c._s.2

<blockquote>

<p>(look up A Better Bounce Card or Chuck Gardner's homemade version),</p>

</blockquote>

<p>So, I just ordered a better bounce card - that seemed like the best option for my shouting situation for the upcoming event....We shall see if it gets here asap! lol...thanks so much for all of your advice!!!</p>

<p>Lex,</p>

<blockquote>

<p><br /> Opinions differ on the next bit: I'll often use a small, snap-on diffuser dome up close outdoors, even with the flash on a bracket. Some folks prefer not to use a diffuser at all unless there are nearby reflective surfaces (walls, ceiling). Test for yourself before using a diffuser dome outdoors.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br /> What type of dome diffuser? What does that do to the photos vs the traditional snap-on diffuser? BTW....the only other little bit of help I will have are my Westcott reflectors.....</p>

<p>I have a Canon 550D, will be using a 24-70 f/2.8, a 50 f/1.8, perhaps before the sun goes down a 70-200 f/2.8 (tripod of course). I only ask about using a bracket because this event is a benefit and there will be food, open bar, stage with a band, etc....OUTSIDE (people running around everywhere). (almost entirely after dark)....I want to avoid the deer in the headlights look - harsh flash look , and blur in photos too. I have a 430 EXII and a diffuser. I would love to try to hand-hold the flash, but I honestly don't see how I can when trying to focus and make adjustments on the camera - someone will probably end up with a black eye or wearing spilled red wine, and it won't be me! That is why I considered a bracket. I don't want to waste my money, and if it is not going to significantly improve the quality of the picture, then I don't want to buy one. If it will help get better quality pictures, I do. I still am not sure exactly what I need though....I need a TTL cord, what else....assuming purchasing a bracket is the right choice for my shooting conditions..???? THANKS!!!</p>

<p>by the way.....i am most interested in photographing the people paying for the tickets, not the people on the stage...just thought i would clarify....THANKS!</p>

<p>My question is:<br>

I am photographing an event outside - starts about 45 minutes before sunset and lasts about 4 hours after sunset. It will be a benefit with a band on a stage - what I am mostly interested in is the people.....Since it will be outside, there will be little to no bouce light. I am not taking lights, as I will be moving around all over the place. It seems to me the only way to avoid either blurry pictures or the other end of the spectrum which is the red eye look is the flash bracket. I have a 430EXII. Is the best alternative a flash bracket to raise the flash light and perhaps diffuse it a little more and hide shadows via a flash bracket? I have never used a flash bracket, so I am not sure exactly if the benefit will be worth it or which to get???.....any help would be apprecaited!! I have to order ASAP (the bracket that is) so, advice is much appreciated!!! TIA!</p>

<p> </p>

<p><br /><br /><br>

I posted another thread asking for help with Bryan<br />Peterson's technique of "recomposing your shot" as he describes in<br />his book Understanding Exposure (a great book - I can't believe I am just now<br />reading it!). Anyway - I appreciated<br />everyone's responses and perspectives, but I also thought to myself that I<br />would just email him and ask him myself. <br />He wrote me back and this is his response (which is very similar to many<br />of those who responded to my OP)....<br>

"I wanted to get back to you to clarify the idea of metering 'elsewhere' depending<br />on your scene. Your question is a good<br />one and I get it a lot, but once you understand one thing this will all make so<br />much sense to you! The one thing that<br />you have to remember is that your camera's meter, while VERY good, can be<br />fooled and it's up to you, as the photographer and the one in charge, to know<br />what can trick the meter and then how to overcome the meter's limitations. Your meter wants to make images that contain an average of 18% grey (this is why many photographers rely on a 'grey card' to<br />set exposure); therefore, if you're shooting a landscape of a snowy field on a<br />bright day your meter is going to be confused by all the white and the<br />resulting image, if you take it relying on the meter, will be of grey snow...this<br />is the meter wanting to get back to an average of 18% grey. But YOU WANT white snow and so this is a<br />scenario that you would want to manually over-expose (if in manual mode) or use<br />the exposure over-ride if in aperture or shutter priority, even though the<br />meter is telling you not to!<br>

So, all of the above holds true when composing a scene that contains, for instance, the sun. <br />The sun is so bright that, if you were to compose your scene at dawn or<br />dusk (for example) WITH the sun and you metered it with the sun in the frame,<br />your meter is going to say 'whoa! this is way too bright and so I'm going to adjust so that everything is much darker.' The resulting image will be significantly underexposed and, obviously, you don't want that...you want to ensure that the scene (the lake, the cityscape, the landscape, etc) have detail<br />and colour. So, what you do is compose<br />your scene as you are going to wish to take it, then you will tilt or move your<br />camera so that the scene does NOT include the sun (looking through the<br />viewfinder simply move the camera to the left, right or above, until the sun is<br />just out of the frame), this is where you will take your meter reading (the sun<br />won't be confusing the meter and so the meter will be able to give you an accurate<br />reading for your exposure), then recompose the scene WITHOUT adjusting your<br />settings. You don't need to have anything in focus when you take the meter reading, the meter doesn't care if things are in focus, it only cares about reflected light. Once you have<br />recomposed, and focused, you are free to shoot!<br>

