Shooting Nikon D5 at an event with ISOs of 66535, 51200, 28800 etc

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, Neewer TT850, Neewer Wireless 16 Channel Remote, ISO 51200, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

This week I was shooting for the first time at high ISO numbers that I would have never used before for an event.

The event was in a restaurant/bar where the lighting was quite dark. The lights were spot lights from above which meant many times the subjects faces were inadequately lighted. Once I used a flash to correct the background went extremely dark.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, Neewer TT850, Neewer Wireless 16 Channel Remote, ISO 66535, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

There were windows but that meant an even greater problem that only a flash could solve. So my assistant is holding a flash off to the side and I am triggering it wirelessly.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, Neewer TT850, Neewer Wireless 16 Channel Remote, ISO 28800, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

Here are the camera settings for the Nikon D5

• Aperture priority [ƒ/4 or ƒ/5.6]
• Auto ISO
• 100 – 102400
• 1/100

Now when I was using the Neewer TT850 flash it was too bright even at 1/128th power. To fix this I was using the MagMod light modifier system. I put two Neutral Density Gels over the flash to just wink a light in when I was shooting at those extreme high ISOs.

While it took me a couple minutes to figure out this system having done something similar in the past with lower ISO settings was helpful.

As you turn the ISO up your flash needs very little power to do the job. Just remember this if you try something similar.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, Neewer TT850, Neewer Wireless 16 Channel Remote, ISO 66535, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

The Nikon D5 is more than just a sports camera. It is a camera for every situation. 

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, Neewer TT850, Neewer Wireless 16 Channel Remote, ISO 66535, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

I am thrilled with the quality of the high ISO of the Nikon D5. I now can do things not possible before with my Nikon D4.

Are your stories or visuals just flat?

Fujifilm X-E2, Fuji XF 55-200mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/3.9, 1/70

Do your stories/photos just seem flat to you? I know many times after I have worked so hard on a story/photo I just feel like the results just were not capturing something, but what was I missing?

Now when I cover sports, which is really a short story, where the winning team must overcome obstacles, to win I can see the problem with a flat coverage. The teams just never really put forth the effort that visually showed greatness.

Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/2000

I have been having wonderful emails sent to me over the past couple weeks about my daughter’s performance as the witch in the musical Into the Woods. Now while I would be proud of her no matter what as her dad, I was really proud of her as an artist.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

Some of those emails started to capture the nuance that she was able to deliver in her performance. One person wrote that my daughter was “making the part your own, not a stereotype or a copy of another actor’s work, but an artful blending of jagged, mean, ugly, playful, quirky, needy, and finally, channeling the almighty in condemning flawed mankind to tend the garden alone.  Your character arc was spot on.”

So exactly what is a character arc? It is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of the story. While many things may happen to a character in a theater performance, unless those are portrayed in someway on the stage the audience isn’t allowed to experience those changes.

This is what I would like to say is often the missing secret ingredient to a compelling story.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1250, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

When I work often with a NGO in telling their story I must interview a person about the before the climax of the story. I am most often telling a success story which means I have missed the opportunity to show this main character struggling.

What I can do and often do is have them tell me about what it was like before. I want them to articulate the struggle they experienced. After hearing this part of the interview I then can go and get b-roll of others also going through this. I should be able to find this because most NGOs are raising funds to help others like their success story.

Nikon D3s, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 2200, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

The main plot for most of these stories I am doing is that the main character is unable to overcome opposing forces, because they lack the skills, knowledge, resources or friends.

My audience is who I am appealing to be the ones who help with supplying the skills, knowledge, resources and being the friend to help other like this person to overcome their obstacles. It is imperative that I have done a good job of articulating why they cannot do it alone.

The last part of the story is showing the changes in the main subject. Today for example because of the changes they have gone through now their children can go to college and have a better life than the main subject.

The story is often flat because I have done a poor job of capturing the struggle and problems of the main character.

Don’t be the storyteller who only searches for those who take little effort on you to communicate their struggle. This is where you search for only stories that are often cliché. You find a person with major physical deformities to help you capture the struggle so you don’t have to work at it as hard.

Remember, everyone has a story, if we take the time to get to know them!

