3 years later.. i'm back! With a 70-200 as my mainstay I was snapping away

Things I learned

• Camera seems to be 1/3 or 1/2 stop underexposing.. might want to compensate for that
• 70-200 + 1.4x TC is still perfectly fine for shooting from the WAY back. Albeit heavy

Got a tip from a friend about this place so I went! Fairly political w/ lots of 'vote for me' signs but still some fun!

Things I learned

• Carrying umbrella or raingear in Ohio.. must remember that
• Pictures below are not white balanced because i'm lazy :) i'll go back later and fix them up

Whew, it's been a while since I've posted anything, but most of my work has been for my unit and I can't quite put that stuff up! (promotion ceremonies, military functions, etc). Anyways this is the 2nd event with my oh so awesome Nikon D2X :) and it worked beautifully in its baptism of fire(works)!!!!

Things I learned

• ISO 200, F8, and anywhere from 2-10 seconds still works great.
• Expose for the shoreline if at all possible
• Get that remote trigger ($$$)
• The Destin bridge actually dampened the vibration from passing cars quite well, although I had headlights coming from the side which didn't help either my night vision nor exposing anything with that at an angle
• Using Nikon Capture 4.4 now in my processing (since Photoshop CS1 ACR can't handle D2X files), it's a dramatic change which makes processing a much longer process, but I have to say I like the results.

Take 3 at swingdancing pictures, tonight's focus was to learn more about the backlighting situation and see if anything came out of it. It was... a learning experience and it's definitely hard to get the right combination of light for what I'd consider an interesting picture.What is my fascination with the backlight? At first glance it's all about underexposed pictures, but it's not to me. It's all about contrast and simplicity, I love a 'simple' picture with just a few strong elements in it. I don't want a complex scene where the observer needs to take a minute to soak it in, I want the viewer to look exactly at the subject and, in this case, almost feel the dance taking place. The sharp contrasts in the picture gives it an edgy feeling. Another aspect of the backlit pictures is the obscuring of identities, they no longer are individuals we know, but represent anyone out on that floor.

Next project out here? I wonder how the lighting would look if I place both flashes together for one strong strobe in a single location. I would have to place myself correctly to take advantage of this, but a strong lighting from one side, and deep shadows in the back could make a picture. Who knows, let's find out :)

If anyone would like the full sized jpg of an image below, please drop me an email at aklouie@hotmail.com with a description of which picture you want, and I will get you the file as soon as I can. Thanks!

Things I learned

• Consider putting the lighting sources closer to the ground instead of way up high
• Tilt the primary lights towards the target area if at all possible (may need new hot shoe brackets) What the subject is wearing definitely can make or break a backlit photograph. Dark clothed men = women hanging out there in the middle of nowhere.
• Travis, Meagan, Ashley and Phillip are awesome, but we already knew that right?
• Massive lens flare! Perhaps move the lights further on out angle-wise. Didn't have quite such a problem last time due to getting closer to the subject with the lens. This time I focussed on getting feet into the picture and that opened up the range of view for all sorts of nasty stuff
• When shooting normally with flashes to the rear, try putting both flashes directly behind camera and shooting crosswise, will force the camera to remain in a single location, but at least the shadows will not fall across dancers.
• Given all the attention now that this little site is getting from swingdancers, autocross racers, friends and family.. I better clean this up and make it a bit fancier.