From a meetup photography shoot last night. We had two models, both very photogenic and wearing long dresses. The background was an office building in the Valley (in the Los Angeles area, for those who don’t know) that has tall columns and long windows – it worked out quite nicely!
The meetup photo shoot went really well. The models were lovely, and the site, even though it was along a busy street, proved to be a perfect backdrop for the models.
The building has tall columns, long windows, and is completely white. It recalls a Southern plantation house on the front – but it is far from that – it’s an office building!
The building and the models’ clothing complemented one another quite nicely. The models were really fun to work with, and most of us got some pretty good pictures I think.
And, both cameras and all the lenses used worked out very nicely. No need to feel anxious. I do, think, it would have been good to bring the 70-300mm lens, for use with the D7000. The V1 handled itself quite well.
This is a detail of an old Norwegian fishing boat dating from the 1800s. Fishermen would sail out in an open boat to earn their living and feed their families. No cabin, but oars, sails, scoops, and prayers to keep them safe.
Today I am doing a photo shoot with a local meetup group. Â There will be professional models and make up and lovely dresses. Â Because of my personal preferences, I am traveling light as far as camera gear. Â With 8-10 photographers scrambling for access, it seems like it could be almost a free-for-all, so it seems to be even more reasonable I do this.
Coming with me will be the Nikon D7000 with only one lens – the 85mm f1.8G. Â And to augment this, the Nikon V1 with a few lenses. Â Nothing else – no flashes, no reflectors. Â I want to focus on photography, not the peripherals of photography.
This is where the title of this post is coming from – I am out on a limb about using the V1 and a single lens on the DSLR. Â With a lot of gear, I feel I would go absolutely crazy with everything else, and everyone else. Â This is me – not other people. Â When I shoot alone, or one or two others, it is considerably less stressful for me, so more gear is okay. Â However, I feel I could miss out on some really good shots . . . but I also know my main focal points of this shoot. Â To try to do too many other things could decrease that concentration. Â I want to shoot portraits, and panorama portraits. Â The D7000 and 85mm are for this purpose. Â With the V1, I want to see what it can do under these circumstances with the 10mm f2.8, the 18mm f1.8, and the 30-110mm.
While these meetups are a little crazy, they are also a great learning experience. Â Seeing other photographers at work, meeting new people, and chatting about the process are always fascinating. Â Doing it myself, in the middle of it all, is a challenge. Â There are soooooo many times when I loved what I was seeing on the camera back, only for find my EV was -5 because of the dials on the top of the camera! Â Today, the goal is to NOT do that, and to only use the info seen on the back panel for adjustments . . . so, little goals, big goals, and a lot of anxiety because this is one shoot I really want to go perfectly!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 