bob_bill

Ben, I'm with you on the 150/250 portrait combo on the rb67.

For those fans of Dali, we have a permanent Dali museum here in Tampa.

Joe, great idea, have been using clothes pins c47's and gaffer but I like that. Just got a new roll of velcro. That and some cinefoil is a much cheaper alternative to an egg crate for the only box missing one, a 7' octa.

Andrew, count me in the first group. Most used in declining order, 85, 135 and 50. Would use a 35 for environmental. If I have the room, I would reach for the 135. The 105 is covered with a step or so back or forward from 85 or 105, but 105 is a bit short for a headshot for my taste so I don't own one. I also like the 135 2.0 on a crop, effective 200mm if I can back up for more compression and have 2.0 with bokeh that dusts a zoom.

Michael is absolutely right. As a photographer, you are responsible for everything in the frame including the background. It is up to the photographer to make the decision if the background contributes to the purpose of the shot. He must then decide how much in or out of focus is needed. Like Michael said, if the environment explains or contributes to the shot, by all means, stop down and have it more in focus. If it distracts or does not support the purpose of the shot, if you or the subject can't be moved, then throw it out of focus. Also, remember the viewer's eye goes to the sharpest and area of highest contrast, so making the subject sharp and the rest of the image out of focus drives the viewers eye to the subject. Michael placed the most important word last in the most powerful part of a message, communicate, what he wants communicated. That governs everything from distance to subject and bg, setting perspective, lens angle of view cropping the scene, lighting, camera height, aperture and shutter speed. These are the grammar and vocabulary of photography that transforms a snap shot into an image that has a something to powerfully communicate. I compare making an image to sitting down to your keyboard. You don't just hit random keys. You know what you want to say, then use the keys to make words, sentences and paragraphs that most forcefully expresses what you want to say. Aperture and dof/bokeh is just one of those. Someone who does this isn't taking a photo, he is making one.

Jerry, I had the same sock problem with einsteins. I believe the sock is fireproof material, like nomex, but I tend to keep the modeling light off when using it as a result and in studio, have a fire extinguisher present because of my use of hot lights around fabric, gels and lace. Been a while since I used it and it is possible to use with those lights but Buff has some similar modifiers that fit larger lights and they are less than $100. I have their original parabolic umbrella and diffuser panel and it works great.

I'm sorry, Jochen, but the appropriate viewing distance for painting and photos is 1 to 1.5 times the diagonal of the work... unless you are a photographer, then the viewing distance is the length of the photographers nose. Just kiddin, but love it when folks are looking a a 17x22 a nose length away. Perhaps an extension of pixel peeping to prints.

Yes, plenty of smaller alternatives, but size matters for soft light. The soft lighter is a mainstay for Annie and she has a fit assistant holding it on a stick with strobe head used. The problem I see is you say you have a small space. I don't believe there are egg crates available for softlighters so controlling spill going everywhere in a small space may be difficult and end up requiring large flags that would offset the size and set up tear down time savings. I have a folding speed ring I use on a 3x4 softbox that has an egg crate and it snaps fully open and closed. I use a 7' octa in a narrow space and use a 6.5' square scrim on rolling stand with black/white fabric. It helps block spill going everywhere or the white side can be used as an easily maneuvered reflector because of the rolling stand. You don't say if the clothing is being worn when photoed. Since the clothing is the star, you could use a small octa or beauty dish with grid on the face, even lit a bit darker, and a strip box for the clothes making it subtly brighter to pull the eye to it. One of my strips is from Paul Buff and it opens like an umbrella and has an egg crate. Just some considerations.

Mary, I agree. I am one of those that paid hundred for it many years ago and Silver efex pro is one of my favorites.

William, when on location and a light fails or falls or the weather changes, those words ring so true. What is really hard isn't the adapting etc, it's not letting them see you sweat.

If you are not experienced, scouting is even more important. If you don't have the gear to be able to "adapt, improvise, overcome" as Clint stated in one of his movies, nor the varied skills to do so, even more reason to know what to expect and what to bring or acquire before the shoot. There is more to check to see if there IS light, ie, quantity of light, also determine the quality, ie direction, diffusion, intensity/ contrast, color. Finally, seeing the location gives you some time to mull over potential locations to use and shots and time for, as I describe the creative process, time for sheet to happen.

Windows OS. I'll try that Dieter. Comforting to know I can get it to work. Liked you comment on the 850 vs 810 + 500.

I just upgraded to both Lightroom classic and photoshop 2018. Lost Nik in photoshop. Downloaded again but it doesn't show up in photoshop 2018. I like to edit hot then pull back sliders in PS then go back to LR. Any suggestions what I need to do to get Nik in PS 2018 if that is possible?

Traveling to Seattle from NYC to train in the 70's, an instructor, the first real cowboy I had ever met, gave us some advice we laughed at then, but his words definitely ring true with some living under my belt. He said "all a man needs to be happy is a good dog and a red pickup truck." I have the red truck and perhaps should cease any search for the next ex wife and get a good dog. The dog won't complain about buying photo gear.

Paul, are there any tests that have shown the Fuji to have more accurate white balance and exposure that eliminate technique by the operator?

