danny_spry

They turned out well. I took the images to the new couple before I had a chanc to scan them in and they were very happy. I made a few mistakes and missed a shotn here and there but overall I'm pretty happy with it. More importantly they were happy also.

using a clear piece of acetate, I could draw the cropmarks with a fine point sharpie. Placing that between the focusing screen and prism would give me what I need. Using a clear material would give me the ability to make crop marks for different output sizes visible through the view finder and still give mw the full 97% view the EOS 3 offers.

 

Does anybody know if this would interfear with the focusing point indication lighting?

 

On further thought, I just realized that I can use Illustrator (or PS) to make the crop guides I need and then print it out on tranparency media making everything nice and neat and very accurate. Oh, how fun!

 

Once I do this and test it out, I will be more than happy to share the file so anybody who wants to do this can use it.

a buddy of mine told me a story about having a very green assistant who new nothing about strobes. He was shooting with a Hasselblad and was using Speedotron strobes. The photographer gave the sync cord to the assistant and told her to plug it in. Being new, and the coincidental fact that the sync plug is a house hold plug, she pluged the cord into the nearest outlet...

 

Luckily the photographer only got a mild shock before fully seating the PC terminal to the lens.

I know then lenses look like crap when the get dusty and we all want to have nice little jewels for lenses but unless you can see a noticeable softspot in your image why bother? I have use quit a few rental lenses that looked like crap and I never noticed a difference between a clean lens and a dusty one.

 

Because a lens can not focus within itself the dust will not be visable unless its huge. Move on and forget about it unless you see soft spots in your images or hear grinding noises.

I'll pass this little morsel that has been very handy and accurate for me.

 

The palm of you hand stays the same tonality all year round. It is about 1 stop brighter than a gray card. Regaredless of skin color, I am told. For me it's one stop.

 

So, if you want to get a good starting point, meter your hand in the same light and at the same angle to the camera as your subject(set the meter to center weighted) and then stop down a stop. I have shot many a landscape this way and it has worked well.

 

As for exposure compensating- velvia rated at 32 is very common and so is 100 at 80 and 400 at 320 but test for yourself to make sure.

The circuitry on the Multi blitz may be backwards. I'm not familiar with them but I have heard of a slight chance that this sort of thing occurs. Check the manual of both the camera (p. 101)(inner is + outer is -) and strobe and see if this is the case. If your Multiblitz uses the houshold plug and its not polorized you might be lucky and only have to flip the plug around.

 

That's the simple solution. The other possibility is that the multiblitz is putting out more than 6 volts through the sync cord and you camera is protecting itself. Double check that too. There is an adapter made by Wein or the Pocket Wizard people that will fix this.

 

I can't believe I know this stuff!

There is a " T " on the face of the omnibounce that inticates the top. Make sure this is right side up when you are putting this on your flash.

35mm film does not crop, full frame, to 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10 so cropmarks for me would be a handy way to make sure my images are composed in a way that will fit in these ratios. Or any othe special ratio that may be reguired from job to job.

How did you come up with the crop mark deminsions? And since you have taken the focusing screen off do you think it is possible to use a piece of acetate with crop marks on it and place it on the screen and held in place by the prism?

 

Thanks

There is an adapter you can buy to place FD lenses on an EOS body. It's primarily for macro lenses and you have to make sure the apature is set before you shoot. I used it once with a 100mm macro lens on an EOS 1 and the results were good. Good luck

...and take it to a repair place.

The QB's are for powering the body not the flash. You will have to use the Turbos or other brand's versions. Personally, I'm looking at Canons' TP-E pack. It uses AA bateries (rechargeables are quick but die fast) and is around $120 at B&H. I have been able to shoot most things using just the flash's batteries but at some point it starts to get slow. The extra juice would come in handy but I don't need to lug a Turbo around.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone come across a solution for placing

crop marks for 5x7 or 8x10 on the focusing screen of an EOS Camera.

This is done all the time for Medium & Large format cameras using 4x5

film protectors but I haven't seen it done for 35mm.

 

Thanks

tried the blue filter and the effect was to strong but after I was done I tought it might have been interestin to over expose with the blue filter. I'll have to try again.

Thanks. I already have a blue cokin filter to cool tungstun lights. I'll give that a try.

It poured the bride and groom were two hours late and the wedding had to be moved from the backyard to a small church. Time was so pressing that the groom left early to get ready at the church. Eliminating the possibility of spending any time with him or his father. The bride, who was great, shared a room with her mother and mother in law to be, who would not let me in to finish shooter her getting ready. She too, ended up putting the final touches on at the church.

