Jump to content

vihao

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    166

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by vihao

    Wedding Paparazzi- put your guns away, please...

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>I'm going to share two very different stories as one of those wedding guests who brings his DSLR along with him.<br>

    Story 1...<br>

    Two of my friends who got married back in May hired Ben Chrisman (www.benchrisman.com) as their wedding photographer. During the reception he noticed me walking around with my D300. He pulled me aside and told me that the mother-of-the-bride wanted a picture of him playing with a guest's guide dog and asked me if I would take the picture for him (even though his assistant/GF was the second shooter). I was about to use my camera but he stopped me and handed his camera to me to use instead. Later on after dinner I was walking around taking pictures of my friends with an SB-800 attached to my camera. He walked over and told me that there was a better way to use the flash.<br>

    "Turn it backwards," he says. When I tell him I don't know what he's talking about he asks me to give him my camera. I hand it over to him and he turns the flash head counter-clockwise so that it's pointing up at a 45 degree angle over my left shoulder. He then tells me that orienting the flash this way will produce a more pleasant look and hands me back my camera. I thank the guy he he goes back to doing what he does without saying another word.<br>

    Story 2...<br>

    Another friend of mine got married in July and hired a local wedding the photographer. As usual, I'm walking around taking pictures of my friends during the reception, but this time with my SB-800 turned around. I stop for a bit to chat with with my friends. Out of nowhere the photographer stops three feet in front of me. Without saying a word he brings his camera up to his chest and pulls off five or six shots in rapid succession with his flash firing directly in my face (I'm assuming it was in Commander Mode and therefore had a quick recharge rate). After that he turned around and walked away without saying a word.<br>

    The Verdict...<br>

    My friends and I have not seen any of the second photographer's photos yet so we cannot judge him by the merit of his work, but all 16 of my friends at the wedding saw what happened. Needless to say, none of us would ever consider hiring him or recommending him to our other friends or family. I still don't know what I did specifically to earn his hostility, but his actions made him look petty and unprofessional and that's the reputation he's gained from that wedding.<br>

    As for Ben Chrisman, I was gushing about him and his work so much that my friends are convinced that I have a man crush on him... not that there's anything wrong with that.<br>

    My advice is this, if you absolutely need to put a stop to a wedding guest, don't be a passive-aggressive a** about it. You're going to put your reputation on the line.</p>

    Why wedding business dries up - VALUABLE TIPS ABOUT SELLING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>Nadine,</p>

    <p>Can you honestly say that you don't know your friends and family well enough to risk a guess as to whether or not they would pay for Steve's services based on the web site he presented? Of course people shouldn't base their entire decision on a web site, but the quality of his work and how he presents it sets up a first impression. And right or wrong, first impressions count for a lot.</p>

    <p>Steve himself has described this venture as "experiemental" and that these are his "ideas for breaking into [the high end] world". He is going about this based on his own theory without any appreciable experience or acknowledgement for established methodologies, at least from what the rest of us can tell. He makes claims like "black is neutral both in color and emotion" in reference to web sites and the only connection he can make to that color is "black mood".</p>

    <p>One of my favorite wedding photographers is Jeff Ascough (<a href="http://www.jeffascough.com/">http://www.jeffascough.com/</a>). If you don't know anything about him, I'll let his web site do the introductions. Note that his presentation is lacking in color, but I don't think anybody can argue that it's emotionless or that it's not suitable for his intended niche demographic.</p>

    Why wedding business dries up - VALUABLE TIPS ABOUT SELLING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>Steve,</p>

    <p>I get where you're coming from when you say that getting a future bride's attention before she's actively looking can be important. Most of my work is ballet and dance related. I don't do weddings and I'm not planning on getting into it. However, I do anticapate that some of the girls I work with now will contact me down the line for their weddings.</p>

    <p>Like you said, your approach is experimental. That's great and all, but why not spend a little time and effort on tried and proven traditional methods as well?</p>

    Why wedding business dries up - VALUABLE TIPS ABOUT SELLING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>Nadine,</p>

    <p>You've been very diplomatic in your responses, but I have to ask you one question. Based on what Steve has presented in his website, would you or anybody you know choose him as their first pick wedding photographer, and if so, how much would you pay for his services? It's a harsh question, but when you boil everything down, that's the ultimate question.</p>

    <p>If you say yes, then his web site has obviously worked. If not, then why hasn't it worked? What's "right" and "wrong" is often times decided by what works and what doesn't.</p>

    <p>Steve stated in his very first posting that he believes that direct mailing is the best way to approach the "target demographic". The second poster suggested that a good web site and leveraging the internet in general will be more successful at bring in potential clients. Most of the posters here seem to be agreeing with the latter and are oftering critiques on what is wrong with Steve's web site and some are ofterring suggestions on how ito fix it.</p>

    Why wedding business dries up - VALUABLE TIPS ABOUT SELLING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>Steve,<br>

    Honestly, it looks like something I would have thrown together when I was in high school back in the 90s. It it useable? Yes. Is it sophisitcated? No. I'm not saying that you have to design something complicated, but your site does not shout out WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER to me. The colors alone are driving me nuts. Maybe you're trying to evoke a floral arrangement or something, but I don't think most people will get it. I will say this though, your site does stand out. Whether or not it's in a good way, only you can tell us by how well you're doing.<br>

    What socioeconomic demographic are you going after with your site? If you're going after the lower end market maybe it's not such a big deal to have a sophisticated site. But if you're going for the higher end market I'd seriously suggest that you rethink what impression you want to give your site visitors. Maybe things are different in San Francisco, but most of the people I know my age (28) are walking around with Blackberries and iPhones. Your site as it is would be a huge turn off.</p>

    What is it with models advertising on One Model Place ?

    in Portraits & Fashion

    Posted

    I use OMP and I've encountered similar issues. Don't sweat the reply-once models. If they're that unprofessional up front it's probably better that you move on and find somebody else. Better that they waste your time over email than be a no-show for a shoot you've prepped for.

