Creative photography

[grumpy]

My daughter does a lot Cabaret, Clubs, benefits that are
all in "low-light" conditions which make it difficult for
me to get good sharp photos.

The only light there is, is on the stage....

I'm not permitted to use the "Flash", so if I'm lucky,
just some of the pictures I take come out fairly clear....

And, using a tripod is difficult since I'm surrounded
with tables, people, etc. I've find a "monopod" is
more appropriate for this tight quarters..

And, if there's quick movement on the stage, that
contributes to some of the blur...

This is my second year using a digital camera, and
I'm just now starting to use "manual" settings.

So, how could I get sharper pictures with no blur?.....
Would a faster shutter speed cut down on the blur?...
Would a larger aperture opening help?
ISO 400 is the largest setting on my camera....
Increase exposure number +....?

And, I never get the opportunity to do "practice shots",
in order to see my mistakes in the LCD, since this
type of situation I have here is a "one time" occasion only...

I try to "simulate" the same low light condition in my
basement, and I'm still in the process of doing
"practice" shots, hoping to improve the sharpness
in my pictures

I'm using a Canon Powershot S70...

Any suggestions?

Thanks..

Grumpy...

[Mike54]

Hi grumpy,

Shooting in low light is always a tough situation and not being able to use a flash makes it even more difficult. I don't know that the quick movements on stage can be helped but you might try a wider aperture (use 2.8 which is the widest your cam goes), ISO 400 (again the max) and play with your shutter speed. If you're zoomed out to 100mm try to get it to 1/200s but that may be too dark yet. Something to keep in mind is what the software (assuming here) Canon bundled with the camera can do. If you can shoot in RAW mode rather than .jpg you may be able to recover some of the image properties in post processing though you may suffer some noise effects.

Just a few thoughts, maybe someone else can jump in and offer a bit more help.

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi grumpy,

You have a tough, though not impossible, photo taking challenge. You're right to and should be commended for practicing so much in advance.

Using the fastest shutter speed possible is going in the right direction, but that also lets in less light so the aperture opens decreasing depth-of-field (the range a subject is in proper focus).

From an artistic standpoint, not all blur in a photo is bad when it captures some of the movement which is taking place on the stage. The trick is to prevent the entire image from being blurred, and for that you will have to do everything to prevent camera shake.

We have some suggestions at the main site about taking photos at school plays. I'm sure some of the info there will help.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/camera-questions-and-answers/taking-photos-at-a-school-play.htm

If you have futher questions, let us know.

[Deb]

Yes indeed, some blur that captures the movement of the performers can be awesome! A friend of mine shoots theatre and musicians predominantly. Always without flash. IMHO some of his best work involves capturing that movement such as the hand action on a guitar, etc. Just let your imagination fly and I'll bet you get some terrific shots.