bob jr.

I used the ST-E2 mounted on the shoe with the 580 on a bracket - but only one...and I got good results.

thanks for that tip, Bob!

I need to photograph a few families outdoors in the next month-or-so, and I

need help in finding a location. (please)

 

This is mostly for those Photo.net-ers that have done photography here, on

Oahu before.

 

These families all want beach pictures during sunset. Among them, one family

is also open to a sunrise among-the-flowers shot for her family.

 

Please reply with suggestions as to a good location or some good locations for

these types of shots.

 

Also, please suggest aperture/shutter speed combos for pictures with a low sun

in the frame with the family. I have heard that f7 to 9 with 1/200/sec

shutter speed with a low ISO (200) (for a richer color) from 4 to 5 feet

distance is good. Does that jive with what you all know out there?

 

Mahalo!

Photo 155 is memorable, adorable!

Hi!

 

What is an alternative to ProShow Gold?

 

Also, do you all have a recommendation as to an audio editing program that

works well with whatever slideshow program you recommend? (I have an OLYMPUS

WS-310M sound recorder, which puts out stereo .WMA files.)

I use CS2, and I have a 8.2 MP Canon 20D. What do you recommend for the ideal

sharpening setting? ("Amount", "Radius", Threshold")

 

- bob<div></div>

Joel, I agree with the vignette comment - even a sample from another of your couples on the smugmug - "Elizabeth and Bill" I think - shows, in my opinion, too much vignetting. Could you use the same technique with a white-ish instead of a black-ish color? So that it is more of a light fade effect?

Ben, probably technique here. Dial in a higher Flash Exposure Compensation.

hope you like your 100-400...I was very tempted to purchase it. But I ended up going with the 70-200 IS...which I am glad I did -- especially cuz I wont be photographing many birds and I have a 20D with the 1.6 crop. I find that 70-200 range is even too long sometimes, let alone the 100-400 range...plus the 2.8 should come in handy - especially since I am going into the wedding photography area...what with those low light dancing shots and all...

 

- bob

Jay, when the IS is activated, it should be evident when looking through the viewfinder. With the shutter button depressed 1/2 way, move the lens from side-to-side and up and down and whatever. You should notice a stabilization effect on the image. The image will tend to want to stay in the same place, be "stable"

Hi Nadine!

 

Does that mean that I would either make the aperture larger or slow down the shutter a tad? If the metering on the sky is 200/f22, what would constitute a 1 stop movement? Can I move 1 stop by adjusting either the shutter or the aperture?

Please give an example of "one stop hotter" than the sky.

 

Mahalo!

I would meter the sunset; go to TV with partial center-weighted metering on the camera - see what the suggested aperature is on the camera for the highest sync possible shutter speed on the flash (250? 200?). Then go to Manual mode and use that aperature opening and shutter speed, but open the aperature a little from there. For example, if the suggested aperture was "22", maybe set the aperture to "16" for the shoot.

I like the hand-holding shots with the perspective...38, 39, etc.

I think I have a handle on dealing with strong backlighting (very sunny

day/intense sunlight behind the subjects) where the goal is to not blow out

the background and also illuminate the subjects with the flash (...but please

let me know if I am "all wet" or "off base" in the way I am dealing with it).

(I am particularly interested in this because I live in Hawaii and there are

lots of photo opportunities where there is a bright ocean or something else in

the background)

 

20D in aperture priority; 580ex flash set to "+3" in ETTL mode; get a meter

reading on a bright cloud or the bright water or something bright other than

the sun itself; look at what the camera is suggesting for a shutter speed -

adjust and re-adjust the aperture until the camera is selecting a shutter

speed at or JUST below my sinc. speed (250 in my case). Then lock the meter

reading on that bright object, recompose to the subjects and shoot.

 

Does this sound like it should work every time?

with my 20D, my 580 ex, when I put the 580 in manual mode and the 20D in "TV",

it looks like the aperture automatically goes to the smallest possible

opening; e.g., "32" - regardlesss of the light levels, etc...why is this?

 

Thanks!

Hi!

 

For my 20D, I have a 17-85 IS; a 50 1.8; a 18-55 kit; and a 28-90.

 

Besides the 70-200 IS 2.8, what would you recommend that I get?

