Creative and business resources for photographers – ProPhotoNut

5:41pm, Sep 2nd: julie moult on Mono magic ~ Urban Portrait workshop pictures of Stina

“Many many thanks for a great day Damien :)”

6:27am, Sep 2nd: Benny Ottosson on Mono magic ~ Urban Portrait workshop pictures of Stina

“Nice pics Damien. Inspiring as always.”

5:49am, Sep 2nd: Richie on Mono magic ~ Urban Portrait workshop pictures of Stina

“Damien - I like them all but I'm loving #6! For #6, did you use any modifiers on the key or kick? Richie”

9:19pm, Sep 1st: Lightwriter on Canon 10D ir – Pros & Cons

“Hello Damien, I'm sorry but I think I do not quite understand what you mean. You wrote in an earlier post: "...When I wrote the book, Lightroom was not even useable, ... Now that Lightroom is stable and well structured, a Jpeg workflow is not a contender..." My question is, is working in RAW and IR now compatible or isn't it compatible? I work with Lightroom 2.7 an PSE 7.0. Another question. I might have missed it but could yoy tell me why (or why not) I should choose a particular 665nm or 720nm conversion? Can you do more/less with one or the other? If so what would that be? Sincerely Jan”

11:53pm, Aug 31st: plevyadophy on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Medium format and primes at weddings =============================== Sorry, but can I digress a wee bit. I note your comments on using, for a number years, a Hassy with Phase One back coupled with a number of primes. What aroused my curiousity was whether or not you were shooting weddings with that combo? And if so how did that work? Was it like Julie doing the main shooting and you doing the posed and detail shots? But, on the other hand, if you were covering the entire wedding with that Hassy gear, what was your methodology? I mean, what was your approach to covering an entire wedding with a pretty slow (in responsivenes terms) camera? The reason I ask that I recently attended a wedding as a guest-cum-photog and was using a pretty slow kit (manual focus, and no focus confirmation) but even though I wasn't the official photog I still wanted to come away with a few nice shots. My mental approach was to say to myself "SLOW DOWN, this is no Nikon D3; don't worry about those shots you miss, just concentrate on those shots you can get; and most importantly, no-one is constantly moving so look for shots where people are momentarily stationary (or if moving, moving whilst standing or seated in one spot)" So that then was my approach. Hard work, and stressful but it kinda worked (I need lots more practise though). Now I guess, if one decided to shoot all primes for a wedding on a more responsive camera like the Canon 5D series, one would still have a similar problem in that one can't be as quick because one would either be to close or too far from the subject or in the process of changing a lens. That's just my thinking on the matter, and I would be grateful for your thoughts, words of wisdom, on the subject. Thanks in advance. Warm regards, plevyadophy”

4:33pm, Aug 31st: plevyadophy on Fashion Fusion 2 ~ pictures and techniques

“Hi Damien Light Ouput ========= Firstly, I hope you had a good Bank Holiday weekend? Secondly, thanks for the VERY prompt and VERY useful response (more useful than the info I found on the Lupo site!). With your info, I can now work out the Guide Number (something that is far more useful than that silly Watts nonsesne; sorry for going on about it, but it really winds me up when manufacturers (whether audio, visual, or motoring) spout meaningless figures (but obviously meaningful to the marketing suits!). You mention the use of Lux. It's not a measure that I find most useful as it involves jumping through too many hoops to get to where you should be (Lumens, or GN) but at least it is actually a measure of light oujtput unlike watts. As for coming down to your studio to try out the Lupo ........... no way no how!!! Not wtih my current financial situation ................ coz I just know I will fall in love with it and end up on CrimeWatch after having robbed your local Post Office to pay for those lovely lights!! :-) But I have added the Lupo light/s to my wish list. Thanks again, Warm regards, And keep up the excellent work. P.S. Gordon McGowan, a photographer I admire, is absolutely smitten by your beauty and fashion work, and I can see why from your last few blog posts; your stuff is gorgeous.”

3:49pm, Aug 31st: Lightwriter on Canon 10D ir – Pros & Cons

“Thank you Damien, For the informative articles on IR photography. I am going to convert my very old 10D into a dedicated IR camera. The only thing that bothers me is that I will have relearn working in PS. Sincerely Jan”

3:18pm, Aug 31st: Andy Baines on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“H Damien, TBH , its nothing that lots of us and others have bounced between and at one point I shot a couple of weddings soley with a 50mm prime, bloody hard work but all pin sharp BUT I wouldn't go back to using just primes certainly with weddings , for the versatility its got to be zooms all be it a decent one and to re iterate, sharp is sharp and client sharp and out sharp can be vastly different too. I do use my prines in the studio lots more and at gigs but even so, the 2.8 70-200 on the D700 is a tough combi to match. Its of coure all personal preferences and there's no wrong or right answer here , just whatever works best for us as individuals. Its the results that count not how you get them :)”

