linda degrasse

<p>Pasha,<br>

I liked the site right away...everything seems to fit. You have a very obvious style and I think the site is in keeping with that style. I also found it easy to navigate through the entire site, easily getting where I wanted to go and back. You have some very nice photographs and I really like your style.<br>

About the music...I sometimes open sites in public places, or at my office, so it is sometimes uncomfortable to have music automatically start. It would be nice if there was a choice of whether or not to have it turned on.<br>

Good luck...</p>

<p>I purchased the refurbished Intuos 3 through Amazon Warehouse that Christy mentions. It works like new. There are a few very minor scuffs on the outside edges, but the working surface is perfect. It is a much cheaper way to give them a try. I was worried about the adjustment period, especially since I am a leftie, but there really hasn't been much of an adjustment for me. I use the tablet with my left hand and my regular mouse with my right. I think if you try it, you will absolutely love it.</p>

<p>I would include Exposure Manager on your list for sites to check out. The answer is "yes" to all of your questions. Very simple to set up, courteous and prompt customer service (for you AND your clients). You set the prices and they handle all the rest...if you want them to. I like them because if I choose to I can let them handle everything but the printing and shipping and I can do that myself. However, if you do it that way you are responsible for collecting sales tax. Their prints are very, very nice.</p>

<p>I have a couple of suggestions for you that I found really helpful. I believe it would be useful to spend time, and I mean a lot of time, looking at other photographer's websites. Over the years I can't tell you how many hours I have spent studying other people's photography. It helps to develop an eye for what really looks good...and what doesn't. Developing that eye will assist you greatly when going through your own photographs. You will see them in a way that you don't see them now.<br>

It seems that your real interest may be people. If that is true, perhaps you should focus more on portraits. That being said, I might recommend reading some books that relate to portrait photography. It would be very helpful in learning about lighting and posing, among other things. For instance, <strong>Children</strong> by David Wilson; <strong>Master Posing Guide for Portrait Photographers </strong> by J. D. Wacker; <strong>The Best of Children's Portrait Photography</strong> by Bill Hurter...to name just a few. You can usually find good used copies on Amazon for a fraction of the cost. You could do a search on this site for other suggestions.<br>

Don't be discouraged. I think you just need to spend time learning more about lighting and posing your natural instincts will do the rest. So, study, read, and practice, then practice some more, more, more......</p>

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<p>I have experience with Exposure Manager. Easy to set up and upload images. You can set your own prices and offer a variety of sizes and papers and gifts. They handle everything if you want to do it that way, but unlike SmugMug, you are allowed to self-fullfill if you ever wanted to do your own printing. I don't know about Zenfolio. As far as I could see, their prices are the best. Their customer service is excellent and they have some great features. Right now they have a membership special going on. It's worth checking them out and they have a trial period, which I think is 2 weeks. They have been very professional and I have had very positive feedback from people who have purchased from me through them. <br>

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<p>I like the site, and I like your work. Your gallery takes a little too long to load, but I was really intrigued and wanted to see what you had in there. I'm glad I was patient and waited. The dark and moody images are great, and all of your images seem consistently real. I like the feel of them.<br>

Aside from the slightly long loading time for your gallery, the only thing I would mention is that it wasn't apparent to me at first that I needed to "click" on the photo to move through the images. I was a little confused at first and while moving my mouse around I chanced across the word "click." It wasn't real obvious. Maybe it's me and other people won't find that to be an issue.<br>

I read your bio and it seems that you have made a really good start down that path you mentioned.</p>

<p>...and they add a nice catchlight to the eyes, which you may or may not get with only natural light.</p>

<p>I agree with Rob. I think you should check for a clogged print head.</p>

<p>Yes, by all means, get Joe McNally's book. You'll read it from cover to cover. Also, check out David Hobby's website, Strobist. Two lights can take you a long way if you have some other things to use. You'll have better luck using the white backdrop rather than the black. You'll have enough trouble having enough light without trying to light the black.<br>

I would use the D300 and shoot RAW, not jpeg. You'll get nice big files.<br>

I would also check out other photographer's websites and see how they light and get some ideas.<br>

Good luck and have fun!</p>

<p>Yet another vote for Cameta. I have purchased quite a number of refurbs from them over a few years and have never been disappointed. The equipment is like new and the warranty is good also. I have always found them to be great to deal with.</p>

<p>I just recently purchased a NEC monitor...LCD2090UXI. It's a $1000 monitor, but I was able to find a refurbished one on the NEC website. It comes with a one-year warranty and the price is a mere $299. They have gotten very good reviews.</p>

<p>I think they are all very good! You have a really good eye. If you are this good starting out, you may want to consider doing it all the time. It was obviously a very beautiful wedding and you did a beautiful job. I'm sure that your friend must absolutely delighted!</p>

<p>I charge a fee up front to cover my time, shooting as well as post-processing. Then I upload the images to Exposure Manager. I can set my own prices and the clients go to the website and purchase whatever they want. You can self-fulfill if you want to, printing your own. Or, you can let EM do the printing. If you go that way, they take care of the shipping and even put it in an envelope that has your name and address on it. Looks like it came from you.<br>

The people at Exposure Manager are very professional, friendly, and helpful. I love the site and am doing very well with them. Check them out. They have a 14 day free trial that will show you how easy it is and, if you have a photo session coming up, you can experiment with it and try them out. You can tell them I referred you and get $5 off by following the link.<br>

http://www.exposuremanager.com/aff/lindadegrasse<br>

I agree with others, if you give them a CD with the photos on them, they are not going to purchase any from you. If you MUST provide a CD, then certainly make it a low res and you could also add a watermark.<br>

Good luck!</p>

 

I thought I should also add that your built-in flash must be open to act as commander and you have to set your sb800's as remote flashes.

