nanette

<p>Thanks Duncan and Neil for your replies and suggestions. I will wait until the end of the week and try calling the photographer. I didn't even think of email spam since I have been in touch regularly via email with the photographer and she came recommended by the hotel that we are having our reception in.</p>

<p>Yes, I have heard about the weather in Scotland and it pleases me, although I hope the roads will still be passable. I absolutely want there to be snow for the wedding. :) I am going to try and make a back up plan though just to be sure. Thanks again guys!</p>

<p>Hello,<br>

It's been a while since I've been active on photo.net but I know that there is a good community here and lots of members with good advice.<br>

I'm getting married in Pitlochry, Perth, Scotland in February next year and thought I had settled on a photographer. I've been in touch regularly with this photographer since September but now haven't heard from them in two weeks. We are at the stage where I am trying to pay a deposit but would like to have a contract in place before I send any money. The last email I got from the photographer was the option to pay via PayPal which I'd like to do but still haven't heard anything despite sending two more emails in the last couple of days. I know they are connected to the Internet because I can see their posts on Twitter. I'd just like confirmation from them that they did receive my emails and am not even getting that. Their lack of communication with me now is a growing concern. What if they don't show up to the wedding and what if they don't send my photos in the end?<br>

I'm put into the position where I will need to have a back up plan. I need to communicate via email, as I'm not from the UK but am getting married abroad. Are there any suggestions for quality wedding photographers in this area of Scotland that any of you would recommend?<br>

Thanks in advance for all your help.</p>

<p>nanette</p>

<p>I travel to the UK often and have taken my tripod with me, only to be told (in London) that I can't use it in some areas. So last time I opted for a Gorillapod Focus. It can handle 5kg and I just put my Kirk BH3 on it. It works surprising well. Even had a 100-400mm on it. Of course, if you need the height and are in the middle of a field, you will be kicking yourself for not bringing a tripod with you. It might be worth checking out if you could rent something while overseas too.</p>

<p>If youre going for rechargables, for sure go with NiMH. The ones with a higher mAh will recycle faster than those with lower mAh but the higher ones will also lose their charge if not in use. In this case, go with the lower mAh batteries. If you need a fast recycle time and don't have rechargables, then go for the lithium ion batteries. They are by far the best battery but unfortunately don't come as rechargable AA, yet.</p>

<p>Personally, I would buy extended warranty on a computer before I would on a camera body. Although, with Nikon, it's nice to have the warranty on the body match the warranty o the lenses. Enjoy your D90 though, it's a fantastic camera!</p>

<p>I wouldn't go for a Pentax dSLR, only because if you decide to invest in a system, you'll have far more options (lenses, accessories) and availability with a Canon or Nikon. A 10D will still give you better IQ than a point & shoot as well. You can buy entry level dSLRs with a kit lens or two for around $1000, otherwise buying used is a good option. OR...rent. Try before you buy. See what you like. If you're shooting a lot of landscape, considering a full frame camera might be the better choice than a cropped sensor. It just depends whether you have existing gear to use or not to drive your decision. Good luck.</p>

<p>Get the D90. It is virtually the same camera. The D90 is even more comparable to the D300<strong><em>s</em> </strong> because of the video component. The D300 has more fps, a rugged, weather-sealed body and faster AF, but has already been replaced by the D300s.<br>

Forget the D5000 if you want to keep the body for a while, and invest in good glass. GLASS, GLASS, GLASS!<br>

Eventually you may want to go full frame and that's when to spend the $$$.</p>

<p>Hi David,</p>

<p>Looks like you have a lot of help already on this but there are two things I would consider:</p>

<p>While your business card is bigger on screen than what it will be when it's printed, I would consider enlarging your font, so that it's not too difficult to read. Reduce the viewing size to the actual print size and see how easy it is to read. You have plenty of copy space to increase your font size (especially your name–consider enlarging it to span the width of 'photography')</p>

