ryan_k

<p>I shoot a film / digital mix for all of my weddings.</p>

<p>My 5d does the flash work and all of the meaty stuff.</p>

<p>My 1N does the b&w special shots. </p>

<p>Oh, and I carry an RB67 in the backpack for some of the formals.</p>

<p>Plus, I know my 1N will NEVER die. Sometimes I'm worried about my 5d crashing someday.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>You should not be concerned Tolik,</p>

<p>As a hired photographer, I make it a POINT to go right home after my 12 hour day, upload my cards, and do a rough pick of 4-5 "preview." images taken throughout the day. I edit them in lightroom, making sure that the edits are as strong as my delivered final product. <br>

It is inevitable that guests are going to put their photos up ASAP from a wedding. Digital is too fast, too easy not to.</p>

<p>So, why not do the same? I put up a 5 shot preview, tag the bride and groom and they LOVE it every time. They get to have an immediate product, and it just gets them more excited about the final product. <br>

As an added bonus, all guests that upload and tag their own photos from the day now have to compare the hired shots versus the guests shots, and chances are I posted mine hours before they did. You get more praise, more discussion, and a better response, in my experience than holding off two to three weeks to deliver your images.</p>

<p>Facebook is a fast paced, nearly instant world. You need to be the same if you are a pro. As a guest, you did exactly what you should have done; you posted your photos in a flurry because you were excited to be there and you wanted to share. </p>

<p>-Rk</p>

<p>For most of my friend's weddings I am asked (with permission to the paid photog, if there is one, of course) to supplement the day with nice shots. I will bring one of my SLRs only if this is the case, and I make sure to stay out of the way. My contributions are then looked at as a backup / gift to the bride and groom, as they KNOW me and they know what level of work my style produces, whereas the hired photog may be an unknown variable, as much as you try to select the best within your budget.<br>

Otherwise, I have a nice little Yashica Lynx 14 E rangefinder that I carry around. I do not take my SLR and lighting equipment, and don't even bother with flash.</p>

<p>Enjoying a wedding, for me, always means having a camera in-hand. However, it does not always mean that you should take any prominence over the hired professional. </p>

<p>-Rk</p>

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/13565385-lg.jpg" alt="" width="546" height="820" /><br>

Bride and Groom relaxing after the ceremony - Canon 5d / 200mm 2.8 prime @ probably f/3.5 or f/4</p>

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<p>Well you've got me. I read up on the D1, and a 1.5 crop factor, 2.7 mp and some of the other features just make this an undesirable camera given the current other options new or used. </p>

<p>If I was going to force myself into an archaic digital camera with a pro build, i would buy a canon 1D for just about 50-60 dollars more.</p>

<p>For film this is 100% accurate, but digital employs a fine balance between body and lens. Obviously, the higher quality of each, the higher quality image. <br>

However, once you have a body that you are satisfied with, you should only invest in better glass (from a camera vs lens perspective). <br>

The lens is the first element that light from your images interacts with. It should make sense that you start with as high of a quality as allowed.</p>

<p>I'll third this Nadine and Sarah. <br>

If your 5d LCD looks like a perfectly exposed picture, you're underexposed by 1-2/3rds. <br>

Honestly, I've learned to stop relying on the LCD so much. I trust my incedental light meter and flash meter much more often.</p>

<p>The best seamless white tutorial I've found is by Atlanta photographer Zach Arias.<br>

<a href="http://www.zarias.com/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/">http://www.zarias.com/white-seamless-tutorial-part-1-gear-space/</a><br>

There are 5 parts, and they're all excellent. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Missourian here.<br />Just drive man. Just drive.</p>

<p>Well, ok. if you're sticking around 70 that should be the case until you reach St. Louis. Forest park(St. Louis Zoo, Art Museum, lots of various other facilities) is fun and exciting if you take the 15 minute detour from 70 down 170. Or, just head straight into downtown and go see the arch. Anheiser Busch's plant and tour is down on Arsenal Street, and there's always the great walk/shop/eat(and party at night) area on the riverfront known as the Landing.</p>

