How should I photograph a glass factory visit with an EOS 550D and kit lens?

Question

I’ll be visiting a glass factory and want to make the most of a rare opportunity to photograph glassblowing and glowing molten glass. I’ll have a Canon EOS 550D with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens.

What camera settings or approach should I use to capture the glow of hot glass without losing the atmosphere? I’m worried about underexposure because the workers move quickly and my lens isn’t very fast. Should I use flash, or will that ruin the natural look?

I’m also concerned about the extreme contrast between bright furnaces, glowing glass, dark interiors, and window light. How can I preserve as much detail as possible in a scene like this?

user4892 · Accepted Answer

I would try to expose for the hot bright fire, and manually dial up your flash to fill in the rest. In other words - use your in camera meter in manual mode to get the correct exposure, then just flip up your flash. You can further adjust the flash settings to get the desired effect. Use a higher ISO to freeze the action with your setup - ISO 800 or 1200 would be a good place to start.

You are right in thinking that the flash could potentially destroy some of the mood, but used correctly as in the above suggested technique, you can make great images.

To maximize details - I would shoot sightly stopped down, that is, not at your maximum aperture of f/3.5 or f/4.0. Try f/5.6 or even a bit higher. Also, try to keep the main action at the center of the lens, and finally keep ISO as low as possible while still freezing the action.

How should I photograph a glass factory visit with an EOS 550D and kit lens?

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