geoff_cardillo

<p>I've agreed to deliver a CD of files to a client. For me, the easiest thing to do would be to create 2 folders - 1 for jpeg's and one of larger TIFF's and just send it off - but that feels unfinished. To me, at least.<br>

Do you do anything "special" with labeling or creating slide shows or anything else to include on the disc?<br>

Many thanks in advance for your thoughtful responses.</p>

<p>@Ted -<br>

i'm totally on-board with your approach to a "no session fee" and "no package" approach. i am just starting to acquire clients and so far everyone wants to know how much each image will cost before making the commitment. my response has been to give me a hypothetical order with dimensions and number of prints - from there, i can create an estimate. but how do you approach that situation?</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>-Geoff </p>

<p>@ lorne - the D300 flash is actually set to the '--' mode. according to the Nikon manual, "the built-in flash does not fire, but the AF-assist illuminator lights. The built-in flash must be raised so that it can emit monitor pre-flashes." in the 'M' mode, the flash will fire at anywhere from Full power to 1/128 power. personally, i wish it just wouldn't fire at all since i'm focusing manually anyway...</p>

<p>i'm going to post some samples - hopefully that'll help...</p>

<p>hi -<br>

i'm shooting portraits with a lastolite hilite background and two strobes: 1 to illuminate the hilite background, and the other to illuminate the front of the subject. for the "front" light, i've been shooting through both a softbox and an umbrella.<br>

after doing light meter readings, i've got the hilite background light set at f9 and the "front" strobe light at f4.5.<br>

my camera (nikon D300) is set to M. <br>

lens is a Nikon 28-70 f2.8.<br>

shutter speed is set at 1/125sec. <br>

ISO is 200<br>

Aperture is set to f4.5 (same as the foreground light)<br>

the strobes are plugged-into a dynalite 1000w power pack.</p>

<p>i'm using the camera as commander for the flashes. yes, the speedlight pops, but (supposedly) only to aid the auto focus.<br>

i'm not crazy about the results that i'm getting for the following reasons:</p>

<p>1 - the faces seem dark/shadowy - i want a bright face<br>

2 - the lighting seems to vary widely from shot-to-shot. i've been doing "tests" with the camera mounted on a tripod and all settings remaining contant.i thought it might be that the lights needed more time between exposures in order to fully recycle. but i've done that. i counted-off 10 seconds between shots and still am not getting consistent results.</p>

<p>i know that the idea (at least one of the ideas) behind high key is the 2-stop variance between the background lighting and foreground light. what i'm wondering is if i should try a different 2-stop variance. say... f5.6 and f11 or f8 and f16<br>

anyway... if you have any suggestions on how to eliminate the shadowy faces or how to get consistent results shot-over-shot, i'd appreciate it.</p>

<p>thanks so much.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>thanks pete - with the studio setup i was shooting at f8 some of the time and f3.5 some of the time. in both cases, i was able to get results that were to my liking. <br>

as for the focusing screen... it is helpful to learn this - is there any kind of workaround? i do not like the idea of using the LCD as a 'monitor' to focus. i want to look through the viewfinder... what else can be done?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>BeBu - thanks, i'll re-examine the diopter. i do wear glasses and haven't had any trouble focusing on subjects once i'm zoomed-in, but i'll give it a look, nonetheless.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>john - i'm actually NOT zoomed out - quite the opposite. when i'm shooting and having trouble, it's at the low-end of the zoom spectrum (say around 18mm-35mm). <br>

i am using a UV filter - could this be causing a problem?</p>

<p>thanks craig- i'll check-into parfocal lenses in other photo.net forums. <br>

the problem that i have will remain with the lens i have, though - i can't see the subject thru the viewfinder to sharpen the focus - do you have any suggestions? is it just... accept it? <br>

i'm thinking that the 18-200mm lens - while 'versatile' - may not offer the precision i'm seeking. i'll look into the other lenses. <br>

as for the AF-point choices... i am placing the focal point squarely on my subject's face and still... i'm just not getting what i want.<br>

to be fair, this often happens in situations where limited light is available and i am shooting with a wide-open aperture... so i don't have much margin for error. i never allow the camera to select the AF-point. i usually use the 9-point AF zone with the intent of limiting the choices the camera would make.<br>

thanks again for the suggestion to look into the parfocal lenses.</p>

<p>i've been unhappy with the sharpness of my photos. not all. <br>

i'm using a nikon d300 with an 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 DX lens.<br>

i recently took some posed photos with a model using this combo. when i used the on-camera magnification, i zoomed in as far as it would go and could see sharp definition in the model's eyes and skin. so i'm fine with a studio lighting/posed model situation. <br>

the problem is when i'm shooting in situations that are not studio-lit. outdoors or indoors. i use auto-focus much of the time but seem to always end up with the background content in focus, but not the subject. i've been switching to manual focus - i zoom-in on the subject - to focus - then zoom-out to frame the image. but i don't re-focus. <br>