 

During the wedding I got blocked by the musicians and was stuck on the Brides side (which I think is the wrong side)for longer than I would have liked. While there trying to make the best of it some relative with a camcorder plants himself right in the middle of the only shots I can get. All the head nods and other such gestures would not get him to move! Finaly I slinked my way across the aisle and stood right in front of the guy.

 

I had to shot the only portraits of the event at the church with no strobes. I brought them but there was no time to pre set the lighting let alone no place to store the lights during the wedding. I endedup using my 80/20 with a silver insert and the 70-200 2.8L lens.

 

Giving way to optimism I had rented a basic dynalite 1000w 2 light kit with umbrellas. Plus an extra light just incase and another pack (500w) Iused these along with the canon polaroid backed camera I rented to try and find a descent location for some full length portraits. No luck. I was stuck inside a house with low cellings that was being set up for the reception. But hey, it had been awhile since I had rented, tested(I test out everything I rent before I sign anything!) loaded up, unloaded, setup, broke down, repacked, reloaded, unloaded when I got home and reloaded once again to return to the rental store. Where I unload one last time. Notice "shoot with" was not in that list.

 

So now it's off to the lab to see what I actually got on film. Oh, the anxiety!

 

All in all it was a good experience and I'd do another wedding again. Especially now that Iknow what a zoo the whole thing will be and can prepae for that.

I have a freckley faced red headed friend I am photographing Saturday.

What filter causes the freckles to stand out more?

 

Thanks

Um, looks like people lost sight of what my question was. Thanks for all the inputs. I'm confident I will pull this off quite well and will be well prepared for what ever will happen. The wedding is this Saturday and I'm all set. I'll have stuff posted next week for your critique.

 

Thanks,

Danny

I agree with these last two comments. Both brands will get the job done. I have used and assisted Nikon shooters as well as Canon shooters. It ultimatly comes down to which camera feels right in your hands and puts that little crooked smile on your face. For me it was Canon. I like the logic they use in their layout and displays. I like the fact that there is no appature ring on the lens and no mechanical connection between the lens and camera.

 

The funny thing is that I get my better shots from my Canon A1. I think I have a stronger attachment to that camera and it's simplicity. Oh, I love my Holga too!

Thanks guys. I'm competent enough for the job but was more curioius about the film and how it handles. I've tested the Portra 400NC and some 400Tmax. I like the 400NC, which I am using at the wedding, as well as the Tmax. I'm probably not going to use the Portra B&W since it's only available in Pro Packs- making it too expensive to test one roll and have to buy 10 just to get the 5 I need.

 

 

I am considering using the 85mm 1.8 during the wedding to help with the focusing and to throw out the background in some portraits but I might end up using a 70-200 2.8L so I don't have to be right in the middle of things. I already have the 28-135 3.5-5.6 IS lens to use during the day time and indoors. I know it's not the greatest lens in the worl but it gets the job done. I am bringing my trusted A1 with it's 135mm f=2 (love that lens!)

 

As for my experience; I was an assistant for three years before I took a detour down a promised path of fortune, opps! I assisted fashion, editorial, advertising, and product photographers. My main interest is in photohournalism and documentary shooting. Along with landscape and outdoor sports.I never went to school for photography and learned everything by O.J.T. (on the job training) Now I'm back where I should be but this time I'm focusing on shooting more than assisting. I was assisting so much, in the past,that I never shot anything. A big mistake that I think a lot of assistants make when they first get started.

 

I'll report back on the results of the wedding and post a few images for your review next week.

 

-Danny

I swore I'd never do it but guess what- I'm shooting a wedding. What

a way to come back from a 2 year diversion from my true passion.

 

Anyway, the Client, a friend, is strapped for cash and is cutting

every corner possible. My film type and number of rolls is limited

yet her request are not. Day of coverage, Portraits and worst of all

the wedding is at 8:30pm! I plan on using B&W film most of the day

and want to use the Portra 400BW. With the wedding being at night and

outdoors I'm a bit apprehensive.

 

Here's the question: Can Portra 400BW handle shooting outdoors at

night using an only my 550EX on a bracket and 85mm F1.8.? Do I push

the film or just adjust my meter and process normal?

 

Just incase I plan on bringing some 3200B&W.

 

Thanks

Is this going on your on camera flash? I've seen some people use double stick tape right in the middle of the gel and keep their various gels stacked on the top of the flash.