todd_masters

looks like the dream effect is in season, a couple others have asked about it. I use this action all the time, I got it from <a href="http://www.craigsactions.com/Products/CActionsProductivity1.html" target="_blank">Craig's

Actions</a>.  I use it to correct blemishes as

well to give that dreamy effect.  I highly recommend buying this action

set.  If you have questions or want to see examples send me a note!

I filter three times, first round is to get out the shots with major issues with lighting, focus etc..; then I filter out all the good ones (about 30-50) and then I select my favorites (10-20). I show my favorites but make available my good ones becuase 9 times out of 10 there will be a shot in there that touches the parents and they will order it. No matter how good I am and what I think is good, parents like to have some creative liberties as well and who knows what they will connect with. I never give them the whole lot and let them pick their favorites, that will take months! I wouldn't take them wanting to see all of them personally, they are more emotionally attached to the photo shoot than you are and if it means an extra sale for you and an extra memory for them then it is a win/win.

I use this action all the time, I got it from <a href="http://www.craigsactions.com/Products/CActionsProductivity1.html" target="_blank">Craig's

Actions</a>.  It is more than just a diffuse layer at work to give the

images that punch you are looking for.  I use it to correct blemishes as

well to give that dreamy effect.  I highly recommend buying this action

set.  Email me if you have any questions!

I had the sigma 24-70 DX and most of the time it worked like a champ, was as sharp and fast as the canon. However the "most of the time" is what led me to buy the canon version. I had some back focusing issues in low light too many times. Like someone said, you can try and buy another lens but make sure they take returns. The canon is much more reliable and consistent. Is that worth $700 to you?

I think you mean the perfect lens would be a 24-105 f2.8L IS lens.

 

Better off searching this forum for 24-70 vs. 24-105 because this has been debated to death. I own both and if I am shooting more low light I use the f2.8 - the other 95% of the time I use the 24-105. When I borrow my buddies 5D the vignetting on them both is comparable and is not bad IMHO. flip a coin and search the forum for the dozens of articles on this.

<p>Wow, such a touchy subject. The one thing being left out is the artifacts from JPEGS but that is covered in so many other forums that it isn't worth getting into here. That is another reason I shoot RAW when being paid as RAW is the only real equivalent to negatives.<br>

<br>

Dan, no I am not a macho shooter, but often too many times RAW saves my a$$ when I should have had better control from my settings. So for me shooting in JPEG for personal use helps me train better because

with JPEG what you shoot is what you get. I wasn't really putting one above the other. 

But shooting in JPEG in my off time helps me make shoot better in RAW.<br>

<br>

I don't really like the dogmatic and insult hurling against folks' preferences. These tools allow for infinite options that each can hone to the situation, subject and personal factors. One is not holistically better than the other - all things considered. 

Don't presume that your way is the only way, you will never learn that

way.  YES, RAW technically is better data, but that doesn't make it the

best medium in all circumstances.  If that were the goal - to have the best

shot possible, best exposure, best range, best tone - would we even be shooting

digital? NO, we would be shooting MF wouldn't we!<br>

<br>

Jim Tweedie at shootsmarter.com had this whole debate from an <a href="http://www.shootsmarter.com/infocenter/jt031.htm" target="_blank">article</a>

he wrote (must be registered to view) about how many PRO shooters are choosing

JPEG over RAW for some of their gigs.  He summed it up with:<br>

<br>

"One email really stood out that really sums up my feelings about this subject, a fellow photographer wrote to me, " You know sometimes I wonder what the digital world would be like and how photographers would feel about this subject if all we had for ten years was RAW format, and then they invented JPEGs. Would you be writing, 'Finally they came up with this fantastic time saving file format called JPEG, it's about time!'"

