g_s19

Hello,

 

I'll be doing a shoot for a 6-month-old. I have a softbox and 2 AB400s. I was

thinking of shooting with just one AB with my softbox and also use my

reflector. How low does my softbox need to be? I've shot toddlers sitting on a

stool before and had the softbox above eyelevel. But if I have the babies

sitting on the floor, I'm assuming my softbox would be about a foot above the

floor? Thanks!

 

G.S.

I came across Jerry Ghionis's Picpockets website (<A

HREF="http://www.picpockets.com.au/index.htm">http://www.picpockets.com.au/index

.htm</A>). I'm thinking of purchasing either "Jerry's Greatest Clicks"

or "Ordinary / Extraordinary Volume 1". Does anyone have a favorite if you do

own any of these? Which of his Picpockets set gives the best tips for posing?

 

Thanks!

Thanks, Ed.<P>

Nadine - Nope. No old flashes. Just my trusty 430. :)

Thanks for all the great suggestions!! I think I may get a 2nd shooter. I like the idea of getting a shot of her looking out at her guests while riding in the elevator. Unfortunately, I don't have the 580ex or PW. I currently trigger my ABs with the Radio Flash triggers that AB sells. If I do get the 580, it seems based on the reviews on BH, I should stay away from the ex II. I'll look into the 580ex and PWs. Too bad there's no PW 101 on this site. I've read various questions on them, but it's all confusing. That would be great if someone could provide a list of what to get and how to connect them: ie... 1. Two - Pocket-Wizard Plus II Auto Sensing Smart Transceivers 2. One - hot shoe to pc cable 3. Connect the flash to the hotshoe/PC cable which should be connected to the PW. (I don't even know if that's right...)

Hello,

 

I photographed a reception last week at a hotel a few hours away from my home.

The hotel had a dimly-lit glass elevator in its atrium. I took one shot of the

elevator but ended up deleting it since the elevator itself turned out dark. It

was a hasty shot but I think my settings had been f4 with a shutter speed of

1/60, and a 24-70 lens with a 430ex on my 40D. I didn't really care about the

elevator since no one from the reception was in there anyway. But just today I

was asked to shoot a wedding in that same hotel. The bride will be coming down

the elevator and the couple will be wed in the atrium. The wedding will be in

the late afternoon (5pm), and from what I recall, there wasn't much natural

light in the lobby. The attached pic is something I found online that looks

similar to how dim the elevator was. What do I need to do to get the best

lighting of the bride coming down? I have a couple of AB400s, but just one of

those seems like too much power to put in an elevator.<div></div>

Scam. A very similar thing to what Jeffrey describes happened to me when I tried to sell something on craigslist. The guy sent me a "mistake" check for a lot of money. Of course I didn't deposit it, and just to verify that it was a bogus check, I called the bank and gave them the routing number and account number that was listed on the check and asked if it was real. They said no. But it was nice to see a check of $50,000 in my name! ;)

Thank you Nadine, Martin, Conrad, and Paul!! All very helpful advice! Martin - I do have a Sekonic L-358; forgot to include that with my gear list.

<P>

I'm curious - if anyone's still following this thread - is the only reason I'd want to use a f2.8 is if I were shooting in a place (ie church) where flash wasn't allowed? I'm glad but a little surprised you all agreed my f4's were sufficient because I've heard some photographers say that an f4 is not good enough for indoors - could that be because they were just referring to a sans flash ceremony?

William and Nancy - thank you for your responses! I do NOT have a backup body or flash. I guess I have time to look into that. :) I'll plan on bringing my strobes just in case. Yes, I do shoot RAW and have enough CF cards. Thanks again for the advice!!

Hello,

<P>

I've been asked by a family member to take pics of her son's wedding reception.

