I shot around 100 - but got completely outscored by my buddy, who shot an 81. For some reason my irons decided to slice that day... despite my iron play being spot on the week before (I played six rounds in five days to prepare). On that course, there's no room for anything right or left on many of the fairways - the rough is full of tall grass and gorse - thorny and impossible to find balls in.
Mark, a strobe-off would be fun, that's for sure. I need to dust off the gear I didn't walk around with and shoot some here.
I know what the manual says - I'm wondering about your real world experience and use.
When specifically do YOU use IS - what types of situations and what type of shots?
Especially with shorter lenses like the 24-105 or the 70-200?
Personally i use it on everything hand held - particularly with lower shutter speeds and everything from the photo shoot with Mrs. Norcross to sports to airplanes.
Even though the newer versions of IS are auto-sensing for tripod use - i rarely use it on tripod.
I ask because there is another thread discussing this and I'm just gathering information on how folks use it.
You mean you never shoot with long lenses or in low light where flash would be unacceptable?
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shooting a grip and grin tonight for Micky D's house.... i think i get paid in french fries!... or the peanut oil in which they are fried. Haven't done anything for them in a while though - it should be fun.
jbear2000 wrote:
A question for those of you who have IS lenses.
I know what the manual says - I'm wondering about your real world experience and use. When specifically do YOU use IS - what types of situations and what type of shots? Especially with shorter lenses like the 24-105 or the 70-200? Personally i use it on everything hand held - particularly with lower shutter speeds and everything from the photo shoot with Mrs. Norcross to sports to airplanes. Even though the newer versions of IS are auto-sensing for tripod use - i rarely use it on tripod. I ask because there is another thread discussing this and I'm just gathering information on how folks use it. thanks!...Show more →
Okay I have to admit, I never turn off my IS whether I am on a tripod or handheld. I have before and noticed no real significate difference, so I just leave it on. Honestly I am unaware of a reason to turn it off. But if there is a reason to, then I would love to know.
And jbear if anyone knows that I am NOT lens savy, its you. I've got the lenses, but I'm just not well educated in them, except for focal lengths, width capabilities, IS, USM, and thats about it. Some of my lenses have switches on them that I dont use because I dont know what they do, something to do with the focal length. *embarrassing*
Jon, I love #1, #3, and #4, the only reason I dont love #2 is because when her eyes open this much, she looks kind of scared, or scary. I love your PP work though, you do a great job. Mine so often look far to softened. =/
Jbear, those red rigs look like little tonka trucks. Makes me want to just grab them and push them around the truck yard.
Collin, thats an awesome photo. Its not real realistic looking to me, but because I love color and contrast, etc. I cant help but love the photo.
JB, I rarely use IS but when I use it I am almost always panning. To be honest, I wish you could buy the big guns w/o it. I just don't like watching elements move around in the viewfinder. I can't help but fear that it leads to less sharp shots.
I think the real irony for me is that I need IS where "conventional wisdom" says I don't I would love an IS 24-70 or a nice IS prime in the 50mm range. Those are the lengths I tend to use when shooting in low light - or more precisely, available light.
My IS is almost always turned off although there have been a few times when shooting people handheld with the 70-200 that I've turned it on.
Its funny - i tend to leave it on all the time as my thinking is that if it stabilizes as it should - it should make for a better picture. Its probably a logical disconnect in my reasoning. I know of all the experienced shooters who have shot since before IS was common - all tend to not use it.
In that case it seems an unnecessary waste of money to buy a lens with it.
I have the 24-105 which has it and I tried using it in low light - it didn't impress me and I have doubts the 2 to 3 stop advantage the claims say it gives.
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Shot the whole grip and grin last night with the 24-70 which doesn't have IS - i didn't miss it... or maybe i did. This event was in a large country club in Buckhead and every room was
1) dark,
2) oddly colored - red, orange yellow, green, mauve... there was one I could only describe as "desert peuce"
3) the band was entirely backlit with stage cans and no front spots.
I was constantly adjusting the flash either in angle of bounce, from front bounce to back bounce to straight up - constantly adjusting between manual mode and ETTL - ettl doesn't work well in these situations... at least not to my understanding or liking.
4) I was constantly having to adjust WB for every room i was in and whether i was using the flash to be the light or just supplement the light.
