mattlaudergallery

Thanks for your replies.

It occurs periodically I can shoot 4 pro packs and it not happen and then it will happen to one roll. I went on a trip and shot 12 pro packs and it never occured.

I was told by the lab I use that it isnt my camera that it is a film fault. When the incident last occurred I took 4 low light shots in a row, all around the same emposure time.

The first three came out clear (no yellow tinge to the film) and the forth shot was missing about 5 cm of the shot on the 17cm image area.

To me that indicates that it isnt my shutter locking open as shots have been taken and rolled on, away from light leaks.

I cant do a camera test with other film as it occurs to infrequently to make it worth it.

I just hate loosing shots especially when you drive 2 hours to a location and you find out hat you have lost shots.

Matt

Hi,

I am shooting with a fuji G617 on velvia 50 (220) so I get 8 shots

per roll.

Over the past 18 months I have had about 7 rolls of Velvia fail on

me in the way that when they have been processed I have lost atleast

the first four shots as they have come out clear with no image on

them, not even the film rebate. With some I will get half of the

fifth image and shot 6, 7 and 8 will be perfect.

I contacted the professional lab I use and they said they have come

across it before and it appears to be a manufacturing error with the

mulsionon layers of the film.

I trust my lab as they we respected here in Sydney and used by other

professionals in my field.

I sent an email off to Fuji, but got no reply. The film I have had a

problem with has been bought from B&H Photo and are not from the

same batch.

Has anyone else experienced this problem.

Matt

Shayne,

I shot a wedding with my 580EX flash on my 20D and I had the same problem in low light and it was getting on my nerve.

When you get the flash practice with it in low light on manual for the desired exposure you will need in the bar. Also remember that when using it in manual the flash is being the primary light source and not just a fill. So your recycle time will be longer. Take some good spare batteries with you. If your re cycle time is taking to long change them over.

Matt

Hi Mike,

I have my work for sale in several stores in Australia on a standard 33% commision. The framing stores that sell my work buy the prints off me at a discounted price and they frame them and sell at a price they believe the work is worth.

If your going to give this guy exclusive handling of your work, what ever percentage you negotiate dosent mean anything if they dont sell. If you give him control over printing etc, how are you able to control the amount of prints he runs off.

With my work in about four galleries in a tourist area, each shop sells different volumes of prints in any given month and then there are months where none of them sell anything.

My advice is spred your work around, the idea of this guy taking on all the expenses is a nice offer, but 12 month down the track you might be in a postion your cant get your self out.

And NEVER NEVER NEVER hand over your originals. unless he wants to buy them outright and then thats a whole different kettle of fish.

Matt

www.mattlauder.com.au

Hi,

I am shooting my first wedding tomorrow as the 2nd photographer for

a friend.

I have a Canon 20D and the new 580EX flash. I have done some

experiments with the flash and I keep getting slow shutter speeds.

It works great in good light, but I am finding it very limited in

lower light that you would get from being indoors with limited

overhead light. (Basically mood lighting found in reception centers)

I have the flash on ETTL with an ISO of 400 and I am getting a

shutter speed of 1/20sec at F5.6 (focal length of 50mm). When the

camera is set at AV.

I have put the camera on manual and the flash on ETTL and Im not

getting the results I want with the flash.

I don?t want to go manual on the flash as then I have to muck around

with NCORD or CORD readings from my Minolta light meter and this

impractical. I love the exposure you get from using ETTL, but surely

a flash this expensive cannot be so limited in this area.

Other than going to higher iso settings, is there anything I am

missing when using the flash in ETTL.

Thanks for any quick replies.

Matt

Very helpful... thanks for all your replies. I have all the range of Fuji slide films and I will use a 100 iso film for this.

Matt

Hi All,

Just a quick question on an exposure issue from someone who has done

this.

Where I live I have a great open valley and I am wanting to shoot it

using the light from a full moon and was wondering what exposure

time I would be looking at.