the results i've gotten are ... mixed. i viewed the images in the camera - with the magnification all the way in and some are sharp ... others... not as much.<br>

is my technique valid? i mean... i'm thinking that if i want to frame the shot at 18mm, but i need to zoom-in to 85mm to get the focus correct, should i re-focus? the problem there is that i can't really finely-sharpen the focus inside the viewfinder when my lens is at 18mm. <br>

i'm sure this raises more questions than can be simply/quickly answered... but if we can start the conversation, that would really help me a lot.<br>

thank you.</p>

<p>kris -<br>

that is what i am seeing - the "-3" flashing on the display. <br>

the issue is that this happens with the second photograph (normally taken 5+ seconds after the first). does the flash fire before it is fully charged? does this mean the burst is actually just a partial burst? i would think that it either fires or does not fire - that there wouldn't be a 'partial' fire as the image result would likely be useless anyway. <br>

is the recycle time what separates the SB 600 from say the SB 800 or SB 900? is there some way to accelerate the recycle time? <br>

thanks for your help...</p>

<p>-geoff</p>

<p>i figured it was going to be something this basic.<br>

one add'l question - i often prefer to bounce the flash off a ceiling to illuminate the room and eliminate what i call the "harsh" shadows behind the subjects.<br>

does it make any sense whatsoever to use TTL when i'm doing this? i mean, the flash is getting a light-reading through the lens, but i presume it is using an algorithm that measures distance from the camera to the subject and NOT camera distance to the <em>ceiling</em>.</p>

<p>hi -<br>

probably a basic question here...<br>

how do i get my Nikon SB 600 to STOP auto-compensating? i just want it to fire re-fire to recreate the exposure that i've dialed-in. <br>

what's happening is that i'll be somewhere - say at a children's party in an apartment - and i'll want to take more than a single picture.<br>

i know the flash requires time to re-set. i'm not depressing the shutter release and trying to shoot at 3fps. i pause a few moments - long enough to see the flash ready indicator in the viewfinder - and then i shoot again. the second photos are inevitably DARK - as seen in the LCD. when i look at the flash, it appears that the flash is compensating as much as 3 full stops... why is this doing this? i normally shoot in manual as i prefer to control the depth of focus.<br>

i am NOT zooming in or out (thus affecting the light reading).<br>

i have meta data that shows ALL settings are identical - and that the flash DID fire... it's just that the light is all wrong.<br>

can anyone suggest how to solve this problem?<br>

thanks very much.</p>

<p>-geoff</p>

<p>thanks everyone - i appreciate your responses...<br>

the shoot went pretty well. i used the backdrop because, even though i was in a 'park', it was really a playground - in brooklyn. so there weren't too many 'green' places...<br>

things weren't perfect, but i did learn a lot...here are the results, if you're interested:<br>

http://geoffcardillo.zenfolio.com/halloween</p>

<p>best,<br>

geoff</p>

<p>hi - i'm going to be setting-up a "stand", if you will, at a local park to shoot photos. the subjects will be families attending a local halloween parade with their kids. i'm setting-up a simple background.</p>

<p>i'll be shooting with a nikon d300, nikon F3.5 AF-S DX 18-200mm lens and nikon sb-600 flash. </p>

<p>i'm thinking about a fixed focal-length 85mm 1.8 or 105mm 1.8 to rent instead of using the aforementioned F3.5 AF-S DX 18-200mm lens. i'll have full-length shots along with 3/4 (for parents holding toddlers in hand) and possibly close-ups of really little infants. i will have room to step closer and further away from the subject - although i will not have infinite room behind me. </p>

<p>i'd also like to get recommendations on pros/cons of an external battery pack like the mb-d10 - and whether or not i should rent a backup body (i only have the d300 body). </p>

<p>finally, i'm thinking about just going with a white background - but since i'll be shooting around 9am-noon, i'm not sure at 100% white background is best. if you have any recommendations on background color and whether i should use paper or fabric, that would be great.</p>

<p>on top of it all, it's the first time i'm shooting for 3 hours. any thoughts / recommendations on best practices?</p>

<p>many, many thanks for taking the time to respond.</p>

<p>best,</p>

<p>geoff</p>

<p>i'm starting a portraiture/children's photo business. as part of my launch strategy, i am going to set up at a local event and invite families to have their photo taken in front of a portable backdrop. i'd like to be able to send the families to a site where the photos will be available for a low-low introductory-rate (cue tom waits' "step right up").<br>

can anyone recommend a service i can use that will allow me to upload what could be a few hundred photos? the catch is - i want to create a system that's simple for people to navigate - i don't want anyone to have to sift through 300 pictures to find themselves. i want to collect email addresses, then send a link not just to the site but to their own individual photos.<br>

any thoughts on how to do this?<br>

thanks.</p>

<p>p/s - if you're familiar with Brightroom even photographs, it's basically the same thing, only i'd be doing the process as an individual and not outsourcing to them.</p>