twmeyer

<p>Check Mode settings on the SB... I use mine in Manual and TTL, and as Remote and Master. An inappropriate setting might give the undesired results you describe. Also check the SB's on board power setting... t</p>

<p>or don't photograph in bright sun.<br /><br />This was made with a strobe in a softbox at 6:45 on June 9th in southern USA. iso 125, 1/125th sec, f25 (not 2.5... f <em>twenty five</em>) with a 105 macro Nikon. There is no additional backdrop added, actual or digital.<br /><br />you can see other plants in the background that are barely within the penumbra of the strobe/modifier... t</p><div></div>

<p>no thank you. I have an aversion to hypothetical bummers... t</p>

<p>except for the photo-bombing mannequin, yes... t</p>

<p>"shooting them without horrible distortion (especially a bathroom)"... I concur and have found that the smaller a room is, the more pictures it takes to accurately describe it. <br /><br />My only suggestion is to not just get over your revulsion of processing, but learn to actually enjoy it. The type of work you are attempting requires skill in aesthetics, capture technique and post processing. These are all skills that any professional will either own, or sub-contract, which might also be an option for you. Make sure you have a rock solid tripod, bracket each POV, then turn those files over to a good pixel jockey... t</p><div></div>

<p>"Like"</p>

<p>I could have used one today. I almost never hire an assistant, but today I was making an unusual portrait in a pretty small office of a guy sitting in his office chair, stretched out, feet on desk, dressed in a diver's wet suit, fins and goggles.<br /><br />I gelled the main (directly overhead) small silver PLM umbrella to 3400k, set WB to that and turned the daylight outside the window to a deep blue (1/250th @ f11), but I wanted a blue rim light on him from behind (going for that underwater kind of light). I had to weave through the light stands and gear, around the chair and reach over the desk about three times to micro-adjust an SB900 set at 200mm that was hidden either behind his head or his computer's monitor (different shots). With this little device I would have done that from camera position. The budget for this job did not allow for an assistant. <br /><br />It's a versatile concept product that adapts well to various situations and business models... t</p>

<p>looks good for people who work without an assistant. If you use it on one job instead of an assistant, it's paid for... now if it could just keep an eye on your gear, too... t</p>

<p>Part time is not synonymous with cheap. If you shoot like a pro, bill like a pro. Don't act like your gainfully employed self is subsidizing your part time self. Your day job pays for your hobbies, not for your second profession. If "Semi Pro" actually means "part time professional", then it should be a money making venture, not a break-even hobby... t</p>

<p>Make pictures, then look at them. You'll figure it out. (or read metadata, like Jeff did :^)</p>

<p><a href="https://nppa.org/calculator">Look at this </a>and fill in the blanks... it will only take a few minutes.<br /><br />At the rates you are considering, you will not be making any money. You will be effectively paying your clients/friends/relations to photograph their weddings. By charging those kind of fees, you're not making profit, you're just going into debt a little slower than if you weren't charging them at all.<br /><br />You need to decide if wedding photography for you, is a hobby... or a business. And you'll also need to consciously decide if your hobby (if that's the way you decide to go) should include putting local wedding photographers out of business... t<br /><br />(P.S. I am <em>not</em> a wedding photographer)</p>

<p>First, what do you mean by "Semi-Pro"? <br /><br />Does that mean your images are half of what a "pro" would create? Or that you are only "pro" part of the time? <br /><br />If your images are "pro" quality... if you conduct yourself while on the job in a "pro" manner, if your equipment and skills are "pro"... then you should charge "pro" prices, regardless of how many hours per week/month/year you work at "pro" endeavors.<br /><br />On the other hand... If your images are not half the quality of what a "pro" would produce, then I suggest you stop charging for your work at all and stop marketing yourself as "pro" to *<em>any</em>* degree. <br /><br />In either case, you should certainly not be offering "pro" services at the prices you indicated here, no matter <em>what</em> your level of expertise, or whatever percentage of your annual gross income is derived from photography. <br /><em>If</em> your images are only "semi-pro" in quality, you should not be photographing events as significant and important as a wedding. <br /><br />Do good work, charge realistic prices and don't bill according to how *<em>often</em>* you do it, bill according to how *<em>well</em>* you do it... t</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/283851-REG/Matthews_350584_Minigrip_Head.html">This</a> might be adequate for a speed light with no modifier. If attaching a modifier, or other weighty accessory, use<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/840826-REG/Kupo_KG203111_2_1_2_Grip_Head_With.html"> this</a> one, or an Mathews/Avenger equivalent, according to your preference... t</p>

