laurie_m

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Was shooting some Greyhounds for the local rescue group and thought I'd have some fun with my 12-24. This was shot at 12mm (18mm equiv.) Glad it brought a smile!

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Joseph,

 

I've never liked the idea of "packages". Each client will be different and will want different things. Charge for your shooting and processing time. Then, charge for prints a la carte. I can tell you from my own experience that clients will spend more that way. If you have a package, they will tend to order within that package limit. Without one, they order exactly what they really want.

 

In most cases, I would disagree with the idea of using a pedestal with dogs. With cats, it's a different story, they prefer more order in their lives. Let the dogs be dogs. It's more fun for them and for you!<div></div>

Nice job Joshua!

 

Ft. Desoto remains my favorite local spot for shooting. I go there regularly and have never left without at least one image that made the visit worthwhile. Of course, even without a camera, a visit there is always worthwhile.

 

When you visit again, make sure you look carefully at the retention ponds around the condos as you turn off the Bayway. I often see Roseate Spoonbills there. Just before the second bridge, there are some ponds on the left that host migratory ducks during migration. Also, look through the breaks in the Mangroves on your approach. Some of my best photo ops have been found that way. North Beach at low tide always yields something interesting. There's a Night Heron that's a fixture (he hangs out near the picnic tables). The Racoons head out on the mud flats as suset nears. The sunsets can be great in either direction. After a good storm, the sand patterns can make for some great shooting.

 

I see you also made it to Sawgrass, one of my other favorite spots.

Just a quick follow up....I finally got up the nerve to try the now apparently dry SB800. I put in the batteries (all five) and it powered up and worked like a champ. I don't know how long that will last. The chlorine from the pool will likely cause corrosion over time. Still, I'm impressed that it's funtioning normally, at least for now. It worked both on camera and remotely (tried it on the D70, not the D2X- just in case). It seems to be 100% functional. I didn't expect this outcome after seeing the water sloshing around inside both the top and bottom sections of the unit.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, words of wisdom, sympathy, etc. Here's what I've done. I ordered two more 600s. That will bring me to a total of three flash units. I can get by with these for now. I do need a fourth but will wait to see if I miss the extra power of the 800. If so, I'll order another. If not, I'll get another 600.

 

Shun, I've sworn off weddings. After the last one, I realized I didn't enjoy it. It was too much pressure and I didn't get any cake. It felt too much like real work.

 

I'm also sending the 600 to Nikon for a repair estimate. I'll post their response. If it's more than half the cost of a replacement, I'll just decline the service.

 

I sill want to see if the 800 will work once it's completely dried out. However, after reading some of the posts above, I'm leery about pluging in a lamp, let alone turning on the flash. I hate getting shocked. I could just put the batteries in , hand it to my husband, and ask him to turn it on.

Laura, I've been doing a lot of this lately. I have two sections on my release. One section allows for the listing of any pets included in a shoot. The second section allows for the listing of all humans. Each adult that's an immediate family member and is included in the shoot signs the release. If any adults, not in the immediate family are included, I have a separate release for them (so I have their address phone etc.). Of course the adult signing on behalf of any minors must be a parent or legal guardian. If shooting on property that belongs to someone other than those included in the photos, I get a release for that too. It might be overkill but you never know how you might want to use the photos in the future.

Well, Luckily, the 5 AA's in a very large pool went unnoticed. Actually, the flash was still powered up and ready to go. Of course, I didn't try it. I didn't even hit the off button, I just opened the battery door and dumped the batteries on the ground as fast as I could.

 

I'm over the "trauma" and have decided I'll be ordering two new flahses today. Even if the 800 works in a few days, I'll never be able to trust it. The corrosive effects of chlorine and the likelihood of mold will eventually get the better of it. I can still see some moisture inside the flash so it's not looking good anyway.

 

Todd, I've used umbrellas outdoors, successfully, many times (on calm days). This time, laziness and a lack of attention just bit me in the backside.

 

Bruce, I'll send the 600 off to Nikon. I can see the broken bulb. Surely it won't cost a fortune to replace. The 800....it will either work or it won't.

 

 

Shun, Why would you go with two 800s vs two 600s? I was thinking just the opposite. Now that I have the SU800, that's what I use to command the others. I also rarely use the flash at full power. So, I'm not sure that's an issue. Lastly, since I often use a combination of 800 and 600s, the refresh rate is really determined by the 600s since they're contributing to the overall light balance.

 

Hmmmmmmm....am I missing something? I was already planning to add another 600 to the collection. So my thinking this morning was to order two 600s. That would give me three to work with, four if the broken one can be repaired. Then, if if missed anything the 800 offered, I'd go ahead and replace the 800. Otherwise, I'd order a fourth 600. Please let me know if you see a kink in my logic.

