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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-28-2015, 06:45 PM
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Thank you for your added comments. Yes I noticed the spot. Thanks. I will clean things up.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-25-2015, 07:15 PM
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Thank you all for the advice.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-20-2015, 06:19 PM
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Thank you for the advice. I will check out the better software. This shot was the first of the bunch. Documenting mostly but wanted to try capturing for HDR. It's hard with downsizing for web but definitely a lot of sharpness lose even with raw files. I will shoot it again if software change doesn't yeild a better product. I didn't pay as much to shutter speed as I should have. I let it go. Much appreciated.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-20-2015, 01:49 PM
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Thanks for responding.
I set PS to align images. However, the wind isn't swaying the building therefore, it should be sharp.
Yup. Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB) automatically turns it off.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-20-2015, 12:29 PM
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My current process utilizes my k-5 with sigma 10-20 using AEB. This particular shoot I captured images at f11, 5 shots 1.5 stops apart each on tripod. Delayed shutter (2-3sec I believe with AEB). Each shot seems a little blurry. I'm not sure whats going on.
Is there a better technique for capturing photos for HDR? or is this faulty lens/camera? Does it appear like tripod is shaking?
FIRST SHOT IS BASE SHOT. SECOND IS HDR OF 5 IMAGES.
Thanks in advance.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-26-2015, 10:01 AM
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So I shot another wedding. See my first here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/137-photographic-industry-professionals/2...i-learned.html. My first was my own family, was more laxed being a 2nd wedding of two divorcees and didn't encompass much. This past Saturday was a full on wedding.
My equipment paled in comparison to the gear my friend had me using. Prior to the event I had borrowed and tested out the 5d mk3 and a few lenses. Having recently bought the 5d classic helped with not fully being stumped with a whole new system from Pentax (See here). On the day I ended up with that body and cycling through the 24-70 L 2.8, 70-200 L 2.8 and 600ex-rt. I assisted with lighting and setup and a ton of other things. I must say I enjoyed it far more than I expected. It was a long day. A very long day. I was solo for the groom prep.
See the final best shots on my friend's website here: JESSICA + GEORGE: NYACK SEAPORT WEDDING
I took the following shots shown at the above link
-Both groom mirrors shots
-Cuff link shot
-Solo Groom shot
-HDR empty church
-Reception hall space
-Center piece with books
-The cake shot (natural light)
-Third photo of the first dance (the dip)
NOTE: Though I have listed shots I physically took, I am in no way taking full credit as I did not edit them, and I was using all their gear to get the shots. I am quite happy at how everything came out though. My friend helped me immensely to learn the ropes and I cannot thank him enough the opportunity. Make me serious think I need to upgrade my gear.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-23-2015, 06:45 AM
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Looks good! I will try out the 17 and 24 TS' sometime in future.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-22-2015, 07:20 PM
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I see! It feels good. Now to see how the Pentax FF is upon release.
My reason for the purchase my man! I have one of the big rental houses downstairs from my office. $25/day for TS lenses. I will be testing em' out on the lovey NYC architecture.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-22-2015, 05:10 AM
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So I picked up a 5d classic body from a friend of mine for cheap with 5 CF cards, 3 batteries and charged. Went by Adorama NYC and got a used 50mm 1.8 to test it out. Having not ever had a full frame or film camera and it being a new brand, it will take some getting use to.
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Forum: General Photography
04-13-2015, 08:27 AM
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Really!? Tough life- it's mostly love-hate relationship and feast or famine.. haha. As I've read the current rokinon/samyang is a full frame lens. I have interest in it if the FF is worthy :hmm: I really want to stay Pentax and build my collection. Otherwise I may jump ship. Depends on a lot.
