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Good! And long may it continue.And that's what I do. I've delivered a service to 23 couples and they have all been extremely happy.
But you’re definitely a ‘pro’ then and you need backups.
Good! And long may it continue.And that's what I do. I've delivered a service to 23 couples and they have all been extremely happy.
Yes I've been being risky with just one body. I'll get another D750 next, then focus on upgrading to 1.4 lensesGood! And long may it continue.
But you’re definitely a ‘pro’ then and you need backups.
Yes I've been being risky with just one body. I'll get another D750 next, then focus on upgrading to 1.4 lenses
I have both and the difference is very little in real world shooting, if 1.8 wont do it 1.4 probably wont either, especially with modern good high iso cameras.Yes I've been being risky with just one body. I'll get another D750 next, then focus on upgrading to 1.4 lenses
Yes I've been being risky with just one body. I'll get another D750 next, then focus on upgrading to 1.4 lenses
This.Okay
Realistically to make the best use of natural light as a one man band wedding photographer you are going to need 2 full frame bodies with one wide and one long lens. The most popular options tend to be a 35/85 or 20 or 24/50 combos. I have used both of these combos at one time or another and both will be fine for weddings. You always have the option of swapping out a lens if needed.
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It depends on your budget the D750 is a very good dslr camera and can be bought used or grey market for very little money.
If you have the budget though it might be worth looking at the options available if you where to switch to a mirrorless set up.
Yes, it will absolutely be much more expensive, but it will eliminate the need to worry about lenses not being properly tuned to the body, an electronic view finder is also very useful as you can see your exposure in real time. It is very difficult to blame equipment for any errors with mirrorless systems.
This might be well over what you want to spend but for example if you where buying grey import you could go this route as an example.
Sony A7III x2 @ £1355 each
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art @ £599 or the new Sony 35mm f/1.8 @ £629
Sony 85mm f/1.8 @ £405 or Samyang 85mm f/1.4 @ £519
Just something to think about.
Yes, you need a second camera that exactly matches your first. Whether or not you need to change your lenses may be a moot point.The Sony FF option would be outside my budget - a second D750 is a stretch and won't be something I can get for a good month, and I'm considering a 24mm instead of my 20mm and also a 85mm. I will also need a holster to carry both at the same time, and new memory cards. I do have 2 x 128GB cards in my current setup - both saving in RAW
Hi, you need to trust your equipment more, for that same shot in the car I would have shot that at f/2-f/2.8 with a 24mm or 35mm lens. I also would have shot it from the drivers seat rather than through the window and that way they would have been on the same focal plane and perfectly in focus without having to step down as much as you have done. Getting sharp photos at large apertures is partly down to technique in terms of how you handle your camera and partly down to how good the equipment is.
Yes, you need a second camera that exactly matches your first. Whether or not you need to change your lenses may be a moot point.
Whether you see it or not, you are working as a professional photographer. This means that you need to have right equipment for the work that you do but it also means that you won't make any money if you waste it on things that you don't actually need. One of the very first principles of running any kind of business is that you don't spend money unless you need to, and you don't spend it until you need to.
I know that some people love their mirrorless cameras but they seem to me to very expensive for what they bring to the party.
you need fast lenses that produce adequate quality at max aperture, but do they really need to be super fast?
Do you really need 128GB cards?
Do you really need a pair of fancy holsters when something like this will do? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Double-Quick-Rapid-Shoulder-Sling-Belt-Neck-Strap-for-Camera-SLR-DSLR-Black/113792107781?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
What you really need to do is to develop better skills, this will produce much better results at minimal or zero cost, and this (edited) post sums it up pretty well.
We've all gone a bit off topic here, you didn't ask for advice on either your business model or skillset, you asked about using flash - but I hope that the info you've been given is helpful.
He's already done 23 weddings, so I'd hardly say he's inexperienced.as i said earlier get yourself some training on a wedding tog course
that will sort out most of your wee problems understanding depth of field and focal plane etc
wedding are a fkn nightmare not for the inexperienced tog
that's why i suggested going as a second tog for a year that would really help you
and greatly improve your portfolio and any technique problem that you have
try joining your local camera club there is a wealth of knowable people at them
as i said earlier get yourself some training on a wedding tog course
that will sort out most of your wee problems understanding depth of field and focal plane etc
wedding are a fkn nightmare not for the inexperienced tog
that's why i suggested going as a second tog for a year that would really help you
and greatly improve your portfolio and any technique problem that you have
try joining your local camera club there is a wealth of knowable people at them
Yes, I've delivered 23 weddings - have 3 I'm currently processing, and have another one on Saturday. Finding an experienced local Wedding tog who's willing to share their technique with is difficult when the market is so competitive. Most of the photographers I've met aren't of the level I would consider worthy of learning from, so it's nice to come to the forum and talk to more than one photographer, and to take away various ideas from people I respect. I find that applying what they have told me and comparing the results is the best way to learn for me.
You're asking Gil to do this when You don't even let folks view your profile on here?where is your website or face book page ? advertising your photography skills so we can look at how you market yourself
and look at some of your previous weddings you have done
You're asking Gil to do this when You don't even let folks view your profile on here?
I get that, but Gil's asked for help using flash , not marketing or image critique.@holty doesn't need to though as he's/she's not asking for help -
I get that, but Gil's asked for help using flash , not marketing or image critique.
