Pictures from Vietnamese New Years Pageant and Fashion Show

I'd like to share a couple of albums and see what you think. These

were shot with a Nikon D1x.

 

http://www.pbase.com/docduc/2003_tet_pageant

 

and

 

http://www.pbase.com/shorthi/frederictho

 

Thanks.

 

Duc

I think you need to cull through your images. Between the two albums, you have 550 shots. Maybe *you* are interested in all 550, but not many others will be. Pick out your best for a single album that we can look over in a few minutes.

Yeah there are a lot of pictures. I posted them all since the sponsors of the show and the contestants wanted to see the shots. Fortunately pbase allows thumbnails so you can only choose the ones you want to see.

 

Duc

"I posted them all since the sponsors of the show and the contestants wanted to see the shots."

 

Upload an edited version of the best here.

Thanks. I'm new here so I uploaded one of the pictures into my portfolio. Is that correct?

 

Thanks,

Duc<div></div>

Yes it is, but you don't have to load literally one photo. If you think you have more of the same level, you can upload them too.

 

Welcome to photo.net

Hi Duc,

 

Just to add to Emre's remarks, please resize your postings a little smaller. I don't go larger than 800 by 600 pixels, which usually fits within a browser window that's on a 1024 x 768 size monitor.

 

And, welcome to photo.net.

Hello, and welcome Duc, I am a fellow D1X shooter...a camera I

use extensively for weddings and events.

 

A general comment I'd like to share after looking at your albums

is about flash use with the D1x. I've learned a few light balance

tricks that might help in situations like the fashion show images

you presented here. In my opinion, they are to overly flashed...so

that when you print for the subject you darken down the ambient

light in the background and the effect is artifical looking. Plus you

are getting harsh shadows around some of the subjects.

 

A few questions: what lens were you using...meaning do you

have a fast aperture lens? And are you using a Nikon DX flash?

Is it on a bracket, and are you using a diffuser?

 

I always shoot the D1-X in Manual mode when using flash. The

flash is still in TTL mode. That way you can meter the

background to capture the ambient light, and then compensate

the flash (with the simple controls on the flash) up or down to

balance the subject in the foreground. The net result is that the

scene doen't look like flash was used at all. It looks like how you

actually saw it.

 

I've posted an example here which I hope the web conversion

doesn't ruin. In it there are the most difficult lighting situations

imaginable. People dressed in in black, a Bride in a shiny white

dress and a mixture of light temperatures ( cool flash and warm

Tungsten). The D1-X can handle it all if you set it right.

 

Try it, with the D1-X you'll get instant feed back and can reset the

balance until it's correct...then shoot away.

 

Hope this helps in some small way.<div></div>

Marc, very nice picture and lighting.

 

Duc, I shoot events on a regular basis and it looks like you had a lot of fun shooting this event. Here are some thoughts:

 

1) Filtering/culling/editing ... In some events, I easily shoot over 1000 images in 2-3 hrs. For 6hr events, over 3000 images. Now, not all of these images are good and many are similar. You need to present your best images to the event director, participants, and spectators ... they are all your possible clients. If you present to them average images along with good ones, your overall impression will not be as good as when you present just the good ones. Having said that, I edit the album to the minimal I think is necessary ... I remove all bad images (bad lighting, composition, out of focus, subject's eye closed, etc.) and all duplicates (even if they are perfect). So, even if the event director ask for all images, "all images" really mean all the images that make through your editorial cut.

 

2) Shutter speed ... I don't know if you intentional reduced the shutter speed to capture the motion of the subject in your later photos but a lot of photos are blurry. If it was intentional, then great. If not, then I'd suggest that your shoot at a faster shutter speed. If you're not shooting in Manual mode, then you should. Manual will give you a lot more control than any programmed modes.

 

3) Flash bracket ... if you intend on shooting more events w/ flash, then I'd suggest you use a flash bracket. It looks like from your photos that you are not using one. A lot of side lighting on portrait shots. Flash bracket will allow you to keep the flash on top of the lens at all times and avoid any harsh sidelit shadows.

 

4) Watermark ... if you ever plan on selling prints of your photos, then you should start watermarking your photos. Or make your photos very small ... like fit in 300x300. Otherwise, people will just lift your photos of the web and print them themselves or have the photos printed at an online printing service.

 

 

Have fun shooting. ^_^