Year-book assignment, sorta

The location? A Taekwando gym. I think it was a black belt presentation ceremony or something similar. The whites were placed on the mat to reduce the red reflections on the subject.

The catch? The belt and the name on it should be visible, and most of my clients were kids or teens. The routine: a single shot, a family shot and one with the instructors.

As my friend put it, this was not a particularly difficult assignment. Just that I don't really like working with people, and giving orders to pose people really isn't working with me. I like spontaneous, and would follow the subject.

Now that's where the problem lied. I missed at least 2 kids' names, and the height of the shortest kid actually caught me off guard, though luckily I think the shot would still pass. The whole session went very fast, so I didn't actually have the luxury of reviewing the shots (anyway I don't have the habit too). So if I missed it in the viewfinder, probably I will miss the shots.

So what now? Obviously back to the desktop to see if there are ways to patch: Photoshop! Luckily for me, it is still pretty workable and took me two nights. Hope I wouldn't have to work this anymore...

P.S. wonder how effective the mirror at the side is as a huge reflector?

Co-assignment of a family portrait

Finally have the mood to write a little again after a long long break, so I guess I will start with clearing my backlogs :)

I remember it was a humid afternoon, and we were kind of expecting a shower or something. The family was late too, and by more than an hour, if I recall correctly. A common trait among our locals, huh? Well, business owners usually don't have much choice and have to live with it.

Anyway, it was lucky that at least we had each other for company, and there was an outlet that I knew we could have some drinks and desserts.

Just idling around and doing nothing. I remember there was another guy shooting with a Pentax K-01. Really looks like a toy!

A portrait I did for my friend for fun. Black and white really brings quite a different mood and dimension :)

Chatting and wasting our time away until about 6 when the father finally called my friend and announced their arrival. So I guess it was time to get our butts off and start working :)

My friend preparing his lights. I only used mine mounted on my camera

The father in his suit. Wouldn't opt for this if I were him. See pictures below to see why.

The family goofing around :)

The little princess running around. Cannot remember what she was looking at.

An informal portrait. Can only afford this if I am not the main guy :)

See the sweat marks? I will only opt for a suit if I was indoors. By the way, is that tree distracting?

My friend teaching the princess on posing her arms. Strange uncle :)

My try shot. Black and white just works like magic for portraits, regardless of the skin tone. Even better is that I don't need to bother about colour casts from the grass or the sky

Wow, such a huge crowd on a Sunday afternoon!

Lesson learnt? Bring an assistant or friend in case of late clients :) Oh, and a long lens sure works almost flaws, provided we are getting a decent shuttle speed.

Co-assignment #1

Finally got my pictures and can start writing about the assignment.

First of all, kids can be difficult subjects to work with, or at least, they need more time. Sometimes, it is just best to go with the flow and let things happen. Be an observer and take shots as things unfold. I may sound harsh, but that's what we are paid for, right?

Since my friend is the main photographer, I focused on how he worked instead. I must admit I am not good with kids, and still have a lot to learn. Maybe I should just avoid kids.

We started in the house, and make the sofa the main backdrop of the family portrait.

The light setup

Later, we made our way to the playground. Probably a bad idea, since there was a passing rain. The kid wet his shorts and began throwing tantrums. I was tempted to stop the session, but I kept quiet since I was not calling the shots. An assistant should know his place and position.

My on-camera flash was too harsh. The colours were washed out and a hard shadow was casted.

Apparently, the kid was feeling uncomfortable with his wet pants. But portraits shouldn't be just about smiles and laughters :)

Need to keep a watch on my flash in future

Probably the best of the day?

Some clients love choices. So maybe it's a good idea to generate it for them

- Give them uncropped and cropped/desaturated/etc versions of the same picture
   Basically, the original and its varieties
- Take care of the flash recycling
- When taking protraits, move around the subject to try different angles and views
   (full 3/4, both ears visible or not, etc)
- Watch the hands. They may appear too big
- Watch the posing
   -> Straight backs and comfort
   -> Maybe a slight tint of smile
   -> Chest view (Area of view)
- Take both sides of the face
   -> one side may give you a surprise!

Ok, so I may have to lighten up my "old school" style a bit.

Gotten feedback that I'm slow,,,

I wonder why clients nowadays expect digital cameras to shoot continuously. Are they so into sports photography, or felt short-charged because I am saving on my shutter counts? :)

I think I belonged to the old school, mainly that every shutter must worth its own. Nothing should be wasted (ideally). BUT the main reason that I worked slow today is getting used to selecting the focus point on the battery grip :)

An co-assignment with a friend

Passed the whole card to him, so no pictures yet.

Tried out the D700 and 24-70 combi. Really taxing on the arm, but very happy with the output. The D200 and 17-50 combi is really beaten hands down.