chawn_crawley

<p>Thanks, Brooks. I may have been misleading in my space requirements earlier. When I origionally stated 8-12TB, I was factoring in mirroring or raid5, respectively; leaving me with 6TB of useable space to work with for the forseeable future. Which is plenty for me, I believe. But given the use of an iMac, I don't believe eSata is even an option for me?<br>

I do agree that gigabit ethernet is sufficient for photography-at least for mine. My original thoughts regarding Thunderbolt vs. Firewire is one of future compatability more than speed, for the most part.<br>

I'm not sure I have the skills to competently deploy a Nas unit, but I do like the idea that I could access that drive from home and work on files. </p>

<p>I know less about NAS than I do about Raid. This device has appeal to me though. It states that you can access it remotely "without the complexity and expense of a VPN". Am I correct in assuming I still need a static ip for that feature?<br>

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/828308-REG/Western_Digital_WDBLGT0080KBK_NESN_8TB_Sentinel_DX4000_Storage.html</p>

<p>I def don't need enterprise stuff. I would only be able to justify 8Tb; given that by the time I project myself reaching 70% of it's capacity (iin raid5 config), there would likely be entirely diferent options, or the alternative of adding to the unit. On the other hand, simply mirroring an 8Tb unit would be cutting things close and not the best use of my budget right now.<br>

I wouldn't turn away from a NAS option; particularly since I do expect to have employees in the next three years.<br>

I have learned that opinions about the different Raid configurations are a lot like ford vs chevy. Other than the fundamentals of what they do, it's tough for a layperson to determine which is ideal. It's a lot like using the webmd app to diagnose an ailment in lieu of a blood test, lol.</p>

<p>Thanks for that. As I'm thinking about it, TB isn't liable to <em>really</em> save me time. At least for the time being. If it really comes down to a bottleneck, I'm still held to the process of getting the cards off the camera. If I'm correct, firewire readers have all but gone away and not really been replaced by anything I can use at the moment.</p>

<p>I like the bogen "justin clamps".</p>

<p>Is there an agreement then, that one needs to budget nearly a grand for a solid monitor?</p>

<p>It certainly isn't the LG w2252tq :) That's what I'm stuck with right now. I didn't know much about monitors when I bought it. Good thread though; I'm interested in finding out what I could do to replace mine.</p>

<p>Thanks. I shoot in raw and use aperture, so I guess I don't need to tinker with that.</p>

<p>If I was going to play with color space, am I correct that I would have to change the color space in the camera as well as in Cs3?</p>

<p>Thanks James!</p>

<p>I was up for quite a while :) Nice when you get the result after a ton of goofing.</p>

<p>Turns out that the key was simply saving the document as a PSD file. I had thought a Tiff would give me the same result, but only the PSD works.</p>

<p>Chawn</p>

<p>Figured it out.</p>

<p>Nope. Still totally screwed.</p>

<p>I may have figured it out...sort of. Maybe definign the text as a shape.</p>

<p>Well, I've gone through a lot of threads about watermarks and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.</p>

<p>I'm using Aperture to manage my images. I want to be able to incorporate my name as the watermark that it uses. I know how to set up the export preferences just fine.</p>

<p>What's stumped me is building the watermark in cs3. All I want is to incorporate my name and a copyright symbol. But, no matter how I set it up, the finished file builds a white background around the text. Then, when Aperture adds the watermark, it's a big white block with my name in it.</p>

<p>I've set the layers up as tranparancies, tried various methods, but when I merge or flatten it down and save it as a tiff, it still defaults to a background.</p>

<p>How can I create a document with just letters, that Aperture can utilize?</p>

<p>PS: I also tried messing with masks a few different ways, but that didn't send me in the right direction, either.</p>

<p>Thanks for any help! It just feels like I'm missing something really obvious.</p>

<p>Chawn</p>

<p>Zack, I'm on the same learning curve as you are. With all these guys giving you lighting advise, you'll be set. The only thing I'll personally tell you, is to QUIT shopping for more lights! I made that very mistake, and it has slowed my learning down remarkeably.<br>

You'll spent so much time monkeying with more variables. I put my additional lights away and am using only key/fill until I feel that I have gotten them down pat.</p>

