Always have backups!

[starlightbreaker]

Yesterday i went to my friends wedding, enjoying the food, drinks, and snapping photos here and there.

The photographer and her assistant got their outside studio setup, b1600 & 60somethingsomething" umbrella..on a windy day (!). It went well for the first couple of hours. the stand was weighted down with several huge-ass rocks, until it gets dark and the wind gets stronger...when disaster happened.

i witnessed how an umbrella snapped in the middle, and broke the bulb of the bee, rendered it unusable for the rest of the night.

no backup lights, no backup modifiers. The 2nd shooter who operated it had no speedlight with him. Offered to lend my sb-800, and i suddenly became their third for a bit.


that was quite an experience.

Decided not gonna touch weddings for a long while.

[r0xikat]

yikes. sorry to hear.. but I suppose always expect and prepare for the worst?

hope your spirits aren't dampened for too long. sounds like a day from hell :(

[groovyone]

Bummer. He didn't have hotshoe flashes or anything as a backup? I brought 5 flashes to the last wedding and only really needed 2, just in case.

[starlightbreaker]

no, i didn't care, i had fun the whole day, so helping another person in need wasn't bothering me at all.

the 2nd was nikon, and the main was canon. He ended up using 580ex on his d3100. Manual mode, all the way. had to set the power for the guy too.
Hotshoe flash didn't do ****, and kit lens wouldn't really cut it in a pitch black situation.
poor dude. :(


I also found out i can attach a chinese paper lantern to my sb-800, which i stole..er..took..from the garden area.
looks stupid, but it works pretty damn well for a free modifier. who cares if it looks stupid. I'm gonna use it for my gig next week at a lounge, lol.

[groovyone]

The lantern is a cool idea. Sounds like a chance for some cool experimentation.

[starlightbreaker]

quick and dirty with the lantern.



not too bad for a free modifier. better than a fong dong.