RE: Flash Chat (Full Version)

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bluestone -> RE: Flash Chat (8/11/2008 3:53:59 PM)

This may be of help"

http://www.foodportfolio.com/blog/food_photography/food_photgraphy.html



car2ner -> food photos (8/12/2008 7:30:57 AM)

I took a peek at the photos in your blog...they are lovely and now I'm hungry. I say that your are not only on the right track but are already at the station.



PolarBear -> RE: Flash Chat (8/12/2008 11:30:33 AM)

Chief: Nice ... however I see that most of your shots are mostly down on the food. From what I hear, and what sounds right, is that the shot should be positioned such that the food rises above the other side of the plate so that it looks like more. So take it more from the side, maybe a bit up but not from over the food.

Nice light idea -- can't go wrong with a $5 light. 3 or 4 of those should do wonders if your camera is on a tripod. Probably no need for anything expensive! And yeah natural light is always best. Maybe put a reflector on the side away from the window, to eliminate shadows.

Speaking of reflectors, instead of ordering one for $20-$40 from B&H, I bought a $5 folding piece of cardboard (a display board) and a bunch of aluminum foil. I'm hoping that will work just as well. Haven't actually made it yet. Any suggestions for the process? I take it you're supposed to wrinkle the aluminum some, but I'm not sure how much. I've never even seen an actual photographer's reflector.



ChiefWannahakaloogie -> RE: Flash Chat (8/12/2008 3:55:31 PM)

quote:

This may be of help"

http://www.foodportfolio.com/blog/food_photography/food_photgraphy.html

thanks. that IS useful.
quote:

I took a peek at the photos in your blog...they are lovely and now I'm hungry. I say that your are not only on the right track but are already at the station.

thanks! i still consider myself a rookie, and i have a loooooooong way to go. but thanks again [:D]
quote:

Chief: Nice ... however I see that most of your shots are mostly down on the food. From what I hear, and what sounds right, is that the shot should be positioned such that the food rises above the other side of the plate so that it looks like more. So take it more from the side, maybe a bit up but not from over the food.

ah, good advice. i'll keep this in mind next time im shooting.
quote:

Nice light idea -- can't go wrong with a $5 light. 3 or 4 of those should do wonders if your camera is on a tripod. Probably no need for anything expensive! And yeah natural light is always best. Maybe put a reflector on the side away from the window, to eliminate shadows.

awesome...i never thought of that. i'd have to make a reflector too though.....



BeckeyZ -> RE: Flash Chat (8/12/2008 4:23:19 PM)

quote:

awesome...i never thought of that. i'd have to make a reflector too though.....


a bright white piece of cardstock or foil wrapped cardboard are a few things I might try.

Your blog is cool....I'm gonna go back and read some more, maybe I'll learn something new about cooking (I am a less than average cook, but I do like to bake).



ChiefWannahakaloogie -> RE: Flash Chat (8/14/2008 9:40:21 PM)

thanks. i only barely started it but i write fairly often.


our county fair is coming up and i finally made a decision today as to which pieces i want to enter in the photography competition.



car2ner -> RE: Flash Chat (8/15/2008 8:12:47 AM)

cool, let us know the details later!



ezri -> RE: Flash Chat (8/30/2008 6:18:57 PM)

My mom took a SD card to Wal-Mart to have some images printed at the 1 hour photo place. She went back an hour later and got told that Wal-Mart could not print the photos as they were professional photographs.[8D]

Like she'd know professional from her big toe- ANYWAY my mom told her that most of them were taken by me--- her daughter, and thanked her for the complement then insisted that she print the images that she had permission from the photographer to print... the lady was a bit indignant with her but printed them for her anyway.

These were some of my first really BIG group type shots and I am not 100% pleased with them(see them here). The white balance was off. [:'(] course we are talking the local wal mart 1 hour place... they don't know what white balance or color calibration is either. [8|]

Anyway- an indignant Wal mart employee called me a professional today. I think someone needs to point out that ANYONE can buy a backdrop and lights. [;)] I am kinda torn between the "complement" and them giving my mother a hard time printing photos that were taken FOR HER.

~e



OLEEguacamole -> RE: Flash Chat (8/30/2008 6:34:36 PM)

you need to draw up a form for permission to print for future situations. find some flickr portrait photogs that can give advice. walmart is famous for refusing to print and not changing their minds. others will do it to.



ChiefWannahakaloogie -> RE: Flash Chat (8/31/2008 3:40:41 PM)

i usually get my prints from costco. you can send them in online (if they are digital...) and pick them up at your store or get them delivered to your house. and their enlargements are a really good price.



car2ner -> RE: Flash Chat (9/1/2008 1:47:49 PM)

I used to have a great gal at Sam's club... so I won't be quick to praise Sam's Club in general. But their prices are good and she remembered me well enough to trust me or someone who came in my name.

