mikepalo

Also from the design of the housing/port something would have to be OBVIOUSLY outta place to be hanging infront of the lens. I do not have anything free hanging on the housing that could possibly hang down that low. Also the banding was in PERFECT lines. I think the others are right that it was a simple case of the sync speed. But if you do think it was something else I can test or look at please let me know I dont want to lose a perfect picture because of this in the future.<p>-Mike

Well there are other shots in the series of shots from this specific dive that came out perfect. There are also shots with only the top blacked out and others with only the bottom. It was not specific to one or the other. I did change the shutterspeed throughout the dive up to even 1/2000s which makes complete sence that some of the pictures werent even just darkened but BLACK bars through the top and or bottom.<p>

 

-Mike

I cant belive I didnt think of taht. I am so sorry for wasting anyones time the max sync shutter speed on the 200 is 1/250s i was shooting double/triple/Quadrupal that...the shutter was closing too fast...hence I was getting the inside edges of the shutter as the strobe fired. The faster I had the speed the thicker the bands were and of stronger intensity.<br>

<p>

So to solve this problem I'd lower the shutter speed to 1/250s but then my shots were whitewashing from too much light if i stop down farther that should fix it, but what if i stop down all the way and still whitewash? If I turn the strobes off I lose the color underwater so what do I do about bright scenes where the strobes are too bright? <br>

<p>

-Mike

Ok I have been shooting underwater with point and clicks for some time, but I am new to shooting underwater with

a semi-professional set up, and am having a slight bit of an equipment issue. <br>

<p>

First I guess my equip:<br>

<p>

Nikon D200<br>

Micro-Nikkor 60mm Macro lens<br>

Sea&Sea DX200 housing<br>

Flat port <br>

2x Ikelite DS-125 Sub strobes <br>

<p>

I took them down on my first day time dive with them today and noticed an issue with some of the shots i got

back. Ignore the subject it doesnt matter in this shot, this is just a good clear example of the issue im having.

I am getting black bands of varying intensity on either the top or bottom of the picture or as in this picture on

both.<br>

<p>

<a href="http://s448.photobucket.com/albums/qq208/mpalozzola/?action=view&current=DSC_3865copy.jpg"

target="_blank"><img src="http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq208/mpalozzola/DSC_3865copy.jpg" border="0"

alt="Dark Banding"></a>

<p>

Was shooting on <br>

ISO: 100<br>

F/: 4<br>

Shutter: 1/640s<br>

WB: Fluorescent (I know it was wrong but that would only effect the color not this banding issue)<br><br>

Strobe power 1/8th<br>

Strobes were softened by white plastic covers<br>

<p>

Anything else you need just ask.<br>

<p>

Thanks for your help<br>

-Mike Palozzola

Also to add another question on top of the pile. She is rather pale skinned, I'm not talking Irish Pale or Never seen daylight pale, but she says her skin blows out in sunlight really easy from previous experience. Any suggestions for that? Just stick to the golden hours?

<p><p>

<b>John</b>A roof top could be doable...a flat roof top is a WHOLE 'nother story tho. Are u saying build a tent on the rooftop? or was that another train o thought? I understand the need for reflectors but the other person im not sure who she'd be comfortable with there if anyone....

I appreciate that David but as I mentioned earlier I don't have the cash to be buying any new equip(or learning products) right now. If there would be a site you could direct me to where I could read up on the modifications to light you are talking about, Id appreciate it greatly :)

Thank you to everyone who has responded so far... Ok firstly some broad stuff i have failed to mention or make

clear, just so people don't waste their time:

<br>I have No studio :( ,

<br>I do not have any lighting other then the pop flash and any natural light we can work with (thank god she

wants as much natural light as possible :) )

<br>The worst part of it all ...I don't have the money to buy the equipment I honestly should probably be using

for this right now :(

<p>But luckily I have sat down with her and spoken to her a little more about what she wants after reading

through a lot of threads and looking at a lot o pics here on the site. And the line should be much easier to "stay

away from" then I previously thought. One thread mentioned if ur working with a model you know. To study them a

bit before you even pick up a camera. To figure out exactly what makes them attractive what are their strong

points physically/facially/emotionally and to focus on those features in the shots. Her favorite physical

features are her neck/back/butt, suddenly with that in mind shots are seeming to pop into my head that could work

very easily which would be much less risque.

