Can I get away with just using my speedlight?

amumonamission said:
Yes go on phil!
Click to expand...

It's simply that No-one mentioned the W word:rules:.

If you had asked about gear recommendations to shoot a w........ And got some great help, like this, encouragement, but not totally positive, a bunch of people would turn up and say that you shouldn't listen to those nasty Pros because they're just defending their own business, that if you thought you were up to it, no-one had a right to put you off, it can't be that difficult etc.

And then it kicks off.. The thread gets locked and the OP can't see the truth from the bulls***:gag:.

Whereas we've had some great contributions here from some really knowledgeable people and no-one has felt the need to dilute it:love:. (till me just now:bonk:)

Anyway, the idea about expanding the Motocross pictures with a portable studio is mint, you will have to learn to be a bit more assertive to get the subjects attention and take control of the situation, skills which you can then take into other areas of portrait photography.:thumbs:

And personally I'd go with radio slaves and manual flash guns, it's easy to learn the numbers for one fixed exposure, and expand from there. Ettl throws its own variables into the mix and slows recycling times.
 
LOL phil

well we might have mentioned the W word but I think we got away with it :shrug:

DontMentionTheWar.jpg
 
i'm going on a studio lighting course £75 for the day
been on one before, which was £99 and then the advanced £115 (this one kept getting cancelled though :()

you learn loads I think
college courses also might focus a lot on the business side of things which may or may not be what you want to learn at this time, as you have that in mind already.
 
I had an assistant who had finished a 3 year photography degree and couldn't set up a pair of studio lights.

I'd look at day courses offered by working pro's AND that have been recommended by others.
 
Personally it still sounds more 3rd person than it should do, I would rather read something like;

Hi, I am Sarah of Angel Eyes Photography. I a young mum of three and I have a real passion for photography. I recently embarked on this new venture after developing my skills by photographing my own children especially at motocross which is my real area of expertise.

I am looking to expand and develop a greater knowledge of photography allowing me to cover family portraits, parties, pets etc. and whilst I am doing this I am looking for suitable opportunities ...........

Mike
 
That's better, honest and simple, maximum info with the least words possible:thumbs: And, when you are happy with it, just see if you can further edit out any unnecessary words.
 
Sarah,
I wanted to recommend some courses but I am no-where near to you so it would be wrong for me to give my opinion. Pay for a day, half day, or a couple of hour workshop first to see if you like before committing all that time and money.
Regarding your about me/introduction first impression section it needs to be short, sharp and to the point or it will be completely missed and the person viewing the page will either leave the site because they cant be bothered to read it or aimlessly click links and menus until the see something that interests them. Unfortunately words don't interest people any more so you have to get across your point really quickly on a webpage.

I cant remember what the stat was now i did some web editor awareness training for some staff a few months ago and I think you have someones attention to scan a page for 20 seconds if they cant visually see or read something which interests them they will quickly exit.
 
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Phil V said:
It's simply that No-one mentioned the W word:rules:.

If you had asked about gear recommendations to shoot a w........ And got some great help, like this, encouragement, but not totally positive, a bunch of people would turn up and say that you shouldn't listen to those nasty Pros because they're just defending their own business, that if you thought you were up to it, no-one had a right to put you off, it can't be that difficult etc.

And then it kicks off.. The thread gets locked and the OP can't see the truth from the bulls***:gag:.

Whereas we've had some great contributions here from some really knowledgeable people and no-one has felt the need to dilute it:love:. (till me just now:bonk:)

Anyway, the idea about expanding the Motocross pictures with a portable studio is mint, you will have to learn to be a bit more assertive to get the subjects attention and take control of the situation, skills which you can then take into other areas of portrait photography.:thumbs:

And personally I'd go with radio slaves and manual flash guns, it's easy to learn the numbers for one fixed exposure, and expand from there. Ettl throws its own variables into the mix and slows recycling times.
Click to expand...

W word? Come one guys I'm kind of new here!

I do however get the gist of what you are saying though and I am glad that you have all been able to offer me good constructive advice without it turning in to a riot! :thumbs:
 
DizMatt said:
i'm going on a studio lighting course £75 for the day
been on one before, which was £99 and then the advanced £115 (this one kept getting cancelled though :()

you learn loads I think
college courses also might focus a lot on the business side of things which may or may not be what you want to learn at this time, as you have that in mind already.
Click to expand...

Where did you find out about this one?
 
mike weeks said:
Personally it still sounds more 3rd person than it should do, I would rather read something like;

Hi, I am Sarah of Angel Eyes Photography. I a young mum of three and I have a real passion for photography. I recently embarked on this new venture after developing my skills by photographing my own children especially at motocross which is my real area of expertise.

I am looking to expand and develop a greater knowledge of photography allowing me to cover family portraits, parties, pets etc. and whilst I am doing this I am looking for suitable opportunities ...........

