come together studios

<p>Thank you Peter! It works great. </p>

<p>Does anyone know how to edit multiple pictures at once in Aperture? I am a wedding photographer who takes many pictures with the same exposure at once. In Lightroom/Camera Raw I can select a group of pictures and make changes to all of them at once. I recently uploaded Aperture and love it. I just can not seem to figure out how to do this one very important thing. Does anyone know how? Thanks very much.</p>

<p>Getting Ready</p><div></div>

<p>Otto I disagree with the people who do not like her style. I do like her. She is a bit over photoshopped at times but brides love it. Keep in mind you are taking her work in front of photographers who see with photographers eyes. Its like pulling a rabbit out of a hat and expecting other magicians to be impressed. The important question as to why your pictures are not turning out well does not lie within her work. It is in your work. You need to show us your work. Her work is her eye and isn't all that relevant to your success. A photographers eye is like a finger print and no matter how hard you try can not be repeated. </p>

<p>I agree with Luca. Weather I am using Light Room or Raw it takes about 3 hours for me to run through an entire wedding. Presets are every helpful. I have a few for B&W, one for sepia, a Slightly warming, slightly cooling, etc. Presets of course do not work for all images. It depends on what you are starting with. After using your presets for awhile you get to know them. You know right away which images they will work well with and which to not use them at all on. The other key to quick editing of an entire wedding is what Luca said "edit by scene and lighting" This saves a ton of time. Of course while shooting you must get constant exposures to make this work. Say family portraits for example. I usually shoot about 300 to 400 shots of the families at a wedding. This is done in a controlled environment with strobes and flash. So I can get a constant exposure for post production. Then in Raw or Light Room I can make my changes to the entire 300 shots at once. Not each shot one at a time. Very important though as Luca said make sure to run through each image after to see if any have been changed in a negative way.</p>

<p>Here is a group shot taken with a Metz 76 Mz5. Not the greatest shot in the world but does shoe the over all power.</p>

<p>It's cool Bob. Sometimes I jump the gun. My fault. I tend to snap back quick. Its the New York in me. I know it wasn't your intention. </p>

<p>What primes do you have? While a zoom is helpful for wedding photography they are not as sharp as primes. The 50 is a better lens but not as useful as the 70-200 for weddings. Its a toss up. Of course anyone would always opt for the prime when all the stars are aligned but swithching primes many times in say a ceremony is often difficult. Some people dangle two or even three cameras all with primes from there body while shooting weddings. I found it to be uncomfortable and dangerous to your gear. So if one must be picked first id have to say the 70 -200 assuming you have another lens some where around the 24-70 range to also use. If you have zero lens then the 50mm for sure. It all depends on what primes you already have. What do you have? </p>

<p>Ken Its not any one picture. Its a collection on photographers pictures that I have seen who are using bees. Maybe I'm nuts because no one else seems to agree with me. In the end I think you are right. I will just have to get some and try it for myself. I do like what I hear about there customer service and there pricing is unbeatable. </p>

<p>Thanks Nadine. I am the first to admit I do not know the older models well. You have cleared up some questions for me. Metz most certainly have a few negatives. That being said I love the Metz 76. I have used the 580II many time and clearly see the difference in power and over all quality. The fill flash is effective used correctly. It took me along time before I got what I wanted out of it but now love it. It fills in the shadows just enough when I need to bounce directly off the ceiling. I turn it off when bouncing from angles. The extra power of the 76 lets me shoot at a lower iso. Which is not important to some but is to me. I hate noise on any level know matter how little it is. The 5D MarkII has wonderful noise reduction at iso 800 but why not shoot 400 if you can. On a side not the new LightRoom 3 Beta converts Raws to J peg with amazing noise reduction as well. </p>

<p>Well I apologize about the Normans. I have never heard of anyone using them as a on camera flash before. So I stand corrected. To be 100 percent exact the Metz 76 is not the most powerful flash on the market. Of course I was reffering to newer digital model when I made that statement. I'm sure there is a flash some where from the 1920's that's even more powerful then the Norman! Sometimes I forget how exact you must be on here or you get torn apart.<br>

As far as answering Dennis's original question I still believe I did. Not many people are going to recommend a Norman over a Digital flash to a 5D Mark II user. And if you read my original post I also recommended he look into the Q Flash.</p>

<p>Bob I think it is a very good picture. Well lit with good wrap and a soft quality but to be honest I see the Yellowish/red tint that the Bees seem to give off. Maybe I'm nuts. Nobody else seems to think they do so I guess I'm wrong. Regardless of weather the tint is there or not it is a very nice portrait and I thank you for sharing it with me.</p>

<p>Ken its not the URL. I mean I do not want to show someones work as my example of poor lighting. That would not be right.</p>

<p>Bob i think you are taking me out of context. Of course the Normans are more powerful. Along with every strobe system out there. I am talking strictly as a on camera flash (with bracket) the 76 is very powerful. Not off camera strobes. <br>

Nadine I agree with you to an extent on the fill flash. I have never used it on a 60 or 40 but can tell you if you use it on 1/4 power on the 76 you will get great results. As long as you are a few feet from your subject. Also a small piece of Scotch Tape over the fill helps a great deal. Its all about how you use it. Knowing when to have it on and when to shut it off. </p>

<p>To respond to Nadine's question. The Metz 76 has a zoom to 105mm. Exactly the same as the 580II but not as good as the the SB 900 for Nikon.</p>

