bethtphotos

October 6, 2009

This is great & I appreciate your comments...some of it includes things I did do (such as rallying the mothers of the bride & groom for timing assistance at this last wedding). Some of the best suggestions are to remember that this isn't my wedding...the photos that I dreamed of taking may or may not come to be, & thats ok...if I'm open I'll capture something unexpected.

I like the idea of a structured list of shots I want to take...I've avoided that in the past because I've seen some pretty cookie cutter wedding albums...but I think balance will be the key here.

As for knowing my equipment: I shoot a lot in TAV mode & I'm generally happy with that. I'm not so comfortable with Manual mode & could use that more...I didn't actually say that I "despair" of shooting at 1600...I've been instructed by the photographer I've apprenticed (for lack of a better word) under that ISO 1600 are generally unusable...Personally I often like the effect, and have some shots at this ISO (particularly inside a church) that I thought were great...she tossed 'em, but I have them in my portfolio. I also want to be clear that I didn't say I always shoot at ISO 400...I just stick around there...going from 200-800 as I see fit, but not going into that 1600 neighborhood.

It just seems like an awful lot to manage in one 8 hour or so period... but there's another wedding this Saturday & you've all given me lots to chew on...Thanks!

October 5, 2009

Thank you all, so very much...

Overall what I'm gleaning is to

1) Breathe (what?! I have to do that, TOO???) But seriously, I know you're spot on with that...

2) Not fiddle so much...master one unit, use the other supplementally. Good. I can do that.

3) Slow down...I could definitely take more time to set up my photos (camera-wise) but take fewer pictures. I just tend to feel the bride becoming impatient, or the groomsmen wanting their next drink...time always seems to be an issue, and brides who tell me during the interviews & site visit (which I do) that they want to spend time for portraits, at the event do an about face, such as with this event...

4) Pentax does have the "P" mode, & I do utilize it...

5) I love my Pentax with sufficient light...outdoor shoots never cause me a problem, I love them...but indoors, or dark settings for weddings. I am posting a couple of shots: one good, one bad for you to see my issues.

6) As for assertiveness: I'm a "fun" photographer so my clients have told me, but I don't like to command or nag...if I get a roll of the eyes or a "Thats enough" from the bride or mother of the bride, I tend to back off right away. Also, in this weekend's case, the bride was ready to slit the throat of a bridesmaid, & I really didn't want to press...in hindsight, I wonder if taking a more forceful role would have created comfort for her...or cost me my life.

Thanks for the input, every single response gave me something to think on. I want to be great at this.

October 5, 2009

I've been shooting weddings for two years now, have worked as a 2nd shooter for the first year...about 20 weddings under my belt. Recently, 3 have been my own... May I ask several questions in one post??

I know my camera & equipment...granted, knowing it & being able to work it well during the fast pace of a wedding are two different things, I'm finding. Good Gawd, I'm battling with exposure...yes, I know all about changing EV Compensation, and adjusting my ISO (having shot one wedding with a lot of ISO 1600 shots, & being told these were unusable by the primary shooter...I'm sticking around 400...)

But one second I'm in the dark, then I'm facing light...how in the name of Annie Leibovitz do other photographers do this so calmly & seemlessly & seem to get so many brilliant consistent shots? I should add that I've got a marvelous Pentax setup (K10d, K20d...multiple lenses ranging from the Pentax 50mm 1.4 to the Sigma 17-35mm f/28, to the Pentax 50-135mm f/2.8. Two flash units (Pentax 360 & a Promaster unit I bought to replace my broken Pentax AF FGZ 540 while its out for repair...)

Usually I mount the wide angle & the 50mm, but I'm in a constant state of fiddling about & I'd say 1/2 of my photos aren't technically what I want to present...

So Exposure is ALWAYS an issue for me...Is my equipment selection appropriate?

Also, I've been told by my mentor that I'm not assertive enough...& I've seen her be equally mild, so my question is this: how assertive are you? My last wedding was my own...we planned to begin formals at 1:00...but the bride & bridesmaids weren't ready until 2:00...with a 3:00 wedding (they wanted all formals done prior to the ceremony...with the groom & groomsmen as well)...When it looked like there was no way they'd be ready by 1:30, I spoke with the bride's mom who lit a fire, but it was another 45 mins before they were ready...then I had to rush through formals. Kicking myself now because there were soooo many beautiful pictures I wanted to take that I didn't get to do. Is this common? What techniques work for you?