     

    I actually insist that my models bring companions to the shoot. I believe that it's part of my job to make the model feel safe and at ease. I haven't heard to many stories of rapes and murders, but I've heard a few stories of photographers making unwanted sexual advances. One girl I've worked with had this happen to her.

     

    The model I've been working with most recently is only 16. I will actually refuse to shoot unless she's accompanied by a parent. The funny thing is though, she's more mature and professional than some of the 20-something models I've encountered on OMP.

     

    Instead of looking at model profiles on OMP. Try looking at the local photographer profiles. Any model you find in a photog's portfolio is one who's shown that she can follow through with a shoot. If you find a model you like you can ask the photog about her. You're not in this for money, so the photog shouldn't have any reason to not help you out.

     

    -V

    Experiences with OneModelPlace.com

    in Portraits & Fashion

    Posted

    I've had an OMP account for almost a year now, and most of the models I contact don't bother writing back. And those who do contact me I'm usually not interested in shooting. I suspect there's a huge difference between the paid assignment models and the TFP ones, and as I'm only doing this stuff for fun I only look for TFP.

     

    Do a search for the models on OMP in the DC area. Look at their portfolios and if you like what you see then sign up. It's pretty cheap for the basic membership. If not, look elsewhere, but I don't know of any other sites that would be as helpful.

     

    I live in the northern Virginia area and I can vouch that it can be difficult in this area to find suitable models.

     

    -Vihao

    Pure white background

    in Lighting Equipment

    Posted

    If the wall is white then all you need is 1 1/3 f-stops more light on the background than on your subject. The same goes for a white seamless background or a white muslin. Make sure that there are no wrinkles in the paper or muslin.

     

    So if your key light is set for f/8 and you set your camera for f/8, then the light off of the background should read 1 1/3 over (which equates to 1/3 stop above f/11).

     

    The trick is to distribute the light evenly on the background.

    white background

    in Lighting Equipment

    Posted

    I also recommend the 1 1/3 extra exposure on the background suggestion made earlier.

     

    <p>Can you rent extra lighting equipment? I was able to pull off some decent photos with only two monolights with umbrellas.

     

    <p>http://members.cox.net/vihao/031220/web-trix3-19.jpg<br>

    http://members.cox.net/vihao/031220/web-tmx1-04.jpg

     

    <p>In the above pictures I set the key light about five feet at 10 o'clock from the model (12 being the background and 6 being the camera). I had most of the light directed towards the backdrop with the edge spilling onto the model. I had the fill seven feet at about 5 o'clock. Backdrop was f11 +1/3, spill onto model ~ f11, and fill was f8.

     

    <p>http://members.cox.net/vihao/031220c/digi-03.jpg

     

    <p>For the above I positioned the lights at about 2 and 10 about five feet from the model. The lights probably should have been at 4 and 10 (180 from each other), but I made a scarifice for the background. A third light would have been helpful.

     

    <p>It can be done if carefully planned, but try to get your hands on at least a second light source. Hell, maybe try window light for the model and flash for the background.

    Good, economical light stands?

    in Lighting Equipment

    Posted

    Can anybody recommend a good, economical brand for light stands? I

    have small Medal Light and larger White Lightning monolights. I have

    stands for all of them, but the Medal Light ones are very unstable

    and I don't want to use them for safety reasons. Normal use only

    requires an umbrella, but I may start using a softbox in the future.

    I shoot in my living room and I'm on a budget, but I want something

    dependable and long lasting. Is there anything out there that's a

    good balance?

    High Key with NPH

    in Lighting Equipment

    Posted

    With high key lighting I'm to expose the background - white muslin -

    with 1 1/3 f-stops more light than the subject (incident reading from

    key light).

     

    <p>Many posters on PN suggest rating NPH at 320 or 250 with normal

    processing (no pull). This helps with shadow detail and jacks up the

    color saturation a little, right?

     

    <p>Now, can I use the 1 1/3 high key lighting 'rule' if I shoot NPH

    at 250 or 320 (without pull) and expect good results? Same question

    for rating NPS at 100. Or will this create lens flare and other bad

    effects similar to over-lighting the backdrop 2-3 stops? If I shoot

    at 250 or 320 should I pull accordingly? Or should I just rate the

    films as indicated on the box and save myself the trouble?

     

    <p>As of now this is what I'm planning:<br>

    key light: f8<br>

    fill light: f5.6<br>

    background light: 1/3 above f11<br>

    camera: Nikon N90... no 's' - f8 @1/125<br>

    film: Fuji NPH (400 speed) rated at 320 or 250, normal process<br>

    - NPS rated at 100, normal process<br>

    - Tri-X rated at 200, pull 1 fstop

     

    <p>I'm looking for if-then relationships. If I do this and this,

    then this and this will happen...

     

    <p>I'm new at this. I know that the best thing to do is to try it

    all out and burn film, but if I can save myself some time and money

    by picking your brains, well, I'm gonna give it a try.

×
×
  • Create New...