andrewyonda

A lot of people are going to tell you you should never test new equipment on a wedding. It's true, but the D300 is so nice!

You have to do it! I have found that, although the D300 is supposed to have super nice ISO abilities, I don't like the look

above ISO 800. Other settings:

a5 AF Activation= Off. This prevents the camera from refocusing when you press the shutter button half-way (or all the

way) down. Use this in combination with the AF-ON button and you won't have annoying re-focusing problems when

someone's walking down the aisle or something. If you haven't shot this way before, it takes a couple hundred shots to

get used to. After that it rocks.

f4 assign FUNC button= FV lock

f5 assign Preview button= Flash cancel. This is nice if you want to do a naturally lit shot without taking your face away

from the viewfinder to turn off your flash.

I also do matrix metering and dynamic area AF.

Good luck!

Andrew

Well, it seems like there are two camps, the flash and the natural light. I could go either way, and maybe I'll try both. It

seems like it might be ideal to have some hidden flashes spread throughout the limo at low power. . .Not a very realistic

scenario, though. Thank you everybody!

This Saturday I'm going to be riding with the bride and bridesmaids to the church, and then with the happy couple from the church to a

park. I'm using a Nikon D300 and I'm assuming I'll want my Tokina 12-24mm f/4. I have an SB-800 flash which I can put on my CB-Digital

bracket or maybe just handhold. My main question is, what, in your opinion, is a good way to use flash in this scenario? I'm thinking about

angle (bounce off ceiling, floor, front windshield, etc.), flash exposure compensation, f-stop, and ISO. I thought it might look good to try to

balance the light inside with the light outside so you don't lose the scenery in the windows. I know I could get something good right now,

but maybe, just maybe, with your help, I can get something spectacular!

Thanks!

Andrew

Sounds like a lot of people prefer PS--does anyone know of a book or website that explains

the basics of designing your own albums in Photoshop?

Thanks Tom! I guess the focus must have been the issue. Apparently in manual focus the

flash is erratic, it seems? So you might not be able to reproduce it. I should go back to the

same spot and try it again.

Thanks Tom. Here are the original files--I'd be curious if you see any differences in EXIF info.

I don't think anything was in the way of the flash. I shot several pictures in a row where the

flash didn't fire, some of them in different directions, looking at different scenes. Eventually

the flash started firing again while looking at the same scene. This shot has a mirror on the

left, but some pictures I took didn't have the mirror in the frame, and the flash still didn't fire.

I think your ambient light theory may be right, though.

Are you saying that when the camera is in commander mode that it will behave erratically if it

doesn't sense a slave flash? Why doesn't it either work or not work--why does the flash work

randomly when there is no slave?

I don't think the flash failed to fire due to not being charged, since it was over a minute

between photographs, according to the exif info.

I've had problems in the past using my D70 with an SB-600 where sometimes the D70 wouldn't fire in

commander mode, and thus the SB-600 wouldn't fire either. Last night I was taking some pictures of my

fiancee and I unwittingly left the camera in commander mode, even though I didn't have the SB-600 with

me. It was in a dimly lit restaurant, and I was shooting in manual mode, 1/2 sec exposure at f/4. I had

opened the pop-up flash and was shooting away with the flash lighting her face and the long exposure

allowing the background to register. Then the flash stopped firing for several shots. It worked again, then

stopped again, then worked again. It wasn't a big deal, but I use this camera to shoot weddings, so it

scares me when it's inconsistent.

<br><br>

I'm hoping it's just my own ignorance that is at play here, not a malfunction of the camera. Why was it

firing sometimes and not others? When the flash was firing, why was it so bright (since it's in commander

mode)? Did the fact that there was no external flash to communicate with affect the situation?

<br><br>

The top photo was taken about one minute before the bottom one. No photos were taken in between. All

camera settings were the same.

<br><div></div>

Thanks for the continued responses everyone, there is some helpful stuff here. Talitha, I just

wanted to point out that actually none of the photographers you listed charge less than I do. I

offer an engagement sitting, 4x6 prints, photography all day at your wedding, and a dvd with

all images taken, for $1000, including tax.

Jeff-that's a good idea. I've actually been planning on bringing my camera around with me to

any events I go to, and I also shot some pictures at two weddings I went to this summer.

Conrad-

I respect your opinion--you think I shouldn't be shooting weddings for $1000. I disagree,

though. I think I should continue doing it, but I should improve my skills and upgrade my

equipment before I do. Every couple whose wedding I've shot has been 100% satisfied. I

am honest with people up front about my experience, and they can see my portfolio and

judge the results for themselves. You definitely won't find a better deal for $1000 around

here. As far as lighting, like I said in my original post, the most important thing I need to

do in the next two months before my next wedding is figure out how to light in all

situations.