<p>Second, the grey (at least on my screen) feels too heavy for me. Stay with the grey but I would lighten it up considerably. The green would stand out nicely but you would have to change the other font colours to black, or the darker grey you currently have as your background.</p>

<p>I would agree with a lot of the feedback on the image but wouldn't necessarily think that you need to have a face. For me, a nice detail of the bride's dress or groom's suit would be fine. Or a ring shot. Personally, seeing these details would make me think of my own wedding and its details, whereas a person's face might turn me off completely. You want client's to see themselves in your images, not someone else's.</p>

<p>If anything, I would lighten up the grey; it doesn't feel very wedding-like (even if it is 18%).</p>

May I suggest to take a look at your lenses. It happened once to me with my lens that the aperture ring was stuck and all of my shots were over- and underexposed at various shutter speeds. If you take your lens off the body, there might be a small lever on the back of your lens that you can move. I just realized, however, that you probably won't have this lever, as I have just checked my own Canon lenses and they don't appear to have one but there was one on my Nikkor lenses. Not sure if there is something on the body that would control the aperture setting, as I am not certain of the mechanics of your camera. Maybe someone else could shed some light on that part, as it seems that you have tried all kinds of things without much success. Could be the mechanics, as this happened to me. I think there was some sand lodged in the lever. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

Hello Pnetters,

 

I am hoping that some of you could help shed some light on this issue. I've been researching this without much

success and am not having much luck finding answers.

 

I have a client who is planning on putting a food product out on the market that needs packaging. The image(s)

would be on the front and back most likely. The product would be on supermarket shelves (chain stores most

likely) and in western Canada to start. This client already has product in Costco but not as an independent.

 

I am looking for feedback on how to price the images for use, as I already have a day rate set in place. The type

of images would be the food, of course, and then possibly where the food is coming from. (ie. farmer, chickens,

garden etc) The food would be on the front and the other on the back. I would say it would cover 1/4 of the

packaging area up to 1/2 at the most. I am not certain of the distribution numbers but since this is something

new, I would say under 100,000 units to start. As for duration, I am not sure...depends if the product sells and

has a demand. So, let's say up to 3 years for use of the image.

 

I would appreciate any insight on this or any other resources to check out that would be helpful. I've looked at

www.stockphotopricecalculator.com but the region is all of North America and I am just looking at western Canada

right now. I used to be able to access the Masterfile price calculator but can't for some reason now.

 

Thanks for your help in advance...

It's happened to me but I never got paranoid about it but maybe I should?

My BF shoots LF and he just had a Calumet board made for ~$25 CDN which was basically a stencil of the lens board that came with the camera. I think he just went to a metal shop, as he too couldn't find a lens board to buy. His lens fits in perfect.

18-70mm for group shots, ISO200, set your WB accordingly (sunny, shade or custom)

 

80-200mm for individual shots (are these just head shots, full length or 3/4?), if it's full

length, you could probably get away with using the 18-70mm. Again ISO200 and set your WB

accordingly. Depending on your light, you might want to use some fill flash (don't use the

pop-up flash).

 

If you're shooting some action, then I would use the 80-200mm.

I have never seen any of those ads using Safari or Firefox. They certainly do detract from the

site.

As far as meeting with clients, I know professionals who will accommodate clients by

meeting them in their (the clients') homes. Of course, this means you have to lug all of

your sample albums and whatnot with you. Meeting with clients in their home makes them

more at ease because they are in a familiar place (at least that's what my instructor said-

who is a very successful wedding photographer). Most photographers don't have a studio

and work out of their home, so inviting clients into your home to discuss and show your

work is another option. Meeting clients in a coffee shop may be a way to start out and a

place where each party is on a level playing field but it seems to me that it would be rather

distracting and adds more pressure from patrons and workers.