I hope this has helped clarify things for you and,<br />if you have Understanding Exposure 3rd Edition, I'd like to point out that on<br />page 11 there is information about how to access video streams on-line...there<br />are videos that I think will help clarify this topic even further for you.<br>

My sincere<br />thanks, again, for your really kind emails and you keep shooting!<br>

All my best!<br>

Bryan F Peterson<br>

Founder-PPSOP<br>

www.ppsop.com<br>

www.bryanfpeterson.com</p>

<p>I was wondering the same thing myself! ---- In those D-I-Y kiosks, at photo-labs such as Walgreens, etc.. they tend to automatically impose a "color enhancement" on the photos that make grass look lime green and skin tones look red, etc... - they super saturate the pictures. I recently subscribed to bay photo with my business, (it is new so I haven't seen results first-hand - I know, I am in the process of ordering test prints to see for myself....) but I ask if anyone else has used BP's color correction service??....Does it actually "correct" or does it super saturate everything? Even after (self) post-processing, is there a difference in the photos?</p>

<p>....although I see now that the focus (lock) does not have anything to do with metering then recomposing. I have caught on that you pack a spot (sky), meter, get correct exposure and redirect your camera to another point (bridge) and focus and shoot. So, now, as previously stated, why would you meter on something else, when would you do that? Like Wouter described above.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Having read the book, I think it is a slightly bit confusing the way Peterson puts it, but it does make sense.<br />It simply disconnects metering from composing (and focussing). So, he sees a scene, evaluates where to meter, does the metering, and then using those exposure settings, frames his scene, focusses, shoot.<br />So, the point when the focus is specifically done does not really matter. I think he uses 'recompose' because he first composes to see if the scene works for him, then meters, sets exposure and composes again.<strong> Either way, the point of these sentences is to say that in cases, you should meter of a specific part of the scene. Composing and focus is another step, so to speak.</strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>EXACTLY!! Which brings me to my question!!! , which is - When do you do this? What is it about the scene/ light, etc..that makes him decide to METER on a different spot, THEN recompose and shoot? </p>

<p>I guess I should have been more clear that my question about "recomposing the shot" revolves more around the concept of using it as a tool to get a desired exposure -<br>

getting an exposure from another part of the scene (sky) purposely and using it to your benefit (purposely) on a different aspect of your frame. In Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure"...he writes,<br>

"Since I knew I wanted to exploit the motion of the traffic flowing across the bridge, I chose a shutter speed of 8 seconds. With my camera pointed to the sunset sky, I adjusted my aperture until the camera's light meter indicated f/11 as a correct exposure and then recomposed the scene. I was pleased with the result...." <br>

Why would he do this? When he recomposed the scene - is it understood that he focused BEFORE he recomposed or after? </p>

 

<p>How does this affect the autofocus? The author I quoted above was intentionally setting the exposure based on the sky, for example - then he "recomposed the shot" to take the picture of what he really wanted - a bridge with traffic on it at dusk with the sky in the background. I assume if he had focused on the bridge initially, he would have not gotten the exposure he wanted? But how does autofocus come into play when using this technique? do you push the af button down halfway, get the exposure, recompose without letting the button up, then push it the rest of the way down? Is your final frame still in focus even though you have "recomposed"? I do not exactly understand the entire concept of using another part of a scene to get proper metering then recomposing.....</p>

<p>I have come across a couple of threads on here and the same in a book I am reading....Can someone explain this to me regarding exposure?<br>

"...chose shutter speed of 1/500....adjusted aperture while taking a meter reading off the distant horizon and sky, got f/4 as a correct exposure then<strong> I recomposed and took the shot</strong>."<br>

"...chose shutter speed of 8 seconds, with camera pointed to sunset sky, adjusted my aperture until camera light meter indicated f/11 as correct exposure then <strong>recomposed the scene</strong>."<br>

Forgive the redundancy, but I do not understand this concept - it sounds pretty step by step, but I don't get it. ?? The author chose a shutter speed on M, pointed camera towards sky, - then manually set the aperture to the corresponding setting until the meter was in the middle, then pushed the autofocus button?? - then moved the camera to the frame he was trying to capture without releasing the af button, and fired? forgive my confusing interpretation...im just confused - obviously! "recompose the scene is throwing me off."</p>

<p>wow, looks like a great book, Scott! I'm on it! Thanks for the info from those who posted - I'm going to read the book and go from there.....I get ahead of myself sometimes before I really know what I am really buying...</p>

<p>One more question. do you use gels with your flashes? which ones? I have seen several people recommend using gels - do you use these instead of diffusers? in addition to? Thanks!</p>

<p>I was wondering specifically about brackets. Can the Speedlite 480 EXII be attached to a bracket? What is the true benefit of a bracket? ...- Is it to redirect the light from directly in front of to above, beside, etc.. more than the adjustable angles the flash allows when attached to the camera? Which brackets are compatible with this flash? Do I need any other equipment with a bracket? Thanks in advance for your time and any help you may give me!!!!</p>