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For anyone ever thinking they don't need back up equipment for paid work, have a look here. http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00HO9v&tag=

 

While this wasn't a wedding and could have been rescheduled, having backup gear meant I didn't have to return to the scene of the accident. The client didn't even realize I'd lost two flashes in a matter of seconds. And yes....there was a back up camera body in my bag.

Vivek, Sadly, you may be right.

 

Ellis, I already have several sandbags and use them regularly. The thing is, I was moving the stands constantly in reaction to the dog and the girl. They were having a great time in the pool. There wasn't really time to move the bags too. When we started, it was dead still. The home is on Tampa Bay and the water was like glass-no breeze at all.

 

The SB800 isn't in the oven. It's in a warming drawer below the oven. I have it on the lowest setting so it's under 120 degrees, probably less since I have the drawer open about two inches. I also have a fan circulating air over it. Right now, in Florida, the humidity is quite high. My efforts are more to lower humidity than to heat the flash unit. I'm just trying to get the water to evaporate as quickly as possible. The LCD is now completely clear but there's still a little condensation visible inside the transluscent peice on the top part of the unit.

 

Regarding the SB600. Is it really not possible to replace the bulb for a reasonable cost. The unit certainly appears to be functioning normally otherwise. I've run through all the modes, programs, etc. It's even responding to the SU800, it just isn't emitting light. I would think it's most likely just a broken bulb. I guess if the 800 doesn't work when I try it in a few days and if it uses the same bulb as the 600 I might see if I can swap them out. I'll first need to find a very small screwdriver. If the 800 is history, and the 600 can be replaced for about the cost of repair, what have I got to lose? Perhaps with some velcro and gaffers tape I can make one funtioning unit out of the two that are broken. Or...I can just bite the bullet and place my B&H order. Luckily, I have no scheduled shoots next week.

 

BTW...I'm downing my third Seabreeze, I'm feeling a little better now ;)

Before I get the lecture.....I know, I should have been more careful. I had

sandbags but didn't use them. I knew a storm was headed my way and should have

anticipated the breeze.

 

There, now that's out of the way, here's my problem, besides the hangover I'll

have tomorrow morning after I drown my sorrows in a bottle tonight while kicking

myself and banging my head repeatedly on the table.

 

I was doing a pet portrait session today. The client wanted photos of her

daughter playing with the dog in the pool (any guess where this is going?). The

pool is mostly covered by an overhang so the light wasn't that great. I set up

two flashes (SB800 and SB600) on light stands with umbrellas (being triggered

remotely via SU800). After shooting for a while, a good stiff breeze surprised

me and blew both stands over. The SB800 ended up in the pool. The SB600

crashed onto the pool deck (fell out of the bracket on the way down).

 

I grabbed the SB800 fairly quickly. The umbrella prevented it from sinking to

the bottom but it was completely submereged. I noticed it was still powered up.

I immediately dumped the batteries and did my best to dry it. I left the

battery cover off and set it on the warm deck to dry in the sun. The SB600 was

also still powered up. When I tried to test fire it, it acted as if it had

fired, made it's little beep and everything. Though, it didn't actually flash.

I think the bulb is broken.

 

I have now placed the SB800 in the warming drawer of my oven on low. It's

toasty but not too hot. Based on the condensation I'm seeing on the LCD

display, it appears water got into that section as well as the top portion of

the unit that swivels. I'll give the flash several days to dry out completely

and try to power it up. Any thoughts on the odds?

 

I tried to find information on replacing a bulb on the SB600. I found nothing.

It is possible to do this? I suspect I'll be sending it in for service. Any

idea of what this might cost? Would it make more sense to replace it?

 

Luckily, I had a third flash (another 600) and was able to complete the shoot

with that. Wish me luck on print sales. I'll probably be replacing some equipment.

How dark was the original? This looks to me like an image that's had a few stops of exposure compensation in post processing.....or perhaps the shadow/higlight tool was used.

Been a PN member for a few years, and first landed on this forum a little over a year ago. Not a wedding photographer but I have shot two weddings, against my will AND better judgement. The help I got through this forum was invaluable. I still pop in regularly because I find the solutions to many wedding photographer challenges are applicable to non-wedding situations.

 

I'm shooting a lot of pet portraits lately and found the discussions on proofing, web design, etc very helpful.

David, I am running the latest version of NC. I'm not sure about the "RAM" thing. I'm a total moron when it comes to the computer stuff. I do know I need to add more RAM and will be doing that very soon. I'll also try to process another batch and then check the event log to see if the error registers.

 

John, I followed your instructions but am already using a setting that doesn't employ "data execution prevention". Hmmmmm.

