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About This Page: This is a discussion on Computers/Tech/Photo within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. I just tried that with mine and it works. Pretty neat.
Hmm, of course I don't have an SB800 to try this out, but you can change the flash exposure by hitting the sel button then the + or - buttons, then hitting sel again to set it, you should be able to get 3 stops out of it that way. Something else sounds fishy though as the flash should automatically change it's output as you change your aperture if the flash is using i-ttl. Is the flash in TTL, TTL BL, or...., and is it set as the master in the group?
Yeah it was set in TTL and as the master. I think that I'm just asking too much of it. In fact, the incessant beeping and the -3 EV that's displayed on the flash after I shoot is telling me that very thing.
From what I've read (and been told at Nikonians), direct illumination wouldn't have been a problem at f/8 and ISO 200, but asking it to bounce off the ceiling (and therefore asking it to illuminate the whole room rather than just the subjects I'm photographing) is just asking it for more power than it can put out.
Looking back on the images I shot last night at f/2.8, I thought I'd focused on my wife's eyes. But when I got into the picture next to her, it moved her just enough to the right so that the focus point I'd chosen in the viewfinder was now on the Christmas tree behind us. The tree is in perfect focus, of course. My wife and I are slightly soft, and my little girl is noticeably out-of-focus.
And here, when I looked last night, I thought it was a too-shallow DOF thing when instead it was an operator-error thing. Had the focus point stayed on my wife, I think we all would have been tolerably sharp in the captures.
I'm not a portrait guy to begin with, but I'm learning more every time I try it.
I really do think I need a second (and perhaps a third) SB-800 and some umbrellas. Or maybe just an inexpensive studio kit.
__________________ VOTE Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel IN 2008!!
You trying to illuminate too much with your flash was one of the first things I thought of. But somehow I thought you might get offended, if I asked you about it, since it's so trivial.
__________________ This announcement is brought to you by the Shimato Dominguez Corporation - helping America into the New World.
...I really do think I need a second (and perhaps a third) SB-800 and some umbrellas. Or maybe just an inexpensive studio kit.
I found deciding between getting more flashguns (like the SB-800 or the 580EX) and getting studio flashes was a tough one. I think it comes down to what you imagine yourself doing with them. The nice thing about the flashgun set up is that it is more of a "oh I was walking around and I found a setup that I thought would look good with a bit more light" as you can always carry them with you and they are battery powered. They also have the advantage if you are using in the case of Nikon their wireless i-TTL of being relatively smart, in that you set you exposure, and you can set group A to be a -1 stop, group B to be -2 stops, regardless of what the exposure ends up being, the camera figures it all out. If you are willing to go manual with them, and go off brand, you can add flashguns super cheap, as in $80 a head (for a Vivitar), which makes it very accessible.
With the studio strobes, it is much more, "OK, I know I want to shoot a portrait today, and I know where it is going to be and what it is going to be." There isn't the freedom that you have with the flashguns, as you need AC power (they can be mobile however with a battery pack and inverter, and they work very well). They are also going to be full manual, and the highest sync speed you are going to be able to get with them is probably 1/120th to 1/160th (remember that the flash duration is around 1/10,000, so even though the shutter is open for a while, with such a short flash burst, there isn't much motion blur, where it is a problem is if you are trying to use it as a fill light on a bright sunny day for action shots) but their greatest advantage is MUCH more power, which is most handy when you want to use light modifiers, such as BIG umbrellas or soft boxes, light up big rooms or fill a large area. I went with the studio strobes (from Alien Bee) which I currently love, but I imagine that making this set up mobile will hurt in the future if I want to do more location shooting, but for around the house, at work, or in studio, they have been great. As long as I have power, and more importantly, am willing to tote them around, I am very happy with them.
OK, so now I have swapped the camera I use and the lens I use and got a new flash. ALL of these items are things you guys recommended and now my pics are WAY better than before in fact I would call them PRO quality since I saw a lot of guys taking Derby Dolls photos with tons of pro equipment and then compared my pics with theirs after the fact. (I can say without a doubt that mine were higher quality than the LA Weekly.) Having this kind of quality available is essential if you want to be taken seriously and now that the playing field is (almost) even then I can at least have a chance of expressing what I want and having it come out like I envisioned it. Still, I can think of a few more lenses that would fit nicely in my collection, but at least I have a start.
SO I just wanted to say THANKS to you guys for pointing me in the right direction with the D30, the 17-55 2.8 EF-S lens and the 580EXII flash. Having this ability has given me a new inspiration to go out and take more pics. In fact I'd really like to get into some concert photography and may look into doing something like that and I might be able to use some old connections to do so, hopefully.
OK, so now I have swapped the camera I use and the lens I use and got a new flash. ALL of these items are things you guys recommended and now my pics are WAY better than before in fact I would call them PRO quality since I saw a lot of guys taking Derby Dolls photos with tons of pro equipment and then compared my pics with theirs after the fact. (I can say without a doubt that mine were higher quality than the LA Weekly.) Having this kind of quality available is essential if you want to be taken seriously and now that the playing field is (almost) even then I can at least have a chance of expressing what I want and having it come out like I envisioned it. Still, I can think of a few more lenses that would fit nicely in my collection, but at least I have a start.
SO I just wanted to say THANKS to you guys for pointing me in the right direction with the D30, the 17-55 2.8 EF-S lens and the 580EXII flash. Having this ability has given me a new inspiration to go out and take more pics. In fact I'd really like to get into some concert photography and may look into doing something like that and I might be able to use some old connections to do so, hopefully.
Now all you have to do, Mike, is set up a net-gallery somewhere!