The client requested these picts by Wednesday - all 300+ - and at least some are going to be in a couple magazines - as I understand it... which is why i do this stuff - exposure. So the picts are somehow supposed to be perfect - i guess me and lightroom/photoshop are going be tight for a few days
Needless to say - these events aren't easy and force me to constantly try to think about what I'm doing and how I'm doing it... problem is... i try to think but nothing happens!
Hey that one has sand designs, how cool is that. Pre-paved for my playday!
I really want to get me a flash and learn how to do event type shoots, but at the same time, I wonder if its worth it. I mean dang, dealing with so many variables such as wall colors, existing lame lighting, lack of lighting, etc. Just havent been able to commit to such a thing yet, although there seems to be lots of work in this area. Jbear I would love to see some of your work from these types of shoots.
But on the good note, I am getting busy. I have 4 photo shoots to do, all within this next week. One is with an 11 day old baby. I am looking forward to this one, he is absolutely adorable. I have known about this for a bit and its completely well thoughtout. I have a shoot to do with a girl who needs a portfolio, she wants to become a model, this is her first shoot, that should make this interesting, the blind leading the blind. I have a shoot to do with a guy who is an actor (stage) and he needs a portfolio in hopes od furthering his career. And then a High School Senior shoot with a young man. This should be interesting since he is not masculine at all, but I don't want to allow him to appear to fem, will be challanging. All of this is going on as I am also trying to finish out my indoor / outdoor studio, submit for a magazine, and get to a promo open shoot (fingers crossed).
I figure that those types of shoots will force me to be better. I have a personal work ethic that drives me, a sense of perfectionism that i know i don't meet and a desire to give the client the best available photography services anywhere. Whether i meet those desires or not determines how well i did to my satisfaction.
These types of events are no fun - they are hard work - it is nothing like the controlled studio setting. But there is no way you can strive for excellence when you are complacent in your own comfort zone. These things push me out of that.
That said -if you must - you can see all my goofs and miserable attempts to improve at this type of stuff - go here and look through the galleries.
(please keep in mind - the early galleries are not done with the same PS techniques - nor shot with anything but the 10D or 20D) http://jonberryphoto.smugmug.com/Events/358117
Well, I spent yesterday evening attempting to get some shots of our house. Even waiting until late in the day to get good light didn't help with the interior stuff. I just have too many windows and too many different types of light bulbs. Consequently, my white balance is all over the place. I should have given it up and strobed it all. it just takes a lot of time to do that correctly. If the house doesn't sell quickly I will put some effort in to that.
Also, I really need to use a tilt shift lens next time. There is only so much you can do in PS and it takes a LOT of time (at least for me) so in the end I gave up on it and just left anything that was slanted, slanted. But, it was kind of fun so I could see getting a TS lens in the future and playing with it some.
I'm amazed at all of the really bad photography out on real estate sites. Just for fun (everyone can dream a little) we looked at some million $$ houses that are in the area we hope to live in. About 98% had the same crappy shots as the 150k houses. You would think they could figure that out. Maybe I need to get good at it and try to make enough to at least pay for a lens or 2...
Jbear thanks a ton for sharing.
What lens do you for the most part use for events such as this?
I'm thinking something fairly small, wide angle? Looks like tight quarters in most cases.
My assuption also is that this is being done with a single flash?
Mark, this is something I have also tried with my own house, and I ran into the same issue with windows and lights. And yeah shooting two staory rooms can be challanging. I do know that when the market lets up we are putting our house on the market, and I plan on doing my own photos for the agent. There is a huge market for hotels, event centers, halls, etc. For sure there needs to be a bigger market for photographers in real estate. I've seen those crappy shots for million dollar homes. I have seen this shift tilt lens, but I am totally clueless about its use, guess I will have to look further into it. Thanks for the hint.
DD - i usually use the 24-70 and if there is a presentation like at the Oscar Night events - i use the 70-200 2,8. I've been all over the map using different WBs, Apetrures, shutter speeds and ISOs. You can't walk around much at all without something changing about the quality of the light and so you have to think on your feet as to how you're going to keep things from either being blown out or too dark or color shaded in colors no one wants to see. In a crowd - doing grip and grins - you have usually 2 or four people standing for a snapshot and about 3 feet between you with a crowd all around - walking through or behind the shot. You want to make as complimentary shot as possible -as you can make a few sales from the picts in their ballroom best outfits and it sometimes generates additional shoots later where things can be better controlled.
