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Posted by John Ayres on May 25, 2002 at 23:24:29:
In Reply to: non-flash dance photography posted by laura o'meara on May 25, 2002 at 20:32:25:
>> I just purchased a Pentax zx - l, and I am a novice when it comes to taking pictures with an SLR camera. I bought it because I need to take non-flash pictures for my daughters dance recital. Unfortunately, the manual does not tell me how to do this. Can anyone tell me how to take non-flash pictures inside with this camera? I will not be far away from the stage. Thanks for your help.
To take pictures indoors you will need to use high speed film such as ISO-800. You might even try Kodak Royal Gold 1000. Until you are comfortable with your new camera, rely on your camera's program mode. Your manual will (or should) explain how to use "shutter priority" mode. When using shutter priority, try to keep the shutter speed above 60 to eliminate or reduce blur. You can also use aperture priority, and adjust the aperture in order to keep the shutter at 60 or above. The fact is, that you will need high speed film for indoor shots without flash.
Posted by happysnappy123 on May 26, 2002 at 03:15:08:
Another suggestion, why not invest in a good external flash gun with bounce/swivel capability? You can bounce the flash off a roof and obtain a lovely, soft effect as if it's actually brighter indoors than it actually is.
Editor's Note: But that begs the original question which was " I need to take non-flash pictures for my daughters dance recital."
Most likely the non-flash rule is imposed by organizers of the dance recital to avoid the distraction to dancers. Imagine dozens of parents simultaneously taking flash pictures of their children performing. The performance would be a shambles, even if all the parents were bouncing their flash off the ceiling (assuming the ceiling is low enough and the right color to effectively serve for bounce purposes.)
The best dance photographs are taken using flash but the dancers are professional and the pictures are taken during dress rehearsals, not performances.
So my advice to Laura is use fast film (ISO 800) and try to take her shots during the rare moments when the dancers are frozen. Then after the recital is over, gather all the children together and shoot some group photos using flash.
Perhaps the dance instructors can be persuaded in future recitals to allow someone with skill to come in and photograph the dancers during a dress rehearsal using flash, and make prints available to the parents at nominal cost. Then the parents can sit back and enjoy the performance.
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