chris_s___hampton_roads_va

I'm using the Lexar 80x 2G cards (shooting a D2H)...RAW files are written in about 1/2 second each... are you shooting compressed or uncompressed? Compressing, while saving space, takes longer to write to the card...

Unless you immediately need the jpg for outputting, I'd stick with RAW only, to save a litle extra space. What camera are you shooting with? I normally get 600 or so one ONE of my 2G cards(using my D2h)...! Yikes!

You'll be happier doing it all in RAW, if for no other reason that in greatly accellerates the workflow (at least it did for me)!

if you're using a flash template (yours is from Winklet right?), you can have music added & not have to fuss with the .fla file..I got mine from winklet, & they added a track I supplied for nothing (I used an entire song, instead of the brief clip they had in it, to try to keep it from being "repetitive & boring," as the previous poster put it...he's right by the way...it easily CAN get that way!

Bruce Fraser's "Real World Camera Raw for Photoshop CS2" is a must if you're new to RAW...It's a great book, and also has alot of automation info that will help developing your workflow. With RAW, what you might want to do is create a new "camera default" for your camera(s), if you see something have to change continually (explained in depth in Fraser's book)...once you do it for awhiule, you might not shoot jpg again--I sure don't: it's more flexible AND easier, once you get your workflow routine down. Do invest in the above book-you'll be happy you did!

I recently got the Lightsphere, and am still learning the ins & outs of it--though I have found Kari's observation on the distance thing right on...it's not great for any real distance. Heck, I used it ON the Stroboframe, and took it off when I thought I needed to. That also takes care of the pesky vertical side shadow. So, errr--both?

Hampton Roads VA

thanks Mary!

CS2 & Bridge is great...once you get used to it, and develop an efficient workflow, you'll be surprised at just how much more you can get done in very little time by automating things.

ditto on the YAHOO... run away! I use GNXonline.com and am very pleased with the service I've gotten, other than response to some support requests being a little slow. Winklet templates are great too; I just moved to one from a site I'd created, and I'm getting great compliments on it!

auto levels/contrast/color: not the best results normally. You'd be best to avoid them to prevent having to redo most shots. Do you shoot RAW by chance?

after finding I had to do alot of the same thing to most of my images in RAW (I use ACR), I made changes, then saved them as "camera default" for my camera--you can set different "camera defaults" for each different camera you use...it really comes down to taste, but this makes it easy to get what you like without having to change settings each time.

I've got the 100GB Wolverine device, and have been very happy with it (it was only about $300 when I got it from B&H), and at one wedding was initially backing up & rotating cards, as I do on days of shooting teams/action, but after I bent one of the pins on which the CF card slides on to(thankfully at a ball game, and not a wedding...I STILL don't know how I managed that!), I just decided that for weddings it was safer to load up on cards, instead of a techincal problem keeping me from backing up cards or causing me to run out of storage because I couldn't back them up. Also, in the back of my mind was the "what if" thing: what if I got mixed up & deleted a card full of shots before I backed them up? What if the portable drive didn't complete the backup, and I didn't notice, because I was shooting something at the time? The thought just scared me, so at leat for weddings, the cards stay full until I can back them up at home.

I'm using ProShow to put together DVD slideshows, and tried the demo

of Producer to see how much more capability/quality of product it

could give me...I sure didn't see a whole lot of difference between

the two in options, unless I didn't look closely enough. Does anyone

here use Producer, and if so, does the difference in what it offers

make it worth the price difference?

I like it, but it does pretty much pigeon-hole you as a child photographer (which is great, if it's the case!)...I do cards for folks too (they're on my site), but they tend to be more graphic. I like it, but I think I'd like it more with some color, or maybe a backscreened image in B&W around the photo...

I'm considering purchasing a package of Alien Bee lights, one of which

includes a Vagabond portable power supply.... has anyone used this in

a wedding setting, and if so, was it worthwhile? I'm trying to decide

to go for this, or a different setup offered with a 4th light & big

softbox instead...thanks in advance!

I ordered one myself from garyfongstore.com, and had confirmation quickly...

I'm using an SB800 for wedding/reception shots, and would like

practical input from wedding shooters: I've been pretty happy with the

job the flash does with and without the included diffuser-they've done

a lot of work to get things right; would there be much to gain by

using a product like the lumishpere? I see glowing opinions of it, but

is it more ir less effective with certain models of flash?

thanks!

#2 indeed!

You certainly want to give your client what they want (within reason of course); I'd just make sure to mention your potential composition concerns, so that they know that if the composition is not as good as it could be, it's likely due to keeping things within their required aspect ratio--potentially resulting in the 'dead space'.

the easiest thing to do is to include on any paperwork that the customer agrees to let their images be used in portfolios, etc, unless they opt not to... your rival's just ruffling yor feathers; it's not so much illegal (as I understand it) as much as a potential violation of customer privacy/rights.

I do all photo work for a rec league, and in the paperwork for signups is a section to this effect.

try using Aperture Priority mode, set the lens wide open (lowest number possible), and the shuuter speed will vary, but give you good results (providing enough light). How long is your 2.8?

one technique that's quick & usually yields good, flexible results is to duplicate your background layer, apply a heavy gaussian blur to it, them lower the opacity of the blurred layer to taste. Once you get the overall look you like, add a mask & paint in areas you want a sharper appearance in.

using flash, I'd go with the 18-70...

machine muscle & memory is the key...I'm maxed on my rig (4GB), & Bridge & ACR is really fast for me... 1500 or so shots per day of shooting & it lets me sort, rename, add copyright, etc in short order. Make sure to let the cache finish building before you really do anything, because that will definitely slow things down!

I definitely like your shots better than the "local news photographer" shots; they just look cleaner to me color-wise, and what you're doing works better for lighting too... I'd keep doing things as-is, and see if the news folks are looking for a new eye (yours!). Your shots are much better, IMO.

the 85 1.4 is great for basketball, I've just started using it and am very pleased, though it's a little tight for some shots (I switch to the 50 1.4 for these). It's not cheap, but a great lens, for sure!