peter_cohen

<p>As other posters have suggested, I suspect the problems lies somewhere besides Lightroom. I have 419,303 images in my catalog and don't experience any of the problems you've described.</p> <p>Adobe TV is a great, free source of video tutorials on how to use Lightroom. Likewise, YouTube is filled with tutorials from beginner to expert level, so maybe you can poke around a bit to find out where things started to head south for you.</p>

<p>I just doesn't have the spill kill option.</p> <p>I use mine almost exclusively outdoors, and can't say enough good things about it. The light is provides is absolutely gorgeous with superior shadow transitions provided you're using it 6' from subject or closer. For portraits, I've never seen better, and I've used a bunch including the Halo.</p> <p>Very sturdy, stands up well to wind.</p>

<p>+1 for CrashPlan</p> <p>I have about 6TB of images on CrashPlan. Their customer support is great if you need it, and the interface is very easy to understand and use. Works like clockwork. They have many options for where you can store your backup. Been using them for years without issue.</p>

<p>See if you can find a print shop in your area that specializes in large-format graphics. I regularly have prints made for banners and signs at parties that are bigger than what you're considering. FWIW, the printer I use requests a PDF at half the final output size, and they scale it up to final output.</p>

<p>+1 on Jos' suggestion:</p> <p>https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/help/lightroom-smart-previews.html</p> <h2 id="Advantages of Smart Previews">Advantages of Smart Previews</h2> <a name="main-pars_text"></a> <ul> <li>Smart Previews are much smaller than the original photos. You can free up disk space on devices with smaller storage capacities (for example, SSD drives) by choosing to keep original files on a high-capacity external device (for example, NAS devices or external discs). For example, 500 raw images from a high-end DSLR camera may occupy 14 GB of disk space. The Smart Preview files for the same images amounted to 400 MB of disk space.</li> <li>Continue to work with your Smart Preview files even when the device containing your original photographs is disconnected. You can perform all edits that you would perform on the original file.</li> <li>Automatically sync any edits made on Smart Preview files with your original files, as soon as the device is reconnected to your computer.</li> <li>Once created, your Smart Preview files are always up to date. When your storage device is connected, any edits you make to the original file are applied instantly to the Smart Previews as well.</li> </ul>

<p>There are many videos on DIY eyelighters on YouTube.</p>

<p>Given the fact that the Eyelighter is about 5-10x what the softbox will cost, I think it's about more than the look. Cost aside, the Eyelighter is amazing.</p>

<p>The Buff mini lithiums have two outlets per battery, and can power pretty much anything including the fan you mention. Just a thought -- albeit a more expensive one -- have you considered the Elinchrom Quadra. 400 ws and light as a feather with a battery pack that is very manageable. It's my go-to location light and we do a lot of senior portraits. Matched with a Softliter II, the output is beautiful and very adjustable from just a touch for fill to full 400 ws.</p>

<p>I respectfully suggest you consider revising your workflow and editing. An hour+ on each file is way out of scope for making any kind of profit.</p>

<p>In case you're concerned, I have 345,020 images in my one catalog. Never had a problem.</p>

<p>I'm wondering if any other Elinchrom Quadra owners have experienced the trouble described below.<br> <br /> I have an Elinchrom Quadra, out of warranty, that I love. However, at least once on every shoot, it exhibits odd behavior, most frequently blinking the digits in the panel showing the power setting for more than a minute or more. After which it returns to normal behavior. This is with fully charged battery plus a fresh battery on the Skyport Speed transmitter. I have read the owner’s manual and the behavior is most closely like that on page 17 under Troubleshooting for “The display flashes, no flash can be released.”<br> <br /> Obviously, when this occurs on paid shoots it’s disruptive to the session and embarrassing to me. For the investment I made in the Quadra, I expect reliable operation. Today on a high school senior shoot, I had to replace the Quadra completely with one of my QFlashes. Again, embarrassing and a waste of about 10 minutes.<br> <br /> If you had this happen with your Quadra, what's the cause and how did you solve it?<br> <br /> Thanks,<br /> Peter</p>

<p>In many cases its the veil that's being blown vs the dress. In those cases, the assistant holds the veil out and then lets go and jumps back as the image is captured.</p>

<p>I'm with Jeff. I have 307,000 images in one catalog. From the click on the task bar until the splash screen goes away it's 10 seconds. Shutdown is almost instantaneous. Lightroom CC 2015.</p>

Great comparison between the two treatments. Love the top one.

