Photographing your child’s graduation is easy if you know how! Try this super simple formula to get the best graduation pictures you’ve ever seen!

Items Needed:

  • Digital SLR
  • External Flash
  • Long Lens (300mm-ish)

You don’t need a fancy low light lens or TTL flash, just a decent enough camera that can give you a really high ISO without turning the picture into rainbow snow. :)

Taylor fudges the Pledge of Allegiance

Taylor fudges the Pledge of Allegiance.

First,  set your camera to manual. Choose the largest aperature possible (lowest F/#) and put your shutter speed at 1/250. Even though you are likely shooting at 300mm, the same-or-better-shutter-speed-as-focal-length rule doesn’t apply here, because your only good source of recordable light will be your flash.

Second, put your flash on full power - 1/1.  Aim your flash at a 45° forward to hit the ceiling midway between you and your kid. The flash will bounce off the large, tiled ceiling and light the whole room. This is so much better than aiming straight ahead, which would cause ugly shadows and make the kids see stars. :)

Raise your ISO to about 800. Zoom all the way in and take a picture. Check your histogram - it’s your picture’s not light enough, raise your ISO. If it’s blown out, lower it. Keep doing this until you have your exposure nailed.

Shoot like an outlaw on the run! Paparazzo that kid! Just give your flash time to recycle and don’t get in the way of the other paparazzi!

Expect some red eye because from the distance you are at from your child, the flash will seem to be coming from the lens, not high above it. Red eye is caused by the flash being too close to the lens, combined with low light. When you take pictures later and aren’t so far away, it won’t be a problem. By the way, you will want a diffuser for those… the closer ones, NOT the graduation ones!

Happy shooting!!

The Big Moment!

The Big Moment!


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