Mad idea or not, i am going to ask the question.

oakfieldphotography.com · October 13, 2011

Just wondering does anyone here shoot weddings tethered to a monitor? Just thought it would be cunbersome if you dont have help but at least you get to see real time results in an instant.
Thanks for reading this.
Kind regards
Patrick.

Matthew Saville · October 13, 2011

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. What would be the ultimate goal if this system, though? Color accuracy? Client / viewer wow factor?

Honestly, the more I shoot weddings the more I try to pack as minimally as possible. Too many times in the past, I found myself switching lenses or fiddling around with my flash while something worth photographing passes me by. Is it really worth it to have flawless exposure or color, if you miss 1/4 or 1/2 of the best candid moments of the day?

So, unless you're part of a huge team and you're not in a position of responsibility, I would just focus on what matters- anticipating moments, seeking out the best light, and creating art in a high-pressure situation.

One of my absolute favorite wedding photographers of all time, Jeff Ascough, shoots mostly in aperture priority and auto white balance. Most wedding photographers hearts just stopped, I know. But his work certainly puts most ALL of those "manual purists" to shame! The candid moments he anticipates, the images he creates, are always truly stunning... Just glance at his blog for a few minutes and you'll know what I mean: http://blog.jeffascough.com/

I dunno about you, but to me that type of work takes "wedding photojournalist" to a whole new level. Most people throw around that term so lightly, when in fact the only reason they use it is because they never bothered to master posing or lighting, and their only "skill" is composition and good timing.

But that's a HUGE tangent about wedding photography in general, and my point is simply that I would recommend keeping it simple and focusing on the image itself. If you're struggling with color or exposure accuracy, all I can say is that it gets a whole lot easier with practice. I'm "only" 100-200 weddings into my career, and I'm just now starting to hit my stride with respect to getting my camera to do exactly what I want it to...

=Matt=

Overfocused · October 13, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

One of my absolute favorite wedding photographers of all time, Jeff Ascough, shoots mostly in aperture priority and auto white balance. Most wedding photographers hearts just stopped, I know. But his work certainly puts most ALL of those "manual purists" to shame! The candid moments he anticipates, the images he creates, are always truly stunning... Just glance at his blog for a few minutes and you'll know what I mean: ht
=Matt=

I like this guy...! You give me encouragement to maybe try a wedding soon since this is exactly the type of stuff I do. I haven't gotten the courage yet to delve into weddings since I'm not so into posing and setting up stuff, but what Jeff does is 2nd nature for me when it comes to taking pictures

Hmmmmm.... now I've got more thinking to do haha... ugh... more business research I suppose

oakfieldphotography.com wrote: »

Just wondering does anyone here shoot weddings tethered to a monitor? Just thought it would be cunbersome if you dont have help but at least you get to see real time results in an instant.
Thanks for reading this.
Kind regards
Patrick.

If your camera has a SD slot, you may try Eye-fi with the auto internet uploading and you could have a stationary screen somewhere displaying a slideshow as you take photos... I've thought of this before but personally I'd rather not show all the duds while I'm photog-ing

sellis · October 13, 2011

oakfieldphotography.com wrote: »

Just wondering does anyone here shoot weddings tethered to a monitor? Just thought it would be cunbersome if you dont have help but at least you get to see real time results in an instant.
Thanks for reading this.
Kind regards
Patrick.

WHAT??? That's crazy!!!

Have you ever shot a wedding? I can't imagine worrying about lugging a laptop around all day, making sure the cable is connected, waiting for the laptop to catch up, etc.

Everything you need to know is quickly available on the lcd- focus, exposure, histogram, etc.

Stuart-M · October 13, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

One of my absolute favorite wedding photographers of all time, Jeff Ascough, shoots mostly in aperture priority and auto white balance. Most wedding photographers hearts just stopped, I know. But his work certainly puts most ALL of those "manual purists" to shame!

=Matt=

Nothing wrong with using AV or TV modes when appropriate, and M when this is the better choice. As long as you understand why you are using them and how they work. Using the exposure compensation depending on the situation makes AV/TV very useful.

angevin1 · October 13, 2011

Absolutely nothing at all Mad about asking a question.

