craig_gillette

<p>Work with the client and the officiating clergy. Everybody has a camera these days and not everybody has manners. And if every family hired a pro, there would be space as well as equity issues. I don't think the client is likely to have a lot of flexibility in choosing an alternative location. From the outside looking in, first communion in the Roman Catholic church is often a group event, perhaps school grade or at least a certain age group related event and going to another parish for that specific event is likely to be awkward and perhaps not any more likely to have a different clerical response. <br> Aside from the individual and group shots on the steps, etc., it would seem to me the key moments are the actual communion and that would require shooting from the side or front - a location which is not usually open to non-participants. Certainly flash from there would be disruptive and repeated flash or movement would be really noticeable.</p> <p>Good luck, you may be trying to tread where others have trod before.</p>

<p>Things are browning up pretty fast near me (Inland Empire-ish). Can you be a bit less general about what sort of environment you are looking for and how far you might be able to consider traveling? Some parks, etc., can vary with how sensitive they are to what might seem to be professional shoots (like with props, models, lighting,"crews," or the like) and others aren't troubled by it at all. That can depend on how popular a location might be, whether you are working around busy prom and wedding days and things like that. Rolling grassy hills? Oak trees? Rugged mountain? Desert?</p>

<p>What kind of pictures? What kind of business? Plant/facilities? Personnel? Social/wedding? If archived and hard to find for you, then that suggests they aren't moneymakers. Maybe a reasonable time charge for the effort?</p>

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<p>Sony A7 series bodies with the 24-70/4?</p>

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<p>I have both a heavy and light tripod. If a car based trip, usually both will go. As others have noted, they stay behind in the room or car if possible especially on urban trips until late afternoon or evening unless some predictable need arises. I have carried the light one all day a few times when itinerary wasn't firm. These days it's a bit unusual to have venues allow them to be used inside (but carrying isn't necessarily an issue unless size/storage limits are imposed or just blanket disallowed). The smaller one fits fairly easily on my day pack or even shoulder bags, sometimes vertically, sometimes horizontally. My day pack is a "real" day pack so it has compression straps and an ice ax loop as well as load straps on the bottom. So there are several ways to snug the little tripod to it. I've just added a photo backpack to the stable and it has a tripod pocket and loop strap built in as well. You can also get attachment points and straps of various sorts at camping and backpacking outfitters and have these sewn onto a pack at a tailors or shoe repair shop if you can't sew (raises hand) or your machine isn't heavy enough for the materials.</p> <p>The large one is 28" long folded, not including head and 6.5 lbs, again, without head. So it's a long unbalanced beast when collapsed. It seldom gets very far away from the car. It can be carried, slung on the back, heavy end up but trying to get away with carrying it slung off the shoulder to the side doesn't work well, it's too unbalanced. I've never really tried fastening it to a larger pack. I have my eye on a couple of modern 4 lbs or so cf tripods which will fold up more compactly and with the fold-over legs, in a more balanced load as well. I don't have any particularly long or heavy lenses so I'm not wrestling those as well.</p>

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<p>Lowepro has a couple of Flipside backpacks which when belted can be swung around and opened, they are designed with the back panel opening, not the front. I have a smaller one, it works OK. Not sure the largest would carry everything you want nor if it might not be hard to keep horizontal when loaded up. Adding inserts to regular packs may help if you find one that fits right and has the space yu need.</p>

<p>I have a similar lens assortment and the D7200. And failed to win the lottery. So, I would go for one of the long lenses first, likely the 200-500 Nikon or one of the 150-600 Sigmas. Getting the D500 first when I can't really afford a lens which really takes advantage of it's enhanced abilities in speed and focus would likely be very frustrating. </p>

<p>Should you get to Monterey, you should probably check out Dennis the Menace Park. Unless they've gone completely modern and plastic, it was one of the first playground areas that went beyond the jungle gym and swings, etc., to climb-on/climb-in structures. Some of them would almost certainly not be acceptable these days. Rebar, expanded steel mesh, unprotected drops, a slick steel slide on a steep concrete dune, extra bars to allow climbing all over a steam locomotive.</p>

