My first really big job

Ann McRae

Did T & I for a community with 11 teams (about 120 kids) ranging from Mini mites (U4!!!!) to U14. All teams have orange jerseys!

It went really well. I did 5 teams Friday evening, 6 teams Saturday morning.

Our desktop died last week, so I was really worried that I would struggle for computer time, but we were able to replace the desktop with a WAAAAAAYYYYYY faster one!! for only $500 (our desktop was ancient!). Boy, I can hardly get over how fast this new one is - processing with RSE was amazing - got through them all in just a few hours!!!

I chose to put the sun behind the players, so I didn't have to deal with squinting or with shadows. I was asked miriad times 'how can you shoot into the sun?'. I said, well, I'm not really shooting into the sun, I am controlling the scene - the sun is way up there after all. The responses that I got to that ranged from puzzled looks, disbelief and 'well, I guess maybe thats something new with digital'. On a few of the kids, there are hotspots on their hair, but that is the only issue I had.

I used the 135 f2 for the individual shots - boy oh boy I love that lense. Every time I use it I become more enamoured with it.

I used the 17 - 85 for the group shots. I sure wish I had a lens that behaved like the 135 for these wide shots. The 17 - 85 manages, but it just isn't the same!

I'll share some results as I finish processing.

ann

Matthew Saville

I always shoot "into" the sun, and I use a flash to fill in the faces if necessary. It makes such a big difference, especially in people's facial expressions which you wouldn't realize at first. But being able to face away from the sun, your eyes and your whole face just relax a little more.

I offer to take tourists' pics on their P&S's all the time, and I immediately face them away from the sun and turn on their flash, and the response is always a dropped jaw / gasp, because they never knew their little camera was capable of such good looking results. Of course I'm guilty of leaving a few people's cameras in "flash ON" mode without telling them what I changed, but most of the time I remember to set it back to auto or whatever mode, and explain to them what I did to improve the picture quality.

That 135 f/2 is one of the best "headshot" lenses out there! I don't have one but I've had experience with it, (on a 5D, WOW hold onto your socks!) ...and I'm already the happy owner of a Sigma 150 f/2.8...

For comparable quality in a wide / mid zoom, you'll have to upgrade from the 17-85 to a 17-55 f/2.8 or the 24-70 f/2.8, depending on how wide you want to go and what your plans are for future DSLR body purcahses...


-Matt-

Ann McRae

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Matthew.

Do you know anything about the 35 L (f2 maybe?)?

Do you think the 'never shoot into the sun' rule was made by pros wanting to be sure of getting portrait work? Of course, my mentor on this one was Shay.

ann

Matthew Saville wrote:

I always shoot "into" the sun, and I use a flash to fill in the faces if necessary. It makes such a big difference, especially in people's facial expressions which you wouldn't realize at first. But being able to face away from the sun, your eyes and your whole face just relax a little more.

I offer to take tourists' pics on their P&S's all the time, and I immediately face them away from the sun and turn on their flash, and the response is always a dropped jaw / gasp, because they never knew their little camera was capable of such good looking results. Of course I'm guilty of leaving a few people's cameras in "flash ON" mode without telling them what I changed, but most of the time I remember to set it back to auto or whatever mode, and explain to them what I did to improve the picture quality.

That 135 f/2 is one of the best "headshot" lenses out there! I don't have one but I've had experience with it, (on a 5D, WOW hold onto your socks!) ...and I'm already the happy owner of a Sigma 150 f/2.8...

For comparable quality in a wide / mid zoom, you'll have to upgrade from the 17-85 to a 17-55 f/2.8 or the 24-70 f/2.8, depending on how wide you want to go and what your plans are for future DSLR body purcahses...


-Matt-

Art Scott

Sounds like everything went real well.clapthumbthumb...myself and the comapny Ihave shot for many times try to keep the sun over one of the shoulders (right or left ) for Individual shots...does make for some nice hair lighting also. It also kept the parents from trying to shoot over our shoulders as much also...especially since all of us doing this type of work would meter the flash be fore shooting the 1st individual of each team...that in it self just blows peoples minds for some reason

Glad it went so well, can't wait to see the finished product.thumb