On Equipment Management during a Wedding Job
It's been a while since I actually sat down in front of my computer not editing pictures or emailing clients. Lately I've been shooting weddings after weddings, and even a Gown Trashing session with a couple. I've been updating my equipment rather frequently to adapt to the needs. The old Sigma 28-70mm F/2.8 is replaced by a wider Tokina 16-50mm F/2.8 for indoors as my bread & butter lens. I picked up a Nikon D300 as my primary body and moved the D200 down as a backup body which is giving me much more freedom with the much improved ISO performance. I picked up a Demb Flip-It! flash diffuser also for more options for flash bounce. And then there are lots of other little things like compact flash memory, memory card case, Rapid RStrap, etc etc...
I still remember when I got all the excitement before every time I picked up new gears (toys?), and I couldn't get my hands off of them and would go nuts shooting everything I find. I'm shooting less on random subjects lately, and started catching up on my readings mostly on books that I've purchased previously and some photography magazines for inspirations. I don't exactly get the excitement with my new equipment, but rather want to get the most out of them and get over the hump of familiarizing with them as soon as possible.
Last Sunday was my first wedding shoot with the D300 and also with the Demb diffuser. I made several adjustments in my gears again, and I think I'm getting closer to the ideal work flow as I progress.
I also find myself in desperate need of getting a proper business card, which kept getting delayed... along with the website design which is long past due. It's no fun handing out my temporary business cards anymore *chuckle*
I've also been working on my price list, check list on tips/guidlines for B&G, and a checklist for myself which I think would really be helpful if you're forgetful like me... :) It isn't like the majority of the check lists you'll find off the Internet, but a very stripped down version of the small details that's easy to forget. I don't want to get the shooting sequence to a recipe and follow it exactly every time. I feel that every wedding is different and should be personal, and as long as you follow the general guidelines, you should really let your creativity lead you.
Anyway, enough of my babbling for tonight... :)
I still remember when I got all the excitement before every time I picked up new gears (toys?), and I couldn't get my hands off of them and would go nuts shooting everything I find. I'm shooting less on random subjects lately, and started catching up on my readings mostly on books that I've purchased previously and some photography magazines for inspirations. I don't exactly get the excitement with my new equipment, but rather want to get the most out of them and get over the hump of familiarizing with them as soon as possible.
Last Sunday was my first wedding shoot with the D300 and also with the Demb diffuser. I made several adjustments in my gears again, and I think I'm getting closer to the ideal work flow as I progress.
- Morning Indoors:
- Carry: D300, 16-50mm F/2.8, SB-800 flash
- Bag: SB-600 flash, 50mm F/1.8, 105mm macro
- change flash batteries at the end regardless
- Church / Ceremony:
- Carry: D300 with 80-200mm F/2.8, D200 with 16-50mm F/2.8 and SB-800 flash
- Bag: SB-600 flash, extra batteries
- change flash batteries at the end regardless
- Banquet:
- Carry: D300 with 16-50mm F/2.8, SB-800 flash
- Bag: 12-24mm F/4, 50mm F/1.8, SB-600 flash
I also find myself in desperate need of getting a proper business card, which kept getting delayed... along with the website design which is long past due. It's no fun handing out my temporary business cards anymore *chuckle*
I've also been working on my price list, check list on tips/guidlines for B&G, and a checklist for myself which I think would really be helpful if you're forgetful like me... :) It isn't like the majority of the check lists you'll find off the Internet, but a very stripped down version of the small details that's easy to forget. I don't want to get the shooting sequence to a recipe and follow it exactly every time. I feel that every wedding is different and should be personal, and as long as you follow the general guidelines, you should really let your creativity lead you.
Anyway, enough of my babbling for tonight... :)
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6 comments:
Herman,
Regarding the Toking 16-50 zoom, the build quality is unquestionably tough and solid, but how does the handling fare? In the tight and dark quarters of a reception hall does the autofocus keep up with the D300 body?
I am partial to prime lenses and am considering a 35mm f2 af-d lens which should offer a "normal" field of view with the D300 crop factor applied, but I hate to give up the versitility of a zoom. The Nikon 17-55mm is just not possible pricewise at this point so I am evaluating cheaper alternatives such as the 35mm f2 and the Tokina 16-50.
I have only explored the Tokina briefly and have not had time to test it in the field. My interest is the Tokina in application for reception and ceremony events.
Regards,
Fernando
fcundin@hotmail.com
Herman,
Regarding the Toking 16-50 zoom, the build quality is unquestionably tough and solid, but how does the handling fare? In the tight quarters of a reception does the autofocus keep up with the D300 body?
