erwin paul photography

<p>One suggestion for a hair light I would like to add is the Sunpack flat panel (also sold by Interfit).<br>

Its a battery operated non adjustable flash 4x6 inch and 1 inch flat. It's not the perfect solution, but better then no hair light. I have two of the Interfit's and glued a sheet of metal on the back side. I have attached a magnetic strip on my ceiling at about the place where I want my subject to stand.<br>

Since the light output is non adjustable, the F-stop depends from distance from light to subject, you will have to play and adjust your other lights to match.<br>

I use these if a snoot doesn't do the trick, multiple subjects like a family, since my ceiling is only 8ft.</p>

<p>Just an idea...<br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/323726-USA/Sunpak_MCEF_KIT_FP_38_Flat_Panel_Flash.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/323726-USA/Sunpak_MCEF_KIT_FP_38_Flat_Panel_Flash.html</a></p>

Oops straight into the fence at a dead end street/railroad yard.<div></div>

Wedding outside in the park.<div></div>

<p>To add, if you have a little place <strong>outside</strong> your home studio, in the back yard, you can install a showerhead attached to a garden hose wich you can attach to the water outlet you use to sprinkle the lawn.<br>

Then with a few pieces of 4x8 wood and some paint you can create a backdrop and make the final portrait look like it was inside.<br>

i have not done this, but I have seen samples in the photovision dvd.s<br>

And as mentioned please be very carefull with water and high voltage, keep your light away from the water. But you do know that.</p>

<p>Not sure if this is what you are after, but you can place a clear plastic sheet of plexiglass in front of your subject and spray it with water out of a spraybottle. That way you can control the amount of water and still have a sort of wet / rain affect.</p>

<p>Hope it helps to give you an idea.</p>

<p>Hard to describe, but I was told:</p>

<p>If you take a look at one proper exposed picture and mix all the collors into one then you will have 18% gray.<br>

In other words a perfectly exposed picture in average contains 18% gray.</p>

<p>Now I am confusing, sorry, but then again my mind is not fully awake.</p>

<p>Also when the exposure is set for 18% gray the camera metering wants to aim to make 18% gray. So a black cat might show gray, or a white cat might show gray. Remember to compensate your exposure setting for this.</p>

<p>Going back to bed now, still under the weather.</p>

<p>A nice way to learn, and for free, is to watch Adorama TV, especialy Mark's 101 series.</p>

<p>I use the software since version 7 i believe and I am happy with it. You need to learn to know when to stop. You can safe your setting and click on them instantly with each new face if you wish to create your own.<br /><br />Usualy I run just one of the default settings and make sure it is not over done, and there is not to much desortion to earrings and glasses, or lips out of shape. etc.<br /><br />I am mostly concerned with minor adjustments. I want my client to look at her portrait and say "wow that looks great", not like "you photoshopped" me.<br /><br />So far I have not had a single complain, but knowing when to stop matters. I love the program, quikly and easely.</p>

<p>In the USA = Radio Shack,<br /> In Europe = Conrad<br /> In some other countries = Tandy<br /> And there are other electronics stores that sell parts.</p>

<p>What I would do is to buy a transformer with a 6volt output and enough power (watt/amps) to power up these 9 sunpacks. Use a high current bridge rectifer and that might do it. Perhaps you need stabelised power then I guess get a few circuits with capacitors and voltage req. and one for ech sunpack, or if they can handle the current you can use 2 or 3 sunpacks on circuit.<br /> Here is a sample of a Velleman kit:<br /> <a href="http://www.vellemanusa.com/products/view/?id=350481">http://www.vellemanusa.com/products/view/?id=350481</a><br /> It's not to complicated to build this kit, if you know a friend in electronics than you can make one without a kit just buy the parts.<br /> What ever you do, don't exceed 6 volts. And make sure its dc, not ac.<br>

Now I asume you use this in a studio, not outside?<br>

Before you start investing a DIY rig, you might look into buying used gear, before you know it you be spending more money on something to make this work. That money could be spent on a "real" strobe.</p>

