constantine1

I also own the Profoto 5' octa and love it. I've also looked for a less expensive grid but haven't found one to date. The Profoto version runs $536 of B&H right now for the 50 degree softgrid.

<p>Great photos! You definitely have the gist of using the strobes figured out and your settings look good. Now it's just practice, practice, practice.</p>

<p>Also, make sure you practice (a lot!) with using the green screen in post-production. It can be tricky to get it just right and replace it with an image. Make sure you have it down and are completely confident in the process before taking on a paid gig.</p>

<p>Nice work though (and what a great model)!</p>

<p>You will definitely want to use strobes for school lighting vs. continuous lighting, for many reasons. The D1's are a great system and perfect for this.</p>

<p>The modeling lights are just lightbulbs used to mimic the light coming off the strobe, so you can preview where the highlights and shadows will fall when the strobes are fired. It helps you make changes to your lighting setup quickly and see exactly what you are going to get before shooting the photo. The results will be more easily seen in a darkened room. <br>

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The D1's have 2 modes for the modeling lights - proportional mode and "free" mode. On proportional mode, the modeling lights will be brighter as the strobes are set brighter (from 4-10). On free mode, they will be on full power regardless of your strobes settings (4-10). The proportional mode is helpful where you have a key light and fill light, so you can see the shadows and how each light will be in relation to one another.<br>

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Once you get the lights set up and start shooting manual, it will all make sense and you'll be making wonderful photos. There are also a ton of useful videos on YouTube on how to set up and adjust studio lighting.</p>

<p>It looks like you're off to a great start with the gear you have!</p>

<p>For studio lighting, you have several options in your price range. One of the considerations is how big your studio is and what you want to photograph.</p>

<p>Your first option is to use your existing 600EX-RT, mount it on a stand, trigger it remotely with your Yonguno, and bounce the light off an umbrella. For your budget, you can add another 600EX-RT, umbrellas, stands, and perhaps some reflectors and accessories.</p>

<p>Another option is to go with studio strobes, and here in the states one of the best option is to use Paul C. Buff Alien Bees or Einsteins (http://www.paulcbuff.com). I understand they do not ship to the U.K. though. If you can get them, for $500 you can get an Einstein strobe, stand, and umbrella, or for a bit more you can get a pair of AlienBees. Tons of people use these lights here with good results.</p>

<p>I looked on Amazon.com.uk and the only strobes I see offered are the "Neewer" brand. I'm not at all familiar with those, but perhaps others can chime in.</p>

<p>As for a list, to get started you're going to probably want:<br>

1. Two strobes, 500ws power<br />2. Two light stands to mount the strobes on. 2 meters or taller, cushioned ones are nice.<br />3. Some sand bags to drop on the stands so they don't fall over (http://amzn.to/1EY6bp9)<br />4. Triggers to remotely fire the strobes<br />5. Umbrellas. Convertible umbrellas like these http://amzn.to/1Kb0Ly2 are nice - you can use them both as shoot-through or bounce.<br />6. A few reflectors, like these http://amzn.to/1Jn1bC4 <br />7. Extension/power cords</p>

<p>I'm sure others will jump in and help with suggestions and other great ideas.</p>

<p>Sure - let me know your results after you take some photos with those settings.</p>

<p>It takes the shutter about 1/200 second to travel across the camera sensor. Since a studio strobe (flash) is instantaneous by comparison, you need to make sure your shutter is all the way open when the flash fires – if not, you’ll catch a black bar across your photo. Whenever you use the strobes, you'll need shoot fully manual and be sure to keep your shutter speed to 1/200 or slower to avoid getting the black bar in your photo.</p>

<p>Once you get the hang of it, shooting manual is very easy, and it's easy to make exposure adjustments when needed by turning the power of the lights up or down or adjusting your aperture. </p>

<p>The Profoto strobes (and most other studio strobes) do not have HSS. The flash duration on the D1's is 1/2600 (with strobes set at "10", or max power) and 1/1000 (at min power). If you're in a darkened room and the main/only light for your exposure is coming from your strobes, they will freeze the action just like shooting with a shutter speed of 1/2600 during the daytime at the park. Even if the shutter speed is 10 seconds, the light bouncing off your subject is a 1/2600 which is what your camera will record (again, providing there is no other light on your subject).<br>

If the room you're in is bright and you're just using the strobes to add or supplement the light, then you may see some motion blur equal to shooting 1/200 in the park.<br>

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For toddlers in your home, using your strobes and setting your camera to 1/200 will work fine, even if they're moving around. If you absolutely need a faster sync, your other option would be to get a flash mount (like this: http://bhpho.to/1dqMb2P) and use your TTL flash bouncing off an umbrella. Then you can shoot a faster sync speed. That said, your D1's will work great for what you want to do.<br>

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The key to all of this is to set up and practice, practice, practice. Once you understand how to shoot fully manual and make minor adjustments you'll be fine. <br>

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</p>

<p>It sounds like you're getting a real-world education here! I also shoot with the Profoto D1's and love them. Here's how to set them up and get the right exposure:</p>

<p>First, you must be in "M" mode on your camera - all settings need to be manual. Set your ISO to 100, shutter speed to 125, and begin with your aperture at 5.6 or so. Set up your D1 lights as you like them and dial them to power level 6 to start. Now shoot one to test your exposure (preferably on a real person). Adjust the power on the lights until you get the perfect exposure, and you probably will not need to touch it again for most of the 750 subjects.</p>