<p>Oh, and don't forget about Laumeier Sculpture Park. Very fun on a nice day if you've never been.<br /><a href="http://www.laumeier.org/">http://www.laumeier.org/</a></p>

<p>I can second that... my wedding over the past weekend was:</p>

<ul>

<li>outdoors</li>

<li>mid afternoon</li>

<li>99 degrees before heat index.</li>

</ul>

<p>needless to say, I had to bring a second change of clothing so that I didn't look like a rat drowning in its own sweat. The reception, thankfully, was indoors.</p>

<p>Facebook is such a weird world for photography.<br>

I only started shooting weddings this year, so it is all I've ever known. However, I've had clients edit my images horrendously(in my opinion, at least). At first, I was not happy about it. How dare they take my carefully thought-out lighting choices, contrast / color post production, and white balance settings designed to produce the best quality product for them and use a web-based editor (or MS Paint for that matter) to turn it into rubbish?<br>

Well... I then took a step back. It's my style that my clients hire, but everyone has a preffered way of looking at their memories, including me. I, as a photographer, vow personally not to do selective saturation in my images because it is not my style, but that does not mean that the clients can't do it themselves. My contract reserves photo usage for self-promotion and portfolio work, but I ultimately hand off a CD to my client for them to do with as they please. That's my business model. Once the files are in their hands, those specific files are theirs. I do ask, however, that if they use a logo'd image, that they do NOT alter it, as it has my branding on it. I do NOT want heavy oval vignettes and cheap type-faces associated with my business. </p>

<p>But if the client wants to mess around on their own time? sure. As long as they're happy and keep coming back to develop the relationship.</p>

<p>Don't look too far into this Tom.</p>

<p>A terrible photo with a preset action on it is still a terrible photo.</p>

<p>In the end, it's the photographer that makes the grade. The actions just give us a short cut to actions we should be performing anyway (color, contrast, white balance, etc.) from time to time</p>

<p>To answer your question: Yes, a thousand times yes.</p>

<p>I simply do not know why this is even a question that is so commonly asked. Full frame is miles ahead of a crop sensor in terms of IQ and ISO performance.<br>

Even the dated 2005 5D is superior to the 50d, and you can find them for reasonably comparable prices. <br>

So you give up some updated menu systems and a smaller LCD. What really matters in the end? The Image.</p>

<p>Are you verifying this over exposure on your LCD screen or in post?</p>

<p>The 5d LCD is pretty funky, and if it looks slightly over exposed on the screen, it is properly exposed in camera. Likewise, if your image looks PROPERLY exposed visually on the screen, it is slightly under exposed in real life. I've just learned to use my histogram, and know what my screen is telling me, rather than what it is showing me. I still love the 5d.<br>

C'est la vie. <br>

As far as TTL settings are concerned, I've never had any issues... it's just manual flash when I'm trying to chimp it. The screen issue is still in effect, but my photos are not consequently exposed improperly. Bounce flash reduces flash power by 1/3 to 1/2 stop depending on the ceiling distance, so be sure to use FEC accordingly. <br>

Also, take your flash out of program mode if you hate those shadows. Shoot in manual or Av, which will allow you to open up your shutter to expose for ambient light, reducing those shadows in the background, or a dull black background altogether.</p>

<p>I picked up my Lynx 14E from some Gypsies at a flea market. When I found out that it had perfect shutter timing, slick aperture blades, and no fungus or dust, I was sold. Sold on spending 15 dollars on a 1.4 Yashinon(if I remember correctly) rangefinder with a perfect leather case and strap, to boot. <br>

Now If I could only find a hassleblad for 15 bucks :(</p>

<p>I just picked up my first roll of 120 velvia. Let me tell you, just looking at it is enough to never want to shoot digital again. </p>

<p>Don't trust those scans, I'm not impressed in this case. I'm sure the negatives are far superior. Take a digital print and a darkroom print to really compare. Scanning and printing, unless done very expensively and correctly, is still only as good as the scanner. </p>