I respectfully disagree. Those professional photographers in the architectural realm, maybe not in the real estate too much, have said TS is almost exclusively utilized. In computer afterwords is cumbersome and is not ideal especially if you need to do a whole set of images that way. Mid to high rise buildings are even more difficult to achieve this with. Interiors of (1-2 family) houses may be/probably are acceptable. I have seen the in-camera shift options. It's interesting. I'm weighing my options. A jump to Canon may be in the cards. We shall see.
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Forum: General Photography
04-04-2015, 06:00 PM
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I applaud you for showcasing your work and your business. I am an architect and very much interested in my future business including photography since I am just as passionate about them both. I also find it interesting that you stuck with Pentax as I've heard from a few architectural photographers I spoke with whom are against it. Some for right reasons when it comes to tilt-shift lenses and exterior high rise photography which I love and want to do. With the new FF on the way it will be a turning point on if I stay pentax or not. Thank you for inspiration if anything.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
04-01-2015, 07:00 PM
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Thanks! I actually set it on the ledge from on the stairs, composed, set the 2sec timer and let it go! I shoot a lot more now that I'm working in NYC. So much inspiration. Always something to capture.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
03-30-2015, 09:37 AM
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
03-23-2015, 12:27 PM
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Yes I agree and there's nothing better than shadowing a great photog and picking up good habits and techniques. Looking forward to 2nd shooting with my friend for the next wedding. I have much to learn.
Thank you! Yes I agree. I will push my son as far as he wants in it.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
03-20-2015, 09:02 AM
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Didn't take me long :D. Signed on to 2nd shoot for my friend and co-worker as 2nd shooter at a big wedding coming this May. He does some really great stuff. Not completely sold on making this "what I do" in photography but I will be able to learn the tricks of the trade and gain great general photography experience. I have much to learn in this realm especially, leading, posing, coordination and lighting.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
03-09-2015, 11:20 AM
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Thank you! I was quite close and he only took one shot. I too was uneasy while snapping that photo! haha
That is a huge compliment. Thank you. I did beat myself up on a few i had to toss due to unclear and not in focus.
I am toying between if I will. I've already been offered a gig as a second shooter in May. May take it on. I wouldn't be lead again until I've done some as a 2nd shooter. At some points I was standing around like "what am I suppose to do now!?" I need to see the sequence of events and a pro doing for me to get it fully.
Thanks!
As I sadi above, I'll do a few as 2nd shooter before going in as the lead.
Thank you very much. I'll have to get him a toy camera for next time. :D
Thank you sir. Those were the ballon strings. I will get more detailed oriented for sure as I grow. Thanks for the tip!
Aw man, be ready for mayhem. I do not know the specs on the dslrs you have but flash is essential and i'd say you need a mid range zoom or prime to cover ~20-50mm in a 2.8 or faster. The 18-135mm may be too slow for a wedding especially with the possible lighting issues that pop up depending on venue and restrictions (like in churches). Have fun with it though.
he is one of my good cousins. More of my uncle due to the age difference. He's gone through a lot, I'm glad he's happy.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
03-08-2015, 06:45 PM
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Ok, aside from all the post practically everywhere that are around advising first timers to stay away from shooting weddings. I took the dive! Here's my break down of the day and the peculiarities I faced with the intertwining relation between me and the wedding party. I will say firstly- The best and worst aspect came in dealing with my extended family. It wasn't bad just very interesting. I will explain further below. Below the post I have included a few of my favorite/best shots from the event. The last is my two kids and my cousin's family dog.
The event came about when my cousin asked that my two children be in his wedding- my son as ring bearer and my daughter as flower girl. This was about 3 months prior to the event date. My wife and I were happy to include them. 2-3 weeks pass and they ask if I'd do the photography also. After mulling it over I agreed. This is when all the details started pouring in, some lack there of.
This was to be a 2nd wedding by an older cousin whom I more resonated as an uncle. No bridal party, just my kids and the bride and groom (with mother of bride and groom). The wedding would be about 2 hours away from where I lived. I would not be a part of the rehearsal and couldn't visit venue. Luckily I had previously been to it for a different event years back. Ceremony and reception at same location.