<p>Many of the major destinations in the west/southwest are quite far apart. Distances may come as a surprise to visitors. So, for example, a "side trip" from the coast at Monterey to Yosemite is about 4 hours or so (I entered "Monterey to Yosemite" on Google and got several results, timed to park entrances so to the valley would likely add some time as well.) So a lot could depend on how tolerant of just plain driving the kids are in some stretches. Also, what their interests are. As noted, the low desert areas are almost certain to be too hot to be enjoyed. Even the higher elevation destinations can be hot. Both San Francisco and L.A. can be pretty entertaining for kids with some thought, there are multiple museums aimed at kids as well as amusement parks, etc. The drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles could easily occupy a couple of days. Monterey has a world class aquarium, and is pretty walkable, a waterfront area that is interesting. Rocky and sandy beach areas although the water is cold for simple water play. At the south end of 1 through Big Sur/San Simeon is Morro Bay and it's interesting with potential for kayaking, etc., on the bay, birding and nature as well as sea/landscape areas. L.A. has tons of things that could interest kids and adults, museums - natural and modern history from dinosaurs to space shuttles, Hollyweird, the Disney resorts.</p> <p>The Grand Circle around the Grand Canyon offers a lot, some areas will be hot. Vegas is a little less kid friendly than it was and daytime temps will be bad, but Zion, Bryce, the Page area (Antelope Canyon, Horsehoe Bend and Lake Powell can take up some time. South Rim and Flagstaff areas have numerous little landscape and historic/pre-historic sites, ruins, red rocks, train rides, etc.</p> <p>North from San Francisco on the coast then through redwoods, across to Mount Lassen, Mount Shasta, maybe to Crater Lake, less modern, more natural, probably somewhat less crowded than the southern/central part of Ca.</p> <p>One might need to ponder the possibility that the Tioga Pass may not be open depending on the extent and timeframe of the snowpack in the Sierra high country and potentially in other high elevation western parks although things are usually open by Memorial Day, this could be an unusual year.</p>

<p>You may have access via your health plan, etc., but you could consider checking things out with a physical therapist or athletic trainer. If just doing the thing that you will be doing more often or with more weight always worked, we wouldn't have repetitive motion/stress problems. That's a bit over-simplified, of course. Part of the solution may be building up to the activity and sometimes it's building up the opposing structure as well. They can also help in identifying approaches or motions to avoid and others that can assist in doing a particular action.</p>

<p>I use one of the pretty low-priced Chinese L brackets on my NEX-6. Other than wishing it had indexing marks, I've got no problems with it. Not sure the actual brand, they seem to be available under a wide variety of names/sources. I only have the kit lens for the NEX-6 so weight/balance aren't much of an issue. </p> <p>For my new D7200 I will likely stick to RRS, Kirk or Hejnar. Still looking at the way they handle the left side hook-ups between them. The big reason there is I have and use the 70-300 vr G and it's a balance concern, especially zoomed out so I'm more concerned about general material strength and quality. My clamps are screw types so not too concerned about plate variations in the good brands.</p>

<p>I have the 12-24/4 Tokina and carried it over to my D7200. I like it. Got some nice images with it on a recent trip but also got some really bad flare problems when I got the sun in frame at one point. When I got it for my D200, the choices were more limited and it was the one in stock at the time. Don't mind the f4 nor the clutch mechanism nor have I noticed a need for focus tweaking the way I use it. There are some, I guess by reading, reasonable options in other brands starting at 10mm, too. I guess it might come down to deciding if the long end, so to speak, is more important than the wide. The 12-28 would come even closer to being a walk-around for some uses.</p>

<p>I have a heavy old tripod and a much lighter "travel" sort of tripod. Yes, the weight difference is noticeable in use. And perhaps as noticeable when it comes to travel is the size difference. The smaller, lighter tripod is also a 4 section tripod and while it doesn't have foldback legs, the difference in length collapsed makes for easier packing and easier walking, it can be strapped on the back or even the bottom of a pack and be reasonably out of the way for city walking, etc. The big one is big. Longer, bigger around top and bottom. It's not easily dealt with in congested areas. </p> <p>Note that any tripod overloaded is going to be less satisfactory than one within it's appropriate load range (load, weather, focal length, head capacity, etc.) so trading too much for travel convenience may be false savings. Aside from physical size though, one can also look to scrubbing unneeded items from one's overall kit to also cut down weight. Maybe a lens, some batteries, other accessories, large versus small flash, etc., and also reduce weight. </p> <p>Many years ago I had an old Vivitar tripod with a tilting column. I never used it that way. I have used the light tripod, legs together, like a monopod in some settings. Not a completely adequate replacement for a monopod but it worked for what I wanted at the time. I don't have a tripod that can be adapted to use as a monopod after disassembling the legs/post, etc. I have some questions in my mind about the potential trade-offs in rigidity or reliability in including those features. Not that they may not be useful, just that I don't need them in the way I do things so having them as options is less a feature for me than it might be for others.</p> <p>Benro has made good strides in "recent" (to me) terms, Sirui is getting good discussion but it hasn't been around as long as some of the others so it's a bit hard to judge. It's newer than Benro/Induro, which is newer than Gitzo so long term reputation isn't there yet. I doubt my next tripod will be a Gitzo (not withstanding maybe from the used market) because for my uses, there are less expensive alternatives which will do what i need. OTOH, there is some risk in going for the newest cheapest alternatives and time in the market can show and has for several new brands that they have improved and continue to do so - and are knawing off chunks of the traditional brands market share. </p>

