Party Pictures

Hi everyone

I'm kinda new to this sort of taking pictures.
My dad gifted me a D5100 with the standard kit of 18/55 and 55/200mm including an sb700.
I'd love to take pictures of parties with the camera.

To do this I'm looking to buy the Nikon AF-S 35MM F/1.8G DX.
I don't really know much about the camera, but I do know how to set up the basic things.

I would need help with the Fstop and Aperture and ISO, etc, for taking pictures of a party. Flash settings etc.
And also how to set up my SB700.

Is it possible for someone to tell me which once to set how. In a clear way so a starter like me understands it.
Screenshot of the actual setup screen of the Nikon would be lovely as well, so I can start off as a copycat héhé!

Hope some of you guys can help me.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the forum Fred. For a start, I would suggest you use the automatic mode. This should give you great results most of the time. After a while, do some reading (including your Nikon manual), you'll be ready to have more specific questions. Photography can not be learned in a jiffy. Practice only will give you experience. You want results fast, just use the automatic mode and then when you review your pictures have a look at the settings the camera used to take them and start experimenting. There is also a lot of information on the net and youtube and stroboist. Do a little bit of homework and we'll be all happy to help.

Hi Fred. I use to own this lens and I found it great for Street photography being a prime lens it taught me to use my legs to get the shots and not my zoom. Unfortunately being mainly interested in landscapes it sat in my bag not doing much so we parted company. I agree with Marcel's advice to use in on Auto setting to get a feel for things...have fun

Here's my humble suggestions.

Get into the custom white balance settings and change them around to B2 (that is, blue hue, +2 saturation)
Get into the custom sharpness settings, change them around to +6.
Get that 35mm and shoot with NO FLASH. Flash washes out faces and makes people look...odd.
Set your camera to aperture priority mode and shoot with f1.8.
Set your ISO to 800.
Set your white balance accordingly.
Set your metering mode to Matrix.

Also, set up your viewer to look at the histogram. This will tell you if your exposure is too dark or light.
Should work out well. Always does for me with these settings or something near them... YMMV of course.:smug:

eurotrash said:

Here's my humble suggestions.

Get into the custom white balance settings and change them around to B2 (that is, blue hue, +2 saturation)
Get into the custom sharpness settings, change them around to +6.
Get that 35mm and shoot with NO FLASH. Flash washes out faces and makes people look...odd.
Set your camera to aperture priority mode and shoot with f1.8.
Set your ISO to 800.
Set your white balance accordingly.
Set your metering mode to Matrix.

Also, set up your viewer to look at the histogram. This will tell you if your exposure is too dark or light.
Should work out well. Always does for me with these settings or something near them... YMMV of course.:smug:

Click to expand...

Set your camera to aperture priority mode and shoot with f1.8.
Would this not give you a very small DOF?

yea, but its easy It sounded to me like the OP was just getting out of Auto mode.
He wanted the easy way out, that's the easiest way out, lol.

There are many instructional videos on YouTube for general DSLR photography, as well as some on your specific model.

You seem to want everything handed to you, without even reading your owners manuals. Doesn't work that way, bud. Try helping yourself first by reading all about your camera and your flash. Then, after using your camera for awhile, if you have any questions, we'd all be happy to help you out. But YOU have to start helping yourself first.

Sorry, but I had to.

Why in the hell would you want to take a Nikon DSLR to a party? You'll be forever known as the queer with the camera that was at the party who thinks he is good at photoshop... LOL

I can't tell if you're being serious or not lol. I've taken mine to parties before, just to get antiquated with the camera. People don't really look down upon that. Perhaps in some kind of elitist gathering where people hold their wine glasses ever so delicately and preen around like cockatoos, making sure they don't say the wrong thing with their pinkies dangling off the side of their glasses.
Maybe we're being a bit harsh to the OP..


OP, just read the manual and watch some FaceTube. There are plenty of people who take the time and explain these things. Though I've got to say, the manual does have a lot of decent information.

fotojack said:

You seem to want everything handed to you, without even reading your owners manuals. Doesn't work that way, bud. Try helping yourself first by reading all about your camera and your flash. Then, after using your camera for awhile, if you have any questions, we'd all be happy to help you out. But YOU have to start helping yourself first.

Click to expand...

Absolutely...It irks me when people are to lazy to have read;