ben__evans

<p>Hi,<br>

I'm photographing a wedding with the dinner held in a particularly nice venue.<br>

I've asked if I can access additional areas, and they've come back with a contract for the areas that are being used anyway AND they want the rights to use all the images commercially.<br>

Nothing about additional payment, nor model releases for the guests. First time this has happened.<br>

My concern is that legally they'd be able to prevent the photography if I didn't agree.<br>

Thoughts?</p>

 

<p>Thanks very much Harry, I'll unload some plugins so it will load faster</p>

<p>Hey,<br>

I've recently launched Barcelona Photography Courses teaching people how to take better photos here, and I wanted a bit of feedback on how the website feels to you, as a photographer.<br>

Do you think that the design and copy are okay? Is it intuitive and easy-to-use, or are there improvements I could make?<br>

Any suggestions and feedback are much appreciated,<br>

Ben<br>

www.barcelonaphotographycourses.com</p>

<p>Thanks all, I'll send it off to Sigma</p>

<p>Ben</p>

<p>Hello Chaps,<br>

I recently dropped a Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens. It was only from ankle height, but it's heavy with the amount of glass used, and it's broken. The actual lens is fine, but the digital connection that talks to the camera has been pushed into the camera body. This means it will only stay at f16. So much for toughness...<br>

Anyway, any ideas how I can fix it? I think it's resale value isn't much so I don't know if a repair bill would be more than a replacement, but it seems a shame to do nothing with it because it's still mechanically perfect.<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>Ben</p>

<p>Thanks all</p>

<p>Hello,<br>

I've just seen the winning fashion photograph for the Digicam photographer of the year award. It's a good shot, but is made by the tones and colours. I think it may have been shot on medium format film, but does anyone know how to go about recreating a similar look with Capture NX or p'shop?<br>

The photograph is here;<br>

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8186422/Digital-Camera-Photographer-of-the-Year-2010-winners.html?image=27</p>

<p>Nobody?</p>

<p>Hi All,<br>

I've got hold of a German 1000w/s studio flash called the t-1000 pro mk2 by a company called Red Dragon. I can't find ANYTHING about the company at all on the web, which strikes me as strange. It works well, and wasn't expensive, so it would be good to hear if anyone's heard of these.<br>

Many thanks</p>

Hi,

 

Not sure what's happened here; I've got loads of .NEF files which a Microsoft RAW viewer enabled me to browse as

thumbnails. I've installed and uninstalled Picasa, and now the thumbnails show up while they're loading, but

settle as the Capture NX icon. Any ideas how I can get them back?

 

Thanks!

Hi,

 

I've just finished my second website, made from scratch - what mistakes can you find with it? It's...

 

www.freshdawn.co.uk

 

Thanks!

 

 

Ben

What a great idea Patrick, best of luck to everyone else!

 

 

Ben

For what you plan to do, get an old Hasselblad.

85mm f1.4, 50mm 1.8/ 1.4, and definitely the 180mm, which is a phenomenal lens as Dave says. You'll need steady hands though.

I suppose one of the (dis)advantages of working at B&H is worldwide publicity with Nikon aficionados... Interesting to see the shots, had my F100 stolen recently, which I preferred using to my D2Xs, and think this will be the perfect replacement.

Was the D2Xs firmware EVER updated? It would be nice to see some of the features from the d700 et al in an update...

I recently picked up a real user of a 180mm - obviously been professionally abused, but the optics are perfect. I'm not sure whether I got a particularly good sample, but I've got the 85mm f1.4 and the 50mm f1.8 and there's something about the sharpness of the 180mm that's truly stunning. Well worth buying!

Hi,

 

I've recently had an F100 stolen, which wasn't so bad financially as it was

purchased second-hand; what was annoying was that the area (Lytham St Anne's) is

archetypally quaint and unthreatening. I left the camera for a minute or so, and

gone.

 

I'd actually fitted the viewfinder magnifier to it, so the screen was enormous,

and made a great contrast to the 'letterbox' of my D2Xs.

 

Of course, I'd rather not lose that latter... so, Insurance is in order.

 

I suppose I have about ?3500 of kit I'll actually insure, and want a policy so

that if I get mugged, drop something, or have something taken when I'm

travelling, I get enough compensation back so I can buy the item again.

 

So, who does everyone use? Who do you recommend?

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

Ben

I'm based in the UK, and just got a Red Dragon 1000ws strobe from ebay compete with stand and umbrella. It's Bowens compatible, and it seems really well made so far. It's german, and I must say that I have faith in their worksmanship. You'll probably be best starting with a single light, umbrella/ softbox and a few huge circular reflectors. You can probably hire a studio or hire lights until you're sure what works best for you.

Take a photo in P mode of a normal outdoor scene with the exposure compensation set to 0 and report back.

Here here; helpful, reputable, and with a wide range of stock. Expensive, but the shop's lovely. Would recommend.

 

I'd recommend them over ebay, but if money's tight, that could be an alternative. Bear in mind that the condition will most likely not be as accurately described, and there's no guarantee on 'the auction site'.

Lens Cap?

 

But seriously, put it in P mode and take a photo. Then, have a look at the histogram, and see if it's totally black.

I'm using a Benro C128 - pretty affordable, stiff enough if you hang your bergen from it, and very light. I'd recommend spending the rest on an acratech head. The other alternative would be a walking pole with a fitting for a camera, and just using it to steady yourself.

Thanks for all the answers, have now ordered the 17-55mm.

I'd be interested to know how it compares to the 17 55mm in terms of overall sharpness and closest focussing distance too