BTW, it doesn't take much to put up a back drop and check the lighting but not many people do or even know that they should. Your thanksgiving pictures are very nice. It is hard to get nice expressions on everyone at the same time.



ezri -> RE: Flash Chat (9/1/2008 9:51:10 PM)

I look at them(t-day shots) and kick myself for not having the men move to the center back and the ladies on either side. it had been a LONG day (a 6 gig photo shoot day) filled with newborns, wedding dresses, turkey and family.



TMeeks -> RE: Flash Chat (9/2/2008 10:53:25 PM)

You and I seem to be in the midst of the same learning curve with backgrounds and lights. It's been interesting. :)

How much room do you have from your backdrop to the farthest location where you can put your camera? It appears that the subjects are right up against the backdrop and they should be at least 4 feet (or more) from it when possible.

What lights and how many are you using?

You mentioned that she took an SD card to be printed. Had the images been post processed? If not, then that might have been some of the issue with color correction.

In any event, I'd like to share what we find as we experiment with portraits.



quote:

ORIGINAL: ezri

My mom took a SD card to Wal-Mart to have some images printed at the 1 hour photo place. She went back an hour later and got told that Wal-Mart could not print the photos as they were professional photographs.[8D]

Like she'd know professional from her big toe- ANYWAY my mom told her that most of them were taken by me--- her daughter, and thanked her for the complement then insisted that she print the images that she had permission from the photographer to print... the lady was a bit indignant with her but printed them for her anyway.

These were some of my first really BIG group type shots and I am not 100% pleased with them(see them here). The white balance was off. [:'(] course we are talking the local wal mart 1 hour place... they don't know what white balance or color calibration is either. [8|]

Anyway- an indignant Wal mart employee called me a professional today. I think someone needs to point out that ANYONE can buy a backdrop and lights. [;)] I am kinda torn between the "complement" and them giving my mother a hard time printing photos that were taken FOR HER.

~e



ezri -> RE: Flash Chat (9/2/2008 11:18:29 PM)

They were right on top of the back drop- I was limited by space. it was a 1000sqft timeshare unit and my dad can not navigate the stairs so that also limited us. The shot was an after thought. I was 100% tapped. The reason for taking the camera/studio stuff was for this bunch of images

You asked about post processing. there is very very little Post processing on those images. I now have some cool filters for my adobe photoshop elements and could probably go in and make them ALL look so much more polished... but the thought of revisiting them is daunting. I had a ton of firsts that day. A 2 month old baby that we DID work the shoot into her "normal" nap time but she decided that she was not going to play nice. [sm=icon_smile_yikes.gif] [sm=icon_smile_faint.gif]. Then the wedding dress shots. There are a few of those that I absolutely LOVE. of course the ones I love are not the ones she loves.[;)]

The lights are in a rubbermaid tub so I am not certain what the brand/model# is. (They were gifts as was the backdrop)They are not strobes. 12" constant light with white diffusion umbrellas.

I really like/prefer natural light portraits. These are some of my all time faves- absolutely no post processing on them. Shot with a 50mm f1.8 on a digital body(meaning it was more a 80mm) If I were working the photo lab at Wal-Mart I'd of said *NO* to the outside bunch before the back drop bunch.

If I did do studio stuff later on I think I'd enjoy shooting in a "North Window" type studio. If you must shoot inside then the outside simply must be spilling in. [:D]

~e



TMeeks -> RE: Flash Chat (9/14/2008 9:57:01 PM)

I've been working with some new lights and softboxes in order to get better at doing portraits. I will be using these at a client's but need a lot more practice with them to get anywhere close to confident.

But, here are two images from my first attempt. The first:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/2858339608_f0947de371_b.jpg

And a second...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2858340888_36d1cac1bd_b.jpg

Shooting people is a LOT more difficult than shooting sculpture! [:)]



BeckeyZ -> RE: Flash Chat (9/14/2008 9:58:55 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: TMeeks

I've been working with some new lights and softboxes in order to get better at doing portraits. I will be using these at a client's but need a lot more practice with them to get anywhere close to confident.

But, here are two images from my first attempt. The first:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/2858339608_f0947de371_b.jpg

And a second...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2858340888_36d1cac1bd_b.jpg

Shooting people is a LOT more difficult than shooting sculpture! [:)]


Those look really good to me.



TMeeks -> RE: Flash Chat (9/14/2008 10:19:03 PM)

Thanks, BeckeyZ.

