This week is dedicated strictly to post production! I love. love. LOVE. reviewing my shots from a session and reliving the moments all over again. I realize this is going to sound dramatic, but it’s such an emotional rollercoaster! I always have an {idea} of how the images will turn out, but the truth truly reveals itself as I watch the images import into LR. Some shots that I think may be ah-maz-ing turn out to be just okayyy and then I am pleased when I capture a random moment in others that I haven’t thought twice about since I shot it.
Case-in-point: I spent Sunday afternoon in the park with newlyweds K&D and their year and a half old basset hound, Wrinkles. He was a burst of energy. For an hour. It didn’t matter where I stood (or knelt, or laid), he would go off sniffing in the other direction. I have a gazillion shots of his rear end, but then there are just those random moments that you capture the right angle and the right look.
My {trick} of the trade from this session: make sure you increase your shutter speed when working with playful pups. I’ve found that 1/160 of a second isn’t gonna cut it to give me all the crisp, clear shots I’m looking for with these little guys. From now on, I think I’ll work to keep my shutter speed closer to 1/500 of a second, just to play it safe.
Today I also decided to bite the bullet and purchase my{flash} from B&H. As much as I adore working with natural light, winter is quickly approaching and I will find myself shooting indoors. The built-in flash on the camera body is a joke. I selected the Canon Speedlite 580EX II, which continues to get rave reviews, and it is to arrive on Wednesday! Yay! That said, one downfall is the $$$ (what else is new??), but I’ve also read that while it can be used with master/slave settings, there is not a way to quickly disable the master flash and shoot with only the slave (you have to maneuver through the menu). I will have to practice utilizing the fill flash and bouncing light, as I have yet to gain any experience in this arena. I think it will just be trial and error to find how often I find myself in this position and whether or not it negatively affects my images.
Obviously this is one {treat} I had to share today, but the other is that E also dove in and purchased his Canon EOS 7D and that arrives tomorrow! I’ve been coveting this little puppy for two months now and have had to exercise massive restraint to prevent myself from upgrading my camera body from my Rebel T3i. Anyone who knows me can appreciate what a personal triumph this is, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have advised E that I will be stealing his new baby for my shoots. I’m sure he expects nothing less. Who am I to disappoint?
Happy Halloween! xo