[icywarm]

I am hoping to shoot my friend well she paints.

She works in two rooms of her house and to capture some artist at work photos.

I am hoping to disturb her as little as possible. It will be later at night (11pm – 2 or 5 am), so no nature light. I have a few flashes, I was thinking of setting one up in each room on a tri-pod, set it as a slave to my camera flash (540) and taking my 16-45 as I like it as an indoor lens with a flash. I am thinking of setting it in a corner, but is there a better no fuss location?

I am thinking of bringing a small stool and hope she forgets I am there.

Think it is worth trying the camera on a tripod and I stand to the side or up at her canvas trick to get her used to the flashing strobes; later getting the camera mobile as she gets into it.

She modeled and was a cheerleader in uni, so I want to be caution to get her out of the pose mode and into the artist working mode.

Love to here your thoughts and opinions.

[Ira]

I don't think she's going to forget you're there if you're using flash.

I would say this gets into extreme ISO territory, with a LAMP on her, which she'll get used to.

[icywarm]

interesting... might consider that... what is extreme ISO territory to you? 3200 - 12800?

[Marc Sabatella]

I'd say as high as you need deoending on how much light there is, how fast your lens is, how much DOF you need (eg, do you want her face and the painting both in focus?), and to what extent you can time your shots to coincide with moments of relative inactivity (but hopefully not look too static).

Most artists know better than to paint under dim light - you can't make sound judgements regarding color and value with dilated pupils and only your rods (as opposed to cones) working for you. They might not be able to put it in technical terms like that, but still, most artists like a lot of light. I'd be surprised if you needed to get as high as ISO 3200 at f/4 to get usable shutter speeds (eg, 1/30').

If for some reason she *is* painting under dim light, she'd be better off with any strong lights you bring, so I'd encourage her accept that. the more neutral colored the better (eg, daylight balanced). But flash would *not* be good - it's mentally distracting, and no artist needs their pupils constantly dilating and contracting while they are trying to work.

[Ira]

Depending on her apartment/house, you may want to try a series where you're positioned in another ROOM with a long lens. Less noise upon shutter activation.

Also, no AF. Manual only.

And to further Marc's point about color balance, shoot raw so you can fix that later.

[icywarm]

so bust out the FA or M 50mm f/1.4? I never consider a different room, normally I find the length 'wrong' for indoor shots, unless it is a 'large' room. What would be a good lamp, CFL with a daylight bulb?

[Ira]

so bust out the FA or M 50mm f/1.4? I never consider a different room, normally I find the length 'wrong' for indoor shots, unless it is a 'large' room. What would be a good lamp, CFL with a daylight bulb?

I'm the wrong one to ask--I just have a big mouth but wanted to give my suggestions anyway.

You know your friend better than anyone, so I can't tell how she'll react to anything. I also don't know the layout of the rooms.

My first instinct were those long shots from far away, where you're framing full body and more, the canvas, and the room she's working in--as opposed to tight shots of her head close to the canvas. Both are legitimate types of course, but it's those wider shots I've always found more interesting. (Nine times out of 10, there's a cat in the background walking on the mantle.)

Like when she rubs her forehead, collapsing back in her chair/stool, stretches her arms back for comfort, etc.

I would say you have to bring all your lenses, tripod a must, and take it from there. I would look at her work area an hour before she starts doing anything to play with focal lengths and camera position.

Taking candid shots is the hardest thing to do when the subject knows you're there, so good luck. Some subjects are capable of shrugging off the fact that they're being photographed and not giggle each time the shutter clicks. Others aren't.

[RioRico]

Taking candid shots is the hardest thing to do when the subject knows you're there, so good luck. Some subjects are capable of shrugging off the fact that they're being photographed and not giggle each time the shutter clicks. Others aren't.

Some feature photojournalists (with the time to invest) spend LONG periods with their subjects, days or weeks, until they just become background noise. (The results can be astonishing.) Desensitization is the term. I don't know if it's feasible in this case, but it's something to consider.

[icywarm]

Well I hope I have her sort of desens'd. Over the past few months I have always had my camera with me, now no one comments on it. If I pick it up and snap a few shots no one comments. Heck people have even starting picking up the scary DSRL and snapping a shot or two themselves.

Can anyone think of any good photog who i can scope out for some ideas on comp? Ie I never consider, just her hand on the canvas...

[George Lama]

Reduce shutter noise with environmental sounds - maybe she paints while music is playing or the tv is going in the background. If you're in another room, it might just be enough to reduce the noise enough to not startle or distract.

Staying away from flash is excellent advice, so see how she feels about you adding a couple of extra lights to her typical setup and let her paint with that for a few days. Maybe you can bounce the light off the walls (assuming they're white) to fill the room with enough light. Use reflectors to direct some light around (a flat piece of white Styrofoam can work wonders if you don't have any pre-fab reflectors).

Most of all, experiment - try and see what you have to work with, adjust accordingly. You might be surprised about what you can accomplish with what's already there.