tuanhbui

<p>Thanks for all the replies folks - a lot of useful responses!<br>

It seems like the chemicals in my old packs of spectra were mostly crusts, so external power would indeed have been pointless anyway. I've ordered some modern spectra stock from the impossible project instead (:<br>

Cheerio!</p>

<p>So I bought this polaroid spectra on ebay, and a pack of old expired film to go with it. Apparently, the batteries for these cameras reside inside the film packs, with the idea that you'd never run out of juice since you'd always be popping in fresh ones every time you reload the film. Of course this doesn't work when the film supply dries up and all that is left is 10-year-old expired stuff... anyway, so I loaded it up and of course it doesn't work. Some lights come on but the camera dies when I try to take a picture. [aside: I ordered some impossible project spectra film just now, but I'd still like to shoot the expired stock I do have]<br /><br />Now, someone somewhere in the world has got to have thought of hacking together an external battery pack for the spectra. So you can use old film but not be reliant on old batteries. But in all my internet searching, I haven't found anything! I've soldered together a makeshift 4AA battery pack and have been vainly trying to jimmy some voltage into the camera, but nothing I've tried has yielded consistent results - I got the flash to fire once, and then the camera stopped working again. Does anyone here know of some secret-sauce way to rig an external battery pack for the Spectra, perchance?<br /><br />Anyone?</p>

<p>Cheers,<br>

Tuan</p>

Scott, in addition to joining OMP, try modelmayhem.com. There are plenty of entry-level models on there that would probably love the opportunity to test with you.

 

Don't worry about the hate you get on here - you have the right attitude (i.e. determination and lack of fixation on gear) and your portfolio, while not pro-class yet, does show promise.

 

I myself am trying to "break in," so to speak, and I'm only a little farther along in the process than you. The best advice I can give, though it's probably pretty obvious, is to shoot, shoot shoot. Test shoot with anyone and everyone - your friends, your neighbors, and your relatives in addition to models - and hone your skill. I find that MUAs are much harder to attract than models as they are rarer - so once you have a decent portfolio using models that do their own makeup, you will probably find it easier to get a MUA to donate their time and services for test shoots.

 

Feel free to contact me privately if you want - you sound like a reasonable person :)

 

Good luck.

 

Tuan

Yep, I use a form of that form (ha!). I also get them to print their name in addition to signing it so I can read it later.

I'm new at this, but asking the models to bring their favorite music might be a good tactic. Failing that, any of those generic "lounge" electronic mixes you find in the electronica/dance section of your preferred music store would probably do.

What do you feel is lacking about your current lens such that you need to upgrade it? If you answer that question, the replies will become more relevant :)

 

Allen R - she is using a 1.6x crop body. a 50mm 1.8 is probably the ideal portrait lens.

 

Also, I do not recommend the 50mm f1.4 - I have this lens, and I feel that any difference between it and the 1.8 is negligible. The wider aperture does open it up for a little bit more creativity, but the dof is so shallow that it's useless unless you want an almost soft-focus effect. For 3x the price, it's not worth it.

Yo,

 

So I'm an emerging commercial photog that desperately needs a marketing boost.

Is finding an agent the right move? I think I have the skills and (maybe) the

portfolio together, but I am having a hard time finding clients - I've worked my

network of people I know, and online advertising only goes so far. Will an agent

help? Also, since I have never been represented before, any hints on what sort

of cut they usually get? Any help would be wonderfully appreciated!

 

Cheers,

Tuan

 

PS: See http://corvail.com if you want to see what I can do.

The good: Your pictures stand out - the site is not overdesigned. Navigation is simple and direct.

 

The bad: Same as Mikko says - moving blobs distract from your photos, which should be the only focus here. Your logotype is barely legible. Your range seems to be quite wide (portraits, headshots, environmental portraits) yet i can only select from "Gallery 1" and "Gallery 2" - a very artificial division. Why can't I select between galleries of different types of photos?

 

I also agree with Tiff's comments above to the effect that your portfolio is only as strong as its weakest image.

 

You've got a good start here, you just need some finishing touches and your site will be set :)

 

Tuan

Hey,

 

I'm just starting out myself, but two books that I have on lighting (not so much posing, and not all that much about technique) are:

 

Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait, by Michael Grecco, and

Lighting for Portrait Photography, by Steve Bavister.

 

They both have good photos, layouts of the lighting setup used, and straightforward advice on how to achieve that specific shot. The first point was really important to me - these aren't cheesy 80's style glamour photos (seems like some of the other lighting books are like this) , but good-to-stunning shots you'd actually see in a publication. I bet you could find both at amazon.

 

Hope that helps.

Hi,

 

Before going out to buy gear, I would advise just starting with what you have - your camera, lens and built-in flash - and shooting. I know people like to knock on the kit lens, but it's actually very good and sharp if you stop it down enough. Example:

 

http://striel.com/i/082005.jpg

 

That was with an original digital rebel with the kit lens.

 

I am a strong believer that skill matters more in photography than equipment - at least, until you reach a very high level.

 

Hope that helps.<div></div>