I did the usual prep that most would do: research shots and posing, the particular photo techniques that work best- basically the dos and don't. I took the event seriously and knew it would be tough but great practice. I looked at Heie's post here on pentaxforums as well as this amazingly good (in my eyes) post for new wedding photogs: How to shoot a wedding - Lesson 1
My wedding photo gear consisted of the following:
Camera bodies
Pentax k5 & kr (though I really hoped I wouldn't have to use kr backup with its limitations in comparison)
Lenses
Sigma 10-20 f3.5-5.6
Tamron 17-50 f2.8**
Pentax A 50 f1.2
Pentax FA 28-70 f4
Pentax DA* 50-135 f2.8
[**Received credit from my broken one and brought it new so I would not have to rent DA* 16-50 as I asked here: ]
Flashes
Photozuela Montana c600 with soft diffuser (Manual)
Bower SFD926P with demb reflector card (P-TTL)++
++[Brought this on impulse knowing I needed a P-TTL. Probably the most inexpensive one with P-TTL.]
Stability
Manfrotto compact tripod
Batteries
3 DLI90 (k5), 3 DLI190 (kr), AA adapter (kr)
20 chargeable enloops AAs
HC Memory cards
2- 32gb, 3- 16gb, 1- 8gb
And my other Misc. Stuff...
The initial plan was 4 hrs of ceremony and 1 hr of photos prior to ceremony. Well the day came and it started chaotic. To shorten the day I'll just list the events:
Got lost trying to get to the bride's location
Make up artist was 2 hours late
Bride didn't not want any preparation photos
20min to shoot bride before escaping to venue
Horrible lighting at venue
No rehearsal was done with anyone involved!
No one kept to a slow pace walk; they all ran in except the bride (thank God!)
Family took over family group shots (Iphonography)
WHAT I LEARNED
In the end I did have a great time shooting. And it was a great learning experience. Though I am hard on myself, some shots came out well but I'd say I did decent. Certainly not great. They were not expecting anything spectacular but just a record of events. I really did the best I could with the information I was given, the gear I had on hand and the experience I had built the last few years. The difficulty of the venue lighting would have required an off camera setup to be the most viable. Please check out all of the finished shots here: Selina & Michael by J.W. Smith Photography
Camera Gear related:
1. As for my gear the K5 handled things superbly though I wish the higher ISO didn't show as much (but then again I'm not use to editing out noise). Shot most of the night at 1600 and even 3200 (which was pretty heavy).
2. Flash didn't seem fast or powerful enough (but then again this was my first time shooting with P-TTL). HSS would be a must plus as I said an off-camera setup would have been best for this venue.
3. I didn't have the time nor did the chaotic disorganization of the ceremony allow me much time or advanced knowledge of events coming to switch lenses. I used k5 and Tamron 17-50 with Bower flash the whole event. For the ceremony I definitely should have switched to the 50-135 but in reception 17-50 was fine.
4. Tamron 17-50 f2.8- didn't seem to focus fast enough. Not sure if it was the lens or body. Miss some shots on this.
My solutions:
Get a better schedule of ceremonies (though this was somewhat of pandemonium haha)
Take control of shots
Give necessary instruction to wedding party (Ex: slow entry for guests, etc.)
Long(er) lens for ceremony (??)
HSS flash is a must
Father and Photog
And lastly my unique twist on this event was my children were a part of the event and ultimately I had a few instances were I had to do father duty while shooting (which I would not recommend). My son (2 yrs) being very interested in photography (See Photo Below!) just wanted to stand by my side. So a few (gladly it wasn't many) ceremony shots, he was standing at my side looking on. Was just part of the day and my duties.
(Yes I am trying to teach him how to hold it, put in this case the flash weighed it down a lot.)
I am open to constructive criticism and your thoughts on this all. I won't say that I'll be doing any more wedding head on but would be more apt to be a second shooter for a few before taking it on again as lead. Thanks in advance.
