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09-18-2013, 12:37 AM   #1
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Military Tattoo Show at Night - Techniques?

On Friday night I will be attending a military tattoo show, which will include pipe bands and other marching bands, as well as some military demonstrations, etc.

I will be taking my K-5II, together with my 18-135mm lens and my 100-300mm lens.

What would you recommend as the optimal settings that I should use? I don't plan to use flash at all, as I doubt that it will have sufficient reach.

09-18-2013, 02:20 AM   #2
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It all depends on the available light. That said, I would guess that:
  • Aperture - for the lens mounted, wide open. I doubt that you would have a choice here, stopping down would only artificially increase the ISO, and / or slow down the shutter speed
  • ISO - gee, start at 800, if not 1600 or so - perhaps even higher. It just depends on the light. This is going to be a balancing act with shutter speed. You are going to want to minimize the sensor noise to the extent possible.
  • Shutter Speed - This is again hard to say, other than as fast as possible. Just keep walking the ISO up until you get a shutter speed sufficiently fast. Probably on the order of 1/100 sec to freeze the subject. You are going to have two things working against you here, 1) being movement of the object in the image; and 2) camera movement - especially if hand held. It would probably be better with some mechanical support - a tripod or better yet a monopod. This would minimize the potential for camera movement, so you could focus on getting something fast enough to freeze the movement of the subject(s) in the image, while keeping the ISO sufficiently down to minimize noise and increase image quality.
  • Auto Focus - With the K5II - this should be the only thing in your favor. Rumor has it, that it will focus in complete darkness.
That is all, that comes to mind. You just have the 3 parameters to balance. Good luck, and post some images along with how things turned out - what you had to do, in order to adjust to the light that was available.

Some additional thoughts - it might be interesting to have some movement in the folks in the image. Motion in hand movements, rifles spinning, etc. Its really the call of you the photographer. Its assessing the environment and the situation along with your location, and trying to make the best of it. Also, taking some creative license in making the best of an imperfect situation. When given lemons - make lemonade.

One other thought comes to mind - normally I would think that one of the averaging modes for the light meter would be best, in order to get a good uniform set of light across the frame. That said, you might also consider spot mode and see how this would work out. This way you would emphasis the light from the spot that you are focusing on and meter for that, letting the rest of the frame just be as it is. Just a thought.


Last edited by interested_observer; 09-18-2013 at 02:34 AM.
09-18-2013, 04:51 AM   #3
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Wow, thank you for taking the time to give me all that valuable information!

As you said, it's all dependent on the conditions at the time, and where I'm situated.

Apparently there will be a fireworks display at the end of the show, so I will really have my work cut out.

I will most certainly post some pictures afterwards.
09-18-2013, 05:12 AM   #4
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Hup, Two, Three, Four...

Hello Neville,
Interested_Observer has made some fine suggestions for an available light event.
Really, the single best piece of gear for low-light is 'fast glass'. Do you have any other lenses? Say a fast fifty? Even one f/stop faster than the max aperture of your zooms would serve you well, allowing (either) a faster shutter speed or lower ISO. If you have any prime lenses of f/2.0 or f/2.8, they would be much better choices for good results.
For working in crowds, a monopod is way better and safer than a tripod, but at 1/100s (or slower) you'll need some mechanical support. Hand-holding a zoom at slow shutter speeds in low light is guaranteed to induce camera shake.
Another idea is to wait until the subjects are under or near a bright light, whether a stage light or some overhead lighting. If there's a bandstand or viewing gallery that has more light, wait until the parade marches in front of it, for a back-lit silhouette type photo. In other words, find the brightest areas in the show and use them. Once you find some light, take a sample photo and check the results on your LCD. One thing you don't want at high ISO settings is under-exposure; Trying to save a 1-stop under-exposed photo (in PP) shot at ISO 3200 will yield results that make a strong man cringe. Even though shooting at 6400 sounds way too high, the results will at least be useable.
An alternate solution might be to shoot in TAv. F/stop wide open, shutter set to 1/125 (or so) and let the meter determine the ISO.
In a perfect world, a 24-70 f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 with a monopod would be a great kit for this event. Or several f/2.0 and 2.8 primes, say up to 135mm. Failing that, you're left with 1-1/2 to 2 stop-slower zooms with the resultingly slower shutter speeds and/or higher ISO.
I don't mean to sound too pessimistic, but as you'll soon find out, the basic 'entry fee' for low-light photography with subject motion is f/2.8 or faster.
Fast Glass!
Good Luck,
Ron

09-18-2013, 10:23 PM   #5
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Thank you Ron - some sound advice indeed!

Unfortunately I don't have any lenses as fast as f/2.8, so I will have to make do with what I have.

Hopefully my camera's shake resistance will assist.

I managed to take the following shots at an athletics meeting at night recently, so hopefully I should be OK on Friday night.








09-19-2013, 11:56 AM   #6
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Well, when I saw the thread title I was *NOT* thinking about the same definition of "tattoo"... But this sort would be cool too!

Jim
09-19-2013, 01:44 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Neville Quote
I managed to take the following shots at an athletics meeting at night recently,
If you got those excellent action shots at night, under equivalent lighting to the tattoo, with the same gear you will be using for the tattoo, you will do very well indeed. I don't think anyone at the tattoo will be moving as fast as those athletes. And out of curiosity, is your 100-300 the very nice Sigma 100-300 f4?

I look forward to seeing the results of your shoot.

09-19-2013, 01:49 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by rawr Quote
And out of curiosity, is your 100-300 the very nice Sigma 100-300 f4?
No, it's a Pentax lens that was originally used on a Pentax film SLR.
09-20-2013, 02:59 PM   #9
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If you would like to see some of the shots I took at the Tattoo, go to this thread.

I was quite happy with the outcome - what do you think? All my shots were at ISO 3200, but I reduced most of the noise in Lightroom.
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