gregory_roush

I recommend John Harrington's book on business practices for photographers. He covers many such situations, with actual correspondence showing the back-and-forth of these negotiations. Really good reading.

Izak, the sooner you learn to use off-camera light the better, especially for portraits. Check out www.strobist.blogspot.com right now!

Does such a thing exist?- a hotshoe flash with built-in pocket wizard receiver?

I'm thinking of Stobist-style lighting. I'm sure someone's thought of this

before, but I don't know of any commercially available product.

Actually, I've found the employees as these places with kiosks quite guarded regarding photos that might be professional. I've had to show them my actual slides or sign a statement that I held the copyright or they wouldn't let me do some of my prints. I guess I should be flattered, but I hear that the stores face pretty stiff penalties from Kodak or whoever for violating the rules.

Yep, there it is right there. Can't see for lookin'. Thanks Dave.

Two questions after setting up my new D200:

1. Can the multiselector be set to wrap the AF points on the D200 when

pressing it in the same direction like on the F100 or D70? I can't seem to

find the custom function in the menu or manual.

 

2. Setting the Func button for autobracket burst when on AF-S, it seems I

first have to turn on bracketing in the usual way, then press and hold the

func button while pressing shutter release-true? So it's not simply a one-step

operation in AF-S.

National Geographic Field Guide to Photography; Spirit of Place by Bob Krist. These are well written, well illustrated and cover both technical and creative aspects.

Eu folosec Vivitar 2800 si 283 fara nici o problema cu aparatul meu F100. De fapt, la KEH am cumparat si un SB50 DX pt 100 USD - un blitz dedicat si excellent. Numai bine. Greg

First of all, the photo looks good to me. You're doing it right, but making it more complicated than necessary. With your camera/flash combo, you don't need to do anything more than meter the scene and shoot. The camera never takes the flash into account in M,A or S, except that you must shoot at the synch speed of 1/250 sec or slower. No need to take the flash off the camera for metering purposes. I like the look of -1.0 to -1.6 flash compensation, depending on the situation, but experiment and see what you like. A custom function on the the F100 allows combined and separate flash and exposure bracketing, too.

I use a 283 and a 2800 on my D70 with no problems. The 283 is a two year old made in China model. Often I mount the 2800 and use a wein peanut slave on the 283 for my version of wireless 2 flash lighting. Greg

1.I like to have something permanent that I can pull of the shelf anywhere, anytime and look at. No computer.

2. I love the look of color slides. Computer images and kiosk prints of digital files don't look as good to me- at least mine don't. I don't like computers that much and don't have the interest in learning Photoshop right now.

3. I want to master film- get to the point where I really know my media and cameras and can make images without worrying about exposure and how the color will look. Right now digital with its immediate feedback and post-processing is more of a crutch than an aid to me.

4. I don't make too many prints- only my very best for hanging. The rest of my slides are in my album for future slide shows or just for memory's sake. But I do look at them frequently. My digital files on CD are really kind of forgotten, tucked away in a CD album. I rarely look at them. If they're not printed they might as well not exist.

5.I hate having mixed media. It's easy to put either a computer slide show or a conventional one, but when I have both digital and slides I an stuck with computer shows only, having to scan the slides. I can't show the digital photos on a conventional projector. So, the projects that I care about the most have to be one or the other, and I choose film.

6.I don't like the crop factor of digital. It really bugs me.

7.I hate the cheap entry level D70 body and viewfinder compared to my M6 and F100 which cost the same. Part of what I enjoy photography for is using high quality gear. But I won't pay 3 times the price to get the quality I've got now, just for a digital version.

I use mine (made in China) without any ill effects. It's a fine flash, and digital exposures at an equivalent setting match those on my F100 film camera pretty closely.

I bought one and sent it back. I didn't like its layout or the texture of the material. It's very rigid and the front pocket doesn't open up to allow access to stuff. The LowePro LX220 fits the same bill and is more manageable to me.

Right, so for flash work using an auto flash you have to consider what depth of field you'll want and choose the film speed that corresponds to it. If you want f/2.8 using your flash, Russ, you'd have to use ISO 200; for f/2,ISO 100. Incidentally , because you have to bump up the aperture with each ISO the required shutter speed doesn't change. If it's 1/30sec,f/2.8, using ISO 200 then it's 1/30 sec, f/4 using ISO 400.

The other way to limit dof is to buy a LESS powerful flash. For example, using ISO 100 film the lowest auto setting on the Vivitar 283 is f/2.8, whereas it is f/2 with the Vivitar 2800.

How do you decide what shutter speed to use with an automatic or manual flash?

As everyone has said: aperture and distance determine flash exposure. The combination of shutter speed and aperture determine ambient light exposure.

Manual: divide the guide number by the distance to the subject to determine the aperture to use. For a given aperture, doubling the distance reduces flash exposure by two stops. Increasing distance by half reduces exposure by one stop.

Automatic: set flash to one of the auto aperture settings. Select the corresponding aperture on your lens. Stand within the recommended distance range.

