greg jansen

The Sony Snaplab can be run without a computer, AND it will keep up. It has a touch screen and multi-format card reader built in. Nice dye-sub prints, nice and portable, fast printout (about 20 seconds). Problem is they are about $1500.00.

 

If that is what your take on the event is going to be, just consider doing the event as a way to gain a printer so you can do other istant pint events and make some money.

 

If you are not looking at it long term, renting a real dye-sub printer and a laptop is your best solution. Seconds are critical in these situations. A fast reliable dye-sub printer will be your savior. A consumser printer, or two, that are slow, take long to boot up, are always running out of paper, ink, etc. are going to be a nightmare.

Bruce- it's listed at B&H. There are two different ones depending on the model Q-flash you have. I think it's about an 8' extension cord. The cord has a plug end that goes where your bulb goes, the other end has a flash head and reflector with a 1/4 -20 hole so you can put an umbrella adapter on it.

 

Ithink it was about $125, but it sure takes the weight off the top of the stand. Peace of mind if a stand was to fall over. Light enough it wouldn't knock you out.

I had to answer seeing as we have he same last name (almost). I use the Qflash with a Wescott Halo umbrella. One light. Its great. I put it close, usually to the right of my tripod, up fairly high (9 or 10 feet) and angled down till the outside rim of the Halo touches the umbrella. It is a shoot-through umbrella. I leave the white diffuser dome on the flash.

 

Usually at 1/2 power on the Qflash (model T2) and 400 iso @5.6 is about right. Shutter speed about 2 stops under the ambient light.

 

Trigger with Pocket Wizards. Helps to hve the Qflash extension cord, so just the lightweight head is in the umbrella, and all the controls are at eye level.

 

The broa light that is cast by the Halo is great for large groups. The spread is very gradual at the ends, and there is not much of a hot spot in the center. Just as fast to set up as a regular umbrella.

Don't hang a heavy, expensive camera on a cheap bathroom stall door hook. Luckily my foot broke the fall.

Here's mine. Feel free to use it, change it, etc.

 

http://www.gregjansenphoto.com/excel/template-expenses.xls

Sony Snaplab is great. No computer needed. Prints up to 6x8. I have never had an event where they wanted 8x10's. The 8x10 dye subs are very expensive, slower than printing 5x7's, and media is about $1.30 a print.

 

Stick with 5x7. You can usually find a used Sony or Mitsubishi dye sub on Ebay for about $500-600.

 

Only get the roll fed styles, not sheet fed.

 

As mentioned, two people needed- one to take shots, one to print.

 

Usually the simpler system the better. Avoid using too many programs and trying to crop, etc. in the computer. Set up your camera so the color, cropping, etc. is just how you want it so all you have to do is click "print" with no external adjustments or editing.

Oops- didn't see the no processing thing. That scares me. I wouldn't want to just turn over a bunch of unedited images.

$200/hr. Includes all post production and getting them the images via FTP or mail.

There are no Epson printers you can change to a dye-sub printer. They are inkjets, which are horrible for events. The prints smudge, the color callibration is a nightmare, and with 6 or more cartridges you are always dealing with changing a cartridge- not to mention the annoying wait time whenever you change a cartridge. A nightmare.

 

Dye sub is the way to go. Paper and ribbon (not ink) get changed at the same time. Better ones can print 400-600 shots without changing paper or ribbon. Waterproof indestructable prints. Easy calibration.

 

I have owned and used them all. HiTi is a good begginer one, next step up would be a Sony Snaplab, next step up would be the better Sony or Mitsubishi ones.

 

For a good one, expect to pay about $1500.

 

You may get lucky and find a used one on Ebay.

 

Take a close look at the Sony Snaplab. They are light and portable, and you don't need a computer to run them. They have a touch-screen and a card reader built in. Fast, high quality prints, and reasonable media costs.

Learn to see the light. Some of the pics the lighting is nice and even, faces well lit, especially the eye sockets. Other shots indoors the light is direct and overhead, very contrasty. That causes the dark eye sockets.

 

You don't need to take pictures to practice looking at the direction and quality of the light.

 

Watch the light hitting a test subject's face as you move them around to different light sources. Remember that on film the contrast is going to be even more than you see with your eye.

 

What you are looking for is light and shadows. When you get a portion of the scene, say a face, that is stronly lit, and also a portion of the face with strong dark shadows, most likely you will not like the result. The light is too contrasty.

 

There is a world of difference in how a subject will look when you shoot in direct sun verses when you shoot late in the day before sunset. Before sunset (or sunrise for that matter), shadows will be less contrasty, softer, and have a nice gradual transition.

 

All fllms have a certain contrast range they can work well in, which is less than what we see with our eyes. Learn to look for subtle, rather than great differences between the light and the shadows.

