Check www.texasphotoforum.com for some suggestions.

quote:

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...before the "snotitude" gets too thick in here:

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You're post about the D700 implied this was all pretty new.

And I'm the last person here with 'snotitude' I have a D50 and a Nikkor 80-200/2.8, a 50/1.8 and the 18-200VR...not exactly pro level gear. I just couldn't understand the $2400 camera that you implied your wife did not know how to use..but now that that's cleared up, click away by all means....

if im only using picassa to edit my photos, is there any benefit from shooting in RAW? i also use GIMP, but it cannot do RAW.

You can reedit later when you upgrade to LR. But if you aren't ever going to do that, then probably not. It gives you a little more security if you over/under expose a shot.

Sorry..wife read the thread and got a bit offended, as she interpreted some comments unfavorably. I think its cleared up now.

Just turned on to GIMP. Anyone else use it? Tips/tricks/thoughts?

Picasa supports raw formats for most cameras I believe. You don't have quite the same options for editing that you do w/ a more powerful program, but I think you still have more detail in the file than if you loaded a jpeg.

What is the deal with a lot of photographers processing portraits to look like they are "washed out"? Is it just the latest fad or am I missing out on something?

You see a lot of that, especially with the followers of the so-called "Rockstar" wedding photographers. I don't get it at all. There are a ton of trends that I really don't get right now.

A friend of mine got married and the photographer (who is very talented) edited the entire wedding so that there looked like there was a purple fungus on the camera. It was washed out in purple. Why? I don't know. But it killed me to see that.

The "Rockstar" wedding photographers and their minions are a real cancer on the industry. This is just one of the ways. So much trendy stuff that people are going to look back at their pictures in a decade and think "WTF was I thinking getting pics like that" which I why I and a few other photogs really strive for the classic/timeless look.

Every once in a while I will feel like one of my outdoor shots looks nice with a very slight wash to it...but I'm talking like 5% opacity. I don't understand when people completely wash stuff out either, and I definitely wouldn't do it on wedding photos.

I did a maternity shoot last weekend and 2 out of 20 pictures I did about a 5% opacity wash because I liked it. All the rest were processed cleanly.

Oh and I have seen people do the wash on studio pictures and I'm like WTH? Totally don't understand it on studio work, that's just strange.

That and high pass filter are the things that really bother me.
Current trends that suck ass in W&P photography:
Selective Coloring
High Pass filter
Tilt Shift Portraits
Overexposed/washed out
Washed out with a color instead of with overexposure
Over use of tilt in a photograph

I'm sure I could think of many more if I sat down and thought.

Selective color seems to be one that just won't die, so many people think that's the coolest thing ever. I must admit that when I got my XT and PS Elements a few years ago I tried it. I definitely do not do that now. LOL.

When you say high pass filter are you talking about people using it for sharpening, or using it to look like a pencil outline drawing? I've seen it mentioned that a light high pass filter can be used as a sharpen for print option, but I have never tried it.

Speaking of Houston panoramas, there are some nice historic ones here:

http://www.hellohouston.com/Photos_Panoramic.Cfm

Any good suggestions for shots in New Orleans? I'm in the quarter until tomorrow.

And since this is my default photog support group I picked up my nifty fifty yesterday on Canal street and have already taken over a hundred pictures of; me in the mirror holding the camera straight, and sideways, my Aggie Ring, my wedding ring, my iphone, my blackberry, the box it came in, my other lens, the carpet here at the Ritz, my shoes, the tv, my nostril, and a few of the street below.

Guy also tried to sell me the 55-250 IS for 349, told him my wife would skin me.

GS,

would you buy a used lens from Adorama with a rating of 'V'. I don't have a barometer of what kind of condition it would come in, but it could be a great deal.

V is borderline. Definitely not G.

so it looks like im going to be getting photoshop sometime this weekend. Ive used gimp in the past, but not a whole lot for photography. wheres a good resource for me to go to to learn photo editing in Photoshop?(im glad i decided to stay in RAW!)

anything by scott kelby

There are tons of online videos of Photoshop tutorials on YouTube. Just search for a specific action you are looking for.

thanks, but i live in africa with janky internet. Youtube isnt much of an option.

I'll second the Kelby stuff. I'm far from a PS master but he makes it very easy to understand and is very thorough. Actually, I recommend reading any book that Kelby writes.

Scott Kelby and Martin Evening are both good. Kelby has a more straight-forward approach..."If you want this result, do this" while Evening is more technical. I find that Kelby's humor can be hit-or-miss, while Evening reads more like a textbook.

I've also heard that Katrin Eismann's books are very good, but I haven't read any.

quote:

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I can follow action better without it. I am shooting at 1/800th to 1/1000th of a second, so there is no need from a stability standpoint.

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Out of curiosity, what ISO and aperture are you using with speed like that?


Also, I'm going to shoot some volleyball and bball games for my new high school and am looking for advice. GS, I know you've said before how terrible most HS gym lighting is, so I'm bracing for the worst.
-If I'm using my Tamron 28-75, can I expect to shoot everything at 2.8 with a 400 or 800 ISO to allow a fast enough shutter speed?
-What shutter speed would be desirable for HS-level indoor sports?
-Other tips, angles, positions I should know about and strive for?