<p>I made the switch to the Metz 76 MZ5 and never looked back. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/413429-REG/Metz_MZ_76252_mecablitz_76_MZ_5_Digital.html This flash has the most power on the market today. It's perfect for reception halls. It has two flash heads. One for bounce and the other for fill. With the fill flash you really have no need for a bounce card but of course can still use one. You can also buy custom bounce cards from Protoflex. They also make a mini blow up soft box that can go over your main flash head for outdoor use. With the SCA slave module you can also have full ETTL with your 5D Mark II. The only problems I have had with the flash is the bulb blew once from over heating. Bogen Imaging is the American distributer and did fix the problem for free in just two days time. Also there is no PC port which makes things harder when adding Pocket Wizards to the mix. I connect the flash to the cameras hot shoe and the Pocket Wizard to the cameras PC port. If you buy this flash I recommend investing in the P76 Battery pack. You get a much quicker recycle time and it last a lot longer then the internal battery it comes with. With that said Quantum is also a really good flash company. I hear good things about the Q flash X5 DR but have never used it myself. Not sure if it has a fill flash built in. You really can't go wrong with either. ( Stay away from the Metz 54 MZ4. Its not as good as the 580II)</p>

<p>Thank you Robert, John, Raymond and Joseph for all of your help. I'm thinking for the money the Einstein will be my best option for weddings. If it ever really comes out. It sure has been "Coming Soon" for sometime now. I really only need it for formals. My Metz 76 Mz5 works great with a few off camera 580II's for the church and reception. On a side note for anyone looking for a upgrade from the 580II the Metz 76mz5 really did take my work to the next level. Its worth the money. The power combined with the fill flash is perfect.</p>

<p>My main concern with using Profoto or Elinchrom for a wedding is breaking them. I am often in the rain, wind, etc. I have the Metz 76mz5 which is powerful but not beat the sun powerful. That is the same problem with Quantums. There amazing lights but not for large formals when i have to beat out the sun. I use a Metz 76 mz5 in receptions because of its amazing color consistency and power. Something that the Canon 580II falls short of in my opinion. So I need strobes with the same color consistency and power for formals. Color shifts are bad when your shooting 1500 pictures per wedding. So thank you John you have giving me something to think about.</p>

<p>Thank you Reymond. That's good to hear. I really think I will go with the Alien Bees or Einstein when it comes out. Out of curiosity why does a flash tube from Profoto cost almost 11 times more money per bulb if there exactly the same. Are they ripping people off? Also if there all the same why is Alien Bee so much less money then the rest. P.S. I'm not being sarcastic and saying Alien Bee isn't as good because there cheap. I really don't know there answer to why they cost so much less.</p>

<p>Hi Ben Thanks so much for the response. I can not post the pictures I am referring to because they are not my own. I'm just saying in general I see a poor quality of light over all from pictures I have seen taken using Bees. You maybe right about it just being due to poor lightning techniques and mis use of modifiers. That's exactly what I'm trying to get to the bottom of. A flash head can most certainly contribute to how well light wraps around the body. Yes of course soft boxes etc make a big difference but the quality of the bulb and color temp output are big factors. I'm trying to get an idea from others like yourself if Paul Buff has that level of quality. Thanks for your time!</p>

<p>I hear that Paul Buff has wonderful customer service and repair services. Which is one of the many reason I want to invest in there lights. My issue is not with there customer service. Its with there light quality. I read endless post about how great there customer service is but almost no raves about there actually quality? If you have any examples of pictures you have taken with your White Lightnings id love to see them. I really want to pull the trigger on the Alien Bees but just need some Professional examples of work using them first.</p>

<p>I do not own the Alien Bees so have no pictures to post. I'm referring to other peoples pictures I have seen while researching. I have seen a over all better quality photo from the Ranger pictures I have seen. So I am trying to find Alien Bee photos of better quality then I can seem to find. What I mean by "flashy" is a harsher light with a poor quality of color tones. The Profoto/Elinchrom/Broncolor seem to put out a more consistent light to models faces. A light the wraps around the body in a more natural way. I apologize that I cant exactly put into words the difference. I'm not saying Alien Bee can not have a good quality. I'm just having trouble finding examples of it. Thanks so much for your time. </p>

<p>I am looking for a strobe system to shoot weddings with. I have looked into every brand on the market. I have read great things about Profoto, Elinchrom, Broncolor and Alien Bee. Profoto and Broncolor being the most expensive followed by Elinchrom then Alien Bee. As far as budget goes Profoto and Broncolor are out. So do I go for Elinchrom for a little more money or the very reasonable Alien Bees. I can get 3 Alien Bee heads a Beauty Dish, Softbox, Cyber Commander, stands, Vagabond battery and umbrellas for the price of just the basic Elinchrom Ranger kit with no extras. Sounds like a no brainier right! Not really. Here's my problem and my question. Does anyone else see the poor quality of light given off by the bees? I understand you get what your paying for but I never read anything bad about the bees harsh yellowish/red light. I have looked at dozens of photographers using bees and they all have the same hard light with a "flashy" color tone. Is this the photographers using them wrong? If so can anyone send me links to there sites using them correctly? I would like to buy Bees and buy American to support the economy but can not sacrifice quality to do so. Thanks so much for any responses. </p>