<p>"However, I don't think digital cameras are the problem, at least not any sort of pro DSLR made after 2009."... amen to that. <br />I wouldn't shoot weddings on 35mm film if you paid me. Extra.<br /><br />If you want to try with digital again (which I highly suggest), try the new Fuji X series (and shoot RAW only fer gawd sakes), probably the XPro-1 for the most versatility in optics, or wait for it's next iteration, expected in early to mid-2015... t</p>

<p>Here's an interview with one of the actors, Ed Norton, who talks about the long takes... no tricks, high pressure. Great cast.<br /><br />http://www.npr.org/2014/10/21/357637203/ed-norton-on-birdman-wes-anderson-and-why-40-makes-him-proud</p>

<p>http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/74314-REG/Manfrotto_237HD_237HD_Heavy_Duty_Flex_Arm.html<br />But they aren't really up to handling a speed light as big as the SB900... they sag under the weight.<br /><br /><br />Better this device:<br />http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/325444-REG/Manfrotto_244N_244N_Variable_Friction_Magic.html<br /><br />But you'll want a nice stand under it.</p> <p> </p><div></div>

<p>I think I've stumbled into the Critique Forum. My bad... t</p>

<p>"quite dull both in concept and execution"... <br /><br />"Dull as opposed to gee whiz!" is a stylistic and deliberate decision that is reactionary, popular and (I think) quite effective. <br />" Deadpan " and " blase' " come to mind, as descriptors of both the model's demeanor and the lighting style. <br /><br />And those lamps are lit... note the slight yellowness under each shade that was left as a clue... t</p>

<p>You don't necessarily have to move, but it's certainly an option to consider. <br /><br />Put your subject in what Neil Turner calls any "available shade", then set your camera to a proper exposure for the sunlit background, then set your flash to give proper exposure for your subject... t</p><div></div>

<p>I think he meant 1/30th... not 30 seconds. <br /><br />Do not tie light stands to a ladder. Rent adequate light stands, they can go <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/325308-REG/Manfrotto_269HDBU_269HDBU_Super_High_Aluminum.html">very high</a>.<br /><br />Make sure you have someone to stabilize any ladder you stand on. Be insured... t</p>

" with the girls posed on some winding steps at the entrance of the sorority house and also on the second story balcony" You gonna need some very tall and substantial light stands and sand bags. If there's any wind your umbrellas will become large sails. I second the idea of a test session. I hope the job pays you well. The silver parabolic umbrella Ellis recommends are the most efficient modifier I can think of. At the distance you will be using them, they will help with coverage, but don't expect them to give soft light. Get them high to hide the shadows…t

<p>I'd choose a location/POV/Time of day/season according to my desired effect. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.thesartorialist.com/page/2/">This guy</a> is a master at exactly that. I've learned a lot looking at his photos... about making portraits, <em>and</em> how to dress :^)... t</p>

<p>So I'll guess that's not a recent picture?<br /><br />:^)</p>

<p>I just noticed the size of that woman's phone... t</p>

<p>I have less than zero interest in becoming a full blown wedding photographer. <br /><br />While it's great fun making pictures at a wedding (I have worked as a second shooter and a portrait specialist for years), the potentially year long contact with multiple and highly emotional clients (for the same wedding) in a dramatic and unrepeatable scenario, combine to make wedding photography one of the least appealing ways I can think of to make money with a camera. It's even less appealing to spend 10-12 hours on my feet in a day chasing bridesmaids and groomsmen around churches and hotels while carrying two 7-9 lb camera rigs. It's a job for younger people than I...<br /><br />A better use of my skills and temperament is to make 200 portraits in a 4 hour evening (one every 60 seconds, or less), and be done with the job. I can be very cheerful and charming under such circumstances, and ready/willing/able to party/be civil thereafter.<br /><br />Just the amount of post-production, extended meetings and sales work required by a typical wedding (not to mention 30 to 50 every year) would inspire in me a desire to get a less stressful job making pumpkin spice skinny lattes with whipped cream at Starbucks, where at least I would get medical insurance.<br /><br />If I were going to be a wedding photographer, I'd have done it 30 years ago. I learned long ago how to say "No, thank you. But I know a guy..."</p><div></div>