I'm still trying to get the lights balanced properly. It's been interesting. Fortunately, my neice and nephew LOVE to have their picture taken. So, they are willing to sit for longer than they might. My bribe is to let them see each shot immediately after it's taken. [:D]



ezri -> RE: Flash Chat (9/14/2008 10:20:42 PM)

They are adorable- I was gonna ask if they were your children. I think the images look good but you already know I much prefer natural light so i haven't given much time to studio lighting. [:D]



TMeeks -> RE: Flash Chat (9/15/2008 1:50:54 PM)

They are the children of a niece and about the same age as my grandchildren. They really do photograph well in any setting.

Do you ever use reflectors with natural light? They are relatively inexpensive and work very, very well.

Since i do a fair amount of corprate shooting, I have to learn the lighting side of photography when it comes to people. I tend to take 'snapshots' outside and not put too much effort into making them more than simply event captures. But, I did shoot some outside over the weekend. I'll try to post one this evening. It's nothing special; but, the camara did do a pretty nice job opf capturing a historic home in New Castle, DE.

Historic Read House


quote:

ORIGINAL: ezri

They are adorable- I was gonna ask if they were your children. I think the images look good but you already know I much prefer natural light so i haven't given much time to studio lighting. [:D]



PolarBear -> RE: Flash Chat (9/22/2008 4:24:22 AM)

Went back to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens on Saturday, this time with my tripod. There have been butterflies migrating through the area this week so we figured this would be a good time to go. Unfortunately out of all the shots I got, I think this is the only really good one of a butterfly:

http://yoderdev.com/photos/080920-butterfly.jpg
(1:1 crop)

Later, in a more wooded area when we were resting on a bench, an ant carrying a moth (or maybe a butterfly) landed on my wife's shirt. I just happened to have my XSi with macro lens in hand and ready to go, but didn't have much time to set up the shot. Here's what I got:

http://yoderdev.com/photos/080920-antmoth.jpg
(Original size, not shrunk or cropped at all. Warning: 2.5MB)

Basically you can see the ant's butt-hair [8|] but the head and most of the moth are out of focus. [:@] The ant ran shortly after that shot. With a bit more set-up time that shot could have been incredible!

I decided I want to go ahead and get the Canon 10-22mm ultra wide angle and the 55-250mm zoom. Still haven't convinced my wife though; I'll talk to her about it again soon. She is a realtor so that may be the sell for the 10-22. That will allow good pictures of indoor rooms.

Maybe I should wait and get it later, but we're going to Mexico's Copper Canyon in mid-November and I really want to have it with me on that trip!



TMeeks -> RE: Flash Chat (9/24/2008 11:47:56 PM)

It's tough shooting macro even with a tripod. The depth of field is such that even the movement of the mirror causes problems. The Butterfly was very nice. The body is in perfect focus and the size and angle of the butterfly pretty much guaranteed that the wing tips would fall out of focus. Very nice. [sm=thumbsup.gif]

I recently bought the Canon 24-70L f2.8 lens and it's really made a huge difference in the quality of my images. Even 13x19 prints look great with little or no post-processing.

I'm planning to move up to the new 5D Mark II as soon as it becomes available and I can actually find one. So, I am making sure that all the glass that I buy now will work with a full frame camera. But, I will keep the XSi because the image quality is awesome for the price.



PolarBear -> RE: Flash Chat (9/25/2008 2:13:56 AM)

The butterfly may have been luck ... but thanks!

That L lens sounds great, but I'm already gasping at the prices of non-L lenses. I can't even think about getting an L unless the day comes when I'm actually paid to take pictures. No idea if that is a reasonable goal yet or not.

Some say the 10-22 is almost L quality but without the designation. I'll have to be satisfied with that.



PolarBear -> RE: Flash Chat (9/25/2008 1:10:02 PM)

Ok, just had the talk with my wife about it. She reluctantly agreed (given that I don't whine about her occasionally spending a few hundred dollars on things I already agreed to!).

Got the 10-22USM and the 55-250IS coming my way from B&H! [:D]



BeckeyZ -> RE: Flash Chat (10/3/2008 2:50:28 PM)

Check this out....if you watch the documentary (it's relatively short) in the last third of it, he discusses how he lights the night shots....I found it fascinating.



car2ner -> RE: Flash Chat (10/20/2008 2:46:20 PM)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marshabrockman/2934921145/in/pool-738069@N21


http://www.flickr.com/photos/car2ner/2959282240/in/pool-738069@N21

A couple of us have been having fun at the fairs and amusement parks. There are a few pics posted on the Crosswalkers' group. Anyone want to add some carnival fun?



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