I am partial to prime lenses and am considering a 35mm f2 af-d lens which should offer a "normal" field of view with the D300 crop factor applied, but I hate to give up the versitility of a zoom. The Nikon 17-55mm is just not possible pricewise at this point so I am evaluating cheaper alternatives such as the 35mm f2 and the Tokina 16-50.
I have only explored the Tokina briefly and have not had time to test it in the field. My interest is the Tokina in application for reception and ceremony events.
Regards,
Fernando
fcundin@hotmail.com
Fernando,
I love the 16-50mm range on a 1.5 crop factor. It is essentially the 28-70mm range on a full frame, which is pretty standard for a mid-range zoom. I've previously owned the Sigma 28-70mm F/2.8 and got tired of backing into walls when the 28mm never seems to be wide enough. I then tried to use the 50mm F/1.8 as the primary lens but failed miserably for the lack of variety of different perspectives with a prime lens.
The 16-50 works wonders on the DX format, and produces reasonably sharp images with good contrast. I would take the Nikon 17-55mm any day over the Tokina, but it does come at a much higher price. The AF is reasonably fast and accurate on a D300 body, and the 3D tracking is quite reasonably accurate as well. Now, the only one complaint I have about this lens is the lens barrel moving on zooming. The cosmetics part doesn't bother me much, but I believe it does sacrifice structural stability on impact which is sometimes difficult to avoid on the field. But then again, so far it seems to be rigid enough to withstand everyday wear & tear and occasional bumping. The Nikon version looks very very rigid and it produces undoubtedly amazing images.
If you're on a budget like myself, I'd say go for it. On a side note, the Tamron version does have an internal motor, but a friend of mine who owns that lens reported errors on his D200 body with that lens mounted on numerous occasions. You might want to research a bit more if you decide to go that route.
Herman,
Indeed, the issue of getting enough space is a troublesome problem - space to work a camera and SPACE to be able to work with a camera; if there were so simple an antidote to to the job grind as finding a lens solution...
Jumping into the digital camera world I am having a sense of loss that the 35mm Minolta's and my much loved medium format cameras are still valid and begging for another chance, but alas the world is changing quickly and my film is still gathering more dust. The present pace of things today makes working film very inconvenient and along with the medium I am without the familiarity of the field of view that was largely taken for granted.
So I purchased the D300 - very happy with the results and the performance, but I must resolve a few lens shortcommings before I am confident enough for event pressures. The Tokina strikes me as a serious and reasonable option. I may still consider the 35mm f2 for the sake of cost and a stop of lens speed advantage.
Some more budgeting and I may just jump ahead to the Nikon 17-55 - a big jump certainly!
Fernando
Herman,
Indeed, the issue of getting enough space is a troublesome problem - space to work a camera and SPACE to be able to work with a camera; if there were so simple an antidote to to the job grind as finding a lens solution...
Jumping into the digital camera world I am having a sense of loss that the 35mm Minolta's and my much loved medium format cameras are still valid and begging for another chance, but alas the world is changing quickly and my film is still gathering more dust. The present pace of things today makes working film very inconvenient and along with the medium I am without the familiarity of the field of view that was largely taken for granted.
So I purchased the D300 - very happy with the results and the performance, but I must resolve a few lens shortcommings before I am confident enough for event pressures. The Tokina strikes me as a serious and reasonable option. I may still consider the 35mm f2 for the sake of cost and a stop of lens speed advantage.
Some more budgeting and I may just jump ahead to the Nikon 17-55 - a big jump certainly!
Fernando
Herman,
Indeed, the issue of getting enough space is a troublesome problem - space to work a camera and SPACE to be able to work with a camera; if there were so simple an antidote to to the job grind as finding a lens solution...
Jumping into the digital camera world I am having a sense of loss that the 35mm Minolta's and my much loved medium format cameras are still valid and begging for another chance, but alas the world is changing quickly and my film is still gathering more dust. The present pace of things today makes working film very inconvenient and along with the medium I am without the familiarity of the field of view that was largely taken for granted.
So I purchased the D300 - very happy with the results and the performance, but I must resolve a few lens shortcommings before I am confident enough for event pressures. The Tokina strikes me as a serious and reasonable option. I may still consider the 35mm f2 for the sake of cost and a stop of lens speed advantage.
Some more budgeting and I may just jump ahead to the Nikon 17-55 - a big jump certainly!
Fernando
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