1st real gig, getting a reality check

[hughes]

<p> Ed<br>

You have had so much advice you must be confused as hell. You can take this to the bank: the camera is the least important part of the equation this job could be covered with a point and shoot, you are over thinking- things to death. If you feel you must borrow ,rent,beg or steal a D90 or a D300 and a 17-55 and an SB800. By far a fully charged functioning flash is more important than the camera. Take two cameras with flashes on them and two lenses that's it, no messing around, no changing lenses no fumbling in your gadget bag, the event just doesn't call for it. You could really do this with what you have but it's important to feel comfortable with your equipment. But I would counsel against buying new equipment .<br>

The most important thing is how you act, if you act like a pro you will be treated like one, be anonymous but not too anonymous,you have a job to do so be firm if you have to, but be polite and charming . <br>

As to lighting straight flash with these modern flashes is generally superb so I would keep bouncing and lightspheres etc etc to the minimum as the man said "keep it simple stupid".<br>

I would check with the client too about payment if it's your rich uncle I could understand it, but dropping a couple of grand to a beginner photographer is a bit of a stretch. I would double check you haven't got your wires crossed. In this economic climate there are plenty of seasoned Pro's that would do this job for a lot less money. Good luck and just go for it.<br>

Lastly anyone suggesting a long focal length lens for an event like this is doing the OP a disservice it's very poor advice {i'm trying to be polite }...<br>

Steve </p>

<p> </p>

[ed_lemko]

<p>Thanks, Steve,</p>

<p>You know how it works, you seek help with what is not your greatest strength. The people part is fun for me. But the technical part, that's like a master's degree. You know, when you're a little educated you, know you're not a wiz yet. Then you get a master's degree, and you behave like a PhD. Then if you get a PhD, you realize how much there is yet to learn, and you start behaving like the bachelor's degree personality again.... </p>

<p>So I've been given the temporary kiss of death-- I've been told "you take great pictures". Now, I have to ignore that, not assume, and ensure that I get a reality check gear and process and execution, and also on what I'm forgetting, that's all... </p>

<p>All your comments are definitely helping.</p>

[Akaky]

<p>Ed, I dont know enough about Nikon's gear to give you advice about it, but here's something I do know: no matter how many batteries or memory cards you have, it will probably not be enough. Make sure you have at least three batteries (fully charged, of course) for each camera as well as five freshly formatted memory cards for each. Will you need all of that? Maybe not, but believe me, it's better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them, a life lesson I learned the hard way.</p>

[Sunset-Lounge]

<p>Rent. Most of the pros I worked with rented. Save your money at least until you know for certain what you want/need.</p>

[Sunset-Lounge]

<p>to explain: these were big commercial jobs and very experienced professionals. By renting they could affor to use any camera and other equipment they felt best suited the job before them.</p>

[lee_richards2]

<p>I completely agree with Steve. Rent away. Have two cameras and two flashes. You CAN do it with the lenses you have. You do not really need the F2.8 lens either but if you want it, fine. You should only consider renting or buying it if you can conceive of the photo you can't take with what you have. That will be hard. You can take just about everything with what you have. You will not see an image quality difference between your Sigma(s) and the fancy Nikon in these circumstances. You will not be 'pushing' the capabilities of camera or lens in this gig. You need the good flashes on both cameras. That is a given.</p>

<p>If I had any recommendiation for you it would be that you practice. Find a non-profit with an event and volunteer to take some pics of it before your paid event. Go all the way with it. Take the pics and work them up. The nonprofit will appreciate it and the experience will be far more valuable to you than will any lens in Nikon's inventory. Make sure you have both of the cameras you will be using. Your paid event is no time to be practicing. The biggest confidence builder you will ever have is been there, done that, got the tshirt. Practice, practice, practice. </p>

[mechanic]

<p>Ed,<br>

As per your statement: "For the group shot, I'm hoping to use a tripod from up high-- it's been described to me that there's a large deck, then there's an even larger one far below, and so I'm hoping to gain a good vantage point." Having shot many larger groups, I do know that your hopeful high up shooting point can be bloody dangerous simplydo to distortion and getting far too much detail on the top of the head which in turn will cause dark areas in the eye socket area. It can also make some people appear as though they are leaning forward and others leaning backwards people. The other issue is noise if you have to use hight than 400 ASA and lack of pixels on the large print---sure you can boost the file size in most editing programs but all that does is add pixels that never were recorded so find out what is the maximum print size they will require then see if your present camera is capable of making that print. Most labs require 300 dpi for printinting reguardless of print size. Some will print at 240 if they can't have the 300. I would also suggest that you go to the place and try a few shots and see what you will have to do to get the shot and get away from distortion.<br>

Garry</p>

[john_jennings2]

<p>Fill flash, fill flash, fill flash. Your biggest challenge will be mastery of fill flash. I would definitely do a rehearsal with a small group of buds with any new equipment.<br />Did I mention fill flash?</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>i agree a 35/1.8 would be good for candids, though it duplicates the 17-50 range.</p>

<p>for the group shot, the most important thing is a sufficiently deep aperture--f/8 or f/11--which will allow most of the people to be in focus.</p>

