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10/18/2004 10:38:26 PM · #1 |
So, I want to get more practice shooting portraits, right? I ask around and I finally find a kind soul who's willing to pose for me. We're talking, we're emailing back and forth, we're discussing poses and she's actually getting excited to do this because it will be a first for her. And I'm thinking, wow. This is really great. You can see from my profile that I'm working with this little Canon PowerShot SD110 which has, like, no lens to it. And I have to work the thing like a dog and take about 20 shots to get anything decent out of it. I tell this to a friend of mine and he says, "No problem. I've got a Minotla Dimage 5 in my closet that I bought used and haven't had a chance to use yet. You can use it all you need." Well Sweet Fancy Moses! What a great guy. I charge up the batteries, read the manual, get it hooked up to my studio lights and start shooting practice shots.
Now the problems begin. The noise is HUGE! Even in RAW settings the patterns are noticable. It's not synching properly with my lights and the batteries are dying after 10 shots. Not good. I can't use it. So now it's today, two days before the shoot. Do I try and shoot my model with a camera the size of a pack of cigarettes? Will she actually sit still for 2-3 hours while I dink around with the exposure and ISO setitngs? I decide, no, I can't do that. That's not fair to my model and I'm not confident that I'll get good results. So there's only one option left, go back to FILM.
Oh, you'd think so, wouldn't you! So I break out all my film equipment which I haven't used in over three years because I'm a digital girl now and have been for, you guessed it, three years. Somewhere along the way, the camera stopped working. Maybe it got exposed to moisture, maybe it got dropped, I don't know. But here I am, sans camera. Well, except for my "pack of cigarettes" which I just can't bring myself to use at a professional shoot. That's just not right.
So, tail between my legs, I call my model and say that we must reschedule. Now I can only hope that she'll still be willing to sit for me in two weeks time when I rent or borrow another camera for the shoot. I don't think I'm going to quit my day job anytime soon! :-)
Thanks for letting me rant. HLW.
Message edited by author 2004-10-18 22:41:13. |
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10/18/2004 10:43:37 PM · #2 |
| That really sucks Heather... what a shame for you. You must be so disappointed. I hope everything works out for you in a couple of weeks. But I do have to add that you made my night with the "Sweet Fancy Moses" comment. I haven't laughed out loud like that in a while. Gonna have to use that one! :o) |
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10/18/2004 10:43:37 PM · #3 |
Sorry to hear about that, Heather. Sounds like Murphey's Law in full effect! :)
Good luck next time, I'm sure it will all work itself out.
Edit: Damn Laurie and her quick typing fingers! :)
Message edited by author 2004-10-18 22:44:20.
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10/18/2004 10:54:53 PM · #4 |
Why is the sd110 so hard to work? When you get a good picture from it, do you like the result?
Don't be embarrassed to use your little camera. Gotta start somewhere, and if it'll give you a few pictures and it works with your lights, go for it. She doesn't have to know that each shot isn't a winner. Hopefully you'll get a couple that you can give her and you will be so much richer for the experience. Well, anyway that's my thoughts. Otherwise, what Laurie said.
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10/18/2004 11:05:54 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by pcody:
Why is the sd110 so hard to work? When you get a good picture from it, do you like the result?
Don't be embarrassed to use your little camera. Gotta start somewhere, and if it'll give you a few pictures and it works with your lights, go for it. She doesn't have to know that each shot isn't a winner. Hopefully you'll get a couple that you can give her and you will be so much richer for the experience. Well, anyway that's my thoughts. Otherwise, what Laurie said. |
Well, pcody beat me to it. The SD110 has a 2.8 max. aperture, manual, a spot-meter and the image quality is not that bad either, for what it is. I imagine you know this camera quite well by now, too - its weaknesses, strengths and ways. I agree, use it. Take 500 shots. If you take only twenty, well -russian roulette. Make it work. Mix things up a bit: lighting, location, settings, moods.
Message edited by author 2004-10-18 23:06:39.
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10/18/2004 11:17:34 PM · #6 |
| why don't you explain to the model what you will be shooting with and see if she's still willing to do the session. It may be that since this is her first time modeling, and if she's going to get some prints out of it, she may still be willing to sit for you. It'll be like two novices in a joint effort that could benefit the both of you. |
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10/18/2004 11:29:38 PM · #7 |
You know, I think you all might have something here. Perhaps my frustration clouded my judgement a little too much. When I get a good shot with my little Canon, I like it. And as zeuszen pointed out, the image quality isn't horrible. I can get a good looking 5x7 out of it. Yes, perhaps I'm being hasty. I'll explain the limitations to my model and leave it up to her. A good shot coming from this shoot would certainly be a sweet reward. Thanks to you all for setting me back on the right track.
Sorry. To answer pcody's question... the challenge with the SD110 is that in full manual mode you can only adjust the ISO, over/underexposure compensation and lighting style (tungsten, cloudy, full sun, etc). You can set a long shutter of 1 second or more, but that is the only manual shutter adjustment. You also cannot manually set the aperature. There is a spot meter built into the camera which helps but I'm used to having full control over a camera.
Message edited by author 2004-10-19 00:00:37. |
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