<p>You can also find, or build, a three reflector holder that attach to a light stand. It pretty much is nothing more then a adjustable reflector holder where the side reflectors are adjustable in angle. Sells on ebay for cheap and in stores (adorama b&h) for arround 100 bucks, I think..<br /><br />I made one myself, from simple pvc tube from Lowes.<br /> <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/dmk2-Triflector-3-Reflector-Holder-/130601288188?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e687181fc">http://www.ebay.com/itm/dmk2-Triflector-3-Reflector-Holder-/130601288188?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e687181fc</a><br>

Here is a sample.<br>

Of course it does not give the same nice reflection however it bring in more light in the eyes. You can also try to create a round shape with a silver sunshine reflector that you can buy in a autoparts store, and hold it in a round shape somehow.</p>

<p>Quote"Mr. Remis’s lawyer works for Goodwin Procter, where Mr. Remis’s father, Shepard M. Remis, is a litigation partner."end quote.</p>

<p>Looks to me that it's somewhat a family related / contributed thing.</p>

 

<p>Not a low price, between 400-650 bucks, but with a free full working 30 day trial... Proselect.<br /><br />Studioplus you can get for free and also has some client sales build into it, but not like proselect.</p>

<p>Those are the two I am playing with, well actualy I have studioplus, but I am testimng my water with proselect, and I think I will invest in this software myself.</p>

<p>+1 on the lightroom software...<br />Unless Kelly ask about this kind of management software:<br /><a href="http://www.studioplussoftware.com/">http://www.studioplussoftware.com/</a><br />I use this and I am pretty happy with it. I do not use the online posting and selling at this time, for that I use Photoreflect.<br /><a href="https://www.photoreflect.com/home/default.aspx">https://www.photoreflect.com/home/default.aspx</a><br />No initial cost, just 18% fee when a client makes a purchase and this include the credit card processing fee.<br />Hope this is what you are looking for, Kelly.</p>

<p>The studioplus helps organizing my admin part of the business. Keeping track of my clients, sessions, invoices and anything else. Research and facts on your business is great also.</p>

<p>I still use Quicken for the money part of my business and Adobe PS and LR for the photography part. Check out their websites to see if it is what you like, and studioplus express is free for a single user, you can later decide to upgrade if need to be.</p>

<p>One very good tip I have read her in the past is to renumber your files, so there is no skiping file, therefore no question about it.</p>

<p>I have a full size one on eBay as well. It's nice in the beginning, you can see the shadows and light will be, but the "skin" is smooth, not like humans so you are not going to see how your lighting is going to hide or acentruate the skin.<br>

And you can not change the body into a different pose, your pretty much stuck with the same pose for ever. So a cheaper head only mounted on a stick, or if you can attach something with a hotglue, you can probaly attach her to your tripod or lightstand.<br>

The face is the most important part anyway.<br>

But yeah I have a "girlfriend" in my studio, hidden of course, and use her if I want to try some new light setup.<br>

At least she can stand still and hold her pose for ever.</p>

<p>Thanks for sharing.<br>

I often walk trough Lowes and the like, looking for things I can use directly as a prop or building materials to make a prop.<br>

And don't forget thriftstores, you might find something there.</p>

<p>PS I have made my own senior column, and some other thingies. Including my studio backdrop mounting.</p>

<p>I live in the USA and do European, mainly Dutch, photos and the acceptation rules are stricter then USA.<br /><br />I had a (German) client the other day that had her USA passport photo taken at CVS. Boy was that one bad. A large shadow on the left (from the face) and the eyes dark, so dark you can not see the eyes. She wanted me to make a new passport pic.<br /><br />For other readers if they find this tread, this is the software I use and recomend:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.idphotos.info/en/Home.aspx">http://www.idphotos.info/en/Home.aspx</a><br /><br />And I use a HITI S420 passport printer, true 400dpi and diy sub.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hiti.com/english/Products/PhotoPrinter_S420_Overview.asp">http://www.hiti.com/english/Products/Ph ... erview.asp</a></p>