Go into your custom settings, go to "built-in flash", there is a setting in there that allows you to use your built-in flash as "commander" but will not flash. The setting you will select looks like this: -- It's in the manual, just a pain to find.

I have been buying and selling on ebay almost as long as there has been an ebay. I am a very cautious buyer and only buy from people with plenty of feedback AND that have no negative feedback. If need be, ask a lot of questions. Use your common sense and if it feels risky, just walk away.

 

My transactions have included cameras, lenses, flashes, among other items. I have had no problems, selling or buying. Cameta Camera is one seller that has been around a long time and I have purchased from them quite a few times. The first time was from an ad in Shutterbug years ago, most recently, a NEW Nikon D200 with Nikon's 1 year warranty. They can sometimes beat B&H prices, not always. I really would not hesitate to purchase from them.

 

Just be cautious and check things out carefully.

My favorite thing to do with a group like that is to chat with them, get to know them a little while I get things set up. They usually warm up to me and seem to be really relaxed. I know they don't forget that I'm taking a photograph of them, but they are no longer focusing on it. We just keep on chatting and then they begin to interact with each other. That's when things happen and I can always get something very real, very natural. I can still be in control and give some direction, but it is much less posed and more natural. That's what I like and that's how I like to shoot.

There is always the large white sheet trick. You would have to find some way to hang it. The other thing is, does it have to be inside? I don't know what climate you live in but you can possibly get a very nice portrait taken on a front porch, steps, on or near garden walls, things like that. As already mentioned, you could always just use your house, as your mother loves it and it may seem more intimate. Others may come up with better ideas. Best luck.

Carrie, I really love your photographs. You have a very natural style that I appreciate.

 

I don't like music on websites. It is quite often inappropriate and it can be very embarrassing if I am doing a little browsing while at work. That being said, I must admit that I had a completely different feeling while looking at AND listening to your site. I didn't feel that the music detracted from your photographs at all. Quite the contrary. I felt that it added to the sweetness and innocence of the children and it couldn't be more appropriate. Perhaps there is some way to add a button to shut off the music for those who don't want to hear it.

 

I give your site a great big thumbs up!

 

Linda

Works fine for me also...Windows XP and Firefox.

Your b/w photos are quite flat, you need to work on your lighting. If you spend time searching this site you will find some very helpful information on lighting and references to some good websites. The resources are out there.

 

Also, you need to work on your posing. I found a couple of the images to be somewhat interesting, but for the most part they are not. There are plenty of good books on both lighting and posing and just visiting websites of photographers can give you some very good ideas.

 

Of course, the best thing is to shoot, shoot, shoot. I think when you begin it is sometimes difficult to "see." For me, it was essential to spend a lot of time looking at images in books on lighting and posing and also looking at every professional portrait that I could find.

 

Don't be discouraged if people give you short answers. Even the short answers can be very useful.

I agree with J Anon about the B&Ws. Other than that I think they look good. Congratulations on your beautiful little girl.

I was under the impression that you could not upgrade the educational version. When CS2 came out I purchased a PS6 version and then the CS2 upgrade. I purchased them both on that auction site (you know the one). I had no problems registering either one of them. I wound up getting a full legal version of CS2 for the sum total of $225. Quite a savings. I will probably go the same route for the CS3 upgrade. If have a limited budget you could check out that option. Just be very careful who you buy from and make sure that you can register the software before you buy. Good luck.

Really Right Stuff has a couple of nice choices. They both allow you to take portrait and landscapes photos while still keeping the flash at the top. I purchased what I believe they call their "portrait package." They just came out with another one that is for professional wedding photographers. I have been very pleased with what I have, but think that the other may be more to my liking, as I believe I could use it and also have my D200's built-in flash popped up. I like to use it as the master flash (not firing but just tripping the others). I can't pop up the built-in with the bracket I have. At any rate, you do want to get your flash off your camera. Best luck.

If it were me, I would give them everything with my condolences.

 

"Why is it these pictures are so precious to them now that the kid is dead but unimportant before hand?"

 

If you have to ask the question, I am not sure that you will understand the answer. I am a parent with a "dead kid" and I can tell you that anything and everything to do with that "dead kid" is more important than anything. Better for you to remain in ignorance than for you to learn through experience.

 

So many people wonder why it has taken them so long to get back to the subject of these photos. It sometimes takes a long to start that long journey back to regular life. You must understand that you are never able to return to "normal." Normal is different now.

 

As I said, I would give them everything. Believe me when I say that they have been through hell.