What would you do? Forgotten camera!

<p>So I have a family portrait shoot this weekend. I commute about an hour into a larger city than where I live, and stay there while I work there at my day job.</p>

<p>I knew that I'd be staying in the larger city and promised to shoot some family portraits at one of our local lakes this Sunday afternoon. However I left in a rush and left my camera bag on the table an hour away, containing the 5dmkII, 24-70 2.8 70-200 2.8 50 1.4, flashes, POLARIZING FILTERS, etc.</p>

<p>Now since I stay with my partner who is developing a photography interest, he has some of my "backup gear" here. I have access to a 40d w/ kit lens and a 50 1.8, 430 ex speedlight.</p>

<p>I also always carry my little m4/3 kit and shoot mostly 20 1.4 (40mm equiv) (do have flash and diffuser for fill)</p>

<p>My first response would be to drive the two hours to get the good stuff, but in reality, I almost think I'd be just as well off to stop by the camera store and see if they had some polarizers to fit the 20 on the m4/3, and the 50 on the 40d, one slightly wide, one slightly telephoto (portraity?)</p>

<p>I doubt the client will have any idea what equipment I'm showing up with, much less what it means, and I think even the m4/3 will do prints as large as they will want at low iso with good light.</p>

<p>So my question is, Would you drive the 2 hours or make what you already have work?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>I definitely would drive the two hours. But then again, I like driving :-)</p>

<p>If I had that much equipment sitting on a table somewhere I'd be in the car quicker than I could post that message!</p>

<p>If this is a "paid" shoot, then I would do "what it takes" to get the equipment that you are most comfortable with to do the job!<br>

Yes, even if it's a half tank of gas and a couple hour drive, after all you still have till Sunday.<br>

Now if your having to "take time off" from work (your day job) to make the two hour trip, then maybe use what is immediately available.<br>

True, . . . the Client's won't necessarily care about the equipment, but they will care about the overall outcome, and you need to feel comfortable that you can provide that!<br>

Building and maintaining a "reputation" can be costly!</p>

<p>Yes, I would drive back.</p>

<p> I think you owe the family the best you can give. Make the drive, give the 40D kit to your partner and do not pull out a point and shoot for a portrait session. Why a CP for Portraits? However it will give you patchy skys with a 20mm lens.</p>

<p>I would postpone the shoot.</p>

<blockquote>Why a CP for Portraits? However it will give you patchy skys with a 20mm lens.</blockquote>

<p>To saturate fall color behind my subjects and lose that stop and a half of light, it's bright here at 3 pm. </p>

<p>I have never gotten patchy skies with polarizers on other lenses, why would the 20mm be different, if it's on a 4/3 sensor?</p>

<p>From my experience a CP gives patchy skys on lenses wider then 28mm. A 20mm lens is a wide angle lens regardless of what kind of camera you put it on. It is not a 40mm lens ever. But give it a go, because if it works then it works. It does not for me. I was thinking that I prefer a warm look to Portraits myself and a CP is blue or a cold look. Also the 2 stops of light make it harder to see the subjects face as in framing and such. However I was just curious. Everybody has a different goal and all that. I guess I was just wondering if it was to be used for partial reflection control from a persons glasses and then to add warmth in PP? I do not believe that using a CP for portraits is common at all and I was just curious as to the benefit.</p>

<p>Not so much "patchy" as graded, i.e. banding.<br>

18 mm (below) with polarizer. Max polarization occurs in a 'band' at right angles to the sun's location.<br>

Jim</p><div></div>

<p>If you have to ask, then make do is the answer you are sifting for i am thinking. But then ask what if your or your kin were the subject,shoe on other footsky thing, what would <em>you</em> expect. No, you got to drive, Ace.<br>

Think of it as penance, a way of doing the job just so... They won't know but you will and that becomes a slope to Foto Purtagory for some folk. Advice? Sure I would give myself no more excuses, sleep better too. Two hours, piffle.. A day would be a task . Soaloha and be well and stay within the speed limit...and use the big artillery. I love the micro 4/3 and the 20 mm but not for a job. Assuming money crosses palms. If not, hell toss a coin.</p>

<p>Take the drive. At least that would be the professional thing to do.</p>

<p>Ok, I drove back for the big guns. This is somewhere in between personal and professional, for family members, so I'm not charging the session fee, but they are paying for the images they like; this is the only reason I was considering using what I had on hand. I'm sure the 40d with the 50 1.8 would have been fine.</p>

<p>I wouldn't ask other people what I should do! Just do the right thing!</p>

<p>I wouldn't feel justified charging money for anything less than my best work.</p>

<p>Well the whole point of backup gear is that you can use it to get the job done. The 50mm 1.8 on the 40d would have been great for portraits.</p><div></div>

<p>The 40D, the Kit lens and the 50mm f 1.8 should get you some good shots. Of course the 5D Mk II would get you better shots but the 40D is no slouch of camera, it takes beautiful shots. I don't know sometimes it's better arriving at a shoot on time and relaxed than being frazzled from driving in traffic, or even worse getting into an accident or having car trouble.<br>

Maybe you can look around town and find a lens you can rent or just make due with what you have. As far as a Polarizer I was shooting portraits infront of a lake a few weeks ago with a 40D, a kit lens a Norman Flash and NO polarizer. The pictures came out beautiful with light reflecting of the lake. The subjects were far enough from the lake for safety reasons and so that the entire scene(lake, sun, trees, sky, shore, ducks, birds) could be used as the background instead of a small section. </p>