<p>Right here:<br>

<a href="http://www.dennymfg.com">www.dennymfg.com</a></p>

<p>+1 with Karen.</p>

<p>I was going to say if she gets the wedding cake, will she apply the topping herself? And if she is a professional graphic designer, will she let someone else finnish her base design?</p>

<p>Your name as a professional photographer is at stake here, since everyone will eventualy ask, who is your photographer. And word of mouth goes quick.</p>

<p>My 2 cents</p>

<p>I have been a ASE certified car mechanic back in the 90's and the same goes on in that business, as in other business as well. People can and will pay a technician or shop good money to fix their car.</p>

<p>Plenty of people buy, or rent, their tools and buy parts and fix their own car. Plenty of them going out on the street and fix other cars for a lower price then the profesional mechanics.</p>

<p>With the same quality results, and sometimes with disaster.</p>

<p>In every field/craft there is something like this going on, but... yes... it's tougher to convince the clients why to choose profesional photographers, especialy in a low income area where I live. Walmart rules most of the time.</p>

<p>My 2 cents.</p>

<p>Also the APS-c sensor has a 1.6 crop factor, which means its 1.6 times smaller. Don'r forget the focal lenght on your lenses are true for full frame, so to obtain the right focal lenght on a crop sensor you multiply the focal lenght by 1.6. So a 100mm lens becomes a 160mm lens.</p>

<p>I did found an older picture showing the Canon 350 bodies with the interfit:<br>

(Photo was for insurance / proof of ownership, so photo is not that great.)</p>

<div></div>

<p>Just to be sure we talk about the same thing:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/242803-REG/Interfit_INT411.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/242803-REG/Interfit_INT411.html</a></p>

<p>I have two of those and they work fine with any of my cameras:<br>

<br />Canon 1Ds, 50D, XT/350D and EOS1-35 film, and Mamyia 645AF.<br>

<br />It has a plastic bottom with the one contact to match with the center pin on your hot shoe. I alway turn off both the camera and flash trigger when I install them together, just to be safe. Just slide the unit all the way on your hot shoe.</p>

<p>Be sure you understand that the Interfit has a battery safer build in, which turnes off the unit after a few minutes. This can not be disabled. If you take time to reposition the subject in the studio, it may have turned off, so you have to turn it back on. I don't like this since often I forget it, but you will be reminded quick when the flash don't fires.</p>

<p>I am not aware of any brackets. You can also use the suplied pc wire to go into the Interfit and your camera PC conector.</p>

<p>BTW, I am now using my pocket wizards most of the time. (b/c the battery safer thingie)</p>

<p>My online advertising experience:<br>

</p>

<p>Yellow pages (AT&T) online:</p>

<p>Cost 1800 dollar for one year ($150 a month) and a guarantee of 75 clicks, known result is 2 clients in the studio. But somewhat unknown result is hundreds of people have seen my name popping up and might remember me when they need to.</p>

<p>

<p>Face Book:</p>

 

<br>

Cost about 30 dollar for one month which I can control by adjusting the amount willing to pay, known result is 0 clients in the studio, but I just started in June 2010. But known result is 350000 impressions and 81 clicks, and a few phone calls, without any result so far. But this is in the first month only.</p>

<p>

<p>I no longer do Yellow pages online, other then the free one. Face Book looks okay since it puts my name out and I believe in having my add (bus. name) repeating showing up on their screens.</p>

<br>

I am of course listed in many free listings, but that I don’t keep track of.<br>

 

<p>I also sponsor the local High School, who announces my name at each game the play. But that's not online, just on air. :)</p>

<br>

Most clients come from word of mouth.</p>

<p>I think Juliettephoto.com, like J-F Maïon writes. Or perhaps JGPhotography.com.</p>

<p>My full name is Erwin Paul van Beveren, and I have not found a single American to be able to pronounce my last name correctly, so my business and domain name is ErwinPaulPhotography.com</p>

<p>The only funny thing is a lot of people call me Mr. Paul. :)<br>

Erwin</p>