<p>There was recently a thread about shooting the hora. My wife and I specialize in bar and bat mitzvahs, so I thought I'd post this chair raising image. My wife's on a ladder and I'm 45 degrees on either side of her with my camera on a monopod, extended as high as it will go. Critique if you wish.</p><div></div>

<p>Might be a conflict with an OnOne plugin, if you're using oine.<br> http://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/export_error_unable_to_export</p>

<p>For commercial customers, I charge a $150 location fee if I have to travel more than 30 minutes from our studio (let's say, for a headshot session). For portraits like you're describing, I increase the session fee to cover the extra time. For example, a $250 session becomes a $350 session.</p> <p>You're not nitpicking at all. I'm assuming you're trying to make a living.</p>

<p>My response is similar to William's. I get that you're not supporting yourself through photography, but when you accept money in return for photos, to that person, you're a professional. I think the most important aspect of this kind of work is to be consistent. People talk. And you have to treat everybody the same.</p> <p>Let's say that you establish a non-profit billing arrangement whereby you donate your time and talent but charge for retouching, burning CDs or USBs of image files, or ordering prints. For the images of the house that you made, I'm guessing that you'll look at each one in some sort of software and make little changes (or big) that'll enhance the images.</p> <p>Charge for that time. And what you charge will vary based on many factors -- including geography -- but in Scottsdale AZ where I am, I charge $25 for a simple retouch of an image. I have shot real estate and found that occasionally I'd have to make an HDR to get a great look, and I'd charge $125 for that image file if that's all the client was buying. Remember, you're charging not only for your time, but for your talent, your creativity, your vision, the money you invested in that great lens that took the distortion-free, crisp images. You're charging for a lot. Be fair and be consistent.</p>

<p>I hate to be the village cynic, but are you a nice person? Sounds like it. So, when you go to the supermarket, restaurant, gas station, camera shop, or any other place where you spend money, do you get a price break because you're nice? I didn't think so. If you're a professional photographer, then charge for your work. Equally to all your clients. If your images help this person sell her house faster or for more money, will you get a percent of the increase? I doubt it.</p> <p>I just received an album we made for a client. This client went back and forth with us on price for weeks, saying that she wanted the album but that her husband didn't want to spend the money. So we gave her a 15% friends and family discount; she's a neighborhood acquaintance, far from a "friend." The album arrived and I sent her an email and called to let her know it was here and to arrange delivery. She did not return my call or email, and then Facebook provided the answer -- she's on the French Riviera with her husband. Lesson learned.</p>

<p>Make sure you're not using the face detection, address lookup, or sync to mobile features. These three background processes will suck the life out of Lightroom. Left-click on the Lightroom logo in the top-left and a drop-down will give you the status of each. AFAIK, this is the only place where you can start or stop these services.</p>

<p>Not sure if there's much decor in the room at the reception, but in addition to the suggestions above, you could certainly pencil in some detail and room shots. Great for albums.</p>

<p>My wife and I shoot 30-40 bar and bat mitzvahs a year; it's our niche. I can't speak to which camera you should go with other than to say that the most important qualities to us are the ability to focus quickly in extremely dim light. Whichever setup gets you that is your winner.</p>

<p>I use Retrospect software to automate daily duplication of my internal disk that holds all my images to an external disk.</p>

<p>Phlearn.com is outstanding. Most of it is way beyond basics.</p>

<p>I look at it this way. The printing company will probably charge the hotel what, $1,000-$2000 for the print. How much of that should you get? I'm sure there are guides and standard rates for commercial licenses, but if it was me, I would ask $500-$750 for the file with one-time rights.</p> <p>Your work is fantastic. Please do not undersell yourself. If they ask you to shoot more, ask for and get a day-rate of at least $1,000.</p>