For macro - maybe
Have you tried putting a wide elastic band (or two) round the head of your flash gun, then putting the dome on over the top of that? The rubber band might give it something to grip onto and prevent it falling off as easily?I've been frustrated with attachments for my flash - I've tried the Fong dome which kept falling off which looks completely unprofessional when it does .
Snip:
Have you tried putting a wide elastic band (or two) round the head of your flash gun, then putting the dome on over the top of that? The rubber band might give it something to grip onto and prevent it falling off as easily?
If the idea doesn't work you've not lost much, as it's easy enough to remove an elastic band as opposed to something like sticky Velcro, etc., which a few other diffuser/modifiers tend to use to stay in place.
Snip:
Have you tried putting a wide elastic band (or two) round the head of your flash gun, then putting the dome on over the top of that? The rubber band might give it something to grip onto and prevent it falling off as easily?
If the idea doesn't work you've not lost much, as it's easy enough to remove an elastic band as opposed to something like sticky Velcro, etc., which a few other diffuser/modifiers tend to use to stay in place.
The Fong gadgets are soft-ish rubber type stuff anyway. I think the problem is A they are fairly heavy (heavier than they look) and B on mine at least (a freebe) the "neck" is quite short before it tapers out. You only really have a narrow-ish band (maybe half inch) gripping the flash head. (This is ribbed on the inside (that you cut out to fit your flash) the actual area of contact is fairly small. I have used duct tape which while working looks naff to help hold it on.
They also murder the power of the flash, at least mine does.
If you're inside, it can be fine. If you're outside it's only wasting battery/efficiency (or rather, outside with no effective bounce surfaces around).I tend to use mine primarily for walk around documentary style photography rather than artistic, organised/posed shots, so the portability factor is important to me.
It has its own bounce surface with the dish inserts, the chrome type one also features a back plate to reflect some more of the light forward. If you want/need some more clout then you can always turn the flash head to point forwards instead of straight up, so the dished dome of the insert (with the flash head behind it) is pointing at the subject. Outside I tend to use it more to neutralise harsh shadows and to give the colours a bit more vibrancy, a la Martin Parr.If you're inside, it can be fine. If you're outside it's only wasting battery/efficiency (or rather, outside with no effective bounce surfaces around).
He probably uses it because "it works," not knowing or caring why/how it works. It's like the trick of putting tape or tissue over the pop-up flash... it works by killing the power. Negative FEC is a much better way of getting there.Outside I tend to use it more to neutralise harsh shadows and to give the colours a bit more vibrancy, a la Martin Parr.
He probably uses it because "it works," not knowing or caring why/how it works. It's like the trick of putting tape or tissue over the pop-up flash... it works by killing the power. Negative FEC is a much better way of getting there.
The modifier is not large enough to reduce the "directional light" issue... not unless it's a macro subject at macro distances.Less power won't solve a concentrated directional light issue on its own though, will it?
I could draw them... but the result would be the same. Depending on the size of the source, after a distance the only light that reaches the subject are the rays that are parallel (or very nearly). I get the impression that you think diffused light is somehow different... it's not. Light is always "directional;" what makes the light "diffused" is that the rays of light are coming from a multitude of directions. Perhaps it would benefit you to draw the rays?However, you don't show the light dispersal pattern from a spherical/round modifier, only directional ones.
Outside I tend to use it more to neutralise harsh shadows and to give the colours a bit more vibrancy, a la Martin Parr.
But outside that's irrelevant, the light going sideways, upwards and backwards never gets to the subject because there's nothing for it to bounce off. so as Steve said - it's just going to waste and has no significant effect on the subjectHowever, you don't show the light dispersal pattern from a spherical/round modifier, only directional ones.
Coverage/area has nothing to do with softness/diffusion... like I said, a WA diffusion screen would do that for you much more efficiently (but still wasteful). Nikon SB's and others have them built in.I do understand what its doing, and one of those things is putting out light over a wider area than something like a conventional reflector.
the light going sideways, upwards and backwards never gets to the subject because there's nothing for it to bounce off. so as Steve said - it's just going to waste and has no significant effect on the subject
Coverage/area has nothing to do with softness/diffusion...
like I said, a WA diffusion screen would do that for you much more efficiently (but still wasteful). Nikon SB's and others have them built in.
No, I was discussing using it both indoors and outdoors and often alternating between the two whilst keeping faffing about with the flash and accessories to a minimum. Outdoors I find it still gives a good, even spread of light across the frame (within its range), and I can flip it forwards if I need more power, plus I can take it off and use the flash unmodified if I really needed to.I did not include bounce surfaces because we are discussing the use of a diffusion dome outdoors.
BTW, there may be several other things that are also affecting the results you see. For instance w/ the Nikon system; the default metering for flash is TTL-BL with distance information. But if you use spot metering it switches to standard TTL w/ distance instead. And if you tilt the flash head up, the lens distance information isn't used for the flash metering either (it's ignored). All of these can/will affect the resulting flash output and influence on the image. And flash metering is different than/separate from the image exposure metering (it always acts like CW metering IMO).
As long as the lens/flash is fully compatible, the system will behave this way (i.e. it's the same w/ my Godox V860II and current Sigma lenses).