<p><b>Kelly</b> Thank you I appreciate that small tidbit being as what I mentioned with her back/buttox being

something that will most likely be in the shots I will let her know of anything we can do to avoid lines :)

<p><b>Matt</b> I will bring that up to her but Im not sure how comfortable she would be doing something in the

water, as anyone who has worked in water knows...It is a VERY hard medium to work with. (also seeing as neither

of us have a personal pool that leaves us in the ocean or in public again lol)

<p><b>Guy</b> I do understand what u are saying about the line being wider depending on ur audience, but at the

same time since these are shots at her request I believe she will be the one deciding the audience and I just

don't want the shots to come out raunchy looking. I would like to really do her justice. And I know that wont

necessarily happen the first time. And I told her that. I have let her know how limited my experience is with

people and told her id be willing to work with her if she was willing to work with my learning curve.<br>Also

seeing how I do not have a studio to work with most likely we will have to work in either her apartment or mine.

So I will keep the paper over the window DURING THE DAY...in mind because I have seen that form of lighting

before and I do like that.

<p><b>Nathan</b> Honestly I agree with you I'm not ready to shoot the nudes yet. I have already told her that I

do want to do a few Bikini and Clothed shots first so we can learn to work with each other and learn how each

other work and what each is going to want. The getting arrested pt is a good pt I will keep that one in mind

because I hadn't even thought o that one. I was thinking worst case scinario we get thrown outta somewhere like

the beach

<p><b>Guy...again</b> I would place her more as an acquaintance whom I am fond of, which presents its own set of

problems. I mean I can keep things professional that's not a problem, But I do not want to disappoint her. I mean

as I said she does know my limited experience with people, she has seen my photographs and knows my preferred

subject but still I want to do her justice<br>Also the static thing I believe comes from the fact that she

doesn't like the .......tilt ur head 3 degrees to the right now move ur hand 4 inches to the left. She is a very

mobile, flowly, active person. So I think the stoic locked in positions are what bothers her, and therefore, with

her being uncomfortable, she then tenses up and pictures resulting look very ........whats the word...well u know

what im going for.

Well she does want something ...natural in lighting...the only problem is beign in S.Fl...there is NO where I could take her outside lol

Ok here is the deal as anyone who looks at my profile can see i have VERY limited experience with photographing

people. I shoot mainly wildlife/landscapes. But I have a friend who has been to professional studio's before and

says they always make her look like a static doll when they try and shoot her, I'm familiar with that "style" of

portrait photography, I hate it actually, but that's a whole 'nother issue. She has requested that I photograph

her. So I am looking for first any advice people would be willing to give about photographing people in a very

natural setting (no studio/available light and pop flash only/etc) Also well as to make my life even more

difficult she is extremely interested in shooting a number of nude shots. I want to do her justice, and I dont

want the shots to come out looking like a series of raunchy porn shots(I know there is a VERY fine line between

art/porn). So I was wondering also if there is any advice out there to be had to photographing a woman nude? Any

tidbits of information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time.

<p>

<p>

-Michael Palozzola

"since you never know when you'll sneeze while changing lenses" ... lol the funny part is actually this is almost exactly what happened...but i wasn't changing the lens i was cleaning the sensor with a blower when i sneezed. :( <p> -Mike

I have tried a blower repeatedly it does not work they are unfortunately not fibrous or dust in nature. :( One or two of them may be fibrous because this picture was taken after my last attempt with the blower but as a whole most of it is not. Thank you for all your assistance :)

<p>

-Mike

I have a Nikon D200. My camera has managed to get small specks of ....stuff..on

the CCD it is not Dust I have tried a blower it does not work. So my issue is

the CCD needs to be cleaned. My local Ritz Camera says it will cost between

$200-$300 to have it cleaned. Is there any way I can do this on my own without

risk to the camera? Are there any specific tools/techniques anyone can point me

to to clean this? <p><p><p>

 

<a

href="http://s131.photobucket.com/albums/p316/Photoragon/?action=view&current=DSC_2800.jpg"

target="_blank"><img

src="http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p316/Photoragon/DSC_2800.jpg" border="0"

alt="Photobucket"></a>

<p>

You can see the worse of the artifacts in the top of the picture top right and

top center.

<p>

Thanks for any Help and Advice

 

<p>

 

-Mike

Im back from my trip. It was unbelievable. I came back with alot of pictures so i will probally spend the next few weeks filtering through them and adding a few pics each day so check my gallery often if you wish.

The p-5000 worked great I loved it. It was fantastic for what I needed gave me exactly what I needed to be able to do with little extra space taken up in my camera bag. Would Suggest it as a MUST for anyone doing any sort of trip that has them weight restricted. It was great for people around me to be able to look thro my pictures as well.

lets see some shots, I would love to see the shots of the Panther. I have lived in Florida for 7 years and never seen one especially not when I had a camera with me. you were very lucky there. Im surprised that shark valley didnt provide any better, ive been there quite a few times and there are always an abundance of birds/Alligators/etc. Last time I was there in november I spend most the day photographing babys smaller then 6 or 8 inches, to to see nothing other then anhinga and blue heron really surprises me :( Sorry.

