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Assisting the Diva

LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
edited December 6, 2010 in Weddings
Some of you may have noticed in diva's thread (if you managed to read anything past the awesome photos!) that I was lucky enough to tag along as an assistant for an e-shoot this past holiday weekend. Having never done an e-shoot in my life, and having been asked by one of my fave cousins to do just that in two weeks, I was desperately hoping to have some practice beforehand. When I saw diva's ivy-wall-advice thread and the e-shoot it entailed, I begged her to let me tag along so my shoe leather had a little more traction to go on. Luckily, she agreed. :D

My main goal was to assist her however she needed, which was great practice in and of itself. It's comforting to not have the stress of being a main photographer as it allowed me to think about the locations we were walking and the light we were seeing with a focus I lose when I'm thinking about lenses + posing + capturing emotion + camera settings. It allowed me to "see" better and muse a little while I was holding reflectors or a brolly (or my beloved softbox). :D Assisting others is great practice; I highly recommend it!

My secondary goal was a personal challenge to capture flare. Trend or not, it's something I've admired in others' work and something I've never been able to crack. So I worked mainly on flare. Thus, you're going to see a lot of flare below.

So this was my first go at this sort of thing, and considering my second go is just around the corner, tips, tricks, and critiques are all welcome. Whip me into as much shape as you can before I fly north! :lol3

1.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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6.
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7.
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8.
1111095839_AQDPc-L.jpg

9.
1111087231_ahGd2-L.jpg

Thanks for stopping by! :thumb

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    divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2010
    You already KNOW I love them, but I'll say it again here: not only did you get some awesome, awesome shots, but you also managed to get ones that I completely missed for one reason or another. Which, I suppose, proves exactly why a 2nd-shooter isn't just "helpful" at a wedding (much faster-paced than this was!) but almost a necessity - in the heat of the moment I know I missed certain things, messed-up certain things, or just plain FORGOT certain things which had been on my mental "do" list, and Kerry miraculously managed to capture *exactly* those shots in my head (even though we hadn't talked about specifics- I tell you, she's psychic!), as well as getting really interesting takes on the same scenes from different angles.

    I had absolutely wanted (and failed to get) something exactly like #'s 3, 4, and 5 and you got 'em! The bare toes and the shoes are just perfect. I think you were shooting wider than I was at that point (I'd switched to the 135 - and was for the first time in my shooting life regretting the lack of a zoom, even though the 135 delivered up some serious yum) and you got very different shots from mine in the same place. clap.gif

    Beautiful, Kerry - I can't WAIT to see what you get next weekend with your cousin (I hope that tandem bike really happens because it could be spectacular!)
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    quarkquark Registered Users Posts: 510 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2010
    I love #5 clap.gif
    heather dillon photography - Pacific Northwest Portraits and Places
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    Quarks are one of the two basic constituents of matter in the Standard Model of particle physics.
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    QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2010
    clap clap clap!
    D700, D600
    14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
    85 and 50 1.4
    45 PC and sb910 x2
    http://www.danielkimphotography.com
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    sara505sara505 Registered Users Posts: 1,684 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2010
    Qarik wrote: »
    clap clap clap!

    What I love the most is that the couple is not mugging for the camera; they are interacting (engaged!) with each other.

    I find this the most difficult part of photographing people - everyone has been trained to stare at the camera and smile.
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    TenThirteenTenThirteen Registered Users Posts: 488 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2010
    The background is a little distracting, but I love #5, and #9 is perfect to me, looks like he's whispering sweet nothings and her windblown skirt/hair combo really makes the shot. Great eye! :-)
    Canon Fan
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    heatherfeatherheatherfeather Registered Users Posts: 2,738 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2010
    Uhm. yeah. 5.
    I literally gasped. That flair and the pointed toes. *sigh*
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    LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2010
    I'm thrilled the shots help round out your set, MG. Truly. I was worried about dupes because I know I moved to some spots you had vacated during the shoot, but I had no idea what lenses you were shooting with. I just stuck to my nifty fifty the whole time to keep things simple and leave me free to assist at will. :D

    Thanks for the kind comments, all! (I made heatherfeather gasp! Can I retire now? iloveyou.gif)

    TenThirteen, I hear you on some of the backgrounds. Something for me to keep an eye on, certainly. nod.gif
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    divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited December 1, 2010
    Oh my goodness Llywellyn, you most certainly added to the set! One additional bonus of our "team" was that I was shooting crop and you full-frame, so even when you were in exactly the same spot as me the effect was entirely different. I just wish I hadn't need you as a VAL quite so much, so you could have shot even more.

    Those backgrounds were challenging, weren't they? I was surprised how complicated it was to frame prettily with the water and a low skyline, since it seemed that something was always chopping through heads or dividing the frame either as a shape, a shadow or a noticeable colour difference. For a single-person portrait I probably would have just shot superwide aps and let DOF blur it out for me, but I was reluctant to do that with two in case I didn't get both their faces in focus.

