By Peter Phun, on August 19th, 2010%
Cutting the rug– I dragged the shutter shooting at ISO 400 1/6 sec @ f2.8 and set my flash to 1/32 power.
As twilight approached, we went one deck below for our scrumptious dinner.
My choice of fish delectably decorated with a bright red pepper looked mouth-watering.
Had our waitress not warn us that the pepper was a jalapeño, all the drinks in the “Open bar” wouldn’t have been enough to quell its hotness.
By the time I finished, the late evening light was just too good to ignore.
It was also time to raise the ISO from 100 to 400 to get a shutter speed that I knew I could comfortably handhold.
Using my 580EX off-camera in manual mode, even at 1/128th power, in such close quarters required me to feather its output some more.
The built-in white diffuser card was actually kicking in too much light.
I ended up using my fingers over the flash head.
Continue reading A Wedding & Cruise on the Sacramento River 2
By Peter Phun, on August 17th, 2010%
Michelle’s dad, Lee, gives her away at the ceremony as Alex looks on. Extreme contrast is always a photographic challenge. I was at least 40 feet back. Because the 580EX had to kick in quite a bit of light from that distance, I used the external power pack to allow for quicker recycling. 1/200 sec f5.6 ISO 100. I should have raised the shutter speed to 1/320 sec from 1/200 sec to retain the highlight in the bride’s veil in retrospect. My 580 EX speedlight was at 1/2 power.
There is no doubt, a wedding on board a ship is romantic.
I’ve been a part of 3. My first time was on board the Star of India in San Diego too many years ago now.
Though the cutter never left the dock and the temperature was too hot to be in a suit and tie, I can still remember the name of the vessel.
Two days after I quit the newspaper business I shot my first wedding “professionally” on board the Dandeanna, a yacht which circled Marina Del Rey for 4 hours.
On that occasion, I remember borrowing a 2nd camera body from the person who replaced at the newspaper.
Waiting for the guests–The Empress at the dock before all the guests board her for the evening’s cruise and festivities.
Those of you thinking about doing weddings for a living, yes, you should never shoot a wedding with just one camera.
It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
This weekend was a special treat and a delight.
My nephew Alex married his sweetheart Michelle on board the Empress as we cruised the Sacramento and American River. Continue reading A Wedding & Cruise on the Sacramento River 1
By Peter Phun, on July 25th, 2010%
Dino in HDR—While inside San Diego Natural History Museum, I bracketed as I captured about 7 images to create this totally unrealistic image using Photomatix Pro. See the scene captured normally by my Canon 40D with 17-35 f2.8 L lens. ISO 400 f6.3 shutter speed between 1/10 sec and 0.3 seconds.
It’s nice to get away for a few days especially when it’s an easy 2 hour drive to San Diego.
You can always count on the numerous museums at Balboa Park to have exhibits that provide hours of amusement.
Actually, with so many other museums to choose from, it’s actually tough to decide.
We opted for the San Diego Natural History Museum.
“Dinosaurs” and “All That Glitters” are currently on exhibit. Continue reading Summertime at San Diego Natural History Museum
By Peter Phun, on May 18th, 2010%
Scene setter–During a Prisoner of War medal presentation ceremony at Riverside’s Mission Inn, this veteran decked out in full military regalia waiting for the ceremony to begin, gave me a good opportunity to set the scene.
Event photography is as straightforward as it sounds.
What your client wants is often straight documentation of the event.
Most events have some components which are predictable so expect you’ll need:
- the customary keynote speaker at the podium
- the reaction of the audience (hopefully the speaker is engaging).
- some award presentations
- some group pictures
Most of the time, your client will make sure you’re in position and ready.
More than likely too, if it’s a big deal, they will have a schedule that is printed and handed to all guests so they know what to expect.
Continue reading Tips on event photography Part 1
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