stephanie_w

<p>I shot a wedding for a couple that didn't have a lot of money to spend. I don't have much wedding experience, shot a few here and there for close friends or family (trust me -- I stress the importance of hiring a true professional, but some people just don't have the money, period.) but everyone has always been extremely pleased and I've never encountered anything too out of the ordinary. I'm rather limited in my resources as far as technical components go, and the B&G was fully aware of my experience level. Also they were informed of the fact that I am a nursing student and health insurance minon-- not a pro photographer. My gear consists of a Canon 20D, 50mm F.4 (also an f1.8), kit zoom, and a 420EX speedlight. I enjoy shooting minor events and portraits as more of a hobby than anything. Well, the day before the wedding I shot, I visited the church the day before around the same time of day that the wedding would take place, got some ideas as far as proper exposure and such, chatted with the minister a bit about their wedding routine, etc. He said, "Yep, it'll look just like this" and pointed to a few lights around the chapel, in addition to late afternoon light streaming in the windows, which made for a nice, even, pleasant light. So....</p>

<p>Ceremony time: All lights in church go off. Spotlight on the B&G... A spotlight?! they are ON the "stage" in the chapel, not standing before it. Could not get up on the stage per minister request. Groom standing halfway outside spotlight during prayers and other parts of the ceremony. I don't think even the B&G knew this would happen, I doubt they cared much though. Man o man. This is causing some interesting late editing nights for me. We've got raccoon eyes and shadows galore. I guess my question is.... has anyone ran into a spotlight situation? How did you handle it? How would you have handled it if it was a last-minute surprise? I shot in raw and am trying to increase the fill light and highlight some of the eye and face areas.</p>

<p>Robert, the dimensions are along those lines. When I convert my own files from raw to jpg, I always set the dpi from 72 to 300. I know 72 is the default but if photos are given on a CD for the purpose of printing, why wouldn't they be at 300? Does it not matter?</p>

<p>Hey all,<br>

I do photography mainly for fun with a few paid jobs here and there, so excuse my ignorance on the subject -- When I make CD's for clients, friends or family, I save all images at 240-300ppi so they can print them. My mother was recently married and had a wedding photographer that does no image editing - just photos straight out of camera, on CD. I received the original copies of the CDs today in the mail, wanting to make some nice enlargements for my mom & her new husband for Christmas. However, they are all saved at 72ppi. Is this normal? Can I re-save the ones I want to print at 300ppi with desirable results?</p>

<p>Well... some people have $1000 to spend on their wedding, some people have $30,000.... thus the $500 photographer is hired... but, believe me, if you have a 20k wedding, you aren't going to hire a $500 photographer.</p>

<p>I can buy a blouse from a high-end department store and pay $180 for a quality garmet, or I can go to the salvation army and get one for $.50 for poor quality but it'll cover me up. If I've got $5,000 to blow for my shopping trip, where am I going to go? Where would I go if I only had $10?</p>

<p>Not everyone's parents can pay for a wedding. Not everyone can afford a $2500 photographer. Not because they're cheap, but because literally the money isn't there. I have yet to see a $500 Craigslist photographer that had the skills of the $5000 photographer. Brides know this. I don't see the $500 photographer cutting into the bottom line for the $5000 photographer, I don't see why everyone complains about it.</p>

<p>I can juggle 8 bags of heavy groceries, a toddler, a crazy puppy who is trying to escape, my car keys and cell phone at the same time without losing my mind. I am also a decent cook.</p>

<p>I have read many threads about what it takes to be a second shooter for a wedding, gear a second shooter should have, etc. But I'm a little fuzzy on the assistant part.</p>

<p>What do you require of an assistant? I would love to carry gear, fetch coffee, fix a plate, move stuff around, location scout, make fun of weird guests with the photographer, etc. Is there more to it than that? Should an assistant have lots of experience and already own a lot of stuff? I just want to help a pro out (free) to be able to observe and learn a few things. I'm not really sure how approach the subject with local photographers and when I would be ready to do that. The only things I have right now are a 20D, a 50mm f1.8 (soon to be 1.4), and the 18-55mm kit zoom (hopefully soon to be Tamron 17-50mm f2.8)</p>

<p>(Also, I live in the Raleigh/Durham NC area if anyone would like me to fetch coffee and carry stuff for the upcoming wedding season.)</p>

<p>I don't know Crystal - many photogs have asked, but I have the feeling she will not disclose what actions or gear she uses. She has previously stated she is "too busy" to reply to e-mails from other photographers. I understand that - but it sure would be nice to know. I'm guessing though she uses some kind of totally rad actions along with some serious equipment - I think I may recognize the "get faded neutral" action, but I am not totally sure. However she does it - she is amazing. I think her lighting also makes the photo. And I just admire the simplicity in her work - She is booked for many months in advance each day of the week, gets $400 a session in her studio in her own home - she doesn't even deal with prints, albums, all that mess - she just gives 25 edited images on a CD, there you go and the name of an inexpensive printer in her area. I bet she makes bank and doesn't even have to worry about location shoots, album design, prints, etc... sheesh. She's so awesome.</p>

<p>Yikes... that is a terrible story. If she hadn't lied about her camera bodies I'd say tough noogies, but she obvious misrepresented herself.<br>

Although I do want to say, shame on you for having formals around noontime :P Yuck.</p>

<p>The flash isn't going to harm or in most cases won't upset the baby. The baby at that age is hardly aware of any of his surroundings and feeds off of internal cues - hunger and discomfort (hot, cold, wet). Your daughter is just being overprotective - just nicely assure her the photos will be worth it. :)</p>