I've taken wedding courses at Betterphoto.com, at a local art school, & have been mentored...but I'll tell you: nothing prepares one for wedding photography like doing your own weddings. War stories welcome.

Thanks...I can breathe now.

October 1, 2009

I've got an upcoming wedding to photograph at a location that was chosen for its gorgeous outdoor setting ( a ski area). Sadly, the interior in dark, with no striking features & rather poor decor. The bride hoped for an outdoor wedding, and booked for 3 hours of portraiture outside, & multiple locations on site were planned. Now, the weather forecast calls for torrential rain, possibly thunder/lightning.

The bride & her party are getting ready in the ski rental shop (not a formal dressing area) & as I said, all interiors are dark & dull...I could use advice, suggestions ways to set up beautiful portraits in a poor location. I may be able to get the couple out to a gazebo...but otherwise we're stuck inside a wood paneled, low ceilinged room.

Any and all suggestions appreciated...

Beth

August 26, 2009

Turns out that my 540 was broken. I called Pentax when I discovered that I couldn't switch from Manual Zoom to Auto Zoom & back again. Also it wasn't reading my focal range at all. There's a pin in the shoe connect that wasn't making any contact. So, repairs have to be sent out to Arizona, no price quote available, & turnaround time about 2 weeks.

So to tide me over in the meantime (& give me a future backup) I ordered an AF 360FGz. I think that was a good choice but we'll see...

PS: I have the Magic Lantern Guide for my K10d, & while I've found it to be of some help, I don't think the flash unit info is very intensive...but for my camera, its a valuable resource!

August 23, 2009

I should add that the switch to fix / lock the flash unit to the camera is very loose. The flash unit has actually fallen off the camera on occasion (I've been lucky enough to catch it each time).

August 23, 2009

Hi Markus:

I appreciate your help. I am using the flash unit with a variety of lenses but most frequently the Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f 1.4 and the Pentax DA* 50-135.. lens. I do see that it goes to flash sync mode, but with an ISO of 400, it RARELY goes over 1/90. Occasionally to 125 but thats it. Alot of the time, all I'll get is 1/30 - 1/60.

I have two cameras I use the unit on, & I have the same problem on both cameras.

August 23, 2009

Hi all,

I'm shooting weddings using my Pentax k10D & AF-540FGZ flash unit. I hardly understand this flash unit at all, & find the manual pretty frustrating.

Generally, I'm shooting weddings at a 400 ISO, shuffling my aperture & shutter speeds around like a madwoman. (f/5.6 at 125 is a favorite place of mine, but I have trouble keeping things there). My flash unit sits directly on my hotshoe, & the default settings are:

On button set all the way to the right. The button on the right that can go up or down is up, so that white shows. Settings:PTT-L, A Zoom, 0.0 compensation...but I ALWAYS have 16 blinking next to my mm setting. No matter what my camera readings are, the flashing continues! This can't be right, can it? What am I missing?

I generally shoot on Program mode on the camera.

I have on occasion tried to change my mode to A, but the blinking 16 continues. regardless again of my camera settings (even though I've thrown it into M & tried to photograph at 125 f/5.6 from there...the result: completely black images).

Then, I notice it often takes so long for the flash to ready itself, that by the time it does, I've missed the shot.

I appreciate your help.

July 2, 2009

I really appreciate all your comments. One, it tells me that I'm not alone in my frustration, but there's a "light" at the end of the tunnel...get it?!

You've given me lots to play with, and Maria, I could just kiss you for your concrete suggestions. I will definitely try A setting on my flash (never occurred to me!) & will reset to AFS mode (I was in A.F.C...you are brilliant for noting that!).

John-Paul, I think you're right about capturing the moment at a reception, and perhaps worrying a little less about th technical perfection of each shot. However, even your photos have a crispness in focus that I struggle to achieve. I always seem to have a softness...but could that be related to shooting flash in A vs. PTT-L?

Markus: I love your specific suggestion re: how the diffuser was eating the light, and how a card behind the flash would have forced the light forward...hmmm, I have another wedding in two weeks & I am definitely going to try that. But when you say, "drag the shutter" I don't fully understand what that means.

