I have been reading this thread with a lot of interest. I have a job in October shooting a Jazz benefit. The photography part doesn't bother me, but I was intrigued by the comment in this message advising for the use of a flash bracket. Can anyone recommend a flash bracket that works with Nikon equipment? I have a Nikon D300 and a Nikon SB-900 flash. Thanks in advance, Galen mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > Ok if you have decided to do it, a couple of other pieces of advise. > Go ahead of time, and since its in their backyard, go test and test > often. You have been given an opportunity to learn. You have till > the fall to learn what works for you. Yet on that day, unless you can > afford the time for a throw away photo, don't guess what a photo will > look like. Use only procedures where you have tested it an KNOW what > is going to happen. > > Don't count on much from disposables. Even if they do get the lucky > photo, I read somewhere a while back when they broke down the cost to > make those things they figured out the lens was worth about 27 cents. > They shouldn't get anything close to what you do which is why most > pros don't mind it. Think of it this way. It doesn't matter if you > have one bag of garbage or ten bags of garbage, all you have is a pile > of garbage. Only the size is different. You may be able to improve > it, just as you can sometimes help the stink with a pile of garbage, > but it will still be what it is. > > On the equipment front, the one investment I would suggest that you > make either through purchase or rental is to get the flash off > camera. You can do this with a minimal expense usually. The cords > are not that expensive. This will also require a bracket for the > flash and camera. The low end probably runs about $40 to $50 US and > once you have it, you will wonder how you did without it. Getting the > flash off camera is the single one thing I believe one can do to > improve the results. > > Now the testing and learning you do in the mean time should help you > with the one thing you need the most and that is confidence. Now you > will learn when to let the event take place, and then to stand up and > lead with a smile. A confident photographer with a smile on their > face can get people to help them get the photos you need and the bride > wants. That you will figure out. I wish you luck > > Mark > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: RE: Flash Photography > From: Gregory Fraser <Gregory.Fraser@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: Fri, June 19, 2009 8:56 am > To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students > <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > > > Ask yourself, IF I need to ask these types of questions of flash, am > I really ready to accept a wedding in the first place? > > Yes Mark, an excellent question. Before I agreed to shoot this > wedding I > made it perfectly clear to the bride that, unlike a pro, I have no > backup equipment and the equipment I do have is not professional > grade. > If I have a failure with either the camera, media cards or > possibly even > my PC, everything could be lost. I also have precious little > experience. > What I can do, when everything works out, is sometimes take a better > photo than her mother can with a p&s. > > For this wedding the bride and groom are on their second shot at > marriage, the event will be in their back yard, dress code is > shorts and > t-shirts and they are going to buy a pile of disposable cameras to > give > to the guests to use during the ceremony so if I fail, they should > still > have plenty of shots. > > Greg >