The actual wedding will take place in another country, and since no one on the

groom's side will be able to attend, his mom is throwing a second reception

here in the states after the couple is married. It will be at a Holiday Inn

Convention Center in KY (Bowling Green) for less than 90 people. According to

the mom, there will be no dinner/dancing because the groom is a preacher. There

will just be cake and finger foods, and it will take place for a couple of

hours in the evening (7-9pm). The B&G won't be dressed in their wedding

apparel, but the mom is hoping to have the dress up on display. The event won't

be til February of next year, so I definitely have time to practice and learn

etc. Here's the gear I have - all Canon with the exception of the diffuser:

<P>

Digital Rebel XT<BR>

430EX<BR>

Demb Flash Diffuser/Flip-it<BR>

70-200 f4<BR>

17-40 f4<BR>

50 f1.8<BR>

The kit lens and the 70-300 (both of which I don't really shoot with anymore).

<P>

I also have a couple of strobes since I usually do studio work - 2 400s,

reflector, grid, large softbox.

<P>

I was thinking of renting a 24-70 f2.8 and the 70-200 f2.8 (I know I have the

f4, but would the f4 be good enough in your typical hotel convention center?).

<P>

This will be my 2nd reception to shoot (never done an actual wedding ceremony

yet). The first one I shot was last minute and mainly done with my 50mm, and

the pics turned out ok - bride was happy. I only had my 430ex and 50mm at that

time.

<P>

I have 2 questions.

<P>

1. Are the 2 lenses (24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8) I'm thinking of renting

sufficient, or would you suggest something better?<BR>

2. Do you ever find yourself setting your camera at a certain setting when

shooting in hotel receptions? If so, what are those settings? I don't expect

the lighting to be constantly changing since this is a conservative family and

there will be no dancing. Plus, it will be a short event.

<P>

Thanks!

If you offer your customers the option to purchase their fully edited images on

CD only, how much do you charge for just the CD and how many images do you put

on there? Looking to do this with my senior and family portraits and weddings.

 

Thanks!

d g: Didn't understand. Get 2-4 what? and what type of cord? Thanks!

<P>Shawn: Thanks for all the info!!

<P>tim: You're funny! :)

Do you only shoot with the garage door down? What can I use to block any

sunlight if I need to back up a little past where the garage would close?

Thanks!

I did send them an email also (just wanted to see if any photo.net members could also provide any feedback). Here's the response from AB's customer service:

<P>

Hi,

<P>

Thanks for the interest in AlienBees. You can use of Radio Flash Trigger System with your meter. You just cannot use if you have the special chip to directly set off the receivers. You will have to press the button on the top of the transmitter to have the light to fire, when you go to do your meter readings. The transmitter will work great with your Rebel XT. I hope this helps. If you need anything else, just let us know! Thanks and have a great day!

<P>

...not quite sure what this "special chip" is they're talking about...

I was looking into buying the Alien Bees Radio Flash Trigger system, but I read

on another website that these do not work with Sekonic flash meters. Is this

true? Will the AB Radio Flash Trigger Receiver/Transmitter NOT work with a

Sekonic L-358? Thanks.

Years ago when I got my senior pictures taken, I remember the photographer

would tell me to say "Money" (instead of "cheese") to get a natural looking

smile. I've heard this technique used with other photographers, too. Does

anyone else use this? What other tricks do you use to get your subjects to

smile naturally? (I guess you could also tell them to also say "honey"

or "bunny" or "sunny" etc. LOL!)

This is excellent, excellent advice!! Thank you Rand and William!!

I would like to get into studio photography. I have a Digital Rebel XT and a

430ex. I'm thinking of getting <A

HREF="http://www.alienbees.com/packages.html">The DigiBee package</A> from

AlienBees but with two AB800s instead of the 400s. Plus, I'm thinking of

getting a foldable(?) large softbox.

<P>

1. Are there any good websites that detail on how a studio is typically setup?

(I'm confused on where I should put my 430EX for one thing).<BR>

2. Any good or bad things to say about the AlienBees "foldable" softbox?<BR>

3. Do I need to get a flash meter or is the histogram on my rebel good enough?

If I should get a flash meter, what's the best and cheapest I can get?<BR>

4. Do I need to get a Wein safe sync? If I should get one, which one do I get?

I did a search on B&H and was confused on which one would be the correct one to

get.

<P>

Thanks for your help!