Re: lens strategies for school play?
Mishka wrote: Paul, What I realized I had sorely missed was a color conversion filter, something like 80A. It was still sorta OK since I scanned the pictures afterwards and had a chance to fiddle quite a bit in Photoshop, but still, I really wish I had either the filter or tungsten film. Of course, I am assuming you are shooting color, right? Mishka, I shoot only daylight-balanced color print film, and I neither own nor use color correcting filters. Ace Photo in Sterling, VA does an outstanding job at color correcting; Forget filters; leave the color correcting to me, advises Mo.) I need the speed (ISO 1600) of daylight-balanced film. In any event, theater lighting is such an odd and unpredictable mixture, I'm not sure that tungsten film would be in my interest. For a classroom setting, it could...though I more commonly see fluorescent lighting. I like to tweak the digital scan in PhotoImpact anyway, cropping, enhancing or reducing contrast, and perhaps sharpening just a tad. In my digital touchups, I used to reduce saturation by 30 percent or more in an effort to make the people and their costumes look natural. But I'm coming to realize that recipients like their images a bit on the warm side; it reminds them of the theater milieu. Paul Franklin Stregevsky - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: lens strategies for school play?
On Tuesday, May 28, 2002, at 06:21 PM, Paul F. Stregevsky wrote: I'll be shooting Fuji NPZ 800 at 1600 and pushed 1 stop. Don't do it! If you need to shoot it at 1600, shoot it at 1600, but process it normally, the images will be MUCH better. If you're shooting multiple rolls, and don't believe me ( ;) ), start by processing two rolls, one normal and one pushed. From there, decide what to do. It is very unlikely that you'll be choosing the pushed unless your lab is underprocessing to begin with. -Aaron - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: lens strategies for school play?
Once again, this is one of those situations where a little advance scouting will do ya' right. Where will you be sitting and what will the lighting be like? Is there a special person in the cast who you simply must get? When will they be on stage and what will the lighting be at that moment? Spot meter, man. Spot meter. Or get a reading off someone's face way up close and manually lock it in. Just leaving the camera on AE (without spot metering) can really mess you up here. Use print film and let the lab fix the color. I've had good results with 800 speed Agfa Vista or Kodak Supra. This is definitly a situation where a faster prime is very handy. In my experience, pushing film to 3200 is not an adequite strategy to replace a fast lens. With reasonable lighting, a constant 2.8 zoom should do fine too. If you can get reasonably close, a 50/1.7 will do fine. An 85/2 would be wonderful. A 135/2.8 (or better yet 135/2.5) will do well from a little further back in the house. If there's a big number in a musical try to get a wide shot covering the entire stage with the 50/1.7 or a wider prime. Use a lens hood. An F4-5.6 zoom (even a constant F4 zoom like my favorite, the 28-70/4 FA) probably won't cut it. You'll probably see exposures like 1/30 to 1/125 F1.8 to 2.8 (the extra shutter speed 1/125 or faster will be great to give a little stop action). Leave the flash at home. It's very rude to set off a flash while young performers are trying to do their thing during a performance. Good luck. Chris L. School Publications Guy Christopher Lillja Publications Coordinator The Pennington School www.pennington.org - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: lens strategies for school play?
The exam I mentioned was actually a stage performance :) And the lab that made me the prints did a horrible job wrt color correction, and it took me hours of PS tweaking to get it reasonably right... Good luck, Mishka From: Paul F. Stregevsky Subject: Re: lens strategies for school play? Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 06:19:07 -0700 (...) I'm not sure that tungsten film would be in my interest. For a classroom setting, it could...though I more commonly see fluorescent lighting. Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: lens strategies for school play?
--- Paul F. Stregevsky [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: PS: A bargain at twice the price. Thanks! :) You're very much welcome. Now have fun and show us some pics when you're done! Deb Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
NPZ push processing (WAS: Re: lens strategies for school play?)
Aaron... I'm not sure about NPZ, but I photographed a play recently with Fuji Superia Xtra 800 at 1600 and push-processed 1 stop. The proofs were done by a good printer and the results were awesome (that's not just my assessment). The color and contrast were good and the grain nearly invisible. Is there something about NPZ that won't handle the extra stop during development, or is this a comment about push-processing in general? (Sorry I don't have any examples to share; I've got to get a better source for scanning my pix.) t On 5/29/02 6:17 AM, Aaron Reynolds wrote: On Tuesday, May 28, 2002, at 06:21 PM, Paul F. Stregevsky wrote: I'll be shooting Fuji NPZ 800 at 1600 and pushed 1 stop. Don't do it! If you need to shoot it at 1600, shoot it at 1600, but process it normally, the images will be MUCH better. If you're shooting multiple rolls, and don't believe me ( ;) ), start by processing two rolls, one normal and one pushed. From there, decide what to do. It is very unlikely that you'll be choosing the pushed unless your lab is underprocessing to begin with. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: lens strategies for school play?
Paul wrote: I've planned about 60 shots from the back of the auditorium: 05 percent with my Pentax SMC 35/2K or Rikenon P 50/2K 20 percent with my Kiron 105/2.5K macro 55 percent with my Vivitar 135/2.3K 20 percent with my Pentax SMC 200/2.5K I'm nervous that switching lenses--out with the 135, in with the 105--will make me lose shots and lose my place. Should I use a third body, perhaps on my Cullmann monopod? If you have a third body tripod - by all means use it Put a 36exp roll in for the Viv 135 since you plan 50%+ of the shots w/ it. 24exp rolls should then suffice for the other two bodies 105mm 50mm w/ one and 200mm 35mm w/ the other might work OK. I'll be shooting Fuji NPZ 800 at 1600 and pushed 1 stop. In this auditorium, this combination has allowed me to shoot at f/4.5 to f5.6 with good results (typically 1/15 to 1/60 second). Seems slow shutter speeds to me. No flash allowed? Would it be feasible to use my Vivitar Series One 90-180/4.5K instead of the 105, 135, and 200? ;^) You're the guy for collected lens data - you tell us! - Bill D. Casselberry ; Photography on the Oregon Coast http://www.orednet.org/~bcasselb [EMAIL PROTECTED] - - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: lens strategies for school play?
