brad_bell

<p>Hi Tom,<br>

I know how you did the perspective corrections but I would love to know how you corrected the color in the image above. I run into this same issue from time to time.<br>

Thanks,<br>

Brad</p>

<p>The lights on the Eiffel Tower come on at "dusk" which should be around 9:00 in July. The light "show" when the tower sparkles is the first 10 minutes of every hour, on the hour. You might want to wait and make that your special moment. It's quite spectacular when you see it for the first time.<br>

Do some googling and check out the many options for a cruise. If you wait for the first light show at the tower, (assuming 9:00 p.m.), it may be too late to catch a dinner cruise. In that case, you might want to have an early dinner, then do the tower thing, then hop on a cocktail cruise.<br>

At dusk there should still be enough ambient light for a decent photo without a flash. However once the tower starts flashing, your camera is going to meter for those lights which will be behind you. Not sure what kind of video you will get without a video light. If you had an external flash on the camera's hot shoe, you could at least get a good still photo using the flash and a remote trigger on the camera. For about $50, it was the best investment I made for my last trip. No running back to the tripod to reset the timer. Just click away as many frames as you want without having to get up off your knee (assuming you are going down on one knee...)</p>

 

<p>Having been to Paris several times, both ideas sound great. Here's mine. Do both! There is nothing more romantic than the Eiffel tower lit up at night. Bateaux-Mouches is just one company that does Seine River cruises. There are others that leave very close to the Eiffel Tower. So propose in the park at the base of the Tower or from the top of the Tower, then hop on one of the bateaux (boats) that leaves near the Tower. Be prepared for $100-$150 per person for the cruise and dinner. But money well spent for a once in a lifetime experience.</p>

 

<p>The walkway across the bridge is actually on a level above the cars. Pedestrians don't have access to the street level of the bridge.</p>

<p>If you've never been to Keukenhof, it's a must see. About an hour or so outside of Amsterdam. They have the greatest flower (mostly Tulip) gardens on the planet! It is only open from March 18-May 16, so take advantage. You won't be disappointed.</p>

 

<p>Hi Rich,<br>

I just returned from Detroit with my gear. Pack light stands and tripod in any luggage you have that is large enough and check that bag. I use a duffle on wheels. Everything else has to fit into a carry-on. For that I use a wheel-aboard that is the maximum carry-on size (22x14x9 inches). A padded insert should leave you enough room for 2 bodies, 3-4 lenses, 2-3 flashes, and a laptop. The bag can get pretty heavy, but most US airlines don't weigh carry-on bags at the moment.<br>

You should have no problem if you are flying non-stop into a major airport. If, however, you have to connect to a commuter size plane, you will probably have to gate-check your carry-on. Usually they will take your bag from you on the tarmac, put your bag in the back of the plane, and hand it back to you when the plane lands. NEVER let them check your camera/lenses in the luggage compartment of a large jet with regular luggage!<br>

Find out what type of aircraft you will be on. As long as it is a full-sized commercial jet, you should have no problem with a carry-on. In fact, you are allowed 1 carry-on and 1 "personal" bag so you could have a 2nd body and lens in a smaller camera bag.<br>

Also, board the aircraft as early as you can. Overhead space fills up faster than it used to now that it costs so much to check a bag. Hope this helps.</p>

<p><img src="http://roxpublishing.com/images/Arc%20from%20Tower%202008.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="398" /><br>

On my last trip to Paris (2008) I shot the Arc from the Eiffel Tower using my Nikon 70-200 VR at 200mm on a D300. On a full frame camera, 200mm would be perfect for your intention.</p>

<p>I would never travel anywhere without a flash. I usually take 2!</p>

<p>I was in South Africa 3 years ago with my partner. We stay out of dark alleys and avoid obvious situations, but we had absolutely no problems with our hotel and/or walking the streets with full gear. We stayed at the Hippo Hotel and I left my laptop on the desk every day while we were touring. No problem. We only changed planes on the inbound in Jo'burg and rented a car to drive to a game reserve on the return so I can't speak about Jo'burg. At the time, however, Jo'burg was considered much more dangerous than Capetown. And yes, a day trip to Stellenbach and Cape of Good Hope is well worth the time.</p>

