when come to Aperture 2.
I am in the process of learning the know how to post a sample photo of the event .




Regards

[snowshine]

Here are two more to show the brightness of the sun!!





Our council leader has so snow white hair I found it was intermingled with the White cloud!!

Regards

[Colin Southern]

Hi "Snowshine",

The photo was about a stop over-exposed, so the "hair so white" is actually blown highlight On the 40D there is an option called "highlight alert" that you can turn on ... when you take shot and there are any over-exposed areas then those areas will be blinking on the review screen, giving you the chance to re-sake that shot with a little -EC (Negative Exposure Compensation) dialed in.

I've adjusted the exposure for you in Photoshop to give you an idea of how it would look if correctly exposed ...

[Shadowman]

I'm glad you went, this gave you valuable experience trying to capture an image under difficult circumstances.

Hi
@shadowman :I did go and took photos. By the way I am not a professional photographer.

By the way I only take in RAW because I am unable to open the frames if I shoot in RAW + JPG when come to Aperture 2.
I am in the process of learning the know how to post a sample photo of the event .




Regards

[snowshine]

Hello Colin,
That is a valuable lesson learn today. Thank you very much.

Now that information you mentioned rekindled my memory, & I shall go into my Aperture and check out- I remember reading that in Aperture the taken photo to reveal the highlight alerts. I shall check that out.

I will now go and check my camera to find the Highlight alert to turn it on.

Thanking you
Regards

[snowshine]

Hi Colin
I have discovered the in Aperture to manipulate the "Hot Cold area". That was wonderful information you offered me. I had to under expose by 1.70 in my Aperture manipulation and here I attach for you to take a look at:



Thank you very much
Regards

[Colin Southern]

Hi "Snowshine";

I'm a wee bit confused ... by "aperture" are you referring to adjusting the aperture on your camera, or are you using the Mac program Aperture?

[snowshine]

@Colin:I should have been clearer: Yes Colin, It is the Mac program Aperture I was referring to.

However your suggestion is an excellent one and I have not got to get to my Canon 40D to explore it yet..