The thing about Tethering Patrick is busy-ness. You are going to almost double simple tasks just due to tethering.

In a perfect though unreal world the Photographer would set up their kit and the world would revolve around them.

In the present reality and I think especially at Weddings I am thinking Jack-be-nimble.

oakfieldphotography.com · October 13, 2011

Yes as i said this would be cumbersome and just an afterthought. How many times have i looked into the screen on the back of my 5d2 and when i got home i had not quite hit the focus spot i thought i had. I know it is a high resolution screen but like you all said time is of the upmost importance and inspirational moments wait for no man or beast..
I am thinking a wireless operation that you can take the photograph and it is sent wirelessly in a small jpeg to a rechargeable light wighted high resolution monitor with some memory inside its casing. I am getting fed up with chimping and just thought that this crazy idea coiuld be thrown into the pot for some debate here.
I am open minded to new idea and willing to give every idea a fair crack of the whip. I had better stop in my tracks as i am jusy about to go into the benifits outweighing the loss on this issue.
Just think .. some day someone comes up with an idea that was thought up of years before and thrashed out all of the problems to make it very practical. Ah well all i can do is dream. Pity but some day mark my words, mark my words. lol

Tnaks for reading this.
Kind regards
Patrick:D

oakfieldphotography.com · October 13, 2011

sellis wrote: »

WHAT??? That's crazy!!! Have you ever shot a wedding? I can't imagine worrying about lugging a laptop around all day, making sure the cable is connected, waiting for the laptop to catch up, etc.

Everything you need to know is quickly available on the lcd- focus, exposure, histogram, etc.

Ok say you have a portable monitor that clips onto your tripod for large group shots in dimly lit areas of the church or reception.
Yes i have shot my first wedding and i know how busy you can get. I was booked from 1230pm until 130am. Due to my inexperience i shot as much as i could and came home in a sweat soaked suit. Like you said the idea of a monitor is crazy. I dont think so. There will come a time when our working practice will change and we will have to follow suit be it the advance in tech or peoples attitudes to what they want from us.
I take it as a given that every photographer here has their own style that they are comfortable with, but for people like me, i have to get out there and find my own zone and through continious work find my own style.
Thanks for your responce.
Kind regards
Patrick:D

ziggy53 · October 13, 2011

Test your equipment "beforehand".
Know your equipment's capabilities and limitations.
Trust your equipment once you know it.
Shoot with confidence.

It's a Zen sort of thing. Once you trust your equipment and you get into the swing of a shoot, you just shoot to your vision and to your goals. The equipment becomes an extension of yourself and a means to an end.

oakfieldphotography.com · October 13, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. What would be the ultimate goal if this system, though? Color accuracy? Client / viewer wow factor?

Honestly, the more I shoot weddings the more I try to pack as minimally as possible. Too many times in the past, I found myself switching lenses or fiddling around with my flash while something worth photographing passes me by. Is it really worth it to have flawless exposure or color, if you miss 1/4 or 1/2 of the best candid moments of the day?

So, unless you're part of a huge team and you're not in a position of responsibility, I would just focus on what matters- anticipating moments, seeking out the best light, and creating art in a high-pressure situation.

One of my absolute favorite wedding photographers of all time, Jeff Ascough, shoots mostly in aperture priority and auto white balance. Most wedding photographers hearts just stopped, I know. But his work certainly puts most ALL of those "manual purists" to shame! The candid moments he anticipates, the images he creates, are always truly stunning... Just glance at his blog for a few minutes and you'll know what I mean: http://blog.jeffascough.com/

I dunno about you, but to me that type of work takes "wedding photojournalist" to a whole new level. Most people throw around that term so lightly, when in fact the only reason they use it is because they never bothered to master posing or lighting, and their only "skill" is composition and good timing.

But that's a HUGE tangent about wedding photography in general, and my point is simply that I would recommend keeping it simple and focusing on the image itself. If you're struggling with color or exposure accuracy, all I can say is that it gets a whole lot easier with practice. I'm "only" 100-200 weddings into my career, and I'm just now starting to hit my stride with respect to getting my camera to do exactly what I want it to...