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<p>FUD abounds. Yet there is not small amount of precedence suggesting "drone" fans shouldn't be worried about the government wading into this arena. For example, in California, there are registration fees and a vehicle license fee (tax) and since California is one the states with the highest sales and gas taxes and personal income taxes, it's become important for some politicians to suggest that increasing the license tax is a good way to raise even more money. Politically, cars are "bad." So we might expect the idea that registration will bring with it fees, more fees, and then some. Also discussions I've seen suggest that either the rumors are, uh, interesting, or that some involved in the rules process are unfamiliar with some of the practical issues. Like one story I saw suggested "they" wanted the rules in place before the holiday shopping season yet others that small toy or hobbiest "drones" aren't the target of the effort. </p> <p>Others have suggested "tail numbers?" That reeks of practicality. Not that having some way of tracking by number might not be worthwhile in some ways but that presupposes that enough of the craft will be recovered to track the number and that somehow the numbers are permanent enough to not be obliterated physically or electronically without some effort. That will lead back to the casual user/abuser but isn't necessarily helpful at all when someone wants to intentionally bypass the "system."</p> <p>Historically, in 1960 the rules changed for placing numbers on civil aircraft. They were no longer required on wing surfaces. A relative in law enforcement commented at one point that the change impacted the ability to deal with low flying aircraft. It had been kind of possible to read wing numbers. After the change, they were only required on vertical surfaces. So if someone was buzzing a "friend" or whatever, the change made it very difficult for a ground observer to read the numbers. That suggests to me that external numbering except on the largest craft is not going to of practical importance in controlling abusive flying. But, dang, it sure sounds good.</p>

<p>I would add Sirui to the brand lists to look at both for heads and leg sets. A lot will come with how you prioritize your interests and needs. Several brands have aluminum and carbon fiber models that pretty much match each other except for the leg material. CF will cost more and provide an improvement in weight and vibration damping, the aluminum models will be heavier to some extent and be less effective at damping vibration. I'm in Southern California so I see discussions that cf is more comfortable to deal with in cold weather with some interest but not too much practical impact. OTOH, discussions of temperature, use with gloves on, etc., may well be of more importance in your area.<br> I think the idea that you look to portability as you already have a heavy tripod that you can use when weight or carry distance and maybe camera size dictate. I wouldn't go for the smallest/lightest most compact "travel" tripods though as I think they trade too much away when considering use with dslrs or larger cameras/lenses.</p>

<p>Not an attorney so here is some more uneducated amateur advice. Stop posting on the internet under your name. Everything you post can be found and read. Ask the mods to delete the post or change your name, etc. You aren't sued until you are actually sued, that is presented with a summons or whatever process is served for where you are.</p> <p>It's probably too late to remind you written contracts and insurance are business necessities. Aside from discussing this, perhaps at some expense now, with a local attorney, I might consider providing a written summation of your remembered discussion/contract. "At the time of our conversation I offered that I would shoot one photographic session and deliver the following items ... (etc.). I agreed to provide selected images in addition to the usual xx that fit my standard delivery media if provided an additional storage device. You agreed to a price of ... With the files I will provide a statement authorizing you or third party printers to print copies for personal, non-commercial use.<br> As discussed (if true) I will deliver files that have been selected at my sole professional discretion and that meet my artistic and technical standards for appropriate exposure, focus, lighting, composition and content. It is standard industry practice to not deliver substandard files." or whatever language you feel establishes an accurate description of the offers, the compensation, the agreement reached at the time.</p> <p>Then wait for a response.</p> <p>It's just me but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go into copyright ownership being retained in any detail nor would I suggest that you might want them to sign a model release allowing you to use the images in your professional portfolio and advertising.</p>

<p>I glanced at them in the magazine as I was about to eat dinner. Nothing leaped out at me but I was more interested in a different article. That's only a preliminary comment, there may be more to look at when I have more time. Maybe I'll go back and look again. But I'm a member so going to the site may be a different experience.</p>

<p>If you shared some info on the lenses you have that might help flesh out some responses. Your interests seem to suggest that the D610 might be a better all around choice if you aren't looking too much towards dynamic or small/distant subjects like sports and nature. The D7200 crop and focus system are advantages on that side of things. It's a difficult choice as personal subject preferences would tend to drive the choice. Also, if necessary, modernizing the lens kit can be more expensive with ff. Interestingly, to me at least, is the way I look at it, if your interests lean more towards those subjects that aren't as dynamic, then the D610 might be a better choice than the D750 (out of price range) but the difference could well be used on lens upgrades.<br> FWIW, for me, as much as I'd like to go FF, the pricing based on my current set of lenses and my interest in dynamic subjects and nature at times, pushes me towards the D7200.</p>