 

It seems from the shots that you are starting to grasp this idea.

 

Only after you have a full understanding of contrast and light and shadows should you attempt flash. Flash just complicates things, and geneally does not look very pleasing.

 

Moving the subjects where there is good light is an easy practice that will yield great results. You just have to learn where that light is. The roll you shot should give you some clues.

When I shoot film for weddings, none. No color correcting, no cropping, nothing. Drop off film, pick it up in a couple of days. Put best of proofs in an album. Done. No computer used in the process. It's really nice.

Honestly, if this camera and a few lenses could replace every piece of camera equipment I own, I'd buy it.

 

By the time I sold all my 35mm film, medium format film, and digital equipment I would be pretty close.

 

Maybe a Canon G10 for back-up and travel. Wouldn't that be nice? All your gear (minus lighting) in one bag.

 

Look out Ebay!

For corporate events I chage an hourly rate for images on CD. If prints are wanted I add my bestguess to the hourly rate.

 

For instance, if it is an awards type thing, and hey want 8x10's of each award recipiant, then figure X amount of hours (which could include some candid coverage), plus the cost of the prints based o your standard mark-up times how many award recipiants.

 

One flat fee works best.

 

BIG caution: If the client says you will make all sorts of money selling reprints, chances are you will not. They grossly overestimate things, mainly because they have no experiance with such things. You, the photographer, DO have experiance in estimating print sales.

 

One flat fee including prints is the easiest. Just use your best educated guess on total prints, then add 10 or 20%. It's silly to charge one rate for the coverage, then nit-pick later on the nominal cost of the prints. If you are charging $1000 to shoot something, and guess about $100 in print costs, just leave it at that. The time you would spend adding up the actual prints, adding that to the invoice, keeping track, etc. is a waste. You may be over or under your estimate by a bit, but so what. The cost of the prints is typically such a small percentage of the total invoice it's best not to worry about it.

 

Of course, be very clear in the contract what it to be printed. You do not wantto have one thing agreed upon, then the client adds a bunch more shots to printed day of the event.

 

If you feel that may be the case, then have a side note in the estimate what the extra prints are per piece.

 

For mo

I agree. No different than pressing the shutter half way. I have the AF-On buttons set to lock exposure and focus. When in C focus mode, all I do is press shutter half-way to get focus, then with my thumb I press the AF-on button (which is now lock focus/exposure), then recompose and press the shutter the rest of the way.

 

Great for fast shooting where you want more control over the autofocus.

 

It's almost like pushing the AF-On button is a temporary change to S focus mode.

 

If I don't use the AF-On button, it' just regular C focus mode, good for moving subjects.

I like it. When I have the camera on a tripod and am doing group shots at a wedding, I like to focus on the eyes of the bride. With the cameras with just 5 or so points, the focus bracket always seemed to fall between two heads, and I would have to nudge the camera a bit to one side.

 

With the 51 almost always lands on an eye.

 

I use the S foccusing mode during group shots.

All of my clients get a proof album of real 4x6 prints. Maybe 75% will order a more finished 30 page 8x10 leather album.

 

I believe people still want an album, something they can pull off the shelf and look at or show to others.

 

I believe when people just want a DVD they are trying to save money, and I'll bet majority of those who get a just DVD don't end up making an album on their own, maybe just getting a few small enlargements.

 

Offering albums is kind of like digital workflow. You need to find a system that is efficiant and works well for you. There is good profit potential once you find a quick quality system of image selection, printing, and album assembly.

I've done a lot of fairs, and have found that slideshows are not that effective. People like to see things in reflected, not projected, light- like albums and prints.

 

People like to be hands-on, too.

 

A very simple and inexpensive solution would be to get a basket or two, and fill them with stacks of 8x10's mounted on foamcore. The sticky dots work great to hold the prints to the foamcore. People can flip through the shots like they do CD's at a store.

 

Most art stores will cut the foamcore for you .

 

For behind the booth, a large foamcore panel, maybe 3' wide by 5' tall hung on a tall lightstand.

 

On the board you can have your logo or company name, and some large prints, like 11x14 or so mounted on the board.

 

The whole set-up should cost you less than $100 and will be very effective.

 

From 30 feet away people will know you are a photographer.

You may find, as I and many others have, that you may switch back to film for its unique look and ease of post-production.

 

You may want to rent or borrow a back-up until you are completely sure you want to go 100% digital.

Keep it simple and bracket a lot. Multiple lights are going to be too clumsy and time consuming. You run the risk of getting cross-shadows, or strange shadows from the staircase balusters.