Far from being a pro, let me offer my amatuer opinion. When I worked for the campus paper, I was 90 percent of the time the one to cover fine arts events. I think I spent more time in our auditorium than most of the music majors. First rule: no flash. (Like I'm sure you were going to be poppin' off with a big mondo flash.) If the auditorium is big, I would recommend finding a place down front and out of the way or off to the side and closer to the stage. If it's really big, I wouldn't use anything less than 100mm. A few times I took shots from the side aisles and was surprised at how different the action looks. You can get players on opposite ends of the stage close together and the compression effect from a tele can look really nice. Maybe they would let you shoot from the stage wings. I'm just having this vision of a normal to wide angle shot from backstage looking across the bright stage into the dark hall, multicolored lights flaring ever so artistically... I need to go to a play. :) Another thing about taking photos from different points in the auditorium, is that it makes the pics more interesting. Unless you're really carefull with composition, it's going to be pretty obvious that you took all the shots from the same place, way in the back of the hall. I always liked the photos I took from close-in better. Unless you need to move around a lot, go ahead and bring a third body. That's what it's for, right? I say, the less you have to change lenses in the dark, the better. On second thought, go ahead and bring the third body even if you need to move around. Remember the Equipment Freak thread? Just wear all three around your neck. It will be dark so nobody will notice how strange you look. :) I really think they should let you get up front to photograph. If they're willing to allow behind-the-scenes coverage, surely they wouldn't mind some top notch stuff from the front row. Or from those director's box thingies, if it's a nice stage and they have those. Oh, and one more thing. Wear black. Not only will you blend into the shadows like the ninja camera guy that you are, it will also make you look suave and professional: the Paul Mitchell of Pentax. Well, that's my four cents. (Inflation.) Deb in TX --- Paul F. Stregevsky [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've just returned from the final dress rehearsal of a school play I'll be shooting Thursday or Friday night. Besides the behind-the-scenes shots, I've planned about 60 shots from the back of the auditorium: 05 percent with my Pentax SMC 35/2K or Rikenon P 50/2K 20 percent with my Kiron 105/2.5K macro 55 percent with my Vivitar 135/2.3K 20 percent with my Pentax SMC 200/2.5K I'll be using two tripods: The 200 on my main tripod, a Cullmann Titan, the 135 on the Bogen 3001. I don't know yet how I'll switch these out for the 35, 50, and 105. I'm nervous that switching lenses--out with the 135, in with the 105--will make me lose shots and lose my place. Should I use a third body, perhaps on my Cullmann monopod? I'll be shooting Fuji NPZ 800 at 1600 and pushed 1 stop. In this auditorium, this combination has allowed me to shoot at f/4.5 to 5.6 with good results (typically 1/15 to 1/60 second). Would it be feasible to use my Vivitar Series One 90-180/4.5K instead of the 105, 135, and 200? Or do you think the results at f/4.5 and 5.6 wouldn't be as nice? What about using the zoom instead of two of the lenses, but not instead of all three? I can see why so many of you own an 80-200/2.8K Paul Franklin Stregevsky - Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: lens strategies for school play?
Paul, A few weeks ago I was shooting the final exam in Moscow art college (by accident -- I just happened to have a camera). What I realized I had sorely missed was a color conversion filter, something like 80A. It was still sorta OK since I scanned the pictures afterwards and had a chance to fiddle quite a bit in Photoshop, but still, I really wish I had either the filter or tungsten film. Of course, I am assuming you are shooting color, right? Mishka From: Paul F. Stregevsky Subject: lens strategies for school play? Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 15:15:44 -0700 I've just returned from the final dress rehearsal of a school play I'll be shooting Thursday or Friday night. Besides the behind-the- scenes shots, I've planned about 60 shots from the back of the auditorium: Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: lens strategies for school play?
Mishka wrote: A few weeks ago I was shooting the final exam in Moscow art college. What I realized I had sorely missed was a color conversion filter, something like 80A. Yes - incandescent lighting w/ daylight balanced film is bad news - even though sometimes acceptable prints can be wrung out w/ complex variations at the printing stage. But conversion filters kill off too much precious light in already marginal situations. I have come to the point where I do my stage shots at full dress rehearsals or the full dress pick-up rehearsals during the run of the show. I work w/ the director and use flash. Otherwise it's pushed 3200 bw. A local dance group is doing Alice in Wonderland now and I'll probably drop in Wednesday for the pick-up. There's no photo budget, but I am interested in seeing how Portra 800 will work w/ the AF280t and the 6x7 w/ the 150mm. I may just use Provia 400f instead - not sure yet. I'm trying not to get too carried away since there's no money in it and things are a bit tight just now on the home front. The Portra would need printed. Expense isn't bad, but the time lag for sendout re- turn compared to ~3-4days for E-6 ... Hmmm, I do have a bit of Delta 3200 for the 6x7 to try out, too. But - I do agree that blasting off flash during an actual performance is a bit crude. Best leave all that to the pros w/ their Canons Nikons! ;^) Bill - Bill D. Casselberry ; Photography on the Oregon Coast http://www.orednet.org/~bcasselb [EMAIL PROTECTED] - - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