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-15-2015, 02:20 PM
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Thank you all! Didn't see it in manual but I will check it now.
I'm pretty sure that's how tho one functioned. Either way I should be ok.
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-13-2015, 05:39 PM
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Hello all,
I have a family event coming up which I will be doing photography for. I have a manual flash but for this event I wanted a dedicated P-TTL flash. I have a Photozuela Montana C600 (which will fall to a back up).
I just received my BOWER SFD926P and have a question about its usage. I was test shooting and noticed the shutter speed is limited while the flash is on hot-shoe. In 'front curtain' shutter speed is limited to 1/90. With 'rear curtain' it's limited to 1/180. Is this normal? I did not see anything in the manual. I do not foresee this hindering my photos but do want to make sure I do not have a faulty unit. Anyone with this flash, please chime in. Thanks!
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Forum: Sold Items
01-23-2015, 01:28 PM
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Interested if sale falls through.
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Forum: General Photography
01-16-2015, 06:27 PM
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What he said. You can see most of my stuff through my links. Once I get the chance I will upload some of my good stuff. At least what I think is good. lol
---------- Post added 01-16-15 at 08:41 PM ----------
I pack light into the city usually having my lunch and a few daily essentials. So carry my k5 with Tamron 17-50 2.8 was no biggie. Rather like having it at my disposal.
I appreciate you checking my stuff. Seems to be a work in progress. Though Instagram has its reason to be looked down upon, I find it refreshing to connect with fellow photographers (and architects) to inspire and showcase. Through my iPhone with less control over the cameras settings, I tend to focus on composure and the thought behind the capture.
Such as the below:
Instagram
And
Instagram |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-16-2015, 02:04 PM
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Thanks everyone. I didn't not factor in the large group shots. I do already own a Sigma 10-20 so I may bring that along if I decide to go with 24-70, otherwise, my best bet will be to just go with the 16-50.
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Forum: General Photography
01-16-2015, 09:18 AM
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Hello all,
It's been sometime since I've posted. Life got very busy in 2014, kids and family... yada yada and hobbies took the back seat. Over the course of the last 4-5 months things have really gained momentum. Three things happened: 1- Started a new job now located in NYC as appose to my former being outside the border of the city. 2- started up an Instagram account and 3- started to make a conscious effort to shoot as much as possible.
An obvious benefit of being in NYC is limitless photo opportunities the city offers. In addition my new office had a group of new DSLR owners who were corralled into an intro to photography class informally setup by a photographer with about 10yrs experience shooting. Mainly does weddings and social events. Being spurred to connect with my new co-workers this seemed like a no brainer. I'm not a beginner but we will all have a similar interest and break the ice much easier.
This by far boosted my shooting and careful study of my images to see what I could do better. As it stands we've had a few "classes" and even homework was assigned. This much needed push coupled with my new job have made me keep my DSLR on me much more.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-16-2015, 09:09 AM
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Hello All,
I have a medium size social event coming next month which I promised to shoot end of next month (Feb). Family & friends, nothing super crazy. As of last week my Tamron 17-50 f2.8 died :(. Out of no where under normal use- zoom is clunky, erratic and if forced would probably break internals. This was going to be my main lens coupled with my da* 50-135. I am in process of sending it into Tamron but I don't know if I will receive it back in time. And even if I did it will be up to par for the event.
I've researched various avenues and figure it might be best to rent a replacement. The event will be entirely indoors with good light (I will have flash also). In these circumstances, would it be advisable to go for the SIgma 24-70 f2.8 (less $$) or matching Da* 16-50 f2.8 (more $$$)? I'm leaning on Sigma with the more appropriate focal length.
Also there are not the most options for renting Pentax in general but if anyone knows of a different outlet other than Lensrental, BorrowLenses & CameraLensRental, let me know. Thanks in advanced fellow pentexians.
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