http://www.nychildren.org/

See it here on sportsshooter.com (open a new window) – http://www.sportsshooter.com/special_feature/caplin_thistime/index.html

This Time - Robert Caplin Video

This is an older image from 2004 (I think) and it is Kira Skov from ‘Kira And Tge Kindred Spirits’. She is is naturally beautiful – and the 70-200mm does not let anyone in doubt.

Now I’m testing them to see how handy they are when packing them with all the other gear in a camera bag.
I will be back as soon as possible with some photos made with them……

I have had the Sekonic Flashmate L-308S for almost two years now. But it has’nt been my best friend – I’m not familiar with it. I think I know how to use it, but the results is’nt any good.

Do you have any tricks or how-to’s? Some say the built-in lightmeter in a camera is allways the best. Others say a lightmeter is more reliable.

Any help?

I know now that I have to bring two camera houses when doing fashion work with models. I usually position myself at the end on the ‘runway’ and the girls ends up pretty close to me – almost to close when using the 70-200mm 2.8.

The photo above was made when the girl was within 5 meters. The shutter speed was 1/5000 sec. and the aperture 3.2. The fast shutter has obviously something to do with the sharpness. It’s a crop of the original shot witch is 4 or 5 times bigger than this. See below.

Though the 70-200mm 2.8 IS is big and heavy it’s it is worth the effort. Without a doubt.

See it here:
http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Indland/2008/04/26/200053.htm

Yesterday I was on a job shooting a group portrait of three cabel workers. It was outside next to their company car. The sun was shining and I had the 24-70mm 2.8 zoom attached to my 5D. Pointing at the guys and the car the meter said something like 1/125 and f/3.2 at ISO 200. If I was to aviod the blue sky from washing out the measuring had to be something like 1/1000 and f/4. That meant two exposure values to far from each other. Neither one would do any good if I was to do it in one shot without flash.

Then I tried with flash. But it didn’t work out with the x-sync at only 1/200. Still to much light. I finally went for the high-speed setting on my 580EX. I remembered that with this setting any shutter speed can be used. A setting at 1/400 and f/6.3 with the flash at -3 produced the best result. I still miss some saturation in the sky, but going for a faster shutter speed would mean more flash and maybe reflexes in the mens faces and the car. Besides that, a nice blue sky is always done with a high shutter speed

Canon Eos 5D, 24-70mm 2.8, 1/400 and f/6.3 ISO 200 with the flash at -3

Canon Eos 5D, 24-70mm 2.8, 1/125 and f/3.2 ISO 200

The last photo clearly show that the sky is almost burned away due to the slow shutter speed – washed out.

I was disappointed though about the poor lighting conditions. So I went deep into my camerabag for my flash. After just one shot with it, breakers came up to my deeply concerned and saying they would prefer that I did’nt used it. “It’s really a bad thing for us! It breaks our concentration”. I said that it was almost impossible to shoot without it due to the low light. We finally came to an agreement and I turned the flash down by -3. Still it was a hard task to get a decent photo of the fast moving breakers.

Canon Eos 5D, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM @ 1/100 sec. f/2.8, Speedlite 580 sat to -3.

Though I tried shooting with less flash, others did not. Maybe I should care about myself and do like he did.

My question is: How do you deal in situations like this?

Canon Eos 5D, EF 50mm f/1.4L USM @ 1/200 sec. f/1.4.

Later on the evening I did this photo. It was on a scene and the lighting was far better.