Another D30 Just turned 3

[Ron]

http://www.zing.com/picture/p6dd34e4...b.jpg.orig.jpg
http://www.zing.com/picture/p6d6e84b...0.jpg.orig.jpg

[FlyAngel]

A bit young for a senior.He should be a given boy.
Could I ask how you achieve that high key effect with only (supposed) a soft box and a hair light?

[Ron]

Hi agl - not sure what you mean in your first sentence, something was lost in translation? (he's obviously not a senior he just turned 3 and wouldn't sit still.)
I'm not sure what a 'given boy' is???

As to the high-key - this particular shot wasn't done as I normally do them.

USUALLY - for high-key I turn on another power pack that has 2 heads that bounce
off the ceiling which evenly illuminate the background and wash it out to pure white.
I do this with all my film high-key work.
http://www.houseofphotography.com/se..._r2_c6_f11.jpg

But I have found that with digital the white really over exposes. So I've been a little hesitant to shoot high-key with the D30.

In THIS case with the little boy, I actually made a mistake... When I work with kids I have to work very fast because they loose interest quickly and will start to get whiney. So in my haste to switch backgrounds from the low-key to the high-key, I forgot to turn on the high-key power pack. So you are right in your assumption.
I used only a mainlight (softbox) and a hairlight for the high-key images of the little boy.

After the session I started to clean up my camera room, and retracted the white background I saw that I forgot to turn on high-key power pack! I got real nervous and went to the D30 to check out the shots. They looked fine, the background isn't quite as white as I would have liked... but it was satisfactory.

Of course I would have liked the little boys hands posed properly, but hey - he just turned 3 !!!
He was moving the whole time and I had to guide him and shoot as he moved.

But to be totally up front ;-)
I liked this pose/head position of the little boy best but his right arm was in the air a good bit on the original shot.

It wasn't bad, but wasn't as nice as if the arm was down. So though the magic of digital retouching I put it arm down and hand grasp the piller he's sitting on.




[This message has been edited by Ron (edited April 26, 2001).]

[FlyAngel]

Ron, I apologize for my poor english. What I meant when I wrote 'given boy' was 'talented boy'. He reminds me one of those talented children, so serious and wearing suit as if he were many years older than he actually is.

Thanks for your explanation, is very informative. You are kind of digital surgeon.(I still remember the couple with the cat and black-dog).
I guess you'll end using D30 more times than thought.
For me ,D30 is the best photographic stuff I've bought since I upgraded from 35mm to medium format 10 years ago.
Of course, you can't compare 3 megapixel to 4.5x6 (I know you use 6x7)in every job but D30 pic quality added to Photoshop power makes me always ending with the print I want.
AnGeL.

[Xtian]

Hi Ron,
I'm not really a " portrait " photographer but once in a while, guess what? I'm asked by a company, " whle you're here, could you photograph our CEO?" Most CEOs are older men with a big ego and very vain. When I finish retouching their faces the photo looks like their high school graduating picture! Its not what I want but if I ever expect another job from them, I'd better do it that way! Anyways, my question was, with your D30, are you tethered to a laptop or computer? Do you show customers digital proofs or hard proofs and on average, what size prints do customers order? With my D1 I've done 8.5 x 11 but haven't tried bigger, yet.

[Ron]

No, I'm a photographer, not a technician. (I am a computer guru) but there is no way I'm bringing a laptop on the job.

I don't show digital anything, I sell my paper proofs which on average adds 100-180.00 to their 400-500 portrait order. So if I showed computer images - I could kiss the extra proof sales good bye.

My customers have no idea I'm shooting digital when I do... and I like it that way.
I have all my digital images that I show customers printed on paper. But after I've weeded out anything I feel isn't good enough or have done digital retouching to most of the images, especially the ones I like best.

Customers order all sizes from wallets to 24x30's. Of course the 8x10 is the most popular, but 16x20's and up are not uncommon. With Children (it's usually 8x10s and smaller).

I don't mind what size people buy as long as their total is 400-500+ We had a couple senior orders last year of over 1700.00.
And one family order over 3k. Not bad for an hours work.

From the D30 I've only had 16x20 so far, I will be getting a 24x30 soon from my daughters shots on the beach. Will see how they look and will post.

[Xtian]

Ron,

Thanks for the reply. One of the reasons I now use a laptop is to slow myself down! When I used to shoot Polaroids I'd have at least 2 min. in between shots. Now with the D1 I shoot too quickly because I get instant feed back on composition and lighting. Clients love to look at the image right away! America's instant gratification has finally been achieved So now I shoot the shot and ask my client to comment on it and I also tell them how I can improve the shot. Since I usually charge by the day or hour, I'm back to making more money. And finally, I always end up making a few extra $ 100. on retouching and burning a CD. If you're like me, when I get my hands on the Kodak 760 ( for 35mm type work ), and the DCS for the Hasselblad, my film days will be over for commercial work! For personal work, I still enjoy a good slide show on my fade in fade out Leica projectors!