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keithdunlop

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Posts posted by keithdunlop

    Nikon D90, D7000 or D700

    in Nikon

    Posted

    <blockquote>

    <p>When you say "You end up having to use a 17-55 or 12-24 to get your wide angles back," do you mean that it will vignette and the 17-55 and 12-24 won't?</p>

     

    </blockquote>

    <p>I mean that the field of view of a 24mm lens on a DX body is not the same as on an FX body. Your view is roughly that of a 35mm lens. If you are using DX bodies and need wide angles, you have to go to super-wide zooms like those mentioned previously.</p>

    Nikon D90, D7000 or D700

    in Nikon

    Posted

    <p>Whenever someone is considering between a couple of different cameras for potential upgrade, I always recommend renting both bodies and seeing first hand what works for you. I use both borrowlenses.com and lensrentals.com.</p>

    <p>That being said, I have used both the D700 and D7000 professionally for weddings. The D7000 is a tough camera to move to after using the D700, but it has a lot of the things that pros are hoping for in the future D800, namely, higher resolution, dual card slots, HD video, etc. I would be hesitant to rely on the D7000 for heavy pro use due to the lessor build quality, but it is certainly up to the task of low light work. Yes, it lacks the buffer of the D700, but I don't see this as a problem for weddings. The real problem with DX bodies for wedding work is the lack of being able to use wide angle primes at their true focal length. You end up having to use a 17-55 or 12-24 to get your wide angles back.</p>

    <p> </p>

    Informal wedding

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <blockquote>

    <p>though I do have a pretty good idea of what I want to do</p>

     

    </blockquote>

    <p>Actually, you need an idea of what your <em>client</em> wants you to do. Nadine's advise is spot on.</p>

    Would you decline to shoot this wedding?

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>$500.00 fee (or maybe slightly above according to you), and you have to pay for a flight, and you have to rent gear, and you have no assurance that the "booked" hotel room is actually paid for . . .</p>

    <p>Wow, I've heard of families taking photographic relatives for a ride, but this takes the cake!</p>

    <p>I think it's time for you to put your big-girl pants on and either call or visit the SIL in person and provide a solid deadline to sign the contract and pay the deposit. The B&G are not your clients the SIL is. And, I disagree that you have a verbal contract to do anything. Unless there is some sort of consideration (fee) provided, and there is agreement about the services, there is no meeting of the minds, and therefore no contract.</p>

    <p>If the SIL fails to sign the contract and pay the deposit on or before your deadline, you walk. If the SIL actually comes through (which I think is unlikely based on what's happened so far), then you're stuck doing the shoot and you're certainly going to lose money. But, you allowed it to get this far, so you'll have to take your lumps.</p>

    <p> </p>

    Best film for outdoor wedding

    in The Wet Darkroom: Film, Paper & Chemistry

    Posted

    <p>First, your question is a bit too broad to be answered with any precision, because "outdoor" could mean anything. A very sunny and bright beach wedding will produce far different results than an overcast day in a park, or a setting with good open shade. The best option is to try out a couple of different films in advance under your expected conditions and judge the results for yourself.</p>

    <p>You also need to consider your final output. If you are scanning for a digital workflow, then C41 films are better suited -- the new Kodak Portra film is superb in this regard. Kodak BW400CN also scans extremely well and is a great choice for wedding photographers.</p>

    <p>Traditional B&W emulsions, like those suggested (Tri-X & HP-5) will generally produce more contrast and grain, although these factors can be adjusted somewhat depending on the processing. These films are also a bit more difficult to scan and require more care to produce the desired file characteristics. Again, advance testing would be wise.</p>

    <p> </p>

    As customer, I'd prefer files over prints; is this done?

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p><em>"How is this possible? A Raw file is a Raw file. I suppose you could export that little file (XMF?) that has the instructions on how to process the Raw file. But unless the client has the same software that can read the file, it won't matter: they have the Raw file and can simply choose to remove any processing you have done."</em></p>

    <p>Yes, you're correct. If you read my post in it's entirety, you'll see that this is exactly what I describe. The client would have to be using the same software so that they would have either the side-car file containing the image corrections, or the catalog file from Lightroom that contains the develop module settings.</p>

    <p>I'm certainly not suggesting this as an ideal solution, just a possible option.</p>

    As customer, I'd prefer files over prints; is this done?

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>Kyle,<br>

    In terms of not wanting a wedding album or prints, that's pretty easy to work out. In fact, very few of my clients want prints (I provide a disc with finished JPEGs and price my services such that I don't rely on print sales). I do my albums as an after-wedding a-la-carte product because not everyone wants one.</p>

    <p><em>"We'd prefer RAW and/or .tif files of the best shots. They can be processed, or not. Ideally, I might want to play with some of them"</em></p>

    <p>I absolutely would never provide unprocessed RAW files to a client, but I might consider providing some RAW files that I have worked up. Perhaps not all of them, but a select few of the best images. It would depend upon discussions I had with the prospective client about what they actually wanted to do with the files, and how badly I wanted to book the business. When you're in business, a certain level of flexibility is often required -- especially these days. It's certainly not something I would just dismiss out of hand.</p>