 

Start with the iso at something reasonable, like 400 or 800. Start with a medium aperture, like 5.6. Use a tripod. Make sure you have the shot framed nicely, and be sure to watch the background. You don't want a picture frame on the wall coming out of their heads. If you have an assistant day of, use them as a stand-in while you get things set up. The couple will be busy mingling and won't notice you gone for 5 minutes while you set up.

 

Place the couple in the predetermined spot, and take a few quick shots (just in case one blinks or has an off expression.

 

Then bracket the shutter speed a bit, take another shot or two, change shutter speed again, another shot or two.

 

That's the safe way to do it.

 

Only AFTER you have the money shot should you try to get more jazzy, like the motion blur goroom shot, or any other thing you want to try.

 

Don't bet on the tricky shots. If you get them, great. If you don't, don't worry. You have the main one they wanted and you wanted.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the color balance. Worry more about the exposure.

 

If you hit the subjects with just enough flash to light them up, the light from the flash will over-power any strange color cast from the room lights. If the couple is lit well and have good color balance, the background may be off a bit, but only you will notice.

 

As a starting point, flash on a lower manual power, maybe 1/8 or 1/4, f 5.6, iso 400 or 800, and then under-expose the background by a stop or two. You may be at 1/8th or so on the shutter speed. Don't worry. Bracket the shutter speed between shots. Bump it up a bit, and down a bit. You should get a shot with a subtley lit background (from the longer shutter speed), and a properly lit and color balanced couple (from the fill flash).

 

Watch the shadows the flash casts when setting up and test subject there.

 

If you keep it simple and try not to accomplish too many risky things, you will get the results you are after.

 

Good luck.

I post online, but not the engagement session. FIlm is fast. That's why I like it. My scans form the negs at the lab are nice and small, about 500k each which is fine for the online posting and printing.

 

I treat the engagement session as time spent to get one good shot for the couple, because that's what they use, one good one for a big mat to sign, to display at the reception, for an invite, etc.

 

I think a few really good shots is better than a slew of mediocre ones.

 

I've never understood when people spend 3 or 4 hours doing an engagement session. It must be a lose money situation.

1. When the client can fit it in their schedule, but I pick where to shoot.

 

2.About 30 minutes

 

3.One B&W and one color roll (72 exp.).

 

4. All but the blurry or blinking ones.

 

5. Pull the bad 4x6's and stick it in the mail- about 2 minutes. Save one of the bad to go with the contract to remind me what they look like, if I need to boost fill-flash, etc.

I get everything printed 4x6 with border at my lab, both 35mm and 645. The 645 I have printed full frame, so the white border is a tad bigger on the shot ends. Makes it easy to tell what was shot with what, one consistant print size for proof albums.

I've used both 6x6 and 645 for weddings, and I have to say I love the Contax 645. It's more of a grab it, focus, shoot kind of camera than the Hasselblad. Just the messing around with the shutter speed, aperture, focus of the Hasselblad costs precious seconds. My mindset when using the Hasselblad is kind of "Now is the time I'm using the Hasselblad, I should have my tripod out, and I am going to try to finish the roll in the camera during this time of the wedding". With the Contax it's more of a tool that is mixed in throughout the wedding day. It's hard to describe. Easier to switch between 35mm and Contax than 35mm and Hasselblad. For me switching from Hasselblad to 35mm is like switching between a rangefinder and an slr at a wedding. They are just too different to comfotably switch back and forth. Not the case with the Contax.

 

Yes, slow sync, but if you shoot in full shade with 160 film it's never a problem. The hot shoe, auto exposure, auto focus are great.

 

Lenses from both sets are incredible.

If you feel you are going to make it through the day, but are just going to be hacking a lot and no voice, then I would strongly suggest bringing an assistant along.

 

I think it is too much to ask of the personal attendant. It may backfire and the attendant may get a little upset if you have them do too much wrangling.

 

Best to get a close friend, even one who doesn't shoot, to be your voice. Someone who can react to your pointing and waving. It may even be fun for the group and add a bit of humor to the day. Make sure they know the exact timeline of everything, and have expicit instructions on what to do and when before the wedding.

 

Let your assistant call all the names for the group shots, rearrange people how you like, etc. You most likely won't need them at the reception.

 

Every photographer I know, myself included, have had a day like that and out of nowhere comes this super strength to get through the day. The responsibility and pressure seem to mask illnesses a bit.

 

With a good friend properly prepped to help, you should be fine.

Skip the bracket. It will be one more new piece of gear you are not accustomed to, which opens up more possibilities that something will go wrong, something more to think about.

 

Even when shooting close, if you have the flash at a 45 degree angle with the supplied Nikon diffusion dome, you won't get red-eye.

 

Try to shoot at iso 200 and f16, point it straight on and blast the subject with flash, you probably will get some red-eye (and slow recycle).