Paul, lots of ways to skin the exposure cat. Once had a conversation with Joe Bussink, a hollywood wedding photographer who charges upwards of 30k per wedding. He often shoots in Program. I explained to him that M stands for manly and P for well a cat. He explained that when he moves to a different lighting situation, he spot meters on an 18% gray item in the scene and locks exposure on both cameras. Stays with that til he moves to the next exposure. Exposure to me, outside of ratio of my lights, is usually a given and then I concentrate on the shot. As both he and Denis Reggie do, if you have that volume of photos, you might consider hiring someone to take care of that task, say exposure and color. They should be charging way less than your time is worth. I always carry a color checker passport and the seconds to use it in the shot can save way more time in post. Just another possibility to try on for a fit for some circumstances. It helps insure the brides maids dresses are always the same color.

Titles can give context. Took an event shot at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony followed by a laser light show. Turned to see a reflection of the laser light in the glasses of an 18th century Santa behind me. Loved the Avedony contradiction. An 80 foot round trip bouncd flash created short lighting. Submitted to a PPA competition with the title An 18 Century Santa watching a 21st Century laser light show. That context took it from best in class to best in show per the judges. It became on of the 10 best images of the year. Some times context matters. It can also reveal what was the specific inspiration for the shot for the maker beyond making a pretty picture.

Paul, you hit it. We each find the tools, and that is all they are, to accomplish our task. What works for one person may not work for another. Just spent yesterday permanently mounting a 7' octa and speed ring directly to a rolling stand and safety wiring the strobe I hang off the assembly. Not what most folks do, but it is important for me, first, not to drop a large modifier on a client and second, not to drop a $500 strobe on the floor. Your tools and work flow has to work for you. For me, the camera is just a tool, like a circular saw is for a carpenter. As for getting exposure proper on brides, you might want to try finding where the right side of the histogram dies when you have properly exposed the dress for detail and how much you have to open up from meter center to get there . Then take a photo and be sure it dies there . You are good to go. Let the groom fall where he may. He's not the star of that party nor is his rental tux.

Ed, last year I did a night shoot at an Audubon location, Corkscrew Swamp. When you signed in, they told folks not to use anything but a red light and even gave pieces of red gel and rubber bands to put over flashlights. A dozen of us including a ranger all using red lights, were photoing hundreds of roosting birds in front of us on the board walk a mile out into the swamp for half an hour... til someone came along and shined a white flashlight straight at the birds. The birds left. He denied he caused them to leave and walked off.

Andrew, great to hear from someone across the pond who shares this passion for photography. It certainly unites us. Yellowstone is a real treasure. I'm not a landscape guy, but Albuquerque really blew my mind especially the areas surrounding the 2 homes of Georgia O'Keefe if you haven't been there. Your tiddlywinks might have different exposure across the table. It shouldn't change so you could incident meter at either end, and center and be able to quickly make adjustments once they are playing. Gee I wonder if that view finder fluff is buffalo fur?

Andrew, with a Sekonic meter that is calibrated to your sensor, you know precisely the clipping points, no guessing. Spot meter the brightest highlight and pull down the exposure so that is just within clipping and use that setting. Side benefit is that means at the other end of the histogram, you have the best possible blacks without highlight clipping. It takes less time than shooting, chimping, shooting and chimping, checking blinkies and is nice to have the confidence I have exposure so I can concentrate on to the real purpose of the shot, not sharp and well exposed, but actually the reason the shot was taken in the first place. You are exactly right, if you shoot in raw, you are chimping on the jpeg created by the camera. Another layer of inaccuracy. I taught a class on metering a couple years ago and particularly a hand held meter that does both incident and reflective. 50 in the class 2 no use a meter. I guess close enough is good enough for the rest of them. Many times it is, but as a flyfisherman, we always check our knots because the next fish could be the fish of a lifetime. We don't want to loose it. A photographer's next shot could be his shot of a life time. I have photoed youngsters who were going to be dead in a few months, or in one case, they pulled the plug when I was finished. There is no do overs and the shot of my life was one of those.

...It's not only about the weight, but control, 100% exposure control and almost 0% post processing work. How does mirrorless give 100% "exposure control" and what is that? My current dslr has live view, what is the difference? Exposure is no issue for me, I use a meter calibrated to my camera sensor. I address it, it is pretty much a mechanical function and I move on to the real reason of the shot. 0% post processing? So mirrorless automatically knows my vision for the shot, accordingly adjusts black and white point, contrast, shadow highlight, color temp not to mention does things exactly as I envision for blemish removal, wrinkle reduction, skin softening, iris and whites, lips and teeth, hair. It precisely vignettes to my taste. It does all that and I no longer have to do post processing? Sign me up. Who has problems with exposure these days. I have a half dozen other techniques to nail exposure , like the zone system, placement of the right side of the histogram on the wedding dress, compensation for spot metering the skin under the eye, metering a gray card, metering a color and knowing the compensation factor for that color and even chimping away like an amateur, etc etc.

Happy accident, post its. I had a pair of sandals that were the benefit of that creation. Topless sandals. Just a sole. How did they stay on, post it glue. It lasted about a year til dust, dirt and grass clippings stopped it sticking. Was fun to watch people trying to casually look as they puzzled on how the stayed on. Benefit, no tan line

William, it worked. I don't ever remember clicking it before, but now I know it's there. Thanks.

Ed, before I just signed in, your posts are there, but once I just signed in, they are gone??? These boats are 1600-2000 hp each and accelerating out of the turn at either end of the straight, they create their own exhaust haze that you might be interpreting as softness. Upside, is as they are accelerating they throw a great rooster tail. I also had difficulty posting another photo and just couldn't get it to load. I did not hit ignore, don't even know where that is. Oh, well no big deal.