E-session: Adis & Vanja

[lyncca]

This couple was so much fun! I will also be shooting her boudoir, bridals and their wedding. Sorry, they are in the backwards order of the order shot. I didn't realize it until after I inserted them all

I would have prefered a little more light for the pics on the garage, but I still liked them. Next time I will make a point of doing the skyline shots at a particular time.

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[MicWayWal]

Lyncca,

On the images with the buildings in the background, why didn't you drag your shutter longer, to maybe 4-6 seconds. Instead of just dim lights in the background you would see buildings and their bright lights.

[ChristopherCoy]

Nice set!

I would have used some gradient filters on some of the night shots to isolate the couple though. For instance, #7 - the tree branches behind their head are as bright as they are. Just my personal opinion.

Good work though!

[lyncca]

Originally Posted by MicWayWal

Lyncca,

On the images with the buildings in the background, why didn't you drag your shutter longer, to maybe 4-6 seconds. Instead of just dim lights in the background you would see buildings and their bright lights.

I'm new to night portraits actually. I could be wrong, but wouldn't they blur on a 4-6 second exposure even with a flash? This was a testing shoot, and I wanted to avoid the tripod for this set to see how it did. We already were lugging around a lightstand, flash and umbrella. Admittedly, we did miss the time window for the perfect blue night shots, but I'm still pretty happy with them.

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

Nice set!

I would have used some gradient filters on some of the night shots to isolate the couple though. For instance, #7 - the tree branches behind their head are as bright as they are. Just my personal opinion.

Good work though!

That was the flash going off. I could probably burn the tree a little bit to reduce the exposure on the leaves. Thanks :)

[PhotoDude79]

[QUOTE=lyncca;1158303]I'm new to night portraits actually. I could be wrong, but wouldn't they blur on a 4-6 second exposure even with a flash? This was a testing shoot, and I wanted to avoid the tripod for this set to see how it did. We already were lugging around a lightstand, flash and umbrella. Admittedly, we did miss the time window for the perfect blue night shots, but I'm still pretty happy with them.



That was the flash going off. I could probably burn the tree a little bit to reduce the exposure on the leaves. Thanks :)[/

You could up the iso a bit.... No sure what iso you were at here. You could shoot at iso 800 - 1600 and 1/15 to 1/30 shsp. Then adjust flash to expose just the couple. This is if you don't want to use a tripod. As long as you have a steady hand and a good breathing method it will turn out fine.

[MicWayWal]

Originally Posted by lyncca

. . . I could be wrong, but wouldn't they blur on a 4-6 second exposure even with a flash?

No, at least not that you can see. The couple will be fully exposed by the flash. The background will be fully exposed by a dragged shutter. If the ambient light on the couple is at least 4 stops less than the flash level then you will not see the ambient light on the couple. But they can not move a lot, you can not use a modeling light or have a lot of ambient light on them. I have exposed for up to 30 seconds before with no issues but most are around 4 - 10 seconds. The couple does have to be coached not to move. But it works.

[ChristopherCoy]

Originally Posted by lyncca

That was the flash going off. I could probably burn the tree a little bit to reduce the exposure on the leaves. Thanks :)

If you use LR, hit the 'm' key and throw a gradient filter on there. Bout .257 seconds worth of your time.... I love the 'm' key.


BTW: I'd love to do some night shots, if you wanna try again, call me. I'll go along.

[S-Man]

Originally Posted by PhotoDude79

You could up the iso a bit.... No sure what iso you were at here. You could shoot at iso 800 - 1600 and 1/15 to 1/30 shsp. Then adjust flash to expose just the couple. This is if you don't want to use a tripod. As long as you have a steady hand and a good breathing method it will turn out fine.

EXIF shows:
Camera Maker: NIKON CORPORATION

Camera Model: NIKON D300

Lens: 12.0-24.0 mm f/4.0

Image Date: 2010-07-01 20:23:58 +0000

Focal Length: 24mm (35mm equivalent: 36mm)

Aperture: f/4.0

Exposure Time: 0.025 s (1/40)

ISO equiv: 400

Exposure Bias: none

Metering Mode: Matrix

Exposure: Manual

Exposure Mode: Manual

White Balance: Auto

Flash Fired: Yes (Manual, return light not detected)

Color Space: sRGB

Photographer: Lyncca Harvey

Copyright: Lyncca Harvey Photography

Comment: Copyright_Lyncca_Harvey


ISO could have cleanly been raised to 1600. The rest looks OK.
Not bad IMO, but good suggestions here to keep in mind for next time.

[suerenee]

Great shots Lyncca! I need to learn to do this. Austin has such great night opps--I need the skills. I need a Jedi Master to teach me ;)

[ChristopherCoy]

How do you get your name and studio information in the Exif? LOL I dont think mine does that...

[lyncca]

Originally Posted by MicWayWal

No, at least not that you can see. The couple will be fully exposed by the flash. The background will be fully exposed by a dragged shutter. If the ambient light on the couple is at least 4 stops less than the flash level then you will not see the ambient light on the couple. But they can not move a lot, you can not use a modeling light or have a lot of ambient light on them. I have exposed for up to 30 seconds before with no issues but most are around 4 - 10 seconds. The couple does have to be coached not to move. But it works.

I'll give it a shot next time. Thanks for the pointers! I do prefer not to use a tripod, so a little earlier in the night and raising the ISO would have helped too. I usually use a faster lens, but my 12-24 isn't as fast as the rest of them yet.

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

If you use LR, hit the 'm' key and throw a gradient filter on there. Bout .257 seconds worth of your time.... I love the 'm' key.


BTW: I'd love to do some night shots, if you wanna try again, call me. I'll go along.

Thank, I will try that. And you are welcome to join any time :)

Originally Posted by suerenee

Great shots Lyncca! I need to learn to do this. Austin has such great night opps--I need the skills. I need a Jedi Master to teach me ;)

You are right, you do have a great area in Austin :) It really isn't that difficult in theory if you have a good understanding of the basics. I did a lot of night photography before and obviously portraits, so putting it together was a lot of fun :)

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

How do you get your name and studio information in the Exif? LOL I dont think mine does that...

I put together a profile in Lightroom that inserts it. :)

[amykarp]

lyncca...have you ever used a snoot? that will help direct your flash a bit more. for your first time out, you did pretty good...keep it up :)

[lyncca]

Hey Amy,

Yes, actually I do have a snoot. I use it when I do the rare "studio" black backdrop shoot to keep my flash from hitting my backdrop. I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the tip :)