John: I don't agree that the 50mm 1.4 & the 50-135 2.8 are redundant. My goal was to be able to use the 50mm where I didn't need flash...I notice a significant difference between my 1.4 & my 2.8...also, when there is beautiful colored light (which there wasn't at this particular wedding) the 1.4 lens really allows me to soak up the ambiance without flash. That being said, perhaps in this lighting situation I could have used my f/4.5-5.6 lens with another flash unit or my Sigma 17-35 lens & gotten up close.

Matthew: I would like to sound intelligent when I say: "huh?" are you shooting in completely manual? When its completely dark, I have a hard time getting my aperture to 5.6 -8...& how do you roll the focus to infinity? I'm not sure what you mean by that.

I am now on my way to planetneil & strobist to learn more, then its to trail the family in dark rooms till I get it right!!!

Thanks for all your advice. I'm printing this out to save, you are all Obi-wans to me.

June 28, 2009

I shot a wedding yesterday using my two Pentax K10ds, one with a wireless Pentax AF540 FGZ & a Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 lens, the other with a Pentax 50mm f/1.4 lens. I left my meter mode @ the 16 point multi segment mode.

The reception room had lovely chandelier lighting, and big wide windows at a far end, but it was quite dim, necessitating the flash unit. I've got several problems though, and need help, please:

1) when shooting with such large apertures in low light w/out flash, I have a tough time getting the whole scene in focus. If I have 3 guys standing, for instance, and inevitably one to the left or right is slightly fuzzy.

2) in low light, with high aperture settings, without flash, motion is the bane of my existence. the movement of a hand, a foot, is never frozen, as the shutter speed has to be slow in order to allow enough light in. High ISO settings add noise & graininess. Is there a balance?

3) With the flash unit attached & ready to go, should I really have to set my ISO at 1600 with these lenses? Otherwise, I seemed to still get relatively dark pictures.

4) Is bouncing the light off the ceiling generally the best prescribed position: meaning: pointing the flash straight up (w/ diffuser attached).

5) I still struggle with White Balance..it seems none of the settings in the FN menu really get me close & I consistently have to correct in post processing. I've learned to live with it , and shoot raw when I can, but its a time sucker.

The motion issues are what really are getting me down, I had to discard nearly 40% of my photos from yesterday because of this.

Please help, wedding photography requires such fast transitions that I'm beginning to wonder if I'm just not a fast enough thinker/mover to use the Pentax...would a Canon or Nikon be more suitable for a photographer of my limited capabilities & need for speed?

June 28, 2009

I work with another pro as a 2nd shooter frequently and our arrangement is that the lead photog works with the bride & girls, while the 2nd (me) works with the groom & groomsmen. Since the guys often get to the wedding facility first my job is to get setting shots...then I leave the wedding slightly before the party, & get to the reception place earlier to photograph the cake, table settings, & ready for the guests.

During the reception, we split the tables for group shots of the guests, & couple shots; during formal portraits I focus in on details, watch for bunched up coats, stray threads, suggest poses.

One critical thing at one wedding: while the lead was with the girls, the caterers parked their vans in the driveway seperating the girls' suite from the walkway to the altar. They weren't prepared to move the van, the lead didn't know it was there, so it was up to me to run interference and get the vehicle moved before the girls came out.

Beth

June 26, 2009

Well, I wouldn't exactly say it was a disaster...but...

I have never shot such a large group before, so I underestimated the amount of happy force & gentle control I'd have to exert.

First, the plan was to shoot the photograph with a view of the lake behind the kids, but then the organizers wanted to use a balloon arch over the group. The wind was strong & the arch kept blowing away, so at the last minute, they decided to move the shot. That was ok, because shooting with the lake view meant shooting into the sun, which would have been really tricky.

The kids dribbled in, just when we'd get everyone lined up, more kids would show up. One of the parents tried to "help" with the group organization, but didn't understand what I wanted...(I thought an inverted pyramid shape would work...but when the stragglers arrived, the kids would move around. They were very fluid with no bleachers or guidelines.

What I did right: first took a couple of serious shots, then told the kids we could take a couple of fun ones. They liked that, & for the most part were cooperative. One boy in the front just couldn't be bothered with the whole thing, so that was a drag. I wish I'd moved him.

Next time I would: organize the crowd more mathematically...say 100 kids w/ rows of varying lengths in an upside down V shape but with the rows at a slight rounding curve.

Next time I would: be louder, and physically move the kids into position myself.

Optimally I would lay out markers for the kids to line up with, if no bleachers or stands were available.

Anyway, slightly embarrassed, but I'm posting a photo anyway, as promised.

June 26, 2009