I admit, more often than not I don’t shoot pictures at family get-togethers. I’d like to blame that on the fact that since I do photography as a job, I like to leave it behind for family times. More likely, I’m just lazy. But with our daughter coming home for Thanksgiving, I knew this time needed to be different. Oh, and there was the small detail of my wife really, really wanting a photo of the family gathered around the table she’d worked so hard to prepare, so…
Anytime I’m doing photography, whether landscapes, wildlife or family pictures, I always try to remember, “Subject, Light, Background.” My subject is the family, but how will I frame them at the table? The easy thing to do would be to simply put the camera on a tripod at the front of the table and use the self timer. But I felt that a higher angle, from the side, would be more interesting, so I set up my tripod on the stairs. As for background, the room took care of that.
For light, I knew I wanted more than just available. The easy thing would be to point the flash at the ceiling and bounce it onto them, creating softer light than direct. But with the group spaced from about six to fifteen feet from the flash, there would be significant light fall-off towards the back of the group. Since my wife and I would be there, that wouldn’t do. So I added a second flash, on top of a cabinet near the camera, but angled to ricochet the light off the wall and ceiling towards the back of the room. There are various ways I could have controlled that second light, but since I’ve got the WR-R10 remote, I simply plugged it into the side of the Nikon Z7 and used the Commander menu from the camera.
As for using the self-timer? Well, that’s so old school. Why not take advantage of some of the new features we’ve got available? In this case that meant using Nikon’s SnapBridge app on my smartphone to control the camera. Connecting over Bluetooth, it allows me not only to fire the Z7, but better yet, actually see the scene in real time. From my spot at the end of the table, I could look at the phone and tell people to shift left or right so they could be seen better. Then I could trigger the camera and view the results on the phone as well. Much easier than running back and forth to the camera.
This is the available light exposure. By setting the camera in Manual exposure and underexposing, I didn’t have to worry about the slow shutter speed showing blur if anyone moved. The flash would light the room, and freeze any movement. Nikon Z7, Manual exposure, ISO 400, 1/30 at f/8, Nikkor AF Zoom 24-70mm f/4 lens at 30mm.
Triggering the camera from my phone, this is the look with just one flash on top of the camera, bounced off the ceiling. The foreground is exposed properly, but as you can see, I’m a bit dark.
Adding a second flash, you can see how it pushed more light into the back of the room.
In this snap from my phone, you can see the camera on the stairs with a Nikon SB-700 speedlight mounted and pointed at the ceiling. To the left on top of the china cabinet is a second speedlight, a Nikon SB-5000, being controlled from the camera via Commander mode. Note also that the second flash is pointed up and to the side, as its purpose is to push more light into the back of the room.
The final photo, un-edited. You can just barely see the phone in my hands, controlling the camera. Before sharing this with the family, I took it into editing software and lightened the back row a bit. Nikon Z7, Manual exposure, ISO 400, 1/30 at f/8, Nikkor AF Zoom 24-70mm f/4 lens at 26mm.
Not only did the photo turn out well, but I had fun doing it and was able to try some new features. To me, that’s one of the great things about new cameras and things like the smartphone app. They give you even more reason to play with your gear. And I do mean “play.” Photography’s supposed to be fun, and trying new things with flash, cameras and apps is part of that. So get out there and play with your gear. With any luck, you’ll find a new way to make this season’s family pictures even better than last year’s.
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