<p>I was there a hear and a half ago and in my opinion you will need 2 cameras, one with a shorter focal length zoom (28-70) and the longest lens you can afford (300-500). Yes the jeeps do get you much closer to the animals than you would think, but some animals are much more dangerous and/or are skiddish and you can't get very close so you need to be prepared for both situations at all times. I was 30 feet from a mother lion and her 6 cubs and my 70-200 was perfect to fill the frame. Also works for elephants. However the jeep will not get that close to rhinos, hippos, springbock, etc. I shoot Nikon but the crop factor is about the same. You might want to look into renting a 300 which is much sharper than a 100-400 zoom. But you really would be best prepared with 2 bodies so you have shorter, wider angle on one and a very long telephoto on the other.</p>

<p>Just back from Germany. The side of the castle seen from the bridge is now <strong>entirely</strong> covered with scaffolding! The other 3 sides are not, but the best view is from the bridge. The other "postcard" shots were taken from a helicopter or other airborne device.</p>

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<p>I will be there this weekend and will let you know what I find.</p>

<p>Andy,<br>

It is unfortunate for both of us, but it is true. Almost the entire side of the castle viewable from the Marienbrücke bridge is covered with scaffolding and will be until the end of 2010 (so I am told). I will be there next week and will have to find another angle to shoot the castle from.</p>

I agree with Bruce. Hire a pro and let them pose you. You can't do that yourself. Contact Nadine Ohara. She is a

member here will do a fantastic job at a fare price. She was very helpful scouting locations.

Yes you definitely need to protect your images with a watermark or the images may be stolen, especially if you

offer soft proofs. Set up an action in Photoshop and batch process all your images, or use a service like

Printroom.com to display (with watermark) and sell your images online.

Sean,

Try using photoshop. Use the Automate, PDF Presentation option. It creates a slick slide show with transitions and timing that can be easily emailed. Make a file of your logo and even add text in Photoshop that can be added as additional "slides" in the presentation. Works great for me.

Brad

I just got back from my 4th trip to Costa Rica. You didn't say what part of the country you expect to visit. Although a very small country, Costa Rica has different climates, depending on where you are. San Jose is much cooler and less humid than Jaco. The northwest area is not lush and green like the rainforest areas are. Genrally speaking, the west coast has much more to offer than the east coast.

 

Humidity is a HUGE factor with gear. Along the coast where the humidity is near 100%, one step outside your air conditioned hotel room and it will take 45 minutes for your lenses to defog. I normally sweat a lot when I'm shooting, but I have never completely sweated out a t-shirt in the first hour in the sun!

 

Take plenty of rain gear. You will be in the rain forest, after all. You will also need fast film there. It gets very dark under the umbrella of the trees. Let everything dry thoroughly each night.

 

I don't know what your budget is, but the nicer hotels all have in-room safes that you can keep your gear in over night. I have never had a problem, but I've heard a lot about the street crime. Most people speak English and are very friendly, but are also very poor and won't hesitate to help themselves to your stuff. Mostly in San Jose. Keep your wits about you and you should have no problem.

 

No worries about food, but the bathrooms are another issue. Although a great country to visit, Costa Rica is still third world-ish.

Rob,

 

That is a no-brainer for me since I own both the 70-200 and the D200. I bought the 70-200 back when my primary body was the D100 and as much as I love the glass, the D200 is far superior to the D100 and since it will drastically improve your photos with all your other lenses, I would definitely suggest that you upgrade to the D200 first. You already own an 85 and a 180 so all you are missing is the zoom and the VR (which is nice) but if you can only afford one of the two, go with the D200.

I have two of these along with two older 250s and one 1000. They have been totally reliable and very easy to use. The 600s have a bracket attached to the tightening handle that allows you to use any brand of umbrella. The shaft size doesn't matter since it's adjustable.