    I'm thrilled you got #9, since I wound up having to close-crop most of mine from that spot to solve the BG issues, and that light was sooo delicious........... The wind on her skirt is just perfection thumb.gif It must have looked really funny to passers-by since were shooting almost on top of each other and yet.... our results are so markedly different!
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    ARKreationsARKreations Registered Users Posts: 265 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    Wow, first eShoot - really?? These are terrific! I can completely relate to the challenges of flare as that has been one of my objectives in recent months as well. #5 & #9 are the clear standouts in my mind. From the combined reporting that you and diva have shared, it is quite obvious that your skills and perspectives blended quite nicely - and the results are very reflective of that.

    I'm looking forward to working with you up here in 'da nort'. I hope I can be the same "solid second" that you have demonstrated here. However, I'll offer one pre-travel word of advice: Pack warm, it's only 19 degrees this morning! :wow
    Ross - ARKreations Photography
    http://www.arkreations.com
    Nikon D700 | D300 | D80 | SB-800(x2) | SB-600(x2)
    Nikkor Lenses: 14-24 f/2.8 | 24-70 f/2.8 | 50 f/1.8 | 85 f/1.4 | 70-200 f/2.8 VR II | 70-300 VR
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    LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    I'm looking forward to working with you up here in 'da nort'. I hope I can be the same "solid second" that you have demonstrated here. However, I'll offer one pre-travel word of advice: Pack warm, it's only 19 degrees this morning! :wow

    Thanks, Ross! I'm looking forward to it, too. I've got the final list of locations and will be working out the logistical order and meeting place this weekend. :D

    ...and I actually broke down and bought my first winter parka in my life, solely for this trip. :twitch Nearly every location is going to be near the lakefront. Brrrr!
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    michswissmichswiss Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,235 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    I'd absolutely love to go on a shoot with either or both of you. I'm thinking about putting myself out there as a second shooter when I'm back in Melbourne to get some experience in this area. Thanks for sharing.
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    divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    Llywellyn wrote: »
    Thanks, Ross! I'm looking forward to it, too. I've got the final list of locations and will be working out the logistical order and meeting place this weekend. :D

    :lurk
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    LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    michswiss wrote: »
    I'd absolutely love to go on a shoot with either or both of you.

    Uh, this feeling is 100% mutual! I haven't made my 2013 travel plans yet, and Australia is definitely on my list of places to see before I die... mwink.gif
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    michswissmichswiss Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,235 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    Llywellyn wrote: »
    Uh, this feeling is 100% mutual! I haven't made my 2013 travel plans yet, and Australia is definitely on my list of places to see before I die... mwink.gif

    Australia's home but there's definitely a greater than non-zero chance that I'll either be back in China or Europe by then. So if you want to get a personal tour of Australia, start planning. One thing's certain though, I'll be spending time south of the Lakes District in England fairly regularly for the foreseeable future.
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    divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    Count me in! thumb.gif Actually, I was supposed to be in Sydney next summer, but the gig was postponed :cry

    Michswiss (I spelled it right! I spelled it right! rolleyes1.gif), I'm sure if you could find a way to get us down to Oz either K. or I could be persuaded to adjust our schedules accordingly... :D
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    ARKreationsARKreations Registered Users Posts: 265 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    Llywellyn wrote: »
    Thanks, Ross! I'm looking forward to it, too. I've got the final list of locations and will be working out the logistical order and meeting place this weekend. :D

    ...and I actually broke down and bought my first winter parka in my life, solely for this trip. :twitch Nearly every location is going to be near the lakefront. Brrrr!

    Don't forget the gloves, hat, and boots (we're being forecast for 6+" of snow near the lakefront this weekend!)
    I'll watch for the itinerary...
    Ross - ARKreations Photography
    http://www.arkreations.com
    Nikon D700 | D300 | D80 | SB-800(x2) | SB-600(x2)
    Nikkor Lenses: 14-24 f/2.8 | 24-70 f/2.8 | 50 f/1.8 | 85 f/1.4 | 70-200 f/2.8 VR II | 70-300 VR
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    LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited December 2, 2010
    michswiss wrote: »
    Australia's home but there's definitely a greater than non-zero chance that I'll either be back in China or Europe by then. ... One thing's certain though, I'll be spending time south of the Lakes District in England fairly regularly for the foreseeable future.

    I'll take any or all of the above. :D (Would especially like to go back to the Lake District as I had a friend recommend the same place Ross just did, and I totally forgot about it while driving through. Must return!)

    ...I'm allowed to completely threadjack my own thread, right? lol3.gif
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    ShimaShima Registered Users Posts: 2,547 Major grins
    edited December 5, 2010
    The last one takes the cake for me, I really love the flare of the sun and just the composition in general :)
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    AgnieszkaAgnieszka Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,263 Major grins
    edited December 6, 2010
    Uhm. yeah. 5.
    I literally gasped. That flair and the pointed toes. *sigh*

    +1. really pretty set, but #5 is just DELICIOUS! iloveyou.giflustiloveyou.gif x 1000
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    Bryans12vBryans12v Registered Users Posts: 362 Major grins
    edited December 6, 2010
    Wow! Love them all. 5 is an award winner for sure! clap.gif
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