</p>

<p>So keep your opinions but don't degrade others because they disagree with

you.  If you want a fight goof around on the Nikon forum and tell them all

how they should convert over to Canon.  Now that is fun!</p>

When I am being paid or am shooting a "once in a lifetime" shot, I use RAW for the "just in case" issues to correct. When I am shooting for myself I shoot JPEG because I know I don't have the crutch of RAW and it forces me to use my camera correctly and get it right the first time and saves time. I rarely print beyond 16x24 and for me and my clients it is difficult/impossible to tell between a processed RAW and a good JPEG print at this size. The reason there is RAW, JPEG and RAW+JPEG is because camera manufacturers know users want options and users have opinions. Learn to play with RAW and develop your style and decide for yourself when and where to use RAW, JPEG or both. I have several pro photog friends (weddings) that are not shooting RAW as much anymore to save postprocessing time as for them time is money and they are very good shooters that don't need to correct color or exposure blunders and JPEG gives 99% of the quality of RAW they need for clients.

Jammey, that was a great response with pics! Scouting would really pay off here, I had one situation just like this and I did just what Jammey did with two strobes. I lit up the church and background 2 stops brighter than ambient. The subjects were lit with a 60" umbrella and I used a 900w/s pointed up at the ceiling and made my light rule. Sometimes I even unscrew lights (especially mercury floods) that really jack with my whitebalance or turn them off alltogether.

I have both, I havent used the 24-70 in a couple of months. I usually didn't shoot wide open all the time anyway on the 24-70 because I want pics as sharp as possible and I always wanted just a little more reach. The IS on the 24-105 does partially compensate and in a pinch I bump up the ISO to 1600 if I have to. In fact I havent taken the 24-105 lens off my body in a few months after shooting family portraits, a few reunions, two vacations, 8 baby shoots, a couple of forth of July events - all in all my last 2500+ shots have been with this lens. Some day I will sell the 24-70, I keep telling myself but it IS a 2.8 and I just might need that some day...I keep waiting for that day...

I started like you back when the 10D was new and tried using a 550 and 420 master slave and foam core. I made it work. Now with a 5D, I ditched the on camera flash for portraits and use a JTL mobilight with a wireless trigger in my hotshoe. The mobilight will cost you $300, the trigger off ebay $30 and a stand and I use an umbrellasoft box (starting, a 40" for $50) and a reflector for fill light. I like this setup better because if you are starting, the mobilight has a modeling light so you can adjust your light before you shoot, it makes you look more professional so you can charge like a professional, and it is easier to use (for me anyway). Now I just meter and shoot and my camera is lighter without a direct flash that is useless for portraits. May be overkill but sell your 580 and get this and when you make $$ you can buy your 580 back. Otherwise get the wireless transmitter before you get a second flash and use your 580 in an umbrella box and foamcore as fill, that is a little cheaper and then you have ETTL to do some work for you.

how early? Sun will be an issue unless you luck out and get clouds. What are you shooting with? The largest I have shot was a group of about 100 for a class reunion and the largest they wanted was a 16x20 so I went digial, used two lights with 60inch umbrellas pointed at opposite corners and was able to hit f14 @ 30mm. Keep the sun to their backs if you can. Using picnic tables? I try to fill the frame with as many people as possible to make the most use of my pixels but you would need to stack those tables pretty high to get 6 rows of 25 and that would be a bit dangerous but possible with enough tables and you on a 6-8 foot step ladder. Maybe a row of three or four tables end to end would give you enough: bottom sitting on ground, second kneeling, third sitting on seats, fourth sitting on table, fifth kneeling on table, sixth standing on table (be kind of tight). Otherwise find some stairs. Good luck!

MF is definately better, but I shoot plenty of large groups with digital. I don't shoot much film anymore but just bracket your metering and that should work. Posing is your biggest challenge to calculate your dof for your metering. For groups that size location is everything. If on a beach try to find a slanted slope and try three rows. Back standing, middle kneeling, front sitting. You shoot elevated on a step ladder to try to keep your focal plane as perpendicular as you can aiming down at them. Anoter easy option that is kind of fun if you want to do it is to do a panoramic with two shots, which I do digital and have printed. Anyrate, to meter you will need to know your dof and to do that you need to work your poses out for your focal length and aperature you want to use. Then you can work your shutter for 120 or have a bit more flexibility with more ISO and shutter choices. Scout it out and find a spot at the time you will be shooting and take some meters and go from there.

