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My first really big job
Ann McRae
Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
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
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
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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-
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
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?
ann
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Glad it went so well, can't wait to see the finished product.