<p>also, i wouldnt be so quick to discount a 50-150, as you can get amazing closeups and portraits with that. good thing about that one is 50mm isnt so long that its impractical, especially if you have a W/A or UWA on a second body.</p>

<p>i would seriously consider an UWA, buying or renting, for more flexibility with group shots. an UWA for multi-person shots and a telezoom for portraits is straight out of the PJ handbook. when i shot a fair with that setup on two bodies, i also had the 17-50 but found i didnt need it. in fact, i only switched to it when i ran out of card space on one of my bodies.</p>

<p>location scouting/doing recon to set up shots is always a good idea--you want to get an idea of the lighting and angles, as well as visually-interesting places to take pics. if its physically too far, maybe they have pictures of the areas you will be shooting in?</p>

<p>after all this discussion, the gear you use here doesnt matter half as much as your demeanor. you want to be friendly and approachable, and above all, engaging. imagine you are paparazzi and the guests are celebrities eager to appear in print looking glamorous, fabulous, and lovely. just because it's a casual affair doesnt mean you can't take a few minutes to set up a shot, place people in locations where you want them to be, and/or take multiple shots from different angles. trust me on this, after people see you taking a few snaps they will approach you, eager to mug for the camera.</p>

<div></div>

[ed_lemko]

<p>Flash flash flash.... <br>

<br />Eric, I realize that I don't want to be carrying around 2 bodies and 4 lenses, and so on lens/body, maybe some lenses left in the trunk in case. One body will have the 50-150, and the other, you're saying UWA is beyond th 17-50, eh? I'm still partial to the 17-50 zoom, but I'll take a look to see if there are any af-s usw's for my d40x.</p>

 

[john_jennings2]

<p>The most important thing is to get an informal A-list of the ten or so people MOST important to your client, such as family. Get multiple candids of these so you can pick and chose reject bad ones. Neglect not mother and mother in law. Hint: who is going to be referring you to others, if you do a great job?The A-list is vital for editing your final presentation. Every party has an informal presentation and recognition. Don't be chasing the maid when this goes down. Never show the client ALL your shots, be like a doctor, bury your mistakes. <br>

Although cliches; kids and pets are sure winners, get down level with them to shoot. They really spice up a presentation of fat, ugly, rich people. Find out your client's hobbies, and what he is really proud of, like boat, decor of house, etc. Get a few good shots of those, to complete the story.<br>

The weather will determine your lighting, so watch weather reports like a hawk day before and morning. A light overcast means little need for flash, bright open shade is also wonderful. High noon in August is probably the worst lighting, fill flash time. Have a plan for dealing with hats with brims.<br>

To do your job, you must be charmingly aggressive, not rude, but no need to be apologetic. Smart guests know that great shots by you will advance their own social/business agendas.<br>

Have a few business cards in handy pocket.</p>

<p> </p>

[louis_rosenthal]

<p>HEADS UPP!!!!!!!!!<br /> ok i've done INTENSE party photography for 8 months (over 4000 pictures uploaded and around 200 hours of shooting)<br /> I use but 3 lenses, for 3 specific purposes, you may need only one!!!</p>

<p>THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU WILL NEED:<br /> --the 16-85mm (nikon) OR the 17-55mm f2.8 (nikon)<br /> --usable ISO of at least 1000, I know so many people that work under considerably worse circumstances just because they can choose between only ISO 800 and 1600 and 1600 has horrible noise.<br /> --->I work with the D90, and an SB-600 will do it for the flash. (YOU NEED EXTERNAL, INTERNAL WILL NOT DO IT)</p>

<p>Optional add-ons:<br /> -ultra-wide:<br /> the 11-16mm f2.8 tokina (for the "overview" pictures, showing how many people are attending--->marketing - if it says "everybody is there", it's worth using, but you'll likely not need a wide angle of that caliber)<br /> -very good low light:<br /> and the AF-S 50mm 1.4 - i use it for DJ detail shots - a hand touching the vinyls or adjusting the levels and such.<br /> OR<br /> AF-S 35mm 1.8 (larger angle)</p>

<p>I MAY have misunderstood, my response is for low lighting as in pretty much all clubs...</p>

[Sanford]

<p>Whatever you decide, don't show up with a bunch of new equipment you haven't thoroughly tested and are 100 percent familiar with. </p>

[ed_lemko]

<p>I'm 90% sure now I'll get an optically stabilized 17-50 f/2.8, whether the tamron from late 2009 or the just-released sigma, which I haven't sen priced yet. I"ll use this in concert with my 50-150 f/2.8<br>

The d90 is in my price range, but the d5000 is newer, has the same sensor and 11 point autofocus as d90, with an added quiet mode, intervalometer, and flip-down screen.<br>

Since I'll be roaming, I assume 1 flash ill be enough, my existing sb600. <br>

If I rented a body, I wouldn't have time to get used to it, and I needed an upgrade anyway. There's still a 10% chance I'll rent, but I think I'm due for new body regardless.<br>

But I'm re-reading everyone's comments.</p>

[garylester]

<p>Hi, I would thoroughly discuss details with the client prior to the event. Finding out specifically what is important to the client will put you in the best position to price, perform and deliver, or if necessary, suggest an alternative. Be clear about your capability and precise about base service/cost versus any optional pricing. <br>

Good luck!</p>