Im shooting with a G617 on Velvia 50 iso film and plan to set the

camera at F16.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Matt

Michael,

I have been shooting with my G617 for the past three years on Velvia and I have all my tranny's scanned on a Imacon Flextight scanner at various PPI settings. If you hunt around you will find someone who can scan a tranny at a good price, Im paying around $30 Australian for a scan at 3200PPI at 24bit. My file size is around 350MB.

I look at it this way if you opt for a cheep scan, then you might as well have used cheep film as the quality will show in your print.

All my work is printed on Kodak Metallic paper on a Lambda at 250dpi and they come out great.

My site is www.mattlauder.com.au if you want to see the type of work I have scanned.

Matt

Hi all,

With my Speedlite 580EX, when I set it on manual can someone please

tell me what power the setting are relative to. eg 1/1, 1/2, 1/4,

1/8 all the way to 1/128.

I know it is flash power, but with my test on my 20D the 1/1 setting

blows everything out.

The manual isnt very helpful on an explanation as it assumes prior

knowledge and im a newby to this.

Thanks

Matt

Thanks for the advice guys and for the link Tom. Has been very useful.

Cheers

Matt

Hi all,

I am wanting to do a day time photo shoot from a Helicopter along

the coast line which will in-corporate a township with a few focal

points being a lighthouse on a headland and a ship wreck.

I will be shooting with my Fuji G617 and I was just after peoples

experiences and advice on the subject. I have done this once before,

but shooting through the window and all my shots came out with a

blue cast. (not good)

Recommended film speed. Im thinking that minimum of 100 iso (I only

shoot slide film). I have a pro pack of 220 Velvia 100F put aside

for this and the same in Provia 100F.

I know it is hard to mention distances from subject, but any general

tips or lines of thought would be great. Keeping in mind the G617

has the fixed 105mm lens.

Any input will be appreciated.

Matt

www.mattlauder.com.au

Thanks for the quick replies. Very helpful.

Matt

Hi All,

Just a quick and easy question. I am stepping into the world of low

end portrait photography and I am looking at using my 580EX flash

with an umbrella on a seperate tripod.

I am wanting to know what does the size difference in umbrellas do.

Im thinking it is in context with the flash output. What size would

best suit me with this flash. But I have to keep in mind that I will

be upgrading my system to monolights when I can and I hope I can

avoid re-buying umbrellas to suit?

Cheers

Matt

Hi Adam,

I have been selling my 6 x 17 panoramic work for over 2 years now and in that time I have raised the price of my work once as I wasnt happy with how cheep I was selling it. I feel, make the price what your happy with. Other panoramic photographers charge tripple my price and the work is basically the same. They just want to sell it at that price.

I sell a fully framed 30 inch print for $390 Australian. But framing was my biggest killer, so I thought, Arr what the hell and I bought my own professional framing outfit. Now my profit margin per framed print has almost doubled, without increasing the price to the customer and now I draw additional income from framing other peoples prints.

As with all the hard work you put into your shots, I look at it like this. I just did a trip to the 12 Apostles here in Australia and the total cost me around $4000 (film, fuel, processing, food, accomodation etc). Every print I sell makes that trips cost less and less. I can't expect to pay it off in a year by raising prices. But in two years I will be breaking even and from there it is all profit. Mean while the trip I did two years ago is already in profit.

My idea on pricing my work is this I want your everyday customer to look at it and think, "Wow thats nice I can afford that" other than "Wow thats nice, I wish I could afford that."

Hope this helps. All this is just my look at how I run and operate my business.

Matt

www.mattlauder.com.au

All sorted.... I called the framer and offered him a discounted price (the price businesses (galleries etc pay who sell my work). He was stunned and very gratefull.

Then he talked about possibly buying some of my work in the new year for clients and for his own gallery. Worked out very well in the end.

I only recieved minor details thus far regarding the extent of the damage. I do have my own professional framing studio and I do push for customers to have me frame the print for this reason.

But customers want to be able to pick their own frame when they are arnt able to visit me in person.

The price is a hard one... I dont expect return business from the framer, nor am I looking for it. The replacement price isnt me thinging "Great another sale at full price." I may call the framer who damaged the print direct and discuss the nature of the damage to the print and me having it returned.

Thanks for your input.