That said, the responses here do make me feel a little queasy about how close to the edge

I've been riding--I will definitely be more backed up and prepared than ever before in the

future. Honestly, criticism is hard to hear, but I am absorbing this as much as I can, and I

appreciate your bluntness!

Okay! This is very helpful stuff, thank you! Let me respond to a few things: As far as the

name, I agree, there is no room for growth. The only things I could do to raise my rates

would be to charge more for the two extras I offer (engagement sitting and 4x6 prints),

and stop including tax in the price. It might be painful to change names in a couple years.

But I still think that the market I'm after (people who are dismayed to find out how much

photography costs) is more likely to find out that I exist with a name like 1000 Dollar

Wedding Photography. There are so many photographers out there, when people are

browsing a wedding directory website and see 100 listings, my hope is that my name will

pop out to them--it gives them a lot of information right away.

Becca, you make some great points. Number 6, I think that's something I need to be

conscious of: I need to like what I'm doing, not just like the money. As far as contracts, I

do use a contract, and I am planning on paying taxes. I am familiar with running a small

business (my band), so I know that I need to stay on the up-an-up.

Being an assistant/2nd photographer sounds interesting to me, but I don't know how to

go about finding that work. Do you just call around and ask people if they need help? How

much does it pay?

Hi,

I'm a 29-year-old with an art/photography degree. I've shot 7 weddings over the last several years,

mostly for friends, but always paid. I got a Nikon D70 kit (with the 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 lens) a couple

years ago, which made weddings a lot less stressful (as compared to film) for someone who has

minimal flash experience like me. I've been trying to find a more lucrative source of employment than

being in a band, and I thought, hey, I've got the equipment and some experience, why not do

weddings?

So I started a website called www.1000dollarweddingphotography.com . I offer a low rate since I am not

particularly experienced, and my portfolio is not very strong yet. My policy is to give my clients the

digital files, 4x6 prints, and that's it. I will delete the duds before I burn their disc, but that's all I do for

editing. I'm aiming for couples who are willing to sacrifice a bit of quality and convenience in order to

save money. Once I am more experienced, I plan to start charging more, and maybe do more of the

editing/proofing/albums thing.

I am only advertising on wedj.com, which has gotten me three gigs so far. I shot the first of these a few

weeks ago, and it was a bit rough. The couple was totally happy with the results, but I struggled to

overcome technical difficulties. I'd discovered the night before that my test shots all had a spot in the

upper left, probably due to dust on the sensor. So I shot at f5.6 or wider all day, which made the spot

disappear. I bought an SB-600 flash which I mounted on a bracket and attempted to fire in slave mode,

using the D70 built-in flash as a master. This did not work as well as I'd hoped. Some shots the SB-600

didn't fire, some shots the built-in flash didn't even fire, which baffles me.

I shot an engagement sitting the other day that didn't go so well. The high ceiling and strong

backlighting had me beat, my flash kept taking too long to recharge, exposing incorrectly, it was

painful. It was a wake-up call. I need to do some major preparation, so I can make good photos even in

imperfect lighting. I'm concentrating so hard right now on just getting appropriate exposure that it's

hard to think about composition, or whether or not someone is smiling, or if there is an odd line in the

background. At this point I'm flying by the seat of my pants, praying I don't have any breakdowns, since

I only own a single body, lens, flash, and memory card! I do bring a point-and-shoot along as a

backup, but, if I had to use it, I would give a total refund.

Before my next wedding in November my plan is to buy the SC-29 flash connector, a nicer bracket, and

maybe a backup memory card. I will borrow or rent a real backup camera. And, most importantly, I

need to figure out how to light couples in all situations. I have a Lumiquest bouncer for my flash, but it

still results in harshly lit scenes. Once I make a little more money, I'll buy a nicer lens, and then another

body (the D200?). I plan to advertise in some smaller town papers around Madison, WI, in hopes that,

since the cost of living might be lower there, people might be interested in paying less for a

photographer.

So tell me honestly: what do you think? Am I smart, or crazy? Should I buy a battery pack for the flash?

What flash diffusing system do you use? For those who've seen the website, what do you think? Does it

look professional? Any portfolio images you like or think should be cut? What should I do about the

dust on my sensor?

Any input you have will be highly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Andrew, of www.1000dollarweddingphotography.com