=Matt=

Hi Matt
It is good to hear from you. I hope all is well in your end of the pond. To answer your first question The utlimate goal would be to cut down on the number of duff photographs that are taken at events where you are using a tripod or a set scene.
Yes i agree that it is wiser to travel lightfooted and not miss those special moments.
Jeff Ascough knows his craft very well. His work is inspirational.
I have done just one wedding with the help of a pro photographer. The posing of the bride and groom opened my eyes to a new world of which i am unused to. Try asking a GT40 to do a certain pose. lol
I am keeping things as simple as i can. Shooting with a 5d2 and canon 24-70F2.8 is a learning curve after coming off a nifty fifty but then glass is very important too. So i presume that you have to learn each lens you buy to a certain degree.
Thanks for taking the time to read this Matt
Your opinion like Ziggys is important to me and i do listen to what you have to say. Some day in the future i might be in the same position as you. Thanks for sharing your knowlege (Said at the risk of looking like a Ass licker)
Kind regards
Patrick.:D

oakfieldphotography.com · October 13, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. What would be the ultimate goal if this system, though? Color accuracy? Client / viewer wow factor?

Honestly, the more I shoot weddings the more I try to pack as minimally as possible. Too many times in the past, I found myself switching lenses or fiddling around with my flash while something worth photographing passes me by. Is it really worth it to have flawless exposure or color, if you miss 1/4 or 1/2 of the best candid moments of the day?

So, unless you're part of a huge team and you're not in a position of responsibility, I would just focus on what matters- anticipating moments, seeking out the best light, and creating art in a high-pressure situation.

One of my absolute favorite wedding photographers of all time, Jeff Ascough, shoots mostly in aperture priority and auto white balance. Most wedding photographers hearts just stopped, I know. But his work certainly puts most ALL of those "manual purists" to shame! The candid moments he anticipates, the images he creates, are always truly stunning... Just glance at his blog for a few minutes and you'll know what I mean: http://blog.jeffascough.com/

I dunno about you, but to me that type of work takes "wedding photojournalist" to a whole new level. Most people throw around that term so lightly, when in fact the only reason they use it is because they never bothered to master posing or lighting, and their only "skill" is composition and good timing.

But that's a HUGE tangent about wedding photography in general, and my point is simply that I would recommend keeping it simple and focusing on the image itself. If you're struggling with color or exposure accuracy, all I can say is that it gets a whole lot easier with practice. I'm "only" 100-200 weddings into my career, and I'm just now starting to hit my stride with respect to getting my camera to do exactly what I want it to...

=Matt=

ziggy53 wrote: »

Test your equipment "beforehand".
Know your equipment's capabilities and limitations.
Trust your equipment once you know it.
Shoot with confidence.

It's a Zen sort of thing. Once you trust your equipment and you get into the swing of a shoot, you just shoot to your vision and to your goals. The equipment becomes an extension of yourself and a means to an end.

Looks like i have to get into my Zen mode. I totally understand where you are comming from Ziggy.

Matthew Saville · October 14, 2011

Overfocused wrote: »

I like this guy...! You give me encouragement to maybe try a wedding soon since this is exactly the type of stuff I do. I haven't gotten the courage yet to delve into weddings since I'm not so into posing and setting up stuff, but what Jeff does is 2nd nature for me when it comes to taking pictures...

Remember, however, what I said about composition and timing VS posing and lighting. Just because one hasn't mastered posing and lighting yet, doesn't mean that's an excuse to label oneself as a "photojournalist" and to avoid posing / lighting altogether. Having chatted inside the school with Jeff himself a couple times, I learned that Jeff actually WAS a commercial / editorial portrait photographer, for a long time, before he became a wedding photographer. Let alone a wedding photographer with his very unique, unobtrusive style.

So my absolute first and foremost recommendation to anyone considering wedding photography is to LEARN AND MASTER ALL FOUR ASPECTS! Even though my current style is also very natural and unobtrusive, I wouldn't trade ANYTHING for the mentoring and inspiration I've received from one of wedding photography's greatest lighting and posing experts, Scott Robert Lim.

