jim mucklin

<p>Last year was terrible, got lots of calls from the yellow pages that were price shopping,even though the website and prices were listed.<br>

As Gary said, in our area there are a lot of colleges and "Graig's Lister" who will "do" your wedding for $300 and burn you a cd. That is usually along with a post on "how much should I charge" or "this guy messed up my wedding photos".<br>

I'm located In PA near the capitol and have seen three studios close last year. Our area has seen a lot of business close.<br>

I have been doing more on location and private family shoots.</p>

<p>Go to the top of this page there is a "learning" tab.<br>

Learn photography first, I spent a few years in a darkroom before I even saw a camera. You can find a lot on the web,everyone is different, I can read something three times but it doesn't click until I do it, that is why working as an assistant for a great mentor was worth more than any book or course. Back then I couldn't afford a course and there wasn't a net. Don't get me wrong I love to read, so much the employees at Barnes and Noble know me by my first name. Books are knowledge,Whatever works for you.<br>

So for you, maybe there is a photogroup in your area, people love to share.<br>

If you get the basic's down, you will be able to use any camera because you will have an understanding of how things work, understanding and seeing light is the same now as it was years ago.<br>

If you try to do to much at one time it may be overwhelming and you'll get frustrated, I see it it many forms where people with little knowledge are trying to correct there images with software.<br>

Good luck with your adventure.</p>

<p>Tracie, please back up your documents, take it from someone who learned the hard way.<br>

It's bookkeeping 101, I still use a ledger and a pen, broken down in sections income, miles, postage,printing, and every penny that is spent in and out, it's not as hard as it sounds. Enter daily or while it's fresh in your mind.<br>

At tax time I make a small spread sheet of all of the above.<br>

Find a good accountant, if they do taxes, that's a bonus.</p>

<p>Vicki<br>

The pw are radio triggers only, similar to your garage door opener. You mount one on your camera and one on your flash, it's a radio transmitter.<br>

Weddings are fast and it's not the time to learn manual flash. I would suggest taking advantage of CLS.<br>

I would mount the 900 on camera set it TTL. You can use this when your on the run.<br>

For the setup set the 900 to master, set the 600's to remote, then you can shoot TTL, or whatever mode you like and be able to adjust your 600's from the back of the 900 on your camera. Sorry it won't work the other way. This is a setup I use all the time and it works.<br>

Here's a link to give you an idea how to set it up.<br>

<a href="http://www.daveblackphotography.com/workshop/0408.htm">http://www.daveblackphotography.com/workshop/0408.htm</a></p>

<p>Thanks everyone.<br>

Todd, I found the "not possible with digital slr's and cool pix" at the top of page 92, I was reading page 90 and it was a little confussing.<br>

I should have been a little clearer. I would like to mount the camera on the monopod with the two flashes below it, to shine a little light under the helmets in football and motox. It's run and gun without an assistant. I have had some sucess with CLS with one on camera and two hand held (Dave Black) but would like something a little more compact, I thought with a second flash, I would get maybe another stop or quicker recyle time.<br>

If I only had an su800, I thing it would work.<br>

Thanks again for your ideas, I guess it's one light for now, or two with pocket wizards.</p>

<p>Perhaps a sports question. I would like to mount two sb800's on a monopod an use TTL.<br>

I have an sc-17 from the hotshoe to the first one. Is there a way to connect to the second flash either from the sc cored or the flash and still have TTL?<br>

I was at a sporting event and saw a Cannon shooter with a special cord with two hotshoes. But have been unable to find anything for Nikon.<br>

Any help would be appreciated.</p>

<p>I'm really old, my first used Nikon was an F.<br>

If you really have to have the needle, the FE2. But Why?<br>

The viewfinder goes to the F3.<br>

It's hard to go with old equiptment that you have no history of it usage.<br>

I would recomend to have a look at the F100 for weight and the F5 as fitting the bill.<br>