Hopefully I'll be picking up the Sigma 70-200mm sometime in the coming months so I'll have a little more reach.

[This message has been edited by bq06 (edited 9/25/2010 11:53a).]

I use 2.8 or 3.2 and whatever ISO I need.

For your typical hs gym, an 85 mm 1.8 is a better lens.

I only shoot college and pro but settings of 1/500, 1.8, 3200 ISO is probably ballpark.

You think I'd be better off taking my 50mm 1.8 than my Tamron?

EDIT: Also, 3200 ISO wouldn't produce a TON of grain? Or is that just how it has to be given the light?

[This message has been edited by bq06 (edited 9/25/2010 12:41p).]

Take both lenses and try them both. The 50 probably won't get you as close as you want.

3200 will produce a lot of grain, but you don't have much choice. Sharp and in focus with a lot of grain beats no grain and too slow a shutter speed to stop the action. Even at 1/500th, you will get a lot of motion blur on the ball and hands in volleyball. Those girls move quick. You will get some on the basketball.

I got my first Alien Bee today. It outsmarted me 10 minutes out of the box because I could not figure out how to get the softbox attached by myself without busting the flash tube. The softbox is freaking huge! I'm excited I can use my little studio room at any time of day now. I get really great natural light in there, but only for about 3 hours in the afternoons. I'm excited to learn how to use it, I have wanted an Alien Bee for as long as I've been doing photography.

Yeah, Alienbees don't have the best attaching method.

What size softbox did you get?

Remember, the closer you get the box to the subject, the softer the light will be.

Scott Kelby has produced an iPhone app covering all sorts of situations from his Digital Recipe books. Much of it has to do with lighting and portraits.

I will say, using strobes and artificial lighting has piqued my interest. It's not something I'm going to be able to do soon but I'm look at the kits that The Strobist recommends for the future.

I got the giant foldable one. Probably a little overkill, but I didn't want to go too small. I just can't wrangle it into position and reach around to squeeze the antenna things. I'm sure I will get the hang of it eventually, but I didn't want to bust the flash tube the first time I put it together so I made my husband help me.

Thank you for the tip on moving it closer for softer light! I'm going to play with it this weekend and I will remember that.

And man I want an iPhone...do the apps you can get for the iPhone work on the iPod Touch or the iPad?

Yes, all of the Apps I have work for both.

I'm an android user, so I couldn't tell you about the iPhone App.

And just for what it is worth, I recommend the Elinchrom D-Lite 4 kit for new users over the AlienBees, though it is a bit more of an investment than just a single strobe.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/674263-REG/Elinchrom_EL_20815KIT_D_Lite_IT_400Ws_2_Light.html
So you get 2 Elinchrom 400w/s strobes
You get built in receivers and a transmitter for your camera
I think the transmitter can control the power on the receivers.
You get two light stands.
You get two smallish soft boxes.
You get one reflector.
You get two carrying bags.
All for $850.

For all equivalent stuff from Alienbees, you are getting the 320w/s strobes (about 1/3rd less power) and you are paying about $1000.

Benefits:
*Elinchrom DLites put out MUCH better light
*much more consistent light (the big knock on ABs)
*the lights are digitally adjusted instead of having a little metal switch you slide back and forth - so MUCH more accurate setting
*Elinchrom has MUCH better modifiers
*Elinchrom has high end stuff, if you upgrade along. Joe McNally uses Elinchrom when he isn't using speedlights. I really want to get a set of Rangers or Quadras.

Straight out of camera headshot of a pretty highly regarded Bass in Houston Grand Opera:

This is an Elinchrom Silver 27" Beauty Dish as key above and slightly camera right, Lasolite Trigrip silver side as fill directly below, 25" box back left as rim.

Straight out of camera, same setup, but replaced the Beauty Dish with a 53" Octobank:



Again, Straight out of camera.

53" Octo in the same place, two strobes firing on the white background to blow it out.

For you pixel peepers, here is the full 22MP resolution link to that same pic.


Bees are very good for what they are and their price. I just like the upgradeability of the Elinchroms and the modifiers. Modifiers are kinda like lenses... great ones really make a difference over the cheap ones. They will also make you pay dearly. Elinchrom definitely has a 72" Octobank that runs about $1000 that I would kill for.

Those are great SOOC shots! I'll have to keep those lights in mind if I decide to get a more extensive set up. I just wanted a single light and reflector set up to learn with for now, although from what I have messed with today it would probably be better to have a second light.

Lights add up QUICK! Because it is part of photography. ANd everything adds up quick.

The great thing about AlienBees is that most new photogs want them, so if you keep them in great shape, you can sell them for 95% of new price. Cheapest rental ever. Paul C Buff has like 65% of the monoblock market.


If you haven't already, go read strobist.com stuff. David Hobby is geared towards speedlights, but you can do most of that stuff with a single monoblock.