[Wheatfield]

Today we shot a famous model. It was amazing, the photographer directed her in such an intuitive manner, he would raise his hand and put his fingers together and as he moved his hand she would shift her eyes, if he showed his open palm and turned it she would turn her head, if he tilted his hand to the right or left she would do the same. Everything was going so fast!

My dog will do that if I have food in my hand....

[epqwerty]

Professionals at work. You going to get lots of learn done in the next couple days. Sounds like your having a blast. Have you adjusted to the nikon yet? Or are you still reaching for invisible buttons that the would be there if you had your pentax?

[eddie1960]

sounds like a blast, it's always fun to learn techniques from pros

[Rory]

You might find this amusing.
The studio I work with is very heavily invested in Nikon equipment. However, when we have a job that requires maximum technical quality of the image, the job is invariably given to me to shoot with my Pentax.
One day last fall I was shooting a new head shot for one of the photographer's business card. The specification called for a blown out white background, so I set up one light in a softbox beside the subject facing the background, one light to my left as the main and a reflector hanging on the softbox to provide fill.
The studio owner was aghast at this set up. Not because there was anything wrong with the light, but because, as he said, if he had tried that set up with his Nikkor lenses, the resulting veiling flare would have made the image unusable.
I never have to worry about the things they have to worry about.

I would tend to think that's more your talent than the camera. But my Pentax cameras produced some amazing images.

Does the studio owner use any of the new Nano-coated lenses? I don't think they're nearly as prone to flare as the D class lenses are.

[Student]

Monday is the big day, we are going to get our own model each and show what we've learned... It's too soon! I am so nervous! The girls are pretty damn good, their shots are just stunning...

I don't know what to do... I don't have any ideas for the model... Oh god... What do I do? Today we are going to visit a small agency to choose the models.

[Ratmagiclady]

Monday is the big day, we are going to get our own model each and show what we've learned... It's too soon! I am so nervous! The girls are pretty damn good, their shots are just stunning...

I don't know what to do... I don't have any ideas for the model... Oh god... What do I do? Today we are going to visit a small agency to choose the models.

This is one of those areas where specs and technical proficiency won't help you, very much, (you just want to appear ready and competent with the setup and photography itself: there's probably no faster way to lose a subject than to spend very long fretting over settings. Even in film days, I'd say it's better to burn a few frames while you think, than to put someone in a 'waiting' frame of mind. )

But there's a certain amount of performance art on your side of the camera, too: you're part of the process as a person and personality, not just a camera operator.

There'll be your style of interacting, (which you don't know yet,) and the model's, (Who may well be more used to different photogs than you are to different models,) so despite all I just said, try and be honest at first, and just see how people react. The 'performance' about it can be presenting anything from 'I yam the God Of Photography' to 'You are the Goddess Of Being Photographed.' (Personally, I tend to play to *funny,* since, for one, most of my subjects have been *not* professionals, and for another, that's a way to keep people engaged when you're not exactly set up all clockwork-like. )

Key thing there is that a lot of people see photography as a pretty solitary, technical pursuit, then encounter quite a bit of stage fright when it comes to something as interactive as a studio shoot.

For starters, just start from within a comfort zone or three, and remember you're as much presenting the camera as you are being there, ...being too *self-conscious* is something that tends to mean you're expecting the subject to be judging you *personally* when you're *really* just a camera to them till you show otherwise. So do that from your own terms and interact.

If that helps.

[epqwerty]

I wish I had good advice to provide you but I am far from that area of knowledge. Only taking photos as a hobby nothing more for me. Where are our resident professionals to help you out. All the advice I can give is stay within your comfortable zone don't try to go jazzy if you don't know how too. Time is money. Trying to fake stuff never works out well in life. And good luck your living a once in a life time event enjoy it and have fun.

[0Man]

I tried to join a Photo Club near my university as I didn't want to join the uni club and they didn't want me as a member because in their opinion only Canon and Nikon make real cameras... I am scratching my head...

Update:

Now another thing...

Ok, I just received an e-mail from a Photographer to whom I sent an application to be a second shooter for a while and he has a sort of mentoring scheme... Here is the partial e-mail I received today (Translated):

Dear Mr [X],
Thank you for your application and portfolio CD, I was delighted by your images. Please call me so that we may arrange an interview, I am positive that I can offer you a place as second shooter and assistant starting on the 3rd of April for a Period of two weeks as previously discussed, you will need to find accommodation in [X]. Do not worry about using your Pentax K-7, I will provide you with a Nikon D300s and Lenses from my collection for the duration of the event, just make sure you bring SDHC cards for storage and your own monopod. You can use one of my student macs, I have Lightroom, PS, Aperture, everything you need. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,

[X]

I am so angry... What the hell is this... I feel persecuted, first the club and now this... Do you think he was joking or something???

Hi there,

Im new here and Im a Canon shooter. When i started with photography i had to start with something, so canon it was (because where i live canon lenses are the easiest to obtain.)

But really, after 2.5 years of intensive shooting (over 80 000 shots lol) its not the camera really, its the glass. So... Id just ask for a good glass, and give me anything that glass fits .

The reason Im a member here is the SMC Takumar 50 1.4 I recently bought..such a nice lens, and it really wasnt cheap to get here! Im definitely looking for more pentax glass as of now.

So, If you know your stuff, it doesnt really matter with what you do it

[Student]

OH MY GOD! I won! I can't believe it! X_X

Oh sweet jesus! Now I have a choice between a Nikon D300s or getting a D700 real cheap (He is gonna pay 800, leaves 600 for me to pay if I choose this option!) What do I do??? Nikon D300s or D700? He already gave me a couple of portrait lenses I am so happy!

[eddie1960]

pay for the d700 it'll be worth it for the FF which will not likely ever come with pentax. you always have the k7 to fall back on for apsc and i imagine there will still be access at the studio for the others. the portrait lenses will be at their most stellar on a FF body

Congratulations.

[Rory]

OH MY GOD! I won! I can't believe it! X_X

Oh sweet jesus! Now I have a choice between a Nikon D300s or getting a D700 real cheap (He is gonna pay 800, leaves 600 for me to pay if I choose this option!) What do I do??? Nikon D300s or D700? He already gave me a couple of portrait lenses I am so happy!

Awesome! Are you able to show the images, or does he retain the rights to them? Really well done.

At that price, he would be paying $1800 towards a D700 if you're paying $600. I would jump on that in a heartbeat. As a D700 owner, I can attest for it.

I hope we get to see the images. Way to make this happen for yourself.

[Rory]

So which lenses did he give you?

[eddie1960]

i think he's taking euros but still to get a d700 for 600 euros (about 828 Canadian or USD right now, and euro pricing included the taxes) is pretty sweet

[normhead]

Good luck.. despite what anyone will tell, you, all you have going for you as a photographer is how your eye perceives patterns in light. As long as the equipment you have lets you capture that, brand doesn't matter. My mom always used Nikons. There are some great pictures of my kids taken with them. It's hard to dislike something like that. ( My sister likes Olympus camera's, same deal.)

[Student]

I am not allowed to post the image and I don't get paid either but it is going to be used in an advert for Guerlain not sure if the ad is national or international though. I'll only tell you that they're both blondes!!!!!!! I am still amazed by this.. It's all going so fast! The lenses are for cropped sensors, will I be able to use them on Full Frame?