I have owned and used the above and sold them all but the FE2 and the F100.</p>

<p>After pulling out a lot of my hair I found out the following:<br>

A lot of the pro labs convert to srgb, period. There is a lot of misinformation on the web, what you are shooting in and saving has a lot to do with outcome.<br>

Monitors, especially laptops are deceiving when it comes to final print, throw in paper ink, etc and as you found out they don't play well together. <br>

I would recomend to calibrate your monitor, at least set gamma, record the viewing angle of your screen, distance, room brightness. "Brightness" is in the eyes of the viewer.<br>

Then talk to a local shop and explain to them your problem and ask them to print a test photo for you, use a color chart or even a box of crayons as your subject.Tell then "NO corrections" a lot of these stores "train" their employees and have no idea what they are doing until you show them a photo from there competitor down the street and they to have there rep come in to calibrate their monitor and machine. Then as Mark stated compare the print under the same starting conditions.<br>

Point is if you go to 5 stores you'll probably get 5 different results. But don't let a monitor be your only tool. You would think that is would be easy, but with all the different monitors, printers, inks, papers it should be easy.<br>

If you want high end, use a pro lab and set up an account with them. You'll pay more but the client will see better results.</p>

<p>Pete got it. 800 or 900 on the long side is more than enough for web/monitor.<br>

I'm still using ps7 but after I make adjustments I save all my orginals, then I make two additional folders, one for printing and one for web. I do a lot of sales thru my site so this is a time saver for me when I get orders or someone wants to have an image emailed to them.<br>

I use a lot of actions<br>

Image>size>800. <br />Then >Edit >fit image set both to 800, that way the image looks the same when viewed horizitonal or vertical.<br />Apply watermark.<br />Sharpen.<br />Then >Save> to my web folder.<br />Save orginal in print folder.<br>

This way I have my raw files in one folder. Ready to print in another. Web images in another.<br>

Set action to run and go get a cup of tea.<br>

Then backup!<br>

Make one yourself, view it on your computer,on a friends and adjust to taste. Beware of clients with big fuzzy TV's</p>

<p>Windows/Mac?<br>

What type of software/editing did you use to make the changes?</p>

<p>Thank you all for your responses. I was thinking along the lines of how there is such a resale market with eveything else, it's a wonder that Adobe or vendors haven't come up with a way to resell it themselves versus going to recylcing.<br>

The legality issue is a who other story, I'll read the link. Thanks</p>

<p>What happens to all the copies of old versions of PS when the new ones come out?<br>

Is there such a thing as a honest used reseller?<br>

I'm looking to purchase a full copy of CS2 or CS4, that isn't a upgrade, educational, something that isn't stolen and will work when I register it. Foget fleabay.<br>

Has anyone had any luck with any vedor like this?<br>

Jim</p>

<p>Hi Vail<br>

I loose a lot to kids on craigslist who will turn and burn a disc for a couple hundred bucks. I can't and won't compete with that.<br>

If you want to be found, spend you advertising dollars wisely. If you try to compete with those pay for sites, you'll have to put up some money and in the end it will be a price shopping bride who probably doesn't care about the pretty photos. Really can you compete with an established business that has a website, studio that advertises there. Maybe it's just me but I don't see the value here, maybe I'm missing out on a lot of business, just me.<br>

If you want a couple of bucks to buy really cool gear go with the craigs list and do 10 weddings and run.If you want to build a business, establish yourself, do you live in a populated area? My suggestion is to build your base have enough equiptment to do the job today. Let the local people know where you are, I'll probably get beatten with an IPhone but run a small ad in your local yellow pages, old school phone book. I have my name,phone and website and still get calls. Show the customer that your established and no going to take their money and run.<br>

Hard work, as David Schilling stated other vendors who are in "The Business" many companies offer free business cards to get your business, get some nothing fancy, no cute hard to remember names. Name, phone, photograher or wedding photographer and hand them out to limo drivers, wedding stores, dj's. This is one of those secrects by some of the most successful wedding photographers. Many times at a wedding in conversation referrals come up. I was asked by a future bride "if I knew of a dj?" I gave her a business card from a dj that I met twice. He got the job called to thank me and since then he's given me four referrals. The word of mouth thing, if one of your friends recomends something to you it means a lot more than someone wanting a commission on the web.<br>