Mike
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike I really like this. :)
 
ferret1981 said:
Sarah,
I wanted to recommend some courses but I am no-where near to you so it would be wrong for me to give my opinion. Pay for a day, half day, or a couple of hour workshop first to see if you like before committing all that time and money.
Regarding your about me/introduction first impression section it needs to be short, sharp and to the point or it will be completely missed and the person viewing the page will either leave the site because they cant be bothered to read it or aimlessly click links and menus until the see something that interests them. Unfortunately words don't interest people any more so you have to get across your point really quickly on a webpage.

I cant remember what the stat was now i did some web editor awareness training for some staff a few months ago and I think you have someones attention to scan a page for 20 seconds if they cant visually see or read something which interests them they will quickly exit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for info, need to make it short and sweet then :)
 
Its a proper Anadin job, but you have to get it right Sarah. I would go with something like this


HOME PAGE​
About Me / Shooting Info / Prices / Contact me / Feedback

Hi and welcome

Picture of Sarah


I’m Sarah, I love to take, freestyle event and family photographs and this is what I can do...

Motocross
Red hot sample picture that Links to a dedicated page with limited waffle but all info and pics.​

Do the same for pets, kids, with dedicated pages and waffle

Angel Eyes Photography

Catching the moment for life.​


The bits in magenta.
Freestyle means anything, does not say expert or professional but implies knowledgeable skill and stuff.

Catching the moment is a good slogan thing.

I would get it minimal reading but maximum picture browsing, a dont tell, but show, kind of idea which lets face it is what pictures do anyway.

Simple and unpretentious works.:)
 
Steve T said:
Its a proper Anadin job, but you have to get it right Sarah. I would go with something like this


HOME PAGE​
About Me / Shooting Info / Prices / Contact me / Feedback

Hi and welcome

Picture of Sarah


I’m Sarah, I love to take, freestyle event and family photographs and this is what I can do...

Motocross
Red hot sample picture that Links to a dedicated page with limited waffle but all info and pics.​

Do the same for pets, kids, with dedicated pages and waffle

Angel Eyes Photography

Catching the moment for life.​


The bits in magenta.
Freestyle means anything, does not say expert or professional but implies knowledgeable skill and stuff.

Catching the moment is a good slogan thing.

I would get it minimal reading but maximum picture browsing, a dont tell, but show, kind of idea which lets face it is what pictures do anyway.

Simple and unpretentious works.:)
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

Sorry it took a while to get back to you, I have been really busy with kids going back to school etc etc..

I totally understand what you are saying and I intend on adding more to my website including recent work I have done that is not for sale to show what I can do and maybe doing this in the style of a blog. But I really like the layout of my website as it is. If you all think it would make a lot of difference then I could think about using my about page message as a welcome page message so that it comes up under the slide show on my home page. What does everyone else think? I am reluctant to change it as I am really happy with the layout as it is but I am open to ideas etc so would like other views on this???
 
Sarah I'm not an expert at all and my camera, a nikon D700, has a built in flash.

I'm able to create really good portraits using:

a) a £10 lumniquest "softbox/diffuser" thats fits into hotshoe and covers camera flash and holds onto the Nikon name at front to secure it
b) a lighting stand with a flash shooting into a brolly triggered from camera flash

I mainly use a Nikon 50mm f1.8d which at or around £100 is an absolutely fantastic lens and in my opinion the best value quality lens Nikon have. I can get in close or move back and have fantastic wide aperture for narrow depth of field images. This allows you to blur backgrounds etc, I'm sure there is something similar in the Canon range

If you hunt around, assuming you have a flash, then b) can be obtained relatively cheaply
and this is a very portable set-up.

Good luck with your business. Dont worry about not knowing all there is, I doubt anyone does. With a simple set-up like this you will create amazing images. Once comfortable you can then start experimenting and learning as you go along..even by simpling moving the lighting stand around

In today's economic climate I take my hat off to anyone trying to create a business and generate an income. Photography is such a fantastic business as you create something that will make people happy.

Check other portrait photographer's websites for an idea of marketing canmpaigns / deals / prices. Additionally if you use facebook and the people you image are OK why not put up on facebook small images with your business / website name watermarked on the image and tag your friends. You will be surprised how many people comment and ask for details about the photographer
 
FrattonFreak said:
Sarah I'm not an expert at all and my camera, a nikon D700, has a built in flash.

I'm able to create really good portraits using:

a) a £10 lumniquest "softbox/diffuser" thats fits into hotshoe and covers camera flash and holds onto the Nikon name at front to secure it
b) a lighting stand with a flash shooting into a brolly triggered from camera flash

I mainly use a Nikon 50mm f1.8d which at or around £100 is an absolutely fantastic lens and in my opinion the best value quality lens Nikon have. I can get in close or move back and have fantastic wide aperture for narrow depth of field images. This allows you to blur backgrounds etc, I'm sure there is something similar in the Canon range

If you hunt around, assuming you have a flash, then b) can be obtained relatively cheaply
and this is a very portable set-up.

Good luck with your business. Dont worry about not knowing all there is, I doubt anyone does. With a simple set-up like this you will create amazing images. Once comfortable you can then start experimenting and learning as you go along..even by simpling moving the lighting stand around

In today's economic climate I take my hat off to anyone trying to create a business and generate an income. Photography is such a fantastic business as you create something that will make people happy.