I don't think I've personally gotten to the level of "pro quality" yet. I've got some pictures I'm pretty proud of, because to me they represent some small advancement somewhere on the learning curve I'm bound to. But in terms of thinking "I could sell this photograph," I don't think I've gotten there just yet. I need more equipment! Well...practice is probably what I need more of, actually. But I find that if I leave the house with my camera and have in my mind something I want to work on technique wise, I'm better able to "see" opportunities for photo-taking that suits the skill I want to practice.
I've got to say that this thread has been a HUGE help for me with overcoming some plateaus and getting my learning curve trending upward again. By wanting to be able to "hang" with the quality of the photographs that you guys post in here, I feel my images are getting more and more interesting and better overall.
So, thanks. Let's keep this thread going until it chokes the bandwidth!
__________________ VOTE Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel IN 2008!!
Last edited by FlyBoeingJets; December 16th, 2007 at 02:29 PM.
In fact I'd really like to get into some concert photography and may look into doing something like that and I might be able to use some old connections to do so, hopefully.
What kind of concerts and what kind of concert photography?
OK, so now I have swapped the camera I use and the lens I use and got a new flash. ALL of these items are things you guys recommended and now my pics are WAY better than before in fact I would call them PRO quality since I saw a lot of guys taking Derby Dolls photos with tons of pro equipment and then compared my pics with theirs after the fact. (I can say without a doubt that mine were higher quality than the LA Weekly.) Having this kind of quality available is essential if you want to be taken seriously and now that the playing field is (almost) even then I can at least have a chance of expressing what I want and having it come out like I envisioned it. Still, I can think of a few more lenses that would fit nicely in my collection, but at least I have a start.
SO I just wanted to say THANKS to you guys for pointing me in the right direction with the D30, the 17-55 2.8 EF-S lens and the 580EXII flash. Having this ability has given me a new inspiration to go out and take more pics. In fact I'd really like to get into some concert photography and may look into doing something like that and I might be able to use some old connections to do so, hopefully.
Hey, talking gear is fun, so I'm sure collectively that part is a pleasure for all of us! But although the tools make it easier, the photographer makes the image, so really any kudos you have should go to yourself. It is always nice when you can capture the image that you are envisioning, especially when things are moving quickly, such as with the Derby Dolls, and a lot of those images are fantastic.
I think this thread has been great for gently nudging the bar for all of us, as well as providing constructive criticism, which is, in my opinion, greatly appreciated. I actually read through the whole thing again yesterday to pass the time during this snow storm the East was getting hit with.
So, thanks to all of you guys for participating and keeping this tread alive!
I would echo VFs comments. This has been one of my favorite threads this year. It is kind of odd to talk cameras on a hockey fan site, but I have to say its also a little frienlier and less intimidating here than other photography forums.
It's also kind of funny when I tell my pro photographer friend something he doesn't know and when he asks me, "where did you hear that?" I say Letsgokings.com
What kind of concerts and what kind of concert photography?
For the moment, just small clubs since they are the only ones who allow cameras. I'm not really looking to sell photos, I just like taking action shots of things that I like. Having this cool setup inspires me to take pics and since action is what I like then what the heck. So far I have taken pics of a few bands and emailed them and they seemed real pleased with the results, so maybe I can find something to do that is fun and useful like supply a fanzine or something. In a dream world I would be taking hockey photos.
I'd thought about trying my hand at concert photography as well, but I think it's going to have to wait until I get the new camera body and a faster wide-angle lens. I'd like to be able to do that without having to stun the performers with flash.
So on that note, how would you all augment your current portfolios? What kind of stuff would you like to try shooting that you haven't tried yet?
For me, I'd like to fill the portfolio out with some more sports (field or court-level stuff) like basketball and volleyball. I'd like to get an opportunity to shoot aircraft air-to-air. I'd like to do some macro and super-macro work. I'd also like to work on my portrait skills a well.
__________________ VOTE Tarquin Fin-tim-lim-bim-lim-bin-bim-bin-bim Bus Stop F'tang F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel IN 2008!!
That's one stressful job as a pro. We take great care of our toys, but their equipment is all bumped and half broken. As long as it focuses and the glass is not scrached, it's great, they say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ValleyFan
Hey, talking gear is fun, so I'm sure collectively that part is a pleasure for all of us! But although the tools make it easier, the photographer makes the image, so really any kudos you have should go to yourself. It is always nice when you can capture the image that you are envisioning, especially when things are moving quickly, such as with the Derby Dolls, and a lot of those images are fantastic.
I remember when I was participating in a workshop, led by a top photographer (when you get 7 pages in National Geographic (the main edition), you know you are good). First of all, his equipment was top of the line, I mean that stuff costs a fortune. When he goes working, he carries about 140 kg of equipment (that's why he needs an assistant). He said a couple of things regarding that:
- he needs top equipment, nothing else is good enough
- the difference between top equipment and just very good equipment is not about the "more perfect" photo quality, it might be the difference between getting and not getting that photo you wanted to take. It's not just about very bad conditions, where that helps. Sometimes you have only a moment to take a photograph you've been waiting to take for more than 6 months. With top equipment, your chances to actually get a photo are higher.
That was the best photo educational stuff I've participated in so far. The guy was so friendly, he told us everything we wanted to know, including how much money different magazines are paying and even how photo stock industry is working (damn, that's tough and mean). The stories of his experiences are just priceless. When you see a top photographer (=world class) is having anything similar near you, grab the chance, it's invaluable. When you hear how a certain photograph
FlyBoeingJets
Well...practice is probably what I need more of, actually. But I find that if I leave the house with my camera and have in my mind something I want to work on technique wise, I'm better able to "see" opportunities for photo-taking that suits the skill I want to practice.
In a dream world I would be taking hockey photos. 