Just some food for thought. I would DEFINITELY encourage you and anyone else to pursue the style of photography that you love the most, DO NOT feel confined to a certain standard of straightforward wedding or any other type of photography. However, definitely make sure that as a professional you have all your bases covered... :-)

=Matt=

Matthew Saville · October 14, 2011

oakfieldphotography.com wrote: »

Ok say you have a portable monitor that clips onto your tripod for large group shots in dimly lit areas of the church or reception.
Yes i have shot my first wedding and i know how busy you can get. I was booked from 1230pm until 130am. Due to my inexperience i shot as much as i could and came home in a sweat soaked suit. Like you said the idea of a monitor is crazy. I dont think so. There will come a time when our working practice will change and we will have to follow suit be it the advance in tech or peoples attitudes to what they want from us.
I take it as a given that every photographer here has their own style that they are comfortable with, but for people like me, i have to get out there and find my own zone and through continious work find my own style.
Thanks for your responce.
Kind regards
Patrick:D

Yeah, even the luxury of a small tripod-mounted LCD screen will be tough. It's simply impractical to shoot from a tripod, period, most of the time.

I am a landscape photographer by hobby, so trust me when I say that it took GREAT willpower and enlightenment for me to use my tripod less and less at weddings. It's just not practical. Stabilization or f/1.4 are your best friends. Now, I can nail tack sharpness at 200mm and 1/60 sec. without breaking a sweat. Not to mention, nailing focus in light that requires ISO 3200 or so...

I can TOTALLY feel your pain with regard to over-shooting and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of post-production. Currently, during the week I manage workflow for a local studio and I find myself processing thousands of images every day. It is a daunting task, and if the whole process isn't VERY streamlined, it can burn you out really quick. But take heart in knowing that it gets a lot better with experience. Eventually, you'll know exactly what shots to click throughout the entire wedding day. Where to be, how to compose and expose, and when to click the shutter.

Admittedly, I do find it a whole lot easier to verify focus on my Nikon compared to the 5D mk2. For a while now Nikon has allowed the customization of the OK / "set" button to zoom straight in to 100% at the selected focus point, which gives PERFECT representation of sharpness especially if you shoot RAW and turn the in-camera sharpening up a little bit. Unfortunately, this is a feature that Canon has reserved for their flagship bodies thus far. But I'm hopeful for the 5D mk3 / 6D, so I'll leave it at that. ;-)

=Matt=

Matthew Saville · October 14, 2011

oakfieldphotography.com wrote: »

Hi Matt
It is good to hear from you. I hope all is well in your end of the pond. To answer your first question The utlimate goal would be to cut down on the number of duff photographs that are taken at events where you are using a tripod or a set scene.
Yes i agree that it is wiser to travel lightfooted and not miss those special moments.
Jeff Ascough knows his craft very well. His work is inspirational.
I have done just one wedding with the help of a pro photographer. The posing of the bride and groom opened my eyes to a new world of which i am unused to. Try asking a GT40 to do a certain pose. lol
I am keeping things as simple as i can. Shooting with a 5d2 and canon 24-70F2.8 is a learning curve after coming off a nifty fifty but then glass is very important too. So i presume that you have to learn each lens you buy to a certain degree.
Thanks for taking the time to read this Matt
Your opinion like Ziggys is important to me and i do listen to what you have to say. Some day in the future i might be in the same position as you. Thanks for sharing your knowlege (Said at the risk of looking like a Ass licker)
Kind regards
Patrick.:D

Yes as I mentioned in my other reply, eventually you'll find that you know exactly which lens to use in which situation, and things will come so much easier that you'll feel far less intimidated by the whole back-end workflow. Tethering etc. won't be very necessary because you'll know how to make your camera sing without much feedback at all.

By the way, HOWEVER, don't let this discourage you from shooting tethered and doing whatever else it takes for you to get to that place of confidence and comfort in such a fast-action environment. Take steps to accelerate the process, get out there and practice as often as you can. :-)

=Matt=

Overfocused · October 14, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Yeah, even the luxury of a small tripod-mounted LCD screen will be tough. It's simply impractical to shoot from a tripod, period, most of the time.

