topic Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

Tintype_18 — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 18:17:04 GMT

The Caller ID showed it to be a fellow who is a member of an outdoor organization located on Blue Ridge, GA. He asked about my schedule for April 29th. I was OK for that day. He next asked if I would be the photographer for the event. How could I refuse? I attended last year and submitted an article and photos for a Chattanooga TV online news. I was pleased with the photos last year. Will be taking lots of photos, making sure I have charged batteries and extra memory cards but doubt If I will fill the 16 GB card. I guess this would be my first official commission for photography. I plan on experimenting more with my camera to make sure I know what and how to handle certain situations. I have a Canon T7 and the three lenses are: 18-55mm, 75-300mm, 28-135mm. All will be outdoors. Thanks for reading. Any advice is most appreciated.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

rs-eos — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 18:23:45 GMT

Double-check that you'll be capturing RAW. Although it may also be beneficial to capture RAW+JPEG in case images need to be supplied quickly for review.

If you have a circular polarizer for your lenses, that may be good to bring along as well.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

Tintype_18 — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 18:59:15 GMT

I can use both RAW and jpg. Good idea as I have found editing in PSE might take a while. I just got a new laptop and the transfer of data wiped out the folders had on PSE.😫 Got the info to start again. Have the CPL, too. Need to practice with it. Used it for photos of a fish hatchery to cut the glare. Worked good. Thanks for your help.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

Tronhard — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 19:25:17 GMT

Take several cards in case you have a failure or actually do fill one up - better too many than too few images.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

ebiggs1 — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:00:56 GMT

"Take several cards in case you have a failure or actually do fill one up - better too many than too few images."

I've done this type work a thousand times. I like this advice but a little further explanation is change SD cards even though it is not full. I generally have a round 6 CF cards when I do these shoots. In others words spread the risk.

There is no coming back with a sorry excuse if you missed that shot because.............fill in the blank. You will never get asked again and word will get around that you can't be trusted to do a good through job. Redundancy is the name of the game. Several SD cards, several batteries and yes dups in lenses and cameras. I can proudly say I never lost a shoot in my 40+ years of doing this work. Lost images, yes, but never a washout and you will too if you do them many, many times.

"that you'll be capturing RAW. Although it may also be beneficial to capture RAW+JPEG in case images"

Absolutely shoot Raw but jpg as a rule are not necessary or ever needed. However, in your case since the T7 has only one SD card, Raw+jpg could be an extra safety measure. Again although, unlikely to ever be needed since a corrupted SD will lose both the Raw and the jjg. My 1 Series has two memory cards so I save a Raw to each one.

Redundancy, it's the name of safety. Good luck.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

ebiggs1 — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:03:17 GMT

" I plan on experimenting more with my camera to make sure I know what and how to handle certain situations."

You mean "before" the shoot? Never, never, ever try new stuff on a job or an important shoot. Stick with what you know.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

ebiggs1 — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:11:07 GMT

"I can use both RAW and jpg. Good idea as I have found editing in PSE might take a while."

It is a rotten idea if you think editing the jpg is better because it might be faster. The thought of shooting Raw+jpg only makes sense in the case the Raw file got corrupted and you have the jpg as a backup. Look its your shoot you can do whatever the heck you want makes no difference to me but if I were you my best would be the only thing I would consider. There are lots of guys that offer, well, let's say "good enough" photos to be kind. Is that you?

Are you in that group?

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

rs-eos — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:47:34 GMT

Yea, should have clarified when I added that advice for RAW+JPEG. I didn't mean in regards of faster editing. It was in regarding to being able to quickly hand off images for any review process. i.e. you can just gather up those JPEG images right after the shoot and upload them.

Any later edits should definitely be done on the RAW images.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

Tintype_18 — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 16:23:34 GMT

Trying to make a combined reply here. I take extra charged batteries and have three memory cards in the backpack. I shoot both as if I'm pressed for time, I can tweak a jpg real quick like a bunny. I also have PSE 2021 but I'm having to go back and reload the files is had before I got a new laptop. I'm aware that PSE would give the best for editing and give the best final photo. Lost a bunch of other things including a PP that I spent a lot of time to assemble.😫 The shoot isn't until April 29th so I have some time.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

ebiggs1 — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 17:39:44 GMT

I really don't understand a lot of what you just replied. I often take my laptop to shoots. Actually most of them. Sometimes it is tethered to my camera so I see the images immediately. Look, once again, it's your shoot you do as you see fit but for myself I give my best on every shoot or I don't do it at all. If people put enough faith in me to trust me to do their event, I think they deserve my best effort and nothing less. That is redundant backups, several memory cards, batteries, gear, etc., whatever. Plus a full data Raw image that I will personally edit one photo at a time.

BTW, nobody ever sees the less than the best "bad" ones!

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

Tintype_18 — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 18:54:15 GMT

Do you review the photos on the laptop during or after the shoot? Interesting idea. How do you tether them? I'm guessing a cable fo some sort. Never done it...yet.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

ebiggs1 — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 19:17:33 GMT

I use Lightroom. I don’t know if PSE does tethered connections. It depends on the type shoot I am doing. On Senior posters I do immediately so the students can approve or ask for a retake. All jobs are different so it depends on each one.

Re: Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

amfoto1 — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 22:38:10 GMT

I Googled to find out more about the event you'll be photographing and only found a Blue Ridge Trout Festival and Outdoor Adventures happening on April 29. I assume that's what you're referring to...

It appears there are a lot of things planned for that day:

Fishing
River Sports (?)
Food
Wildlife art
Outfitter gear
Guide services/information
Activity Zone for kids
Live music and dance
Climbing wall
Mountain bike demos
Lawton’s Portable Trout Pond
Long-saw crosscutting
Axe throwing
Gem mining and more!

I don't know what you plan to shoot or how many images you might take... I photograph sporting events and get about 460 RAW files or 1500 JPEGs or about 350 RAW + JPEG per 16GB of memory. Your camera probably gets about 20% little less (it's 24MP, mine are 20MP cameras). I often fill a number of memory cards (using a mix of 16GB and 32GB), rarely come home with less than 1500 images and often have 3000, 4000 or more.

So I'd recommend taking extra memory cards... and extra batteries! Take many extra shots, because you won't have opportunity to retake anything you miss!

Of your three lenses, I'd probably use the EF 28-135mm the most or at least as much as possible. It's a decent lens and a pretty good range of focal lengths even on an APS-C camera. I am not a fan of the EF 75-300mm III (no IS, slow micro motor focusing, unimpressive optics/soft at the long end of the zoom). The 18-55mm might be useful to have in case a wider view is needed for some shots. (I use the Canon EF-S 10-22mm and EF 20mm f/2.8.)

I often have used flash... especially outdoors, midday when shadows can be a real problem.

Two examples shot with EF 28-135mm and Canon 550EX or 580EX flash on APS-C format cameras (like yours)...

A couple shots using EF 28-135mm without flash, with enlarged details...

With USM focus drive the 28-135mm also is fast focusing, capable of keeping up with fast moving subjects (suggest using AI Servo, center AF point only, and back button focusing)...

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2), EOS M5, some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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