marcsaint

This is slightly off-topic but important nonetheless.

Prior to today's wedding, I checked my D70 for dust on the sensor by

photographing some sky at f/22 -- the included picture is the result.

I had to clean the sensor twice using a Sensor Brush until all the

dust was gone.

I bought the brush a year or so ago -- is anything better on the

market for cleaning sensors? Does anybody have a better way to keep

the sensor clean? Do you worry about dust getting on the sensor in

the middle of a wedding and not knowing about it?

Marc St.Onge<div></div>

I had a bride whom, I was told by friends and relatives, ALWAYS blinked in pictures and I would NEVER get a picture of her without her blinking. I used bounceflash for nearly every picture with her in it and got only 1 or 2 (out of hundreds) with a blink. I can't say I knew this would work -- I just started taking pictures to see if she would blink and ended up having no problem.

Marc St.Onge

Okay, this is January 2006. I just received an inquiry for a wedding

in early October 2007. Since we take our vacation in late

September/early October I'm a little leery of booking a wedding this

far in advance.

Question: how far in advance do you book weddings? Do you set a time

period beyond which you will not book (for example, one year from the

current date)?

Marc St.Onge

If you have them put on CD or DVD, try to get them on "archival" media like the MAM-A or Delkin disks; if you have prints made, get them done on an archival media such as Epson pigment-type prints on archival paper(supposedly good for 100+ years).

Marc S.

I use FlipAlbum 5 Pro and put the files on a CD for them to view at home.

Marc St.Onge

I want to improve my portrait photography skills -- specifically in

the context of my wedding photography. I'm pretty sure my candid work

is good, but I really feel my portraits are not up to the level I want

them to be. I'm pretty much self-taught but I need to get up to speed

quickly (i.e. before next May). I am well-versed technically but

lighting and posing are mysteries to me.

I think I would like to take a course or seminar with someone but I

don't know who -- does anyone have any recommendations? I work out of

the Western Massachusetts area but am willing to travel. Also, if you

have a better idea on how to do this, please let me know.

Thanks!

Marc St.Onge

www.saintongephoto.com

I get 1-2 leads per week (in the Western Massachusetts area) and most are from Northern Connecticut. If one looks interesting, I'll buy a lead for $2. Out of a couple dozen emails I sent out to inquiries, I only got 1 or 2 responses and met with only one couple -- they didn't employ me. When almost nobody replies back to my emails, I sometimes wonder if these potential clients even exist. Still, it's pretty inexpensive and I feel I only need to hit once to pay for my "investment".

Marc St.Onge

www.saintongephoto.com

After going digital, my first all day wedding was 700+ images ("Whooppee! No film or processing costs!"). After having to download, view, and correct 700+ images, my second wedding had significantly less. I tell the B&G I shoot about 50-60 images per hour.

Marc

I think you could get away with cropping it just below her chin, putting her face way over to the left, and blue-tinting the whole thing. Just another way to look at a very nice shot.

Marc St.Onge

This method makes white areas bleed into dark areas -- is there a way of making dark areas bleed into white areas a la the old Pictrol diffuser for enlargers?

Marc St.Onge

"She wrote me back stating that she is very unhappy that I am unable to do anything, and won't I be able to remedy the situation? I'm assuming she wants her money back for the CD"

Don't assume, find out. Explain clearly and calmly what happened, apologize for the situation, then ask your client what she would like you to do to remedy the situation. She may want her money back, or all the pictures fixed, or just some of the pictures fixed, or just a couple of extra 8x10's--who knows?--but at least you will have a place to start negotiating a settlement agreeable to both of you.

Personally, I'd give her the money back rather than spend a week fixing lines on prints but that's just me.

Marc St.Onge

This is a little off-topic but one of the respondees for this subject wrote: "It is funny, when I was first starting out none of them [friends] wanted me to do any photography for them, now they all want me to do it for free."

I seem to recall a famous photographer who, when asked how he got into photography, replied "I got into photography the way a woman gets into prostitution -- first I did it for myself, then I did it for friends, and now I just do it for the money."

Sorry, back to our regularly scheduled show.....:-)

Marc

"I felt like I was kind of put on the spot by them"

"...got kind of rude..."

"...looked offended..."

So your friends don't mind imposing on you for free (or at least reduced price) wedding photography and you're ticked off about it. That sounds normal to me.

If they hadn't asked you, are they the kind of friends that you would have offered to shoot their wedding anyways (so you could give them a great present or because they can't afford a photographer)? Did you invite them out to eat or did they specifically ask you to go out with them (with the express purpose of ambushing you)? Are they an exceptionally good-looking couple whose wedding pictures will make great promo pieces? Just some questions to ask yourself before you decide what to do.

IMHO, there are friends and there are Friends. For the latter I'd write their thoughtlessness off as immaturity and give them a good wedding job AT COST. For the former, I'd be busy that day.

Marc

I also switched to using the cord to power the unit (rather than the battery) but when I started using it heavily at a big wedding with two photographers, I also started to get corrupted files and directories. Taking the unit off the charger, letting it cool down, and then using the battery while copying files seemed to solve the problem that day. Haven't had time to do a full check out if heat causes it to have problems, but that would be my best guess.

Other than that it has been a decent unit to work with.

Marc