<p>P.S. I am not an idiot - although I sounded like one in my OP. I just wasn't thinking clearly when I described the "Irish language." ---- I do know better...geez....However, I can't edit the OP, so I just hope nobody ever figures out who I really am, lol! One of those things you say or write without thinking....</p>

<p>Thanks so much Phil! I will definately go that route. Would you recommend starting a blogspot site for the "short-term?" - I really want a site of some sort in the shortest amount of time possible. Can I reroute the traffic to my Wordpress site when I decide to? I had NO idea that it was SO complicated. I just read reviews and they described Wordpress as being more versatile, and a blogsite better suited towards people who wanted a "true" website - but didn't have the money to pay for one. So, I thought it would be great. Little did I know that it was absolutely nothing like blogspot - no "move widget here, pick background there, move subtitle here, pick font color there." - instead I ran into Codex, plug-ins, etc...all of which I had never even heard of to tell you the truth. But now I am stuck with a paid site that holds the domain name that I really do want, with no knowledge of how to use it, lol. Anyway, thanks for your encouragement and for taking the time to respond to my post. I appreciate it!. and will take your advice!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.savinggracephotographyblog.com/">http://www.savinggracephotographyblog.com/</a><br>

<a href="http://melissasuephotography.blogspot.com/">http://melissasuephotography.blogspot.com/</a></p>

<p>These are 2 random (I found on internet, no affiliations with either) sites that are pretty much what I want. I want to showcase some pictures in this style - a portfolio of sorts. I would like to have a submenu with *children, *family, *pets, *wedding, etc...links where specific types of pictures are archived. I would like to have a link to another site - where clients can order pictures (example: smugmug.com). I want a "contact", "about me" , "pricing", etc... list too. I know my descriptions are rustic, but I am NEW, at this, and LOST! Thanks Brian, for your insight! </p>

<p><strong>I am sooo frustrated!</strong> I started a wordpress site, domain to use as my website. I have little, more like NO, knowledge about theme formats, widgets, plug-ins, etc...html text, css? Do I need a photoblog plug-in - what is that going to do for me?.....I once had a blogspot blog (so I didn't realize that wordpress would be so much more complicated), and that was doable for me. However, I read online that wordpress has more options and plugins so I decided to go with them. I can't even figure out how to edit it! I have searched for tutorials but it is all so overwhelming because there is so much information. I feel like I am teaching myself the Irish language with books written in Irish! (I know that is a bad analogy.) I have already paid for the domain name, so I don't want to buy something else instead. Does anyone have any recommendations about where to start? ----What resource will give me info. on tailoring it to a photography site? - do I need to add a photoblog plug-in? Help! thanks!</p>

<p>What I want to know is....is there a significant difference between image quality between a full frame and a crop sensor? Price between the two would indicate so, but what is the true difference? I have a T2i, which has a bigger sensor than those below it in the Rebel series, but I am considering getting a FF too. Thanks!</p>

<p>I did a search but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for...My question: I am wondering about the qualitative difference of prints is when comparing self-printed (Walgreens, Target, etc... kiosk) pictures to online professional printing services. I am in the process of starting my business, and I am trying to decide which website to use, - one where I am able to offer professional prints in galleries or one without this feature. Guess it all depends on how different the image quality actually is and how I decide to do my pricing...which is another topic. Anyway - thanks in advance for any help!!!</p>

<p>So...I noticed that it is only when I put my 24-70, f/2.8 on the camera. It does not do it with my other lenses, so it is obviously the lens....??? Frustrating - guess I will call Canon.....sigh</p>

<p>I have looked online for anyone else with this problem, but i haven't found anything. I am suddenly having alot of resistance when I turn the Aperture/shutter speed dial on my Canon T2i Rebel. Has anyone else had this problem? My camera is about 7 months old, and I have never had this problem before. It is hard to turn this dial one click, but if you "muscle' it, you can turn it but it jumps a few clicks. It seems to be getting worse.????....ughhh. so frustrating! (It is almost like it would feel if you were trying to continue turning it further than it wants to go in 1 direction, but I am not doing that.)</p>

<p>Oh...by the way,- I have <strong>Photoshop Elements 9</strong>. I have tried the spot healing tool, but it doesn't dissolve the flyaway hairs, especially if they are blonde and the background is dark, or if the hairs are in front of the face. I didn't pick a good picture to demonstrate this out of this set of pictures, but it was a problem with this girl during this shoot. The pictures turned out great, but I feel like the blonde individual, out-of-place hairs detract from them. </p><div></div>

<p>I am trying to figure out how to get flyaway hairs out of photos like this one. I have tried to find tutorials but I can't seem to find exactly what I am looking for. To hide the hairs, I have tried the clone stamp tool, but it does not seem to blend very well (even though I have tried using the small, soft brushes). Is there a way to copy a segment of the picture and paste it over them? What is the best way? Thanks in advance! <br>

p.s. (any other constructive advice about the photo is welcomed and much appreciated too!)</p><div></div>