 

If you decide not to buy them, please let me know. I'd love to have two more!

 

Brad Bell

I just returned from San Juan a few days ago. This time of year is high cruise season so inexpensive hotels will be nearly impossible to find. The cheap ones are typically places you wouldn't want to stay. There is a Howard Johnson's in the Isla Verde area which is near the airport. You can get a room there for around $150. Prices jump quickly to the $250 range for most places on the beach. The HoJo is just across the street from the beach.

 

I would definitely rent a car. Taxi's are a ripoff in San Juan. They don't use meters and seem to charge whatever the traffic will bear. From HoJo's to Old San Juan will cost you $20 and it's only about a 10 minute ride. If you rent a car, you can drive to the Rain Forest where you will find lots of interesting things to shoot. It's about a 45 minute drive. Take the extra insurance on a rental because driving and parking is not a strong suit in Puerto Rico. Also, NEVER leave anything of value in your car. Crime is a problem. Shopping Center parking lots even have guards up on stands in the middle of the lot to watch over the car.

 

Some cruise ships don't depart until 9:00 or 10:00 at night and since the port is right in Old San Juan, the streets will be crawling with shoppers and safe to walk. It's dark by 7:00 so that would give you ample opportunities for night shots.

 

There are plenty of good restaurants all around.

 

Brad

Elinchrom makes a case that holds 2-600 watt mono's and will fit under the seat back.

I travel a lot and always have a full backpack of digital gear and lenses. My observation has been that the smaller airports will examine your gear much more closely than the larger ones. I think the inspectors in Atlanta, Miami, NYC, Paris, London, Amsterdam, etc. have seen everything go through their machines and recognize photo gear as just that. Inspectors at smaller airports don't have as much experience seeing that type of gear on the xray monitor so they tend to be more cautious. My advice is to expect some sort of additional search and plan ahead by arriving a little early and being patient with them. Also, if you think they might be about to cause damage to something, don't hesitate to ask for a supervisor.

I use Printroom for my events because it's easy for me and my clients. Tech support is very helpful and I can set my own prices.

Thanks, Tom. I wasn't planning on the tripod but that's a good thought. Your other tips I have already incorporated into my Event routine and they work quite well. <BR>

<BR>

Since the ceilings are way too high to bounce anything off of, I was thinking of using 2-3x5 foot sheets of white foamcore to form a 3x10 foot reflector held as high as possible overhead and at a 45 degree angle to the risers. Then point 2 of my 600's straight up at the reflector to produce a giant bounce. Two 600's might be a little overkill, but they are stepless from 600-18ws so should be easy to adjust.<BR>

<BR>

I won't have time to rehearse this ahead of time and will barely have time to set it up since it's a breakfast meeting. Do you see any potential problems with my idea to produce even lighting with no harsh shadows for large and small groups?<BR>

I have been asked to shoot an awards ceremony in a ballroom. After

each award is presented, the winner will walk outside the ballroom to

where I am set up, for a quick photo. The winners will be in groups of

1's, 2's and 3's mostly, but there will also be a few groups of 8, 16

and possibly as many as 30 plus.<BR>

<BR>

I will be in a space approx. 30x30 with very high ceilings, 20x10

backdrop with a 6x16 riser and another 4x16 riser stacked on top,

giving me 3 levels (floor, 1st riser, 2nd riser) for the larger

groups.<BR>

<BR>

I have Elinchrom monos: 1-1,000, 2-600s, 2-250's with umbrellas,

softboxes, etc. Will be using a D100 with 28-70 and 12-24 (if need be)

for the larger groups.<BR>

<BR>

Since I will have approx. 1-1/2 hours to shoot about 130 groups

(mostly 1's and 2's) as they exit the room then go back for possibly a

2nd award, I have to keep things moving. What would the best setup be

for the small groups that would also work for 30 people on risers?<BR>

<BR>

I have done the basic butterfly 2 light setup at Christmas parties for

groups up to 8 but I'm unsure how to light for 1 and 30 at the same

time. Thanks, in advance, for your words of wisdom!<BR>