ubejammin

Take a look at exposuremanager.com. I like the service and ease of use. You have the choice to fulfill orders yourself or have them fulfill for you.

I currently use the Portofino photo boxes (from The Container Store) for delivery of

printed proofs. I placed an order early last month knowing the boxes were on

backorder (this isn't uncommon). I called today to check the status and these

boxes are on backorder until early-mid July. Of course, I have 2 weddings that

want printed proofs and I'll need proof boxes in the next 1-2 weeks. So, now I'm

looking for alternatives until my order is filled. Can anyone recommend an

alternative photo presentation box for proofs? I'm hoping for something similar to

what I'm currently using. Thanks for your help.

I also use Exposure Manager and love the service. I use it for all of my online proofing - weddings, engagements, seniors, albums. I find it easy to use...and if I have a question their customer service reps respond very quickly. I believe they still have a free trial period. Give it a try. I did and after a week I bought a 1-year subscription. It is saving me a lot of money (and headaches) over other services that I've used in the past.

I'm looking for an action - or instructions - for an effect that I've seen.

The edge of the picture looks like brushstrokes and the background shows

through the parts that are "wiped away" or missing. I love this effect, but

can't fin instructions to do it. I've also checked some of the action sites

available and haven't found it.

 

The closest thing I've been able to come up with is a layer over the photo,

then using the eraser tool to wipe away the top layer in strokes. While this

is close, it doesn't give the the "wipe away" texture that I've seen.

 

Can anyone help with this?

I also follow Steve's process. I send an e-mail invoice (through PayPal) which gives the customer a link to pay. I only offer this service if someone asks...I don't advertise it because of the 3% fee. But, it sure is nice to know I can accept credit cards without a big hassle or huge ongoing fees.

When not desinging an album by myself, I use www.blendedmotion.com. Excellent work, 2 week turn around, and cost is $10/page (or $20/spread). No extra charge for changes within a certain number.

Thank you everyone. I just checked B&H and the Lexar Pro readers are fairly inexpensive (and on special right now). I will definitely be getting a couple.

 

I NEVER delete images from a CF card in camera or otherwise. I always re-format when it will be used for the next event. I've read too many horror stories and I'm not willing to risk corrupting a card in this manner. And yes - I carry double the amount of cards I could ever need for a wedding just in case.

 

Thanks for your input!

What type/brand of card reader do you use to upload your images to your PC?

I'm looking to speed up my post-processing (aren't we all?) and by reading

others' comments in a different thread, it appears many of you have this down

to a fine science and it doesn't take you long at all. I'm using 4gig CF

cards and with two shooters we usually use 4 cards, occasionally 5. It takes

me too long to upload these images.

 

Are you willing to share your process? Are you using multiple card readers at

one time? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

1. Part time - Wish to be FT, but still building the business.

2. My husband and I discovered a mutual love of photography, and with both being big romantics we decided to give it a try. We're hooked!

3. Goal for 2007: 20 Weddings. 17 Booked (was 19, 2 canceled). This time last year we had only 2 booked for 2006....This is amazing. We already have 2 booked for 2008.

4. $1500-$2000

I'm looking to run an Easter portrait promo and I thought about doing some

shots with live bunnies. Several photographers in the area do them; however,

I can't figure out where they get the bunnies!! Now before you answer the

obvious humane society, I know these photographers don't keep the rabbits year

round. So, do any of you do these types of portraits and how do you find and

work with a breeder to take them back after the promo?

What timing! I am working on a wedding now where the bride has some shine on her face in some photos. I can't wait to try this. Thank you! And, please keep these tips coming regardless of what others think. This is exactly how I (and many others) learn about new PS tricks. I actually print these threads off and keep them in a notebook for future reference.

Can we ask why you're selling such a new piece of equipment? I'm curious... I have my own issues with this camera and I'm wondering what others are experiencing.

I've been looking at album template software and am very interested in

Yervant's Page Gallery and You Select It. I'd like some input on these

products as far as ease of use, decent instructions, intuitive design/flow,

etc. I need help with my page layouts and these products look VERY nice;

however, they are both a pretty large investment and I want to hear first-hand

the good and the not-so-good about each product. If it helps, I would rate my

fluency with PSCS2 a low to medium/low level. With the help of books and

trial and error, I have taught myself a lot, but I have a long way to go.

 

If you use something else, I'd like to hear about that also. I already use

the Zookbinders software and that's fine, but I find myself repeating some of

the same layouts. I need some new material. Thanks for your input!

I wish you better luck than I had. It's a tough market here and I had very little success finding a mentor or someone willing to take me on as an assistant - and I offered to work for free. Now that I have some experience on my own I could really use help with processing questions and discussions about exposure/composition issues. But, once you become viewed as "the competition" your already limited resources dry up REALLY quickly.

 

My advice would be to keep shooting, keep critiquing your own work, stay positive and don't give up. As I already said, I hope you have better luck than I did!

Take a look at photo reflect They do exactly what you're looking for.

Bill - Who are you using? I've been using West Photo with mixed results on prints, but their customer service is excellent.

Take a look at photoreflect.com.

Take a look at zookbinders.com. Personally, I don't think their prices are that bad and so far I have had pretty good luck with their customer service department with answering questions and getting information. I have yet to order my first album from them, but it will be soon.