<p>Wow, thanks Neil, I was using save as jpg too.... Whoops! Now I can't wait to get home and re-save all my web images :) Luckily I haven't built my galleries yet.</p>

<p>I am also looking for online courses, but $400 for an online course with PPSOP? I can't imagine paying this price unless this course would change my life.</p>

<p>It really depends on how you approach it. I have been approached with "modeling" offers before and to be honest I've always been creeped out. If you're asking girls to come to your basement apartment for a "photo shoot", that's creepy. But if you approach someone, explain that you are a photographer who is portfolio building, <strong>give them a business card</strong>, and say that you'd be interested in doing portraits in a public place and you would pay them, I don't see anything wrong with that. The worst they could say is no.</p>

<p>I am a beginner, can someone enlighten me what the advantages are of shooting raw+jpg? It just seems like a waste of space to me, why not shoot raw only? Am I missing something?</p>

<p>Hi! I just wanted to add the site of one of the best baby photographers in the business <a href="http://www.skyejohansenphotography.com">skyejohansen.com</a> maybe that will inspire you. Good luck!</p>

<p>I am in kind of a similar situation, my cousin is having a moderately low-budget wedding and I'd like to get some shots in for practice. I'm just going to ask the photographer right away what is ok and what isn't, and let them know I won't be shooting or standing during any formals or key shots if they're trying to make money from prints. If they're just giving them a CD though I'm going do my thing as long as I'm not in the way of the pro.</p>

<p>Thanks also to you Steve, maybe "beginners luck".. I took it on the first day I had my 20D. He says it makes him look old ;) I am very fond of it, mainly because it's the only photo I have of him with a genuine smile.</p>

<p>Well that makes me feel better, I do shoot mostly portraits, but I would like to get more into event photography (read: weddings) down the line and a lot of that is shot horizontally (assuming, from pro wedding photographer's galleries).</p>

<p>As for now, I have a 20D and my main portrait lens is a 50 1.8, soon to be 1.4 :) so I have tried to horizontally crop a main subject out of a vertical shot but I'm afraid I just don't have the stark sharpness in most of my photos to pull it off a lot of the time. Also though, I haven't really had much practice yet shooting landscapes (I would be more interested in urban landscapes, if it matters) since I only got my 20D in November and by the time I get off work at 5:30 here it is dark... I am very much looking forward to turning the clocks back this spring, I live in a city full of history and I'm dying to get out there and enjoy some warm sunsets after a long day of working for the man. I imagine then I'll get more horizontals in.</p>

<p>Thanks for the kudos Anthea, that really means a lot! I do need to post more I know.</p>

<p>Argh, I've been having this issue... I'm a beginner, and most of the time I want to shoot vertically. I don't know why - I just seem to always frame things that way. I didn't really notice it until I started building my website a week or so ago.. horizontal photos are much more web-friendly and I realized that most all my favorite photos were vertical shots. It got me thinking, what percentage of your photos are horizontal vs vertical? For the past week I've been trying to make it a personal challenge to shoot random things only horizontally but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be.</p>

<p>I just rented a 70-200mm f2.8 IS from cameralensrentals.com and I really liked it. Some rental places require you to have the equipment back at the company on the last day of your rental period. This place only requires you to ship it out on the last day which gives you a lot more control on getting it back on time. I like that there is a calendar that you can choose the day you actually receive your lens (very helpful since you have to sign for it or make sure someone is home to sign for it) instead of the whole "could be 2-5 days" deal. With the 70-200 they gave me an awesome case for it and the hood was included, the shipping box was packed extremely well and of course the return shipping is prepaid so it's easy peasy. I will rent from them again, it's a lot cheaper than my local camera store.</p>

<p>Thanks Bruce! the Web Photo School is very reasonably priced. I've already learned a few things from the free tutorials.</p>

<p>Hi all! So I was looking for a photography class in my area to take this spring. I found a few courses I would be interested in but.. I am not a fan of the work posted on each teacher's photography website. I mean, <strong>would it be beneficial to learn from someone that doesn't share your vision or style?</strong> They all seem very bland or traditional. One teacher is instructing a course called Lighting and Composition and on his website, the lighting AND composition in his photos are just terrible! The Craiglist photographers are better, in my opinion.<br>

I tried to look for local workshops or seminars, but I couldn't find anything in North Carolina that wasn't about nature photography in the near future. I am interested in portraits and events.<br>

Does anyone recommend any online courses or DVDs that may be helpful until I find a better leaning opportunity?</p>

<p>These responses are pretty funny.. yes I have also bought a lot of useless stuff I thought I needed. I have about the same equipment and experience as you David, and as soon as I get some extra loot, I'm going for a backup body and some better glass. I already get so terrified as it is going into a portrait session not having a backup. I even have nightmares about it sometimes ;) Maybe you should go for the 30D or 40D (used from reputable dealer), keep the 20D as backup, and buy a nice piece of glass like the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 (used) as others have suggested. I know the 580ex probably blows the 430ex out of the water, but the fact is - there is nothing wrong with the 430ex. I think you can work on your lighting with it and in the future buy a better flash.</p>

<p>I personally would go with the gatorboard, I think it stands out more than frames, and it's a more unique way of displaying photos. I have 4 20x20 gatorboard images of my daughter in my home and I always get many compliments of the display.</p>

<p>Sorry, I don't know why this posted. My computer crashed as I was confirming an entire message. Well, I shot an out of focus photo, in JPG, as I was running out of memory. I'm attaching this as in CS4 I am not having much luck with the unsharp mask or some sharpening effects. If anyone has suggestions I would appreciate it. Again, sorry for the above.</p>

<p>Hey everyone

, I shot my brother's USMC graduation this week. I shot a ton of photos and used up all my memory cards, I was s

hooting