<p>It's like that TV bit they did on film vs digital where they blew up the two Brits in a Mr. and Mrs. Smith-esque building banner. They showed digital winning, but they didn't give any specs as to how they really went about it. Did they use highest dpi scan? They used the most advanced full frame DSLR and software to edit the digital. </p>

<p>I'm finding that my personal workflow revolves around film more and more. 120, of course. </p>

<p>I had a fun little two day trip and took my Canon 1N since it's more durable and less of a loss(based on monetary value, not personal value) than my 5d, and I was actually disappointed to see how small 35mm negs were after dealing with rolls of 120 and 220 for the past few months. <br>

That feeling alone is enough to make me never want to go back. I'm incorporating my RB67 into my more serious work, and getting seriously awesome results.</p>

<p>I had a wedding on Saturday and I pulled out the RB67 Pro-SD w/ 127mm KL-L for the formals. Picked up the kit for 425 after shipping at Keh.com.<br>

Not only was the bridal party impressed and intrigued (and very willing to be in front of such a cool camera), but I'm also absolutely giddy to see the chromes come back. <br>

Black and white negatives are great too. I'm proud to be a part of the film revival revolution. At $8 a roll and $8 to develop from the local store, I only hope I can keep this alive for as long as I can.</p>

<p>Get a full frame DSLR and crank that ISO for ambient. Even a 50 1.8 can expose backgrounds at 800 or 1200 ISO with negligible noise. Yes noise will be there, but it won't be image-destroying. <br>

I can use my 5d with a bounce flash at 800 to 1600 ISO and get great results for what I'm looking for using a 50 1.8. I just ordered the 50 1.4, but only for the ability to focus with that extra stop of viewfinder light. </p>

<p>I can certainly tell you though, I would never crank the ISO on my crop sensor camera.... there's just too much noise.</p>

<ol>

<li>Research, Research, Research.</li>

<li>Know what type of photos you want to take. Know what type of photos the B&G want to see.</li>

<li>Scout your locations before-hand. </li>

<li>Lighting is more powerful than gear. Learn lighting, then figure out if you need gear to compensate.</li>

<li>Smile.</li>

<li>Have extra EVERYTHING. I only use one camera and one lens for the majority of my shots, but I have 5 cameras and 6 lenses (some EOS, some Mamiya, and some Canon FD just in case). Extra batteries, extra CF cards, and extra film!</li>

<li>Don't rely on photoshop. Do as much in-camera as possible.</li>

<li>Work efficiently, but do not work stressfully. Everyone pays attention to how the photographer behaves and judges your performance on it too.</li>

</ol>

<p>I guess that's not just one, but these are the things I taught myself before I even started, and would want others to know too.</p>

<p> EDIT: Scratch all that above. Melissa is right. Just learn your flash (which correlates to #4).</p>

<p>I advertise to my clients as a mixed-photojournalistic-style photographer. Maybe this is a bit of a redundancy, as everything aside from the formals would be considered "photojournalistic," but perception is reality, afterall. At the very least, it sets my skills aside from the straight formal or straight pj photographers. </p>

<p>I like to have formals for the bride and groom(and family if it's deamed important), but the rest is completely impromptu. Receptions are where I find the most comfort. </p>

<p>Each is a system. Just like when you buy Mamiya or Rollei or whatever else... you're not buying just the camera, but the entire line of products available. </p>

<p>I personally use canon because of their lens selection and full-frame availability. I would argue that the Nikon full frame bodies are better than Canon's full frame in many areas, except for price, number of body choices, and better lens options. </p>

<p>If I could easily put a canon lens on a full frame digital nikon body that cost me less than, or just over 1k (used 5d), I would. </p>

<p>For anything other than top-tier, however, they're essentially the same cameras. Go hold them, shoot with them, and find one that's more comfortable for you. Then do the most important thing: TAKE PICTURES.</p>