I actually disagree with many of you. I think learning film is critical to shooting successfully. Granted, good photography skills are necessary regardless of the medium; however, I think being forced to shoot using a manual film camera helps teach and hone those skills that can be transferred to the digital, or any other, medium. The digital cameras available make it too easy to get decent results. I think this topic leads into many of the arguments of the nature "I just bought my new XXXX digital camera and now I'm a wedding photographer" that many of you talk about on other threads. Just my 2 cents.

I have done 3 weddings so far. My husband and I both photograph and together we shoot a total of 600-850 photos for all day wedding coverage. I don't know how one photographer can shoot 1,000 images at one wedding. To me that seems impossible.

 

If two of us shoot 850 (at the high end), we are providing about 500 printed proofs. So far the brides have been way overwhelmed by the number of photos. I'm now looking at reducing this number to a maximum of 400 in one proof book so it is less costly for me and less overwhelming for the bride. I don't promise a number of proofs, only the number of hours we will cover the event. So, I'm still safe cutting down the number of proofs without breaching my own contract. Personally, I struggle with a comment that was mentioned above: Even if some of the photos are so-so, I feel like I should be providing them to the bride. I have had this same "feeling" so far; however, I'm starting to get over that internal struggle. As I watch the B&G's reaction to the number of photos and how overwhelmed they are, I'm starting to feel as if too much is a bad thing.

How very ironic and timely that this has been posted. I am experiencing this very issue this week and I was going to place a post.

 

I just got PSCS2 installed and have learned some of the basics. Then, I shot my second wedding. The pictures turned out great - when I look at them in PSCS2. The only adjustments I did was to increase the exposure by 1/3 to 1/2 stop on many of the pictures. I'm OK with that as I would rather be 1/3 to 1/2 stop underexposed than have blown highlights that I can't recover.

 

Then, I ordered my pictures. I asked for no color correction as I felt they didn't need it - and I had already corrected everything myself. To me the pics looked beautiful and I was very excited to show them to the B&G. Then I got the proofs. What a disappointment. They're dark and look like they are about 1 to 1 1/2 stops underexposed.

 

Since I am new to PSCS2 (I was using Elements before), if someone can please explain in beginner's terms how to correct this, or where to being to test or investigate, I know I would appreciate it. Thanks.

I don't believe this problem is exclusive to the D70, but I can probably tell you why it is happening. While I wouldn't rule out testing your lenses and your camera, I can tell you what I have learned.

 

When shooting AF/AF assist at center-weighted matrix metering on the D70, the camera will focus on whatever it finds in the middle. If you have two people standing next to each other and there is an object in the center in the background, it will focus on that other object - not the two people. I am attaching an example from a recent wedding I did.

 

How to remedy in the future: Pose your two people as usual. Take your camera and focus on ONE of them in the middle while you are looking through your viewfinder. Press the shutter half-way. Then you move slightly until both subjects are in the frame the way you intend for them to be. Press the shutter the rest of the way. Now your two people will be in focus - and not the object in the background. It sounds like a lot, but it becomes second nature. When you forget as I did in the picture below, this is what you get.

 

As for the quality/integrity of the D70 - I have had my issues lately but they seem to be a fluke and not a trend. I love my D70 and am looking forward to buying another one before the year is out.

 

Hope this helps.<div></div>

Brian - That is VERY interesting. All of the shots where I'm having the issues are with my studio strobes and NOT my SB800. All of the shots with my SB800 are fine from what I can tell - but they are usually outdoors and have a wider range of color tones than studio shots. I've also noticed that the problem seems to be limited to 2 of my backdrops and they are both tan/light grey. My black, white, blue and grey toned backdrops seem to be fine.

 

I'll definitely try your suggestion when doing my tests this weekend. I've updated the D70 firmware with both upgrades and I've noticed a few changes (for the positive) already. I'm anxious to test this out. I know my lab is also waiting to hear how my tests work out. Thank you for your comments!! I love this forum!

I can guarantee you I have taken many precautions with this camera. No electrical surges, no unauthorized attachments, no major bumps or crashes, etc. I am not a full time shooter and only use this camera about once a month and it is just over a year old. When not in use the camera is tucked away inside a Lowepro camera case. When in use, I use an SB800 for a flash and the Nikon SC-29 cord to connect the flash unit to the camera when on the bracket. I honestly cannot tell you what would have caused this. Neither can the people at the lab! I went back to the lab this afternoon to pick up the reprints they did for me and they were still researching the problem!

 

And Todd - yes - thank goodness for film! I actually use a film camera as my back-up/second camera. The only reason I don't use it as my primary camera is the versatility of the digital files and the cost of developing. Although after today I think I'll be supporting that local pro lab more frequently..... They saved my as* with my client.

Well, so far I have stumped the pro's. I brought the photos, my CF cards and my CD into the pro lab where I bought the camera and showed them the pics. The one thing they can agree on is that it is definitely the camera - not the CF card(s). There is a good chance it is the sensor, but this is still unconfirmed.

 

Apparently I have missed two upgrades to the camera via Nikon's website. The pro lab kindly downloaded the upgrades to two of my CF cards and I need to go home and install them. Then I get to run a battery of tests this weekend taking numerous shots. If the camera program upgrades don't take care of the issue and the grids are still there, my camera gets to take a trip to Nikon.

 

I really have to thank Marc Williams for your solution for the prints. The pro lab followed your instructions on Photoshop CS and ran some sample prints which looked much better. They will be satisfactory to the client. Because I am currently working on such an old version of PSE, I didn't want to try this temporary fix at home. And - this reinforced my need to get PSCS, so I purchased PSCS2 this afternoon. Now I get to learn that beast!!

 

Thank you everyone!