 

I'm leaving for a three day trip to New Orleans. When I get back, I'll try again. Thanks for the suggestions. It's much appreciated. If I end up contacting Nikon, I'll report back.

 

Thanks again,

 

Laurie

My apologies if this has already been discussed-did a search and couldn't find it.

 

I'm having problems with NC4. Specifically, I'm getting a "Program encountered

an error and must be shut down" message when I try to tweak White Balance on a

batch of images. I even got it a few times when applying the adjustment to just

one image.

 

Here are the details.....D2X NEF files, running NC4 on Windows XP. Opened 100

NEFs that had a slight color cast due to mixed lighting, selected the first

image, did a white balance adjustment (using "set gray point"), matched the new

settings to all the images. There was no problem so far. It isn't until I

tried to save the changes that I'm getting the error.

 

I would just use ACR for the conversion but I really prefer the WB function in NC4.

 

If anyone else has had, and resolved, this problem, or if you just have a good

idea what's going on, I'd appreciate the help. I may just end up calling Nikon

support but thought I'd check here first.

I did a cat show last weekend. Since cats are small, you don't really need tons of light. I used two Nikon SBs and a large reflector for fill (whote plastic shower curtain hung from a boom). Both flashes were shot into umbrellas. I had more than enough light. Most of the time I was shooting at 1/2 to 1/4 power. What you'll need to watch for is the pre-flash. Cats, pick up on it and blink. I've literally tried 50 frames in a row with one of my cats and ended up with closed eyes in all of them. I'm shooting pets all manualy now so I have no pre-flash to deal with.

 

What has made my life much easier is using the Nikon SU800. I'm totally wireless and can change flash output quickly. You'll need to adjust your exposure for nearly every cat. The color and type of fur will absorb or reflect light differently.

 

Good luck, shooting cat after cat can be greuling.

Another option is to not fight (or try to fool)nature. I was playing around with two flashes on light stands at the beach the other day- Trying out some stuff I picked up off the strobist site. Because of the wind, using umbrellas was out of the question. I had no one to hold a reflector. So....set the two stands up, one in front of the couple a little above head level at a 45 degree angle. The other is to the side of the couple, camera right (in the surf-can't believe it didn't get knocked over). direct flash, no diffusion. I figured I'd go for a surreal effect. The sun was already below the horizon so it didn't contribute much other than a wonderfully colorful sky. I don't think anyone would doubt that flash was used here. Because there wasn't really a way to make it look natural, at least to someone who's watched a bazillion sunsets, I decided to make it look surreal.<div></div>

Pat,

 

I've recently formalized a pet portrait business that's been evolving for about a year and a half. For what it's worth, there are people out there who are more than happy to pay a fair price for unique, professional photos of their pets. I'm booking about as many sittings as I want right now. I'm fortunate that most of my clients come from my husband's Animal Hospital. The lobby walls are my personal gallery. The thing is....It's physically very demanding. I'm literally on my belly shooting much of the time. I'm also constantly moving lights, changing backdrops, or chasing/following Fido until he's in the best light. I had three back to back studio sessions last week and was bruised and sore the next day. I even had the luxury of two assistants (students in an Animal Behavior program). Based on the physical limitations you mentioned, you may want to consider that shooting pets can be more physically demanding than shooting portraits of people (or even kids).

While the final print is always an exciting thing to see, the best part of photography, at least for me, is the act of shooting. Somehow, picking up the camera sharpens my senses at the same time it pushes away the nagging little things in daily life.

 

If shooting is nothing more than an excuse to go for a walk in the woods, you already have your reward. If looking through the viewfinder pushes you to observe nature (or anything for that matter) in a different way, you have your reward. With a little effort, you can't help but see improvement in the final print. The great thing about photography is the fun starts the minute your eye is against the viewfinder. The final print is just the icing on the cake.

Overcast day just hanging around the pool.<div></div>

The problem with your intenrary is that you've left no time to really "see" a place. Rushing from point A to point B and shooting from the same overlooks and viewpoints as everyone else just isn't doing any of these wonderous parks justice. Of course, everyone has a different style and different preferences. For me, it usually takes about three days in a place before I feel like I "know" it well enough to take meaningful photos. I think you'll regret not giving yourself time to see more of these locations. There's much more than just the turnouts and scenic overlooks to shoot. Also, it's nice to get away from the tour groups and crowds. Somehow standing alone, or with only a friend, on the edge of a canyon is so much more appealing than leaning, shoulder to shoulder over a guard rail with the sound of the tour bus engine in the background.

Anis,

 

You have more than enough for 5 days of shooting. I spent 5 days in Death Valley alone and it wasn't enough time. I'd shorten rather than lengthen the list. It's going to be very hot in some of those locations. Drink/take plenty of water. Some alternate locations very near Las Vegas include Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire but your plate is already too full.