Wow, Ian, you have the "wedding lens kit" down, and I am surprised that with these lenses you would be asking that question. There are really only two answers. 1) fill flash with aperature priority and do the best you can and 2) find some shade with an overhang, large tree or some other structure and still use fill flash to make the pics pop. If you are shooting the whole thing outdoors, you probably only need the 24-70 and 70-200 and maybe the 17-40 if the group is more than 10 people wide. The only good thing is that you will have plenty of light for good dof and shutter. I guess there is a third thing you can do, hope and pray for an overcast sky! Scout out the location on a sunny day and take someone with you to practice so you are comfortable with your settings. If you can't get away from the sun, at least have the sun to their backs so you don't get squinters.

I am always wondering the best solution. The only one I have found is to shoot with an 8x10 in mind as this is the biggest seller. My online ordering company or most any will center crop any other size and shave off some of the sides. I get in trouble when I don't frame it well but I don't waste my time and crop all the images and then have folks not order them, waste of time and money so I post everything at 4x6 size and crop on the back end if needed.

<p>Rick, that is very kind, we will definitely contact you. My friend just graduated

from dental school and is starting ortho school in the fall. I looked at pics with the ring flash and they did look flat and seemed like there were lots of hot spots in the teeth reflections. Would the

<a href="http://www.dinecorp.com/DineDigitalRingandPointFlash.html" target="_blank">combo

flash from DineCorp</a> be the solution?  Maybe after I talk to Rick he may

not even need it!  Researching all this makes me want to do more macro and

less baby portraits, but in the end I guess it is all about the smiles ;)</p>

he is looking at the 20 or 30D and the canon ringlight and leaning towards the canon 100mm Macro, unless from experience someone can suggest something better.

 

Peter, is the 180mm focal length going to be that much better than the 100mm or will that be too close for a full mouth shot at "dentist length away" with the 4" dof he will need? Seems like a pretty niche lense, is it worth considering this - seems like the price and size of this sucker might make it a little more challenging for a dental office environment? I will start searching for comparisons on other threads. Thanks all, very helpful so far.

I have a friend starting a ortho practice and was asking me which

lense would be best. Any of you macro experts out there have a

recommendation of the canon 100 vs. sigma 105 or other better

configurations/lenses?

When I started I got a 600 w/s mono Flashpoint II with a 3ftx4ft soft box off adorama.com and spent around $350. I know it is kind of a cheapie brand but it really perfomed well for me starting out and I still use it. For fill I used foamcore boards to fill shadows or you can get a reflector with a stand and still spend less than $500. I paid it off with two shoots and will give you plenty to learn from. Having a 250watt modeling light (minimum) really helps with focus and finding the right light. It really is not that hard to learn and will up your game big time. Go with the biggest softbox you can afford or a 60inch umbrella. I would steer away from continuous lighting for your price range but some like it. Good luck.

why would you want to? hiding fat rolls or double chins is one thing but hiding structures that to me add beauty and are a good part of a person's frame and portrait shouldn't be hidden IMO.

more than likely you will have little legal grounds to push this, as it was private property and the main photog had the "rights" to the event. Without a release at a private shoot you legally can not use the images for personal gain, but that is still a grey area. The fact is that you were not the "liscensed" photographer at a private event. However, in photography there is an unwritten code that we all (should) abide by and that is to respect eachother's art and business that to me is above the laws. If the main shooter and event hosts requested that you not use the images, then don't do it. For example at weddings I am invited to I still shoot around the hired photog but do not give out competing images until after prints are ordered and I usually chat with the photog and offer to help like you did here and if there are good images that I get I send them to the photog to use without any expectations. I have made good business relationships doing that. Our world is a small one and it isn't worth burning bridges over a few images and petty legal arguments.