There are lots of other marketing tips that you can use to promote yourself. Brides need dresses, where do they go in your area. Speak with the store owner, come in and do a free shoot of there dresses at fitting, give them some free prints to display their dresses and your work, leave lots of business cards. But any professional on this form will tell you there is no shortcut for the hard work that goes into to establishing your name, no shortcuts, no magic F5 keyboard and there is no subsitute for working with professional. I learned more in one year of carrying bags back in the day than I could on a blog.<br>

Sorry for the rant, back to your question I won't use Craigs list and won't spend the money on The knot. I'm just an old guy who would rather do a few wedding a year, make some money, make referrals from happy brides than to work 40 hours for $300.<br>

Good luck in your adventure.</p>

<p>Sit down with your local agent, sometimes there are discounts if you have your homeowners, life, car insurance with them. Have a list of what you own and what you want to do. Are you going to do weddings and worry about someone getting hurt? Theft?<br>

I prefer to know that I have someone I know filing my claim if little johnny bangs his head on a lightstand and mom has her attorney on speed dial.</p>

<p>the easiest solution is a 3 way cord, go to Sekonics site, find your meter and click assesories.<br>

You can also check out Lon over at FlashZebra, he makes just about anything that you would need.<br>

Before I bought the module that goes into the 358, I had two pw's one on the camera and one on the flash, what I would do is that I would take the one off the camera, place my meter at the subject in my right hand, use the pw in my left hand to fire the flash.<br>

I had to take the pw on and off the camera each time, but it worked and no wires.<br>

Good luck.</p>

<p>Just like Harry said<br>

There are two exposures here, background and subject.<br>

Set your exposure for the background.<br>

Set your flash at 1/2 power, fire a test shot, chimp and increase or decrease flash to taste!<br>

Lot of info at the strobist site, check out the indexed archieves<br>

<a href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101-balancing-flash-and.html">http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101-balancing-flash-and.html</a></p>

<p>Really right stuff<br>

one L plate <a href="http://reallyrightstuff.com/QR/05.html">http://reallyrightstuff.com/QR/05.html</a><br>

One quick release lever clamp <a href="http://reallyrightstuff.com/QR/03.html">http://reallyrightstuff.com/QR/03.html</a><br>

One wedding pro bracket <a href="http://reallyrightstuff.com/flash/04.html">http://reallyrightstuff.com/flash/04.html</a><br>

As stated they aren't cheap, but they work. Three years of hard use and they look like new.<br>

I don't work for them or am I compensated but it's one of the few products out there that work and work well, excellent customer service. When researching how to spend my money I called and they more than helpful and were able to answer my questions.<br>

What I like about the setup is that I can walk over and snap the whole setup into my tripod in either position, without having to adjust the height of the tripod and the fact that when in the portrait position, the flash(sb800) is in the portrait positon.<br>

They also make the type for big lenses which a friend of my has and loves it.</p>

<p>If you are trying to straighten and image<br>

Edit>Rotate>straighen<br>

Then you can draw a line to match a line in the image, or type in a number.</p>

<p>Harrisburg PA May 22,2010.<br>

I'm looking for assistant to help with a wedding. Personality and attitude are foremost. Duties will include packing gear, help setting up and taking down lights and being a second shooter. If you would like to work hard for very little money let me know.<br>

What I am looking for is someone who is local who would like to apprentice and to team together on different projects. So if your free that day, drop me an email.</p>

<p>James, I wish I had your problems, I have spent the last two months researching lightroom and NX2. I have worked with ps since 6 and do a lot of heavy lifting with it, I shoot events and do a couple hundred photos per weekend.<br>

Where I found the most help:<br>

Lightroom, Julieann Kost <a href="http://www.jkost.com/lightroom.html"></a>tutorials<br>

Capture NX2 , on utube type in NX2 and check out jcampbells videos.</p>