Nikon D5 Sports Photos @ 1:1

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 360, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

While I talked about covering the Lacrosse game I really didn't show you the files very well. This is a full frame from the coverage.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 360, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

This is close to a 1:1 crop of the above photograph.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 640, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

This is another photo from the game. This is also a full framed image.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 640, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

Again this is a 1:1 crop as close as I could approximate.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000 [Click to see full size]

You can click on this photo and see the full size image. Now this is ISO 2000. 

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 2800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000 [click to see larger file]

Here is one more for you to analyze. I love now shooting at 1/4000 to help freeze the ball. 

Now to shoot with a camera for just a couple weeks is still not enough for me. I have yet to shoot video with it and can't wait for those projects as well to test the 4K. Stay tuned.

Testing the Nikon D5 on College Lacrosse

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 400, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

The past two days I shot two Lacrosse games. The Citadel was playing in the SELC Southwest Division tournament.

I was trying different settings with the camera and still haven't settled on all my settings.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 320, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I tried the 3D focusing on normal and then wide. Due to the players running around the goal and therefore having people in front and behind the subject it was hard to stay focused with this setting. Now I also didn't modify the long versus short delay on continuous focus.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 2000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

The camera was staying on the player I focused on with 3D it was just I might have them covered up by so many for pretty long time for sports.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 900, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

No question the Nikon D5 was locking in faster, shooting so much faster frame rate and giving me superior results over the Nikon D4. Yes it is a real upgrade for a sports camera.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 720, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I think there are two sports which I am so comfortable shooting that when I am shooting those sports I will know even more. However, basketball and football are not in season. I did shoot some baseball at the Citadel earlier with the camera, but I don't think this is quite the same challenge as Lacrosse where the focus would be a major factor.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 640, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I do think that the dynamic range is also better than the Nikon D4. It is holding together highlight to shadows on a bright sunny day. That is a wide ƒ–stop range for sure.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 800, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I am looking forward to shooting more sports in the coming months to really test the camera's capabilities.

One more thing that I did notice is the buffer is huge. I never once had the camera slow down the next faster XQD cards and the camera's processor let me shoot 12 fps with never having to wait on the camera.

I also shot about 30% more than I would normally shoot due to how quick the camera was handling.

To see more images go here to gallery I have on line http://www.stanleyleary.com/gallery/Citadel-Lacrosse/G0000RauPQOuPQGM

How to give light to the darkness with volunteers working with NGOs

Nikon D5, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 400, ƒ/8, 1/100–Neewer TT850, Neewer 433MHz Wireless 16 Channel transmitter [Exposure Bias: -4/6 EV]

This morning I was shooting volunteers that were pulling nails out of 2'x4's. We started early because is was actually sprinkling and a down pour was on it's way. This was a nasty overcast day.

Now when people bend over and have on ball caps well this is the worst possible situation I can think of shooting where the natural light is actually working against you.

This morning I avoided getting this type of photo that I had at a football game. See how you cannot see their faces. The light is from above and when they are facing down you have total black under those helmets just like you have under the visor of a baseball cap.

My assistant took one of the Neewer TT850 flashes and I had the transmitter which controls the power on my camera. Sometimes I was at 1/8 power and other times only needed about 1/64 power to fill in those shadows of the people working.

My camera is pretty much on the ground so I can see their faces and so is the flash. I asked the assistant to try and stay 45º to 90º from me to create a triangle. I am one corner the subject is another and the flash is the 3rd corner of the triangle.

I am also slightly under exposing from 1/3 to 2/3 and even up to -1 stop under. The flash is kicking in and becomes the main light on the faces.

Nikon D5, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 180, ƒ/8, 1/100–Neewer TT850, Neewer 433MHz Wireless 16 Channel transmitter [Exposure Bias: -4/6 EV]

Had I used on camera flash I would have gotten much better results than without a flash, but by getting the flash off the camera I create more modeling of the skin and creating depth.

Just remember to always have a flash in case you need to do something similar to help the audience connect with the subject.

PR Case Study with Musical Into the Woods

Great News!!

The PR effort my wife and a few other parents put into the musical Into the Woods helped to sell more tickets.

We put this poster up in front of the school and we had a family that had driven by the school come from Habersham County for the play. That is almost 2 hours one way for the play.

My parents were in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and ran into people who were talking about the musical from just seeing the banner.

We made 8.5" x 11" postcards which had the photo on the front that could be displayed in area businesses and on the backside the rates for buying an ad in the program.

