Help with tricky night lighting needed

[in2fx]

I am wanting to take some photographs of people in SES uniforms at night and am not sure how I could light them because of the reflective stripes on the bright orange uniforms and the reflective stripes will over-power everything else and make it hard to see the faces.

Any ideas ?

Here is a daytime one that I got from the new Gateway Bridge opening

[geoffsta]

I recently took a few shots of my local fire brigade training, and thought I'd have a simular problem.
The idea is to keep the flash close enough to the subject to give enough light to the face, so that the reflective strip doesn't out shine it as seen below.
DSC_1046web.jpg

[in2fx]

thanks for the response Geoff and nice photo, but one of the problems is that they will be group shots with around 50-80 people in them

[in2fx]

ok, I put everyone under fluro lights tonight and then bounced filtered flash onto the ceiling just above their heads, but to fit people into such a small space I needed to use 10mm which was not very flattering to everyone towards the sides, so am going to try 'Plan B' next week.

[Rod038]

I know the situation probably didn't allow it but you needed to get up higher and shoot down or raise the people at the back. Most of them you can't see their faces or their faces are chopped in half. Or break them up into smaller groups.

[Dan Gamble]

Looking at the images I'd say those stripes are about the same width as Duct-Tape or Nashua Gaffer Tape. White is available and giving everyone a strip would have removed the white reflectivity and only given the orange... which still looks kinda cool.

Possibly a big ask with so many participants but, at the end of the day, you're the photographer and if you need Gaffer tape to make a shot look better then I don't think anyone would object.

[in2fx]

I know the situation probably didn't allow it but you needed to get up higher and shoot down or raise the people at the back. Most of them you can't see their faces or their faces are chopped in half.

thanks for your advise Rod
Unfortunately the ceiling was very low, so I unable to get any higher
Plan 'B' -
Next week I might get everyone outside so that I can get further back and get the camera higher to look slightly down on people which should give me views of their faces.
I do not think that my piddly 430EX will be enough to light everyone up from the extra distance that I will use, so I might move a Light Tower into the driveway and jack that up higher than the camera to throw some more light over the group which may not reflect back at the camera so much and use the 430EX as a fill flash.
It might work ?

Looking at the images I'd say those stripes are about the same width as Duct-Tape or Nashua Gaffer Tape. White is available and giving everyone a strip would have removed the white reflectivity and only given the orange... which still looks kinda cool.

Possibly a big ask with so many participants but, at the end of the day, you're the photographer and if you need Gaffer tape to make a shot look better then I don't think anyone would object.

I like your style Dan
That might be plan 'C'

[in2fx]

I tried again this evening and think I got about as good as I am capable of doing by using a flood light from behind and above me and then setting the camera up on a table to look down on the group to get more faces from the back and not using flash

[Rod038]

Thats allot better. You have stuck at it and done well. I am sure the group would of been happy with that one.

[in2fx]

thanks Rod.
I was much happier with the 2nd attempt and was even quick enough to get into the photo myself