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Paul

 

what is it you are trying to do ? If the background is brighter than the subject ie back lit even if you balance out the flash for the subject to the background it could not too nice a result. Suggest you post you good and a couple of the bad on the thread to let us know where you are comming from.

Have you contacted them? I hope that your website low resolution photos have some form of watermark on them....otherwise they could have copied them already and are content with having these on their computer. I would suggest restricting access to on line album until you can get some kind of response for them. It may already be too late as they could have a) been very unhappy with they see b) have no funds left to pay for the album - it means they may pay up when they can so call them and talk. c) they never wanted the prints just the albulm on line was good enough for them.

Melody

 

Looks ok ok - all these all that you have ? If so then you may have missed some mundane but essential shots - I think not enough close ups with expressions. How is the client's reaction - this is the watershed question what we say is not important - as Mounty Z says - "beauty is in the cheque book of the beholder" meaning please the client and the most appropriate form of praise will show up.... displease the client well its not a nice place to be.

On a rough basis I feel it is very dificult to run a fill light at 1/3 below the main light. You need to start with some where at least a stop lower and can if need be go as low as 3 to 4 stops lower for certain effects. The degree of difference depends on the situation and what you are trying to take back from it.

 

Might I suggest running on manual at speeds of say 1/30 to 1/250 - u could go lower if you are confident on not get hand shakes into the film capture and actual check the for the ambient exposure point say in spot metering mode. Matrix and Autoexposure could change the settings to a point that runs differently from what you want to show.

 

Practice on slides - keep notes. Look very carefully. Analysis what works and what does not. Repeat does it come out the same ? No point have wonderful unrepeatable results.

Bonnie,

 

You need to use a slower than shutter speed than what you are using. You can actually run a flash even if you shutterspeed is 1/2 or even at bulb. The flash handles its own end ie it flashes and cuts off at the appropriate point that the electronics deems as sufficinet exposure. You only have a problem if the shutter speed is faster than 1/250 then part of the frame will be black as it was not blocked from getting flash exposure.

 

This should solve the problem - meter the background say it is 1/10 at F5.6. Click the shot - the backgorund will now show up in the flim, the flash would lit up the people and the shot is in the bag. Only thing to note is not to have any fore ground element closer than say 3 feet from you - that would make it a very bright fore ground element. Or you could get creative and run with say a 2 second shot - of course for all of this you need to hold real steady or better yet have a stable non moving support for the exposure. This gives u a picture that would have some degree of movement trails from people moving around but nice sharp tables and people at the point the flash goes off.

 

You may want to go with Portra 800 if you feel hand holding at speeds slower than 1/30 is a problem for you.

I like what I see. This is the good stuff. Most portraitures fail on the simple grounds that the picture at the end of day does not interest us in the sitter. This at first glance does not seem to be mainipulated to a high degree - aside from "normal" post shoot work aka custom color printing.

 

Tom, I take it based on what you said about the lights - the dapple light effect was what you used light painting in CS to do. Was the effect on the crown of hair part of this - the lighting on the hair is effective - reminds me of the oil painting. The backround shows a little more - if looked at inch by inch. The fingers of shadows seem a little to regular.

 

Educational to view. Thx for sharing. I am sure she was pleased what what the 2 of you came up with.

Joe,

 

You may need to check on effects of using strobes on new borns especially in area of eye damage. There does seem to be any reseach on this - when I check last year. As a parent you may have to weigh the pros vs the cons on this. My wife insisted on no flash - hind sight says she was right as I glance at an article that suggest there is a higher chance of short sightedness in latter life and early exposure to flash.

 

If you choose to use the flash - difuse it heavily and aviod direct in light of sight flashing into the baby's eyes. Do that and it is almost certain the session will be over.... a startled baby is not a happy baby.

 

You could use window light. Have on site a window light picture of my daughter asleep.

http://www.photo.net/photo/1519648

 

Look forward to see yours. If you have a macro lens say a 55 now is a good time to dig it out.

Patrick - is your photosmart film scanner the S20 ? This should be able to handle positives in both slide mounted and strip format. I have this scanner. Are you using the HP scanning s/w or Vuescan ?

Noticed some loss in the clarity or transparentness of the undeveloped leader for TMax 3200. The roll was fixed with freshly mixed rapid fixe 1:4 and timing was set at twice the time for the leader to clear.

 

The problem is that when wet the leader is clear ie transparent but when dry it becomes a darker and a faint grain like texture is then seen - it is less transparent. This has darkened a little more after processing when left to dry and hang for a day or while I double check by refixing the leader. When dry I get the same result. I suspect either inadequate fixing but the twice to clearing check should prevent this. The roll is about 15months from use to point of processing.

 

Linked question does film get fogged when left unprocessed and stored in the kodak plastic roll containers ?

Provia 100f works ok but you may want to rate it at 80asa. Neg's are more forgiving in the studio. Using slides means you have fine control over your lighting and what it does with your film.

 

Bracket if its important. Not to use the velvia - colors could be too warm and overly strong. Unless that's what you are after.

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Keki

 

I'd be interested to know what that author recomends for the exposure on the face if his back light is f16. Remnbrant paintings also had a triangular patch on the lower lite half of the face. My best suggestion to you since you know how to work with avaialble is to look at the modeling light -if using flash and the light fall if you are using hot lights.

Assuming that the sharpness is there in the negs. Did you adjust the USM slider in the HP software - try scanning in a 16bits it helps some too. On the USM controls there is a trad off between higher edge accutence and increase presence of digitial artifacts.

 

Have this scanner - it can produce very details scans but the main problem is its limited Dmax. Exposure becomes critical.

Despite all the misgivings about the circle idea, its has some potential. Photo.net is probably the largest community but the size and volume act and the extreme range of skills and taste levels of its members in the case of critques acts against it.

 

No matter how interested who can spare the time to waddle through even 60% of what is posted each day AND still be bothered to comment ? Most would look through what 50 or 100 just to see what is out there; linger longer at what looks good to them , a small few will post ratings and comments. From the genre you can roughly guess if there will be comments ect - pretty girls will get a resopnse, anything else is heavily dependent on taste, inclination and willingness to offer feedback. The other issue besides the MA thing is the appreciation level thing - in say ratings done via man in the street vs working pro in the area of weddings or portraiture pictures the Master Photographers Association of UK oresentation in one of the years I mangage to get to see show a wide gulf in taste.

 

Hope the initative works, trust that participants would do the right thing.