I have to be really careful, I dont have the money to buy another card before I leave, I had some un expected expensise...i flooded the strobe on my underwater camera, and needed to get it replaced before I leave. So I am stuck with only 2 cards. It looks like for this trip I am going to need to rely on Epson's good name to get me through. If the drive currupts within 1 month of me owning it I will not be a happy camper..the p-5000 is not a cheap toy :) ....I am leaving May 14th and I will be returning June 7th for anyone who is iterested. I will be posting my best pics up on photo.net as soon as I have the money for a suscription.

I think i have finally made my decision....After looking in depth into the two main competators for my needs the Epson p-5000 and the Jobo Giga Vu Pro Evolution. I have found that specs wise they are nearly Identical. But after getting lucking in a google search I found this

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/the-best-harddrive-storage-device/

Exactly what I was looking for a direct Side By Side comparison between the 2 products I was looking at. I am going to order the P-5000 from B&H photo in NY on tues or wends and then wait anxiously by the door till it comes and I can play with it! :) unless anyone has any last minute reasons why the P-5000 is a bad choice.

Hmm a stand alone DVD burner...interesting...unfortunatly i wont be able to bring a laptop which would be the best solution, also I only have enought money to buy one storage device..:( and I only have 2 4gig memory cards, I cant afford more then taht right now. So I have to work with what I can ...after doing some more digging I am looking into the Giga Vu Pro Evolution or the Epson P-5000, these two are both more expensive then I was hoping but they seem to be the best as far as being able to deal with my camera's abilities, such as the 10megapix and the raw format. ...anyone on here have one of these items or used em?

I cant garuntee computer access

power isnt a problem they have electricity its just that my laptop is like 20 pounds, our checked baggage can only be 50lbs and I already have two carry on's being a scuba diver, bringing my regulators and cameras on board. Also we are going to have to lug all of our baggage around, were not just staying in one place, there is the potential for having to hike a good distance with all our baggage.

I am preparing to go to the Galapagos Islands for four weeks in about a month. I

do not want to lug my laptop with me since it is a very heavey HP. But I have a

Nikon D200 which I will be bringing. I have 2x 4 gig cards that I am going to be

shooting with, but as most of you can sympathise with 2x 4 gig cards might last

me the first day on the Islands, definitally not 4 weeks unless I turn my

quality all the way down to low and small(Not an option).

 

My question is I want to buy a photo viewer that I can use while I am in the

Galapagos. Something I can download my photos onto and look through them at

night so I can delete the junk wihtout having to stare at a 2.5" screen for

hours. I was looking into the Epson P-2000,3000,5000 series, but the more I look

into it the more I am unsure about their capabilites. Have any of you used any

of these three items, or another brand another product that does what I am

looking to do.

 

Here is what I am looking for:

 

Fast transfer time

Large Storage space

RAW support for the Nikon D200

Clear Larger screen to view on

Ability to view and delete

small and compact

 

I cant find exact comparison of any of these things between the three models I

have looked at.

 

I would appreciate any Input. Thank you very much

 

Michael Palozzola

Hey Ive lived in South FL for like 7 years Shark Valley is one great place to shoot close contact with gators, birds, insects etc, but it depends wehre ur gonna be. the everglades is HUGE. if your gonna be too far north for Shark valley then try Loxehachee Wild life reserve off of 441 in north boca. It has alot of paths to walk and a cypress swamp it has canoeing over a 5km canoe trail lots of opertunity for birds and gators, ummm...I shot there for sunset on New years eve it was beautyful more birds then I have ever seen...1000's of gackles shooting the sunset with masses of them was really fun. umm but yeah in loxehachee there are alot of paths and walk ways, also maybe try to find some less known places, I dont know of any really back water places, but try to find some place that few people go. Maybe talk your way into an airboat that is willing to go deep in the everglades and shut off the engine for a while.. let us know how it all goes

I am not a professional Photographer, I am barely an amature photographer, but I have grown up loveing photography, loveing the life a picture can capture. My father has been playing with a camera well before I was even a thought. I have no formal photo training other then what I have learned from him. There are a few things I do know though from my mild experience and from pouring over 1000's of pictures. The subject is not alwasy the most important part of an image. My fathers motto, which I have taken as my own, "Light is King." You can have the most simplest image with a special lighting situation behind it and have it be one of the most beautiful picutres. As far as what you are thinking while you are shooting. I find you cant think about it. Not with what I like to shoot. I shoot mostly nature, and in nature you have a split second, you have to see the shot coming together in your mind. But once the viewfinder is up the thinking stops and you have to go with your intuition. Afterwards go through your thoughts, why did I see this shot as worth the "click?" and did it work for me. Was the shot worth it or not? Think before, Think after, but when the shot comes before you trust your instinct.