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04/13/2005 12:21:07 PM · #26 |
| This is a must attend. I went to the show in Denver. It was great. Just go.. It is free to attend.. You will learn. |
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04/13/2005 12:23:23 PM · #27 |
| I went to the one in San Diego about a month ago. You get what you pay for. They're really mostly just promoting products to sell; white balance cards/screens, lenses, lots of software for editing, presentation albums, etc. |
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04/13/2005 04:52:26 PM · #28 |
I went to the Digital Photo Solutions seminar last night in Syracuse NY - hosted by Ed Pierce.
First of all, some people wondered if this would be live or video conferenced in - it was live. Ed Pierce was on stage and I got to talk to him during the break. He's a really normal guy - woo. Anyways - so it was live.
Set up: he had a couple softboxes pointed at himself for lighting with a portrait backdrop. He had a large video screen for showing vid clips and had the camera tethered to it. It was kind of dark - hard to see - but the screen was ok.
The presentation: Actually Ed played a WHOLE lot of video clips - good teaching, but ... He showed us how to use some of the tools they sell (Iview, the calibration targets, etc) and he actually laughed at Epson a few times - about their printers (they are a sponsor).
Ed talked a lot about workflow - getting it right in the camera before you take it home to post process. Setting custom WB and getting exposure right in the camera. He said he prefers RAW but wouldn't shoot it during a reception where images don't need to be dead-on or 20x30"s
Ed suggested NOT to waste money on f4 lenses - eventually you're just going to want the $1600 70-200 IS USM L 2.8 so why spend the extra money and get something crappy? He said if you can't afford that lens, get something to get by with but don't waste $ on the f4 L.
Oh, he said that a lot of wed photographers lose mem cards during shoots - either stolen gear, lost cards etc - so keep them ON your person - not in a bag and not in the backup camera unless you're using it. And format each card before each shoot. Shoot one test pic, delete it, and go.
Pierce uses a Flashtrax to backup images at the wedding - he also doesn't turn the screen on and claims he "doesn't know how" if anyone asks. He uses this belt system - the Tamrac one I think - to keep everything organized in pouches on his waist. It has a pocket for mem cards, batteries, the Flashtrax, a couple lenses...
He played a video on monitor/printer/scanner calibration that really rocked. I'd like to explain it, but basically he was advocating getting the Monoco Ez color calibration tool. We didn't pick that up, but it did look REALLY sweet.
One really great wedding tip - if you know you're gonna be shooting images in 3 different lighting conditions, put in a fresh mem card, shoot the calibration target in the 3 locations - then when it's time to shoot that area, just push the view then right arrow buttons - go to the start of the card and set WB - VERY quick! That's something we'll definitely be using.
If you sync your multiple cameras, you can sort files by date and they will organize by time and capture time - an easier way to organize than trying to download cards in the right order from two cams. haha
Photoshop tip - fix images with levels BEFORE using curves or other tools. Levels works the best first.
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There was a lot more, but I guess there'd better be a reason for you to go to the seminar. He made me feel a lot more confident about our plans by saying "do this" and we're already doing it - or he said "don't do this!" and we nodded along.
It was a very no-pressure sales staff in the tradeshow. They basically just stood there. We bought some dvds and the calibration targets - basically to get a feel for where we are and what we're not doing already.
If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them. I thought it was a good show and I'd recommend it to beginners heavily, intermediate somewhat - and advanced probly not as much.
Thanks,
M
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04/13/2005 06:13:49 PM · #29 |
Thanks for posting the summary, Matt. I came right to this thread hoping you had. I didn't wind up going and by your summary, I don't feel so bad now. Just curious, how many people showed?
Jen
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04/13/2005 06:19:13 PM · #30 |
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04/13/2005 06:41:18 PM · #31 |
Originally posted by mavrik:
Bout 150. |
Wow, not bad. I wasn't sure the turnout would be too large for the day and time. If it wasn't such a busy week I'd have gone. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Jen
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04/13/2005 11:20:10 PM · #32 |
Just got back from the seminar, a bit ago. I left after the break.
For those who haven't gone, I do think it's worthwhile. They did end up selling me something--a small 14" white balance target. But that was the one thing I took away content wise from the seminar; while I do shoot mainly RAW which lets me adjust white balance after the fact, I didn't ever use a true target to give me something for color and levels. They are selling a target with True Black, Gray, and white which, when included in a shot under the target lighting, can be used as an adjustment to color balance other shots in the same lighting (with similar exposures and ISO ratings).
I was familiar with most of the other products they were showing, but it still was interesting to see someone else's work flow. And the videos and the pace in general was fine.
And I got to see a Rebel XT (I ordered one unseen the other day). It's so tiny. I like that, but I do find it less comfortable to hold than my regular Rebel. But I just cannot stand lugging around all this SLR equipment--so much so I was ready to go back to a prosumer. So maybe if I can stick with small lenses, and find good zoom ranges so I don't have to carry more than one or two, I'll be happy.
I also got to play with the Canon 70-300 DO IS USM, which is a pretty small lens for a 70-300! It's pretty cool, but it does cost about $1200 and isn't as highly rated (or weatherproofed) as the L lenses (most of which are too big for me).
I also enjoyed looking at the many prints they were displaying. And it was good to meet up again with DPCer Eric Limon, who drove in from MA to attend. I didn't see (or recognize) any other DPCers there.
I'd say it's worth the price of admission, and then some, if you can spare the time. |
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04/14/2005 02:34:01 PM · #33 |
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