Nikon D4, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 2500, ƒ/6.3, 1/5000–HSS with Alienbees and Pocketwizard TTL system

When we shot the banner shot we also did individuals that we could then use in social media.

We kept this in front of our students and parents all the time and then did what we could to impact the community and our social media connections around the world.

Nikon D4, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/160

We did headshots of all the cast and crew which we then put in the program and in the lobby of the auditorium.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 14400, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

The production quality was going up in every way. I believe that as we brought our "A" Game it challenged everyone to do their very best.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.3, 1/400

The reviews were great for everything. Each night the word got out that this was a great show to see. I believed if they had done it the following weekend that the word getting out would have sold even more tickets.

Our ticket sales were 123% higher than our goal. I think the percentage jump of actual attendance over the previous year was a lot more than a 20% jump.

Time to take a bow

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 4500, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

Moral of this story

Marketing works and if it can work for this musical it can work for your business, nonprofit or event that you are involved in doing. Are you putting in your best effort to promote your project?

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

Fuji X-E2 the camera system for Live Theater

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/4.8, 1/100

For the last performance of Into The Woods I shot with my Fuji X-E2. I was shooting with the electronic shutter mode, so it was completely silent. I had also learned from earlier tests that I needed to shoot below 1/100 with this stage lighting to avoid blurring of the image.

Now this is a pretty tricky lighting, but I could tweak the image before I shot it. I was seeing the results I would be getting and in theater the lighting changes so much that this is a blessing to shoot with the mirrorless Fuji X-E2.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 1250, ƒ/4.2, 1/100

I dialed in the best white balance using the Kelvin settings. I knew from past custom white balance that the Kelvin was around 2900º K so I just dialed that in.

I had confirmation because I could see the results before shooting in the viewfinder.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.8, 1/100

Silence Your Phones & No Texting

During theater productions just texting will light up your face to everyone around you. To avoid this problem with the camera's LCD I turned that off and just used the EVF and had it set to only work when my eye was at the viewfinder.

Now since I had done the latest firmware upgrade for the Fuji X-E2 I now had the electronic shutter which allows for me to shoot in total silence.

I also put a small piece of gaffer's tape over the light that shows the files being written on the SD card.

I wanted to not draw any attention to me shooting the performance.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/4.8, 1/100

I am convinced that I can shoot this setup in any theater and also due to fully silent use this on movie sets in the future. There is no need to use a Blimp to put your DSLR in to remain silent.

The Fuji X-E2 is my go to camera for live theater.

Are you preserving your stories and the stories of your family?

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

Last night I enjoyed watching my daughter playing the witch in the musical Into the Woods at her high school.

It made me think of thirty-four years earlier my high school musical Lil' Abner. 

This is one of two photos I have of me from that performance. I gave my camera to a friend and asked them to take some photos. They took maybe three photos total. When shooting film people were careful because each time you pushed the button it was like spending a dollar.

This is just a copy of the print from that show that I could find.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/125

The main characters in the musical Into the Woods are taken from Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, as well as several others. The musical is tied together by an original story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them, and their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey.

It makes you think about the next generation. As I am watching this I am realizing I am now watching the next generation as actors on the stage as my friends and I did years ago. Some of my friends went on to Broadway from that cast and there maybe some from the cast today that will become Broadway stars.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 7200, ƒ/4, 1/80

My daughter has all of our family flying in from all over the country to see her as the Witch. I hope that in thirty-four years that all these photos and videos I have been making of my daughter will help her tell her story to her children.

What I hope to do with my photos of our family is to help preserve the story of our family so that in the generations to come will be able to look back and see the legacy from which they come from.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-1401 2x, ISO 7200, ƒ/4, 1/400

What are you doing to help preserve your families story? Are you capturing some of the moments that can be shared in the future?

Thank goodness that today's cameras let us capture situations that when I was in high school were so difficult to capture on film.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-1401 2x, ISO 7200, ƒ/4, 1/400

Tips

• Take the photos of live performances and events of your family
• Share the photos now through social media
• Store images – have the images in at least three places. With today's Cloud solutions I recommend putting the photos here as one way to preserve them.
• Create hard copies
• Prints
• Photo Books
• Include Text!!!!! Take the time to write down things like who is in the picture and what is going on. Think of writing a caption like you would see in a newspaper or magazine. Attach it to the photo. [metadata]
• Have a plan on how you will pass down to future generations your photos for them to have and cherish.