Basically, it's going to be your work that prospective clients will base their decision on

whether to hire you or not. Where you meet, as long as it's not a dump, shouldn't really

matter that much but probably will have some slight influence. In any case, if your photos

sing and you have good service, then who cares where you meet. Just my two cents. :)

I've shot video at weddings for 18 years (started young) and for me, I'd choose

photography over video. If you're only shooting one camera, you have to be especially

precise in your movements and ability to capture sound properly (wireless mics help!).

When it comes ot the editing process, you don't want to have jumpy shots or a lot of zoom

happening. The more cameras you have, the easier (maybe) it will be in the editing

process. Of course, it all depends on the steadiness of the camera operator and their

ability to foresee what is to take place and get a shot that's going to be usable. Then

there's the whole light issue. I've never been a fan of turning on bright spotlights on

people and I've gotten all the nasty looks for it. There is a ton more equipment to haul

when it comes to video and if you're shooting a full day's worth, expect to do a lot of

editing (depending on the length of your video).

I used to say that I never wanted to get into photography when I was younger because of

the long days of filming and being fully aware of every movement I made with the camera.

Today, I love doing photography but shudder when it comes to filming (and I'm not even

doing the editing anymore!)

In my opinion, this camera is purely for someone shooting sports or someone who needs

10FPS. The most interesting thing for me is the Live View which would be an asset when it

comes to studio composition. Otherwise, I'm waiting to see what Canon or Nikon for that

matter, come up with as far as FF goes. Any word on that?

I'm not sure of the answer here but does it matter how long you point your lens at the sun?

Your sensor isn't being exposed until you hit the shutter. So unless you're shutter time is

unusually long, maybe it will affect your sensor then? All I can say is that you'd have a nice

overexposed image.

I usually have to login in twice, no matter what browser I'm using (Safari, FireFox, IE) and I always empty my cache on a regular basis.

You wouldn't really want to hook up your camera to your lights anyway, unless you have some kind of surge protector.

Love your slaves. ;)

I would say your best bet for landscape images is Goldstream Park. But right near downtown, there is Beacon Hill Park in which you can get some landscape type shots. Dallas Road gives you a nice view across the Georgia Strait which borders Beacon Hill Park. East Sooke Park has a lot to offer as well, just depends on how much time you have once you arrive at your destination.

Also, just so you know, March can still be pretty dreary weather. So if you're expecting a lot of sunshine, you might be a little disappointed. I think fog can be beautiful though. Head up the Saanich Peninsula as well, there is Beaver Lake and all the beaches to explore as well. Just don't go in the water. (www.poopvictoria.com)

This topic has been covered a lot recently. You should be able to find some answers while doing a search. I think everyone has different experiences -good and bad- and it really depends on who you're travelling with and what their restrictions are. I think your best bet is to contact the airline you're travelling with and simply ask them. Tell them you're a photographer and that your carrying expensive and fragile equipment.

I personally didn't have any troubles, even though my camera gear was well over the weight allowed for carry-on. I got special permission and it was all good. However, on my trip home (with Thomas Cook airlines), they weren't very considerate of my situation and ordered me to put my camera gear in the checked luggage. It was supposed to go with the fragile luggage but no, they didn't even do that. They just let it come (literally) rolling down the conveyor belt. Needless to say, I wasn't pleased. Fortunately nothing was damaged. I will definitely be taking more precautions on my next travels and be sure that I am allowed to carry my gear on all my flights.

If your gear is going to be checked, I'd make sure that you have a lot of padding around your equipment and a secure case for it all.

Best of luck and enjoy your travels!

When I was in London in the winter of 2005, my boyfriend and I (along with another couple of photographers) were asked to move along when we were shooting near the London Eye. We didn't have any issues anywhere else with our tripods. We weren't really given a reason either but rather complied because there were a couple of security guards around. It seems to me to be a hit and miss kind of thing.

I use mirrors for fill and to highlight and accentuate textures. I don't have all the equipment I'd like to have when I'm shooting but make do with what I have.

The LowePro CompuTrekker AW should fulfill your needs.

 

http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpacks/allWeather/CompuTrekker_AW.aspx