Check other portrait photographer's websites for an idea of marketing canmpaigns / deals / prices. Additionally if you use facebook and the people you image are OK why not put up on facebook small images with your business / website name watermarked on the image and tag your friends. You will be surprised how many people comment and ask for details about the photographer
Click to expand...

Great, thanks for the good advice, I do have a 50mm 1.8 lens for my camera which I have used in the past and I totally agree that the images are in my opinion great when using this lens, especially when you're somewhere where the background is messy.

I love the fact that I have built the confidence to start my own business and feel proud of my work. I still have a lot to learn but can only achieve this by getting out there and doing it can't I!
 
amumonamission said:
I still have a lot to learn but can only achieve this by getting out there and doing it can't I!
Click to expand...

On the job training is invaluable but actually to achieve more imo is to get appropriate training. You can do lots of work but if you keep doing the same things you may not realise it could be wrong - getting training will help you more and you can implement that when you are working.
 
Hi again Sarah, as already said, you have your draft, which is the hard bit and now just need to edit and polish, which is the easy bit. You don't really need to ask anyone else's opinion now Sarah, you have done all this for you and with your own personality and drive. Your site looks good but the thing is, "a camel is a horse designed by a commitee" really applies here. Its your site and if you ask, you will get:) My advice would be to keep everything on the front page as minimal as possible and let your pictures speak for themselves, not to pro photographers, but the people who will be paying you for your pictures.

Find out what they want and expect and make sure that when they click on your site they quickly find an example of that.

Plenty of experts not selling their work Sarah;)
 
EOS_JD said:
On the job training is invaluable but actually to achieve more imo is to get appropriate training. You can do lots of work but if you keep doing the same things you may not realise it could be wrong - getting training will help you more and you can implement that when you are working.
Click to expand...

Thanks and Is there any training that you would recommend?
 
Steve T said:
Hi again Sarah, as already said, you have your draft, which is the hard bit and now just need to edit and polish, which is the easy bit. You don't really need to ask anyone else's opinion now Sarah, you have done all this for you and with your own personality and drive. Your site looks good but the thing is, "a camel is a horse designed by a commitee" really applies here. Its your site and if you ask, you will get:) My advice would be to keep everything on the front page as minimal as possible and let your pictures speak for themselves, not to pro photographers, but the people who will be paying you for your pictures.

Find out what they want and expect and make sure that when they click on your site they quickly find an example of that.

Plenty of experts not selling their work Sarah;)
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve :)
 
amumonamission said:
Thanks and Is there any training that you would recommend?
Click to expand...


theres a lot of people doing training. where are ypu based? im in turkey at the moment so access to the web is a bit restricted. lol
 
A bit far south for the ones I would suggest looking at although Gary Hill is looking to do some training further south. Check him out at GDH Photography - Would help with your portrait work.
 
EOS_JD said:
A bit far south for the ones I would suggest looking at although Gary Hill is looking to do some training further south. Check him out at GDH Photography - Would help with your portrait work.
Click to expand...

Thanks I had a look his website, unfortunately £300 is out of my price range at the moment as I would like to get myself some studio kit first. But will definitely bare it in mind so thanks :)
 
There's the thing...... Get the training and use it to make money and so you know what kit you need without wasting money. Studio strobes are not very portable. Your work seemed to be outside location work?

I wish I'd done training before spending the money I have on kit.
 
EOS_JD said:
There's the thing...... Get the training and use it to make money and so you know what kit you need without wasting money. Studio strobes are not very portable. Your work seemed to be outside location work?

I wish I'd done training before spending the money I have on kit.
Click to expand...

Exactly 100% correct in my view, but just about everyone does it ar*e about face, and then regrets it.
 
EOS_JD said:
There's the thing...... Get the training and use it to make money and so you know what kit you need without wasting money. Studio strobes are not very portable. Your work seemed to be outside location work?

I wish I'd done training before spending the money I have on kit.
Click to expand...

Yeah I see your point. I think I am going to save for longer and be less impatient lol! That way I hopfully will be able to afford training and then still have money for afterwards to get kit (hopefuly with a better knowledge of what i'll need)

I do a lot of outdoor work at the moment but thats mainly due to the love of Motocross (my 7 yr old son rides) and the fact that I have no access to a studio.

You may not know but maybe someone else would.........what if I were to offer my services (photography) for free to a local photographer who has a studio in exchange for some tips/training??? Is that something that people do?
 
So get training and learn what you need. You'll get a different answer from most people here on what you need without really knowing what you want to do.....
 
I hope no-one minds me jumping on the bandwagon here, but I'm in a similar-ish position to you, Sarah, only less ahead in the business and mum stakes and perhaps a bit more ahead in the portraiture and lighting. This thread has been fascinating and very useful and I'm going to keep an eye out for a studio lighting workshop near me (anyone know of something in oxon?)

Am now actually looking forward to getting on with my website which I've been procrastinating about for a while now (scared!). Thanks!
 
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