Hi Robert,

Yes thats what I thought. I emailed the customer and told them that the replacement price for them would be different but for the framer it would be the standard retail price.

I dont know the extent of the damage. The print could be only slightly marked and able to be used and sold to another person on the cheep.

Thanks for the reply.

Matt

Hi all,

I have been selling my panoramic prints for the past 2 years via the

internet and shop fronts. For the first time a customer ordered a 30

inch wide print a few weeks back and took it to a framer who damaged

the print and a replacement is now required at the framers expence.

I sell my work for $220 Australian for a print this size. I have

informed the original buyer that it will cost the framer $220 for a

replacement print.

Does this sound ok.... or should I have given it at a reduced price.

I send all my print only orders out with a handling guide and a list

of do's and donts and also framing advice.

Thanks Matt

www.mattlauder.com.au

Gday guys/girls,

Just after some quick advice. I am wanting to get a soft box that

will fit to my 580EX flash with my 20D.

I have looked at so many brands such as Lumiquest, Chimera etc and

would love some input into which is the best.

At the moment I am getting offers to shoot portraits in doors /

outdoors, Xmas santa shoots and similar. I would rather buy right

the first time and pay a bit extra, than to go cheep and get

substandard item.

Cheers Matt

Thanks for the comments and the tips guys, have taken it all on board and will try and keep it in mind for my next shoot. A dedicated assistant is essential for sure. A studio flash kit is next on the list.

Cheers

Matt

Hi all,

After asking a fair few questions on the forum re: flash/

dof/shooting kids here is one of the shots from my first portrait

shoot for the local playgroup taken today.

Overhead light from fluro's (unfortunately), 20D camera set up on

manual at f5.6 at 1/125. 70mm zoom on my 70mm-200mm f2.8 lens with

the 580EX speedlight on ETTL. I bounced the flash off the ceiling at

a 45 degree angle with a white card strapped to the top, picked up

some nice lights in their eyes.

The photo is attached, would be interested in your thoughts on a

first try. It was an eye opener. Time for a well earned beer.

Matt<div></div>

Thanks for the quick replies, there is no doubt at all that this guy has incredible skill. I was interested in the PS techniques is he using on his his work.

Because his site is designed in Flash, I cannot send a link, but the type of images I am referring to are in the wedding section and are located from the left. 4 across and 3 down. 8 across and 5 down and 8 across on the top.

I have come from shooting with a 6 x 17 Fuji, to now a Canon 20D with a 580EX speedlight flash. (studio set up is on the to buy list)My learning curve is once again steep and I really dont want to be a heavy PS manipulator, I am just interested in these fine tuning techniques.

Thanks Matt

Hi all,

After looking at alot of website of wedding / portrait

photographers. I have come to notice that alot appear to have been

tweeked in photoshop to give them an enhanced look about them,

either with burning / masking etc.

I like the work of http://www.yervant.com/wedding.htm and he even

has a photoshop tutorial disk available which confirms for me that

dispite his obvious skill behind the lens, he is also adding an

extra element to his work. Any ideas on how or what techniques are

being used here.

I have searched high and low on the internet and it appears to be a

secret, with portrait tutorials only really covering layer methods

with blurs etc.

Matt

Hi Manish,

I shoot with a 6 x 17 panoramic camera and it's all landscape work. DOF is always a major consideration for me. When I first started, I taught my self my camera, exposure, DOF etc by recording in a notepad my camera settings and seeing the results on the negative/tranny. Even though shooting slide film is allot less forgiving than negative, but you will see the results of your experimentation on a light table allot easier and there's nothing better that learning from your mistakes, especially when you see them right in front of you and you have the camera set up details for that shot in your hand.

Also, I do shoot at smaller aperture settings f22 and F32 to add movement effects to my work, like moving water or increased colour build up after the sunsets etc. Yes you "might" loose detail, but is an acceptable loss and that?s if you or the buyer of your work can pick it up.

Matt www.mattlauder.com.au

Thanks for that info. I think F4 is a bit fast and my DOF would be minimal. I was thinking more of F8 or F11. With my point of focus being the eyes of the child. That way I get both the child and Santa who will be in the background slightly still in focus.

Matt