genecraft

<p>I ditto Dieter 2. Whenever I go out to take pics, even on shorter trips, I never catch myself saying, "Why the hell did I bring this equipment." Instead, I relax more b/c I know I have options b/c I took the trouble to carry the crap around with me. <br>

You'll be sorry if you don't take a tripod. Get a lightweight one and you can hook it to your backpack, and in a pinch, swing it widely and futiley at an angry bear.<br>

Have fun. </p>

<p>Should have photo'd the officer...."Smile, Officer....now, work it, work it...thats' it, give me angry fascist...that's it, work it...yeah baby, yeah"</p>

<p>A great moment was captured and I like the image. Good angle and perspective. Clear subject with a lot going on. I think, though, that the angle and the elements of the image make it a little left heavy. The hand, bright arch, red carpet and floor lines, and half-face on the left make it feel a little unbalanced (that half face is very distracting; get that clone stamp working in PS). <br>

Is this a crop or is there nothing left on that side? There seems to be a little more room on the right, which adds nothing, that can be eliminated so you could move it to the left to provide a little more balance. Notwithstanding my comments, which are easy to make as I sit here just looking and analyzing, the B & G will love it. Good job.</p>

<p>Drew: Unfortunate, but hysterical.</p>

Definitely get shots of anybody there who might be advanced in years with the birthday person. I've taken a few of these events and they tend to be slow moving and there's no guarantee that the birthday girl's son Bucky and his crew won't show up wearing cutoff jeans,t-shirts, and thongs. Point is that these events are usually less formal. The surroundings are less formal and so are the attendees. Context is less important (IMHO). So, I try to fill the frame more by ignoring the environment and grabbing faces with expressions and conversations as they occur. It's a good time to take less formal family portraits. Another thing I do, in part, is stand back while other people are taking shots. I can then take a side shot of the people posing to add a different perspective without red eye. Did I mention that the lighting is usually bad?

 

Don't forget to do a few closeups of the presents with the big, red, obligatory "50th" placard somewhere in the scene.

 

Oh, one last thing...I've noticed that people get peturbed if you take pictures of them shoveling red pepper pasta salad in their mouths. I usually take a break then or take shots of the other things. I might even take pics of the room just for the memory of it all, nothwithstanding what I said earlier about ignoring the environment. If people are eating then they aren't forming lines for the toilets that might interfere with that angled shot of the wood bar you want (you don't want that memory even if they are forming an S curve).

On a more serious note, let me add a couple of observations. First, we apply the same compositional rules to a photographic composition as we do to a painting. Second, most photographers apply a thought process when taking an image. What's my subject? How do I simplify the image and emphasis the subject. What is interesting about this subject/context/lighting? It doesn't matter that we can't control every aspect of an image as a painter does on a blank canvas. And, it doesn't matter how well the photographer met his or her goals. The result is an image of a subject depicted in a way that expresses something about the photographer and his or her views on the subject. It is a form of communication that expresses emotion and thought. I think that's the purpose of art.

Pnina:

Artfully stated.

Alice: Might seem like an obvious suggestion, but maybe the tent will be setup the day before. If so, then grab a couple of volunteers as models and practice the night before with any lighting methods you choose. Get the bugs worked out beforehand.

The CCD in my A-1 went a month or two ago. Started showing horizontal lines in the LCD and downloaded

pics. It would sometimes work, then went completely white. I just got it back from Sony. They replaced the

CCD for free, paid for shipping, and even cleaned the outside. Excellent service. Took about 2 weeks total turn

around. So, it seems that they didn't end the recall program in 2007.

 

Good luck.

Tara: I have a Canon i9900 at home. I love it. Great print quality and speed. Capable of printing large prints at 13 x 19. I only use it for personal printing (just a hobbyist but I insist on quality prints). Keep in mind the ink is not archival quality, so you may want to pursue a lab that can work with you to meet your deadlines (yeah, I know, hard to find) if that's an issue. But, you won't be disappointed with the i9900.