<p>What's this "Ducati" card that are on the robgalbraith tables? I didn't see mention of them on B&H or the Sandisk sites.</p>

<p>The book Fred mentioned is the main one I have for Aperture, and it's the best one I have found so far; at least to get aquainted with the interface.</p>

<p>This is a pretty good forum to ask questions and read up:</p>

<p>http://www.apertureprofessional.com/</p>

<p>I have a lastolite 24x24 ezbox that I have generally used for one of my sb-800's. I noticed that Lastolite makes a speedring which would allow me to attach it to one of my D-lites.<br>

I realize that this wouldn't be a particularly <em>soft </em>light, though I may find that it has some usefullness.<br>

My question is: could I fire this d-lite/lastolite 24" combination into a skylite panel to make a larger/softer light source? The skylite panel seems darned useful for a lot of things, and it may allow me to hold off on a larger softbox.</p>

<p>Also, has anyone seen or used the Lastolite 36"x36" with a studio strobe? My understanding is that their design is a bit more durable/forgiving for location shooting.</p>

<p>Thanks,</p>

<p>Chawn</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice on alternatives; I'm certainly not averse to looking into other models than Elinchrom.<br>

I'm surprised at the responses suggesting that barndoors may not be the best way to go. I've read an overabundance of praise of them on other sites. In particular, I like photographs that incorporate a thin shaft of light into the mix, and being able to put a spot of light on the canvas behind the subjects head. I had begun to believe that barndoors were the way to accomplish these things. I don't know much about flags, at this point.<br>

I think I'll read the book, work out a softbox solution, then figure out how best to outfit the second light. Maybe a simple grid will suffice for that?</p>

<p>Thanks,<br>

Chawn</p>

<p>I ordered lighting: Science & Magic from amazon, yesterday morning.</p>

<p>I've got some of the Honl attachments for the flashes, but I hadn't spent a lot of time thinking about cinefoil.<br>

The point of waste right now, is that I only have a couple reflectors on the D-lites. I need to get some sort of modifiers so that I can make better use of them in space that they are in.</p>

<p>Guys, I've done as much research as I can on modifiers and need some advice on what to select. I have a "backporch studio" which is about 12'x18' in dimension. Presently, I have a couple Sb-800's, as well as a lastolite 24" softbox. I also have 2 elinchrom D-lite 4's that I have no modifiers for.<br>

My goal, primarily, is to outfit these Dlites with the appropriate modifiers to continue forward with portraiture ranging from headshots to 3/4length body. Obviously, the workspace I have is far from optimal, but I'm more confused with what options would give me the most flexible use.<br>

I really want an Elinchrom Mini octa because I like the catchlights, and I like soft, diffuse pictures. I have read many, many comments on the flexibility of 4-leaf barndoors, as well.<br>

With funds tightening, I need to prioritize the best way to outfit both lights for maximum flexibility. <br>

1. I can afford to get 1 elinchrom barndoor set, a 30-pack of Lee gels, and an Elinchrom Mini-octa.<br>

2. I can get 2 sets of Elinchrom barn doors, & a set of gels, but will have to rely on the sb800/lastolite 24" for any softbox effect, at all.<br>

I have a transluscent & sliver umbrella, but the light scatter is tough in my confined work space. My experience with barndoors, grids, and softboxes are very limited so I'm having difficulty determining what to do. My goal is to have a well-rounded set of lightshaping tools.<br>

I do little to no product photography and mainly concentrate on people. As I'm inexperienced with lighting techniques, I try to refrain from using anymore than 2 lights at any given time.<br>

Any advice as to how to setup up these 2 monolights for the best flexibility would be greatly appreciated.<br>

Thanks</p>

<p>[Anyone with similar story like mine and only lived to regret Or couldnt be happier ?]</p>

<p>Seems like perceived AF and metering differences fit those parameters. God this site is hostile.</p>

<p>Would rear curtain sync play into the op's question with regard to stopping hair motion...assuming there is some ambient light playing into the exposure?</p>

<p>Do you mean to say that these 2 flashes are correct operation for the rear curtain mode? Sorry, I'm just trying to get this clear...</p>