 

I did some macro work for the last wedding I did with a 186 macro lens, and

the pics of the rings, etc. came out well, but I don't need that much

magnification - would the Canon 100mm be better?

 

I would also like a VERY fast lens in the 20-35 range for low light dancing

shots and that kind of thing, where I dont need to drag the shutter too much...

 

Thanks in advance!

 

PS - other equipment I have: 580 ex, 430 ex

Regarding the Stratos bracket, I would also like it the grip to be on the right of the camera as I am facing the back of the camera -- that way I can tilt the camera counter clock-wise to shoot verticals. But as it is, I need to do the unnatural; I need to tilt clockwise, and the shutter button is now in an awkward position - down and to the right. In order for me to shoot the way I really want to - with Custom Function 4=1 (the "*" button used as the focus lock and the shutter button as the exposure lock, I need to play "Twister" with my fingers with my right elbow pressing into my right side to try to get leverage. Try it; it's fun (teasing - it's awkward). So I went back to cfn 4=0 (default).

 

How do I put the grip on the right without making it feel awkward for my right hand? Is it because I donﾒt have the battery grip? That would give an inch and one-half more space for my hand to move around when positioning my finger over the shutter button, I guess...

Hi All!

 

I would like to be able to shoot portrait-oriented shots with the Stratos

bracket not adjusted (flipped over)when I tilt the camera 90 degrees counter

clockwise. In that position, the flash in "laying down" horizontal to the

floor and sticking straight out to my left side. I will have the Omnibounce

on it with the flash head tilted up 45 degrees.

 

Can I use it in this position for formals and everything else? It will still

help to prevent red-eye, correct? (the reason being that it isn't direct

light to the eyes). The only thing I see could be a problem is if the subject

is standing close to a wall. In that case the shadow would fall to the right

of the subject...would that be undesirable?

 

Thanks for your feedback!

For tomorrow's wedding, I know that I need to shoot RAW. Should I set the

file size to RAW + S Fine? Or RAW + L Fine or any other combination...and why?

 

(I was told by a non-professional to shoot RAW + L Fine; that way, all of the

images don't need to go through the RAW processing; only the images that need

tweaking to the dynamic range, etc. Do you agree with him?)

Thanks to all of you! I am getting more excited about the shoot by the second!

Michael, the bracketing means that there will be three pictures for every picture, is that correct? How large of a card will I need? ;)

Ooohh, I forgot to add that the back-up camera is a digital Rebel (the earlier version)

The picture didn't display properly...<div></div>

Please see the picture below. The lens is listed first, then the time that I

need to be on that spot (or in that area). This is an outdoor wedding the

blue being the Pacific Ocean (I'm in Hawaii); the yellow arrow is the

direction of the sun; the purple horizontal lines are the guests; the thin

black line is the shoreline; and the other arrows are the angles of the shots

that I will attempt to be getting.

 

My most challenging shot, I fear, will be the "10-22" at 4:30. From this

angle, the whole scene is largely back-lit. Here I would like to get a wide

angle silhouette of the couple and the officiator with the ocean vista in full

color in the background. How do I make them look dark with the ocean looking

properly exposed? But more ominous is the other shot I need from here -- I

want to have the ocean AND the couple be properly exposed for another nice

wide angle picture.

 

I will have the 10-22 on my back-up camera with a 430 ex on it. The 70-200

will be mounted on my main camera - a 20D with a 580 flash. When I'm not

using the back-up, the camera will be off with the flash in slave mode (my

assistant will be positioning that flash when I'm not using the camera).

 

Thanks for any suggestions you might have!<div></div>

A while a go I was in an office setting with lots of fluorescent lights. I

attached the 70-200 2.8 non-I.S. and was scoping out some test shots. With

the camera at ISO 800, at aperture priority of 2.8, the shutter was coming out

to something like 50 or maybe 60....is that not slow? Am I doing something

wrong? There was a UV filter on the lens, which I removed just to see if that

would make a difference; it didn't.

 

?

 

Your help would be much appreciated. Especially since I have a wedding to

shoot in two days, and I need some speed just in case I decide to shoot

without the flash...it will be an outdoor wedding, but...at these speeds in a

well lit office...well, I'm a but nervous...

 

Bob