<p>Now you can focus on everything else, like getting people to smile!</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p> </p>

Chinatown, San Francisco<div></div>

<p>Barbara - it sounds like you did the best you possibly could under those circumstances. It's good that you had a signed contract with them (sounds odd, but many photographers still do work on a handshake). I concur with the above response; do nothing unless their attorney contacts you (which I doubt he will, but you never know). <br>

About the worst that could happen legally is that you end up in small claims court. They tell their side of the story, you share your side of the story, the judge hears both then reviews the contract. I don't see how they could win based on what you've shared.<br>

All that said, if they go around and trash your business name it could do more harm than anything (depending on where you live, etc.). You might consider offering them a small token discount or refund for being unhappy with your work. If that makes it all go away it might be worth saving your time and aggravation.</p>

<p>I sometimes refer to the PhotoQuote software when pricing photos for licensing. Based on a quick check, a single still photo for non-advertising use (i.e. editorial) on national network TV is priced at $625. <br>

Really, it comes down to how bad they want and need this photo and how much you're willing to sell it or walk for. If you're sure this is the best photo they'll be able to find, your photo has more value. If you feel it's very important to you to have a photo you took on a Harpo show, you may consider that value in itself. <br>

A few other thoughts: When/if you license the photo to them, be very clear on what usage you're licensing, for what duration of time, etc. And for the sake of all photographers, please don't give your photo away for free!</p>

<p>Hi John -<br>

It's nice of you to contribute your photography skills to the team and other parents. As a youth sports volunteer myself (usually as a coach), I've had similar experiences with many parents not being as thankful as you would expect for your work.<br>

One insight here – they likely don't see you as a professional photographer because you're always around taking photos of your kid and they think it's only a hobby. You've also opened the gate to giving away free photos, so that may be something difficult to overcome in the immediate future. Nobody really realizes how much you've spent in time and on the hundreds or thousands of dollars on gear to get the photos. It's not just you – so many people think photos should be free, in part because so many people have given away free photos in the past.<br>

What I would suggest doing (and what I've done myself) is to go ahead and photograph the games, trying to get photos of each player, action shots, candids, etc. Take the photos home and build your library of photos, but <strong>don't send them to the parents</strong>. Select only the <strong>very best ones</strong> from each game, then go to your next game and get shots of the players you missed and more action shots. Select the absolute best from that game, and continue onwards. You'll need to set some photos aside that you probably like, but if they're out focus or if you missed the shot, you don't want to share it. Your final folder should have your best work in it.<br>

At the team dinner or end of season celebration, share some of your greatest photos in print or on an iPad. You could give a single photo to each family if you like, then direct them to your website where they can view all the photos and order those photos and a selection of others you've taken over the season. (You can easily set up a website where people can order photos from SmugMug.com and other similar sites. You set the prices, they order, Smugmug prints and delivers the photos, and you get your cut).<br>

Doing it this way, people will see you as a professional photographer because:<br>

1. The photos they see are all of professional quality<br />2. You're charging for your work, and<br />3. You're presenting yourself as a business<br>

Don't be offended if people don't swamp your site and buy all your photos – in reality, you might sell only a few. But to establish yourself as a pro and get the respect the other photographers are getting you'll need to take a different approach. And next season they'll know that you're the team's professional photographer!</p>

<p>From my experience, while there are some inexpensive ways of accomplishing similar tasks, you generally get what you pay for. This doesn't mean that inexpensive gear is junk or doesn't do its job well, but I would consider more than the initial price when comparing gear.<br>

Another question to ask yourself is that if the lights fail and you lost a day or two of productivity each time, how much will that cost you/your company/your employer? If this happens frequently, you would come out ahead by buying better lights on the front end, and save the aggravation as a bonus.<br>

Paul C. Buff has an excellent reputation and the Einsteins are great units. The E640 has a range of 2.5 to 640ws and in the constant color mode the Einsteins are very stable as far as color temperature. There's a more thorough review and comparison here that might help: http://kevsteele.com/blog/profoto-einstein-lighting. A pair of Einsteins will run you about $1k.<br>

Next, you could consider the Profoto D1's. A pair of 500's, including stands, cords, and umbrellas, goes for around $2200. Profoto's products are rugged and can definitely handle the heavy use you're talking about – you (or your client/employer in this case) would get many years of great high-volume use. The Profoto lights are also known for spot-on consistent color temperature and the light is beautiful. See them here: http://tinyurl.com/k6etf9f<br>

There are so many considerations, however the above two options are good ones, I believe. There's a while slew of others out there but these both have great reputations.<br>

Lastly, if you're going to be shooting 10,000 products, even the Profoto D1's work out to around 22 cents per product shot. <br>

I hope this helps!</p>

 

<p><img src="http://www.fathompictures.com/tl_baseball/img/slide-7.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="533" /><img src="http://www.fathompictures.com/tl_baseball/img/slide-14.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="533" /><br>

A few photos from a local JV Baseball Team. I've never photographed baseball before, but came away with a few that I liked. As a bonus, I had the excuse to rent the Canon 100-400mm lens.</p>