    <p>One possible option would be to create a separate Lightroom catalog (assuming you're using LR) of just the select few files, then provide you with that + the finished RAW files that I retouched. That way you would have the ability to modify the adjustments. There would likely be an extra charge for this, and the contract would have to specify that any changes you made to that RAW files would be for private use only and not posted anywhere.</p>

    <p>So, I wouldn't automatically say no to your request, but I would have to be very comfortable with you as a client and what your intent with the RAW files is.</p>

    Film did not advance at all on my M6

    in Leica and Rangefinders

    Posted

    <p><em>"I removed the baseplate and found that the film is tucked properly on the take-up spool"</em></p>

    <p>I'm not clear on what you are describing. Was just the film leader visible, or was the whole roll wrapped up on the take-up spool? I'm assuming that you mean that the film leader was still in position in the take-up spool prongs, but never advanced.</p>

    <p>When loading the M6 you need to advance the film a couple of frames with the bottom open so you can watch to make sure that the film wraps around the take-up spool properly. Then you can close the bottom and advance to the first or second frame to begin shooting.</p>

    Getting referalls

    in Business of Photography

    Posted

    <p>San Luis Obispo is a very small market with a high saturation of wedding photographers. To have any chance of success you need exceptional images, something that makes you unique and sets you apart from the herd, and a very polished web presence and branding.</p>

    Getting referalls

    in Business of Photography

    Posted

    <p><em>"What is the key to referrals?"</em><br>

    <em> </em>The key is, there is no key. Your question can only be answered with market research in the region where you intent to do business. Where are brides in your area getting their information? Are there bridal shows in your area? Are there wedding vendor associations with an advertising presence? Are there any local bridal magazines distributed in the area?</p>

    <p>This is why the first task of any new business venture should be writing a sound business plan, including market research. Right now you have it all completely backwards. You have spent all this time blogging, posting to YouTube, and updating your Facebook page without knowing your market. </p>

    <p>I can tell you from my personal experience, the greatest percentage of new wedding clients come to me through direct referral from wedding planners and site coordinators. It takes a lot of hard work to cultivate those relationships, and time. Until you have developed a positive reputation for yourself, and have cultivated those referral relationships, your business will grow at a proportional rate.</p>

    <p>Also look to develop relationships with other wedding vendors; DJ's, florists, caterers -- all are key to building a business network.</p>

    <p>As you build those relationships, look to second shoot with other photographers. This way you can work on your technique and gain the valuable experience needed to go it on your own.</p>

    <p>Finally, I am concerned about one thing you said in your post: "My photos aren't amazing". If you are intending on developing a professional wedding photography business, this is a problem.</p>

     

    album design

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>Pete,</p>

    <p>Exporting your InDesign document to jpeg is now pretty straight forward in CS5. When you export to jpeg (command E on a Mac), InDesign automatically creates individual jpeg files from your ID document pages (spreads). You can then open those in PS if needed to tweek sharpening, color, or anything else you may need to prior to uploading to your lab or album maker. However, tiff file output is not an option.</p>

    <p>InDesign will also export to PDF, which is helpful for press print books from ProDPI, Blurb, Asuka Book, and others.</p>

    <p>Hope that helps!</p>

    album design

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>Since you continue to demand a direct response to your sarcasm, I guess I'll play. But then I'm going to bow out -- I'll let Marc continue from here.</p>

    <p>No, I don't print my own album spreads, and I don't bind my own albums. I also don't make my own cheese; I don't sew my own clothes; I like steak but I don't butcher my own Filet Mignon; I didn't build my house; I didn't grind the glass in my camera lenses; I don't make the wine I drink; I don't code my own software; I'm sitting in a chair that I didn't make; yesterday I shipped a box, but I let UPS handle the details; I took a shower today, but someone else made the soap.</p>

    <p>Have fun Marc!</p>

    album design

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>"I would challenge your opinion"</p>

    <p>That's why they call them opinions. I can only offer my thoughts to the OP to the question asked based on my experiences. That said, I would never allow a lab to be in control of my color correction. I prefer to be in full control of the output of product for my clients. I understand that for many it's easier to use lab templates and handover full print control to the lab. Many photographers even completely hand-over post-production and album design to third parties, which is fine if it works for them. But it's just not the way I prefer to work.</p>

    <p>I still think InDesign is a great option for album design, if you're wiling to invest the time to learn the program. A terrific tutorial to get started can be found here: http://www.casttv.com/video/7a9jak/kiss-with-kevin-swan-designing-albums-in-indesign-cs4-video</p>

    album design

    in Wedding & Event

    Posted

    <p>The best page layout/album design software remains InDesign. It requires a bit of front end time to learn the software if you've never used it before, but once you get your template libraries set-up it makes album layout a breeze. Ever since I committed fully to InDesign for wedding album layout, I've never gone back.</p>

    New SCAM by weblistings Inc. Watch out!

    in Casual Photo Conversations

    Posted

    <p>Your website domain can be registered with any number of domain registration services, so while it's a bit deceptive in the way that it looks like a bill, it's not really a scam. Assuming that you know who your web domain is registered with, you would know that this didn't come from them. All of my domains are registered with Network Solutions, so I pretty much ignore solicitations such as these.</p>
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