Admittedly, I do find it a whole lot easier to verify focus on my Nikon compared to the 5D mk2. For a while now Nikon has allowed the customization of the OK / "set" button to zoom straight in to 100% at the selected focus point, which gives PERFECT representation of sharpness especially if you shoot RAW and turn the in-camera sharpening up a little bit. Unfortunately, this is a feature that Canon has reserved for their flagship bodies thus far. But I'm hopeful for the 5D mk3 / 6D, so I'll leave it at that. ;-)

=Matt=

The zoom in button on the Mark II toggles between 1x 5x and 10x on the LCD... and if you're using exposure simulation for the live view you're seeing exactly what you're getting at pixel level when at 10x. For tripod and set up shots where people are posing for him the MKII already has what he needs. If he wants it with speed that's another issue completely though

And I wasn't saying I haven't done set up lighting... I just really don't like doing it. lol. My brain thought patterns disagree with starting things and setting them up. It gets physically uncomfortable at times cause I have to grind through that part of the process mentally. Setting it up as opposed to using what's already there are 2 totally different things. I make the best of what's there all the time. Just hate having to put it there myself. Lol. I'm slowly getting my mind more fluid with it all and hopefully I'll eventually love to do it. lol.

Qarik · October 14, 2011

I seldom miss focus and if I do it is largely on candid shots in which your setup is not going to help anyway. What you are trying to do in my opinion is make up for lack of experience with a crutch. The way around this is of course to get more experience shooting weddings and this will alleviate the need for the crutch.

Matthew Saville · October 15, 2011

Overfocused wrote: »

The zoom in button on the Mark II toggles between 1x 5x and 10x on the LCD... and if you're using exposure simulation for the live view you're seeing exactly what you're getting at pixel level when at 10x. For tripod and set up shots where people are posing for him the MKII already has what he needs. If he wants it with speed that's another issue completely though

And I wasn't saying I haven't done set up lighting... I just really don't like doing it. lol. My brain thought patterns disagree with starting things and setting them up. It gets physically uncomfortable at times cause I have to grind through that part of the process mentally. Setting it up as opposed to using what's already there are 2 totally different things. I make the best of what's there all the time. Just hate having to put it there myself. Lol. I'm slowly getting my mind more fluid with it all and hopefully I'll eventually love to do it. lol.

I wasn't talking about live view, by the way, I was talking about image review on the LCD. On a Canon, you can't even zoom in during instant playback, not without hitting the play button first. And then when you do, you've gotta hit zoom, zoom, zoom, then scroll, scroll, scroll, to confirm sharpness. Only the 1-series Canon cameras allow you to instantly zoom to medium / high magnification during image review, as far as I know.

Like I said, it's a relatively insignificant feature, but to me it makes a huge difference in functionality for what I shoot. :-)

=Matt=

Overfocused · October 16, 2011

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I wasn't talking about live view, by the way, I was talking about image review on the LCD. On a Canon, you can't even zoom in during instant playback, not without hitting the play button first. And then when you do, you've gotta hit zoom, zoom, zoom, then scroll, scroll, scroll, to confirm sharpness. Only the 1-series Canon cameras allow you to instantly zoom to medium / high magnification during image review, as far as I know.

Like I said, it's a relatively insignificant feature, but to me it makes a huge difference in functionality for what I shoot. :-)

=Matt=

Oh right. I get what you mean now. It does take lots of clicking for review, lol. For him though, he won't have to review the shot if he's doing controlled photos, especially on a tripod. The screen will show it in LV.

Either way, instant pixel level review would be a nice time saving shortcut on the MKII. I'd use it if it had that. I do lots of night-time hand held stuff and it'd speed things up.

Manfr3d · October 19, 2011

Assuming you go on a full day shoot. I'd rather set up a slideshow computer somewhere so that the
wedding guests can view the getting ready & ceremony images right after lunch?

I mean in the end the reason to show your work at the venue on a monitor is to attract more clients
(by showing how awesome the wedding pics are) right? It can do much harm if you release unedited
images - and I am not talking about the final PS enhanced album grade ones.

I find live monitors much more useful when you want your subject to react to the picture you just took.
When I shoot employee portraits in an on-location studio I do this using a tethered laptop via Lightroom
to allow checking if they like their pose, hair etc. etc.

Mad idea or not, i am going to ask the question.

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