Wedding reflector and B+W questions

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I am about to film a wedding and I am wondering if I should use some kind of off camera reflector for the close up shots such as a white sheet or large white cardboard that I can bounce the flash off of to get a sidelit effect. I have a 420EX, Elan 7E, and a softbox. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, what is the best black and white film for weddings?

-- shadowman (mshadow818@msn.com), February 13, 2002

Answers

You are taking on quite a challenge considering the gear you have. You will be limited. Yes, use a reflector. Lacking any device designed for this purpose, the white cardboard will work - make sure it is WHITE. Your softbox will be effective between about 3 to 7 feet - for greater distances, remove it. Use the tilt/swivel features on your flash to achieve indirect lighting - bounce from your cardboard, a wall, celing, etc. For the ceremony, use direct flash and a tripod and/or monopod to help with low lighting. I use a monopod when I need to move around and it allows me to cut my shutter speeds in half. I like Ilford Delta Pro 100 for portraits. It has a wide tonal range and fine grain. If you want something faster, Ilford also makes a Delta Pro 400. I have not used it because I like the slower films, but I would suspect that it is very good for a faster film (based on the performance of their other films). I haven't used many other B&W films because I have been so pleased with Ilford. Unless you have some other sure fire plan for exposure (this takes a lot of experimentation to become comfortable with), use Tv or Av (making sure you don't get too low on your shutter speed), and set your flash to E-TTL. I am shooting a wedding next weekend with two complete camera systems, a wireless flash setup, umbrellas, multiple reflectors, filters, and more film than I could use in three weddings - and I still feel like I am missing something. At least you won't be fumbling with gear. Good Luck.

-- Derrick Morin (dmorin@oasisol.com), February 13, 2002.

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