elizabeth_f1

Does anyone have a website where I can get a good deal for the lens? I've checked B&H, where else do you think I should look? Should I even consider a nice second hand lens? Appreciate the input!

I am searching for a canon 2.8, 17-55 mm lens for my 20D. Does anyone have

any input on the differences between the import vs. usa lenses? Thanks!

I shoot with a 20D and a 550 EX flash. I set my control dial to TV so that I

can change the shutter speed when going between all of the different lighting

situations presented inside and outdoors. The problem is that my indoor

photos are consistantly dark and underexposed. Should I be intentionally

overexposing them by a stop? I realize that an investment into a 2.8 lens

would make a difference but I would like to learn from this mistake.

Suggestions would be appreciated.

How should I tell her to calibrate her monitor? Using the control panel and adjusting the properties? She's a curmudgeon so getting a new monitor is out of the question.

I recently gave a client her cd's along with her 4x6 prints. The

pictures look great printed and on my computer when I view the

cd's. She's says the cd's look terrible (and she agrees that the

prints look beautiful)... Anyone have any clue what is going on

her? What do I tell her, to buy a new monitor? I appreciate

anyone's input.

My brother died the weekend before and my head wasn't together. I thought it would be good therapy for me to be surrounded by happy people (which it was). But, lesson learned: Never shoot a wedding under emotional duress...

I think that my digital photos don't look as good as my film ones, even after saturating and sharpening. I will look into the book you recommended. Thanks!

I can almost gaurantee that if you offer a discount, this client will inevitably be the biggest pain in the butt client you've ever had. Besides, what artist in any other medium would discount their art due to a slow month?

I used to shoot groups of people who were up skiing at our local ski area. Even thin people start to look bulky with their gear on, so here is what we would do. Have them start by standing at a 90 degree angle to you and then have them twist their upper body to face you. It's the ultimate beauty pageant pose but there is a reason why they do it! And, it does slim people down.

Also be sure to shoot at eye level, at least, or from a higher angle. Be careful to keep you lens at 50mm or else they could come out looking like pin heads (if you go too wide angle).

Anne, I think you did a great job. I love how you incorporated the tree into the composition. Nice work and great inspiration for all of us!

I truly appreciate everyone's input and advise...

I have extensive experience with film, having shot hundreds of weddings with no problems (aside from the lab fouling things up in one instance). In addition, I have managed photo labs and worked extensively in the darkroom. My transition to digital has been painful and I am taking great steps to educate myself so that I don't have these "issues" in the future. Along that line, I would appreciate resources that any of you have utilized to further educate oneself in digital photography (I shoot w/a Canon20D) and in photoshop.

So, I admit right from the get go that I had my camera on the wrong

setting. As a result, the photos turned out dark. Which, as we all

know is a completely repairable issue. Unfortunately, I have a

client who, despite how the actual pic.s look (between photoshop and

the lab, the prints look great) she is unable to print them light

enough on her own. Anyone have any great ideas on how to tell her

that she needs to go to a real lab? She's a bit of a bully and

scares me a little bit... I'd appreciate anyones input on this

situation. Thanks!

Hi Sal, I have shot over 100 weddings and to answer your question, it is ultimately the bride's decision. Some brides want all b&w, some all color, some want both. A very popular choice for most brides is to shoot primarily color except for shots of just the bride and groom. I always emphasize the fact that a color photo can always be turned into a b&w one (to date I have not had anyone request that a color photo be made into a b&w one). This is a service industry and making your clients happy is the primary goal. Hope this helps.

As someone else posted, technically I would not save the date for her until 9/1, when you can deposit the check. Banks actually do not honor post dating so you could deposit it sooner(but it sounds like it might bounce.). I require all clients to pay me in full two weeks prior to the wedding to assure the check clearing my account. Any time over the contracted amount is billed to them and payable upon receipt of the photos and cd's.

Good news! I have recovered my images thanks to some image recovery software found at pcinspector.com. I appreciate everyone's help, input, and sympathy/empathy where applicable. As for those of you who poured salt in my wound (i.e. not knowing about recovery software) I hope that when you have problems you don't encounter uneccessary comments that make one feel even worse about an already awful situation.

To answer some of the above questions: The card I used is a pro model by Delkin Devices. And yes, I have several other cameras that I use as back up during wedding shoots but not simultaneously. While I am searching to find these lost photos I have, in the meantime, contacted the videographer and am having prints made from the video. My hopes are not high in recovering the images but thankfully I have over 500 images of the photos no one else has (i.e. formals, getting ready photos, etc.). Thank you all for you very helpful info!

I briefly scanned the internet searching for "digital image recovery" and found no reliable looking help. I will check out the sandisk site. Thanks for the tip! Elizabeth F.

I have shot over 50 weddings and am now, after all of these years,

having a nightmare become reality. I shot over 7 hours of a

wedding: ceremony, getting ready shots, reception, etc. and as it

turns out, my memory card failed me on every single shot of the

ceremony(i.e. 2 empty folders out of 7 downloaded from my camera).

Granted I do have about 500 shots of all the really important

pictures that no one else has like the formals and great candids but

still...How do I explain this to a bride? Anyone else out there had

a similar experience?