I use printroom.com that will do manual cropping for you for a fee per pic. Also there is a SW gallery you manage on your pc where you upload your thumbnail gallery to the site and emails you when an order is in and you can make adjustments to the orders before you upload them to match the crop that is ordered. For me it is too much work to offer different kinds of crops for every image, not to mention the confusion it causes some customers when ordering. They also take care of all the ordering/shipping for you, although you pay 7% or more for them to do this for you so you need to build this in your profit model.

I have this flash, the 550EX and a 420EX. The sigma is a nice flash, not as nice as the 550 but a strong competitor. I bought it because it can be set to manual in a wireless slave setup where the 420 is auto as a slave. This flash has all the main features as the 550 and I haven't had any issues with it at all. I used it on a 10D and 20D with no issues. It also comes with a nicer case and flash stand than the canon 550, but still doesn't make up for the better build of the canon. Best thing is to find a used 550 for the price of a new sigma.

your lighting is fine, for more "fashion" I would go more for butterfly or "hollywood/paramount" lighting and have a piece of foamcore for your subject to hold intheir lap to bounce light up under the chin and under the eye sockets, that takes a few years off. Also another trick I almost always use with women is to shoot down at them. Stand up on a chair and shoot down and have them look up at you, this tightens the skin and takes more years off. There is an example in my gallery. Just pull your light closer to you and put your camera against the softbox and have your hood on your lens so you don't ghost. The soft filter, whatever you used is good too, but if you are just doing a gaussian blur, do it on a upper layer and mask off the eyes so there is sharpness in the eye, it makes it pop and keeps color strong. For posing, never shoot a woman square. Use some of the posing guides on the links above, and if you are shooting from an up angle some ladies like to have a little sexier look with a little cleavage after they went to all that trouble to doll themselves up so try to make them beautiful!

Golf tourneys are fun. Check ahead with the admin that is organizing the tourney and definately get a cart. Call the course manager and visit the course before you shoot and as mentioned before pick a spot to get all the group shots, I would say at a hole that has enough action going on around it with other tees and holes close by. Take the group shots before they tee off as they may be waiting there and then take off near by for some action shots, only problem is changing lenses so you may be using the 28-135 all day. The only way to get everyone is to pick one hole and get them as they come through as it will probably be shotgun start. Get there before sunrise and there will be some early birds and you can get a silhouette shot of a golfer in the sunrise (ask him to pose and you can get some fun shots). Find the important folks in the tourney and if they hit the driving range get low and to their open side and get some action shots with continuous shooting and you can make a good montage print of those as well. You may want a polarizer to keep the grass as green as you can and the sky blue as you will have a lot of landscape to work with. Also be ready to use the 10-22 at the start when the group is together and all the golf carts take off and then hop in yours and race to your hole to meet your first victim. Good luck and have fun - it is alot of work by yourself, it will feel like you played two rounds of golf when you are done. Oh, yeah, if you want an action shot of someone hitting a ball while you are kind of facing them, have then do it with practice swings, dont chance trying to dodge a golf ball, trust me, you aren't fast enough - be safe and if someone yells fore dont reach for the lens cap, you may not have time - just put your hand over your lens and go fetal over your camera. Your body can absorb the blow better than your camera!

I have both the 24-70 and 24-105 and use the 24-105 more. I started with the 24-70 2.8 and thought I would miss it but with the good high ISO on the 20D I can make up for that stop, but cannot make up the bokeh. If you want to get in closer and are hand holding, the 24-105 may suit you better with IS and an extra 35mm. You can get the isolation and low light speed from your 70-200. See if you can borrow a friend's and experiment for a while. Consider both equal in build, quality, focus speed and sharpness - I can tell very little difference between the two.