Now, in either case above you have your aperture set. Your flash exposure is set. But what shutter speed? Choose a shutter speed that meters correctly for the ambient light, the background. For example, the scene meters neutral at f/2, 1/30 sec. You set an auto aperture of f/2.8. Shutter speed should be 1/15 sec. Shoot at f/2, 1/30sec and the flash is overexposed but the background is correct. Shoot at f/2.8, 1/30 sec and the background is one stop under exposed but the flash-exposed subject is correct.

So, basic procedure: meter scene at chosen auto aperture, adjust shutter speed until meter neutral. Stand within distance range and shoot.

Now, this is a starting point. Use YOUR equipment, practice a lot, keep notes and experiment until you KNOW how different scnenes will look with your gear- then you'll be a confident flash user.

The program mode doesn't allow the slow shutter speeds necessary in low light situations. If the ambient light doesn't burn in, then the flash looks harsh and you can get ugly shadows. Take the next step and put the camera in manual mode. Meter for the ambient light in matrix mode, choosing an aperture and adjusting shutter speed until the meter is neutral or -0.5. Then shoot. Beware, shutter speeds can be pretty long. If the flash is still too strong, dial in some negative flash compensation until you like it.

The problem is the shutter speed used. At 1/8 second there is little possibility of getting sharp images handheld of either still or moving subjects. The exposure looks pretty good, so try using an equivalent setting. If you were at 1/8 and f/5.6, you could use 1/30 at f/2.8 and 1/60 at f/2. The latter might stop motion during the processional, but you've got to nail the focus. The former should be plenty for shots on the alter if you wait for a moment's pause in the action. Keep at it.

I don't see any message or coherence in the series, neither are they compositionally very interesting. What were you trying to portray?

I leave the omni-bounce on at all times. Contrary to what some people say, I see a difference even outdoors. It softens and diffuses the light noticeably. On my auto units-a Vivitar 2800 and Vivitar 283, using a combination of the omnibounce, a ND gel and a 0.25 - 0.5 CTO gel has two effects- the light more closely matches skin tones, and it allows me to open up half a stop or more, allowing a faster shutter speed than would otherwise be required to burn in the ambient light. Outdoors, tilting at 45 sends most of the light into space. On all except manual mode, the flash will attempt to compensate with more output, wasting battery power. To use the dome with the flash head straight on, just put a piece of opaque tape on the underside of the dome so that the light doesn't shoot straight into the sensor and prematurely cut off the output. The best thing to do is experiment with slide film and take notes.

F100 but then you'll probably start hating the d70 finder..

 

Absolutely.

In my opinion the F100 is far better than the D70 where it counts- the viewfinder and autofocus. The digital guts of the D70 are cool, but are housed in an entry-level body. I love to use the F100, I tolerate the D70. It really is a film vs dig debate for me because they are such different cameras otherwise. I wouldn't pick up the D70 over the F100 if it weren't for the digital aspect. A used F100 is a great value right now, too.

The whole key is to properly expose for the background ambient light. In manual mode, set the largest aperture your flash allows for your film speed, f/4 for example. Adjust the shutter speed until the meter is neutral to -0.5 for the entire scene. This may take you into very slow shutter speeds depending on the room. This way the flash illumination closely matches the room illumination. Remember, aperture for flash exposure and shutter speed for ambient light exposure. To reduce flash exposure, stop down. But then reduce the shutter speed to compensate. There is no substitute for practice and experimentation here, so shoot a lot of test shots in different places and keep notes. The biggest headache is subject motion and camera shake at the slow shutter speeds involved. You'll be down around 1/30 to 1/8 sec. But this too can be used creatively. Make it a goal to master this technique and you'll get much more confident.

I think the issue only arises if you want to use the pop-up flash for the trigger. I use two automatic Vivitars, one as trigger and the other with the peanut slave. They don't fire the pre-flash.

Some variety would enhance the story. Wide shots of the whole group, members praying backstage, maybe a shot from the stage out to the audience. Think hard about how to represent that this is a choir, not just soloists, and a gospel choir. Can you add some photos that add a sense of place- this dark stage could be anywhere. Just my thoughts- keep up the good work.

Gabriel, I'm afraid you're stuck. Your paper is unrealistic if they think you can take sports shots under the lights with that camera. You have the quadruple problem of having very little light,needing decent depth of field, needing good autofocus and needing to stop action. It's very hard even with professional equipment. Try shooting while there is still some ambient light in the sky, get close-ups of players' reactions on the sidelines, get close-up of coaches and players going over plays at halftime, stuff like that. There is no magic answer for you. Here I had to shoot at ISO 1600, f/3.4 just to keep a shutter speed above 1/125 sec. It sounds like you just dove into sports photography without any knowledge-even of your camera. Read that manual and some basic photo books, shoot at practices and day games and get advice from other photogs and you'll have more fun and better results. Don't let this get you down, learn and keep at it.