My pet peeve though is when a photog from the AJC, or a local magazine jumps in and takes over your setup. By the time they are done - the subjects have had enough flash in their eyes to last the night. That happened twice Friday night with a Jezebel photog. He acted as if he was the only guy in the room. Had a similar situation with a Jezebel photog at Oscar Night. That is why I've begun requesting that I be the only official photog and that if they feel like they need another shooter - to let me pick them - as I know a number of good shooters I can trust to "ƒ8 and be there". (you guys)
I use the 580 with a Fong Bong or lately I have all three colors of the Sof-fen diffuser. I have tried the Clay Blackmore technique of using PWs with one additional fill light for the room - but it didn't work all that well for this type of event. As long as I don't blow out the highlights - the Mark III delivers enough highlight/shadow detail to rescue anything in LR or PS3.
I guess if i were to head in the direction of property photography - i'd do it in Hawaii or South Florida or somewhere where if I'm not shooting - I'm swimming in a non-roped off sea. I sure wouldn't try to make a living shooting 150k homes!
Those are all Jim's work - I'm just trying to learn something from him. I guess he uses a lot of lights in places a lot of people wouldn't think to put them. Not necessarily flash. Just something to soften the shadows in certain places.
Every time I look at interior shots - I'm starting to look for where the photog hid the lights. I have an interior decorator friend who is needing a lot of interior photos and I'm trying to learn as much and as fast as I can. May never make it to the 5 grand a day set - but won't know till I try! It would be nice to have a hanger full of airplanes though... at least some guys are gettin' it!
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I've never been to wherever that is either - i spend a lot of time in the rough chasing a white ball... it sure doesn't look like that - but it sure is a great shot with a lot of nice color!
WOW Jbear, sounds like tons of fun! *NOT* But then again, I'm not one thats real interested in something like this for fun, and I am sure your not doing this just for fun either. I personally love a real good challenge, if I wanted fun, I would go to Walt Disney World.
Oh and next time jbear, pull a paparazzi on AJC's butt and just get up there and get that shot. I mean seriously, does it become a dog eat dog world?
Those are really exceptional real estate photos. I was looking over them and trying to see where he is placing lights. It looks to me as though he is hiding lights behind furniture, behind him, and on the floor. Interesting! But it seems as though all of those being done outside, (building and pool) it was a matter of timing. I have read that the best time for outdoor lighting shots is right before dark. Like for city scapes, catch the buildings right as the lights come on, before the sky becomes completely dark. This appears to be the rule he follows. Interesting! Thanks for sharing, will have to try this sometime.
Hey I posted and then saw what Hersch wrote.
You mean I called it right on the hidden llights? YAY!!!
Todays younger population? Not so much anymore. I have my nose pierced and I am 45 years young. I love my nose piercings.
Hersch thats a very nice photo. Absolutely love the colors! I am never around the stone mountain area but what I have seen, was not at all interesting to me. But it sure looks like you found a nice spot to shoot from. Great Capture!
I was telling my husband the same thing the other day that we better be making arrangements if we want to get in there on Cumberland Island, but I have yet to have been able to nail him down on a exact date. Let me ask you this, are they mostly just full over the weekends? Or is it full Monday - Sunday?
DigitalDawn wrote:
Oh and next time jbear, pull a paparazzi on AJC's butt and just get up there and get that shot. I mean seriously, does it become a dog eat dog world?
If there was one thing I learned during my incarceration in Palm Beach as the catering manager of the most successful catering business on Palm Beach is that you never let them see you sweat. In other words - with world class clients and the affluent crowd - you don't make a scene... not at the party anyway. Raise hell all you want with the client for booking two photogs or allowing someone else in - and try to diplomatically get exclusive access whenever possible. But you don't start a shoving match where a $10,000 dress could get soaked with punch.
Do everything with class!
Don't call another photog an African Wombat or any other derivative for getting in your way - especially if your subject is African-American. Don't even mention that the young woman who just showed up in a Versace that her tatback makes her look like she is a stupid skank. There is a whole list of things to remember besides whether the ƒ stop is right or the WB is tungston or daylight or flash.