2:12pm, Aug 31st: Richard Barley on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“I used a 24mm and a 50mm lens for about severn years and loved them. I only bought zoom lenses / canon 24-105 and 70-200 f4 when I started photographing weddings as you sometimes have no control over how close you can stand to the subject. I am a convert to zoom lenses from prime lenses. The 100mm macro IS sounds great though and I think I might get one for next year. As you say the L series prime lenses are great but you need to stop down to F2 / F2.8 before they show their quality and value. I use the 70-200 at F4 all the time and am very happy with the quality. The 50mm 1.8 is plastic and fragile but I highly recommend it (just buy a spare one) Richard Barley”

12:47pm, Aug 31st: Jez Sullivan on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Great article. Im upgrading to an EOS 5Dmk 2 in the autumn from my warhorse 40D and although Im keeping my 70-200L. I can't use my trusty EF-S 17-55 F2.8 IS on a full frame body, so I was thinking about the 50mm 1.4, either a Zeiss or Canon. I tried an 85mm 1.2L and I agree, the bokeh effect does look somewhat artificial and that was a pretty heavy lens too.”

12:24pm, Aug 31st: Steve Ashton on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“WE changed from Canon to Nikon when the D3 was released mainly because of the 14-24 and 24-70 Nikkors. I loved my Canon fast primes but most of all the 50mm F1.2 and 35mm F1.4 Nikon had no fast primes worth considering at the time but I have grown to love the 14-24 so much. The new 70-200 is great and as a wedding shooter I do need zooms. The 105 mIcro is my perfect portrait lens for more considered shots. But the best lens I have EVER had is the Nikkor 200mm F2.0 simply amazing, The new 85 is on order and the 24mm F1.4 purchased and now sold. So the winner must be the 200mm F2.0 by a easy mile.”

9:53am, Aug 31st: Heinz Schmidt on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Hi Damien, I personally think the 50mm F1.2 and the 85mm F1.2 are like a pair of Bugatti Veyrons... beautiful, great performance, everyone wants one but does the 1.2 warrant the cost? I've been using the 50mm F1.4 and 85mm F1.8 for a while now and I rarely shoot either of them below F2.8. The depth of field is just not adequate at F1.2 and no fashion designer wants to see only 10% of their handmade garment in focus. The 50mm F1.4 is tack sharp, fast focussing and great at focussing in low light. That's all I need. I even find that I don't use the 85mm F1.8 wide open because, once again, I need the depth of field to keep my subject in focus from front to back. I've even bought a Depth of Field software application for my Blackberry that can calculate field depth when I set up my fashion shots. I say save the money, get the F1.4, F1.8 and even the 35mm F2.0 and spnd the thousands of pounds you save on hiring great makeup artists, stylists and models. Money well spent. My two pence... done. Chers Heinz”

8:43pm, Aug 30th: Richie Carter on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“P.S. I have a 5D Mark I and and 5D Mark II. I usually put the 85mm f/1.2L on the Mark I and the 35mm f/1.4L on the Mark II. The 16-35mm f/2.8L is usually in my pocket and comes out when needed! Richie”

8:40pm, Aug 30th: Richie Carter on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Damien - I first started out with the the 24-70mm f/2.8L and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. Then I added the 16-35mm f/2.8L mk11 to my kit. I loved the range that was covered here for weddings. Then I needed to do some 50+ head shots for a group of high school kids and knew that a prime could save me some editing time in LR and give consistent sizes. Rented a 85mm f/1.2L mk II and realized the POWER of primes! I know own the 85mm f/1.2L and 35mm f/1.4L primes. Don't think the 50mm is necessary with these two primes. Richie”

6:01pm, Aug 30th: Tibor on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Hi Damien, Here’s my experience with primes and please note that I am now in transition from a crop body (40D) to a full-frame one (5D Mk II). I had the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM for about a year and sold it, because I realized my EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM was sharper @50mm and the 50 f/1.4 also had some problems with AF so half my shots were focused differently that intended. The 50 f/1.4 was very very soft wide open and became sharper @ f/2.8 than but not as sharp as the 17-55 @ f/2.8. Also, it showed lots of CA when shooting metal objects with flash (i.e. hair pins). So, the 50mm f/1.4 was a real disappointment for me. A totally different story with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, I love this lens. Sharp even wide open and razor sharp @ f/2.2. The only problem this lens exhibits is strong CA in contrast scenes. Also, the hood for this lens is of a snap-on type, so a bit fiddly I would say. Owning a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM UWA zoom lens and a Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM standard zoom lens with my 40D crop body for about 3 years I realized I was mostly using the 17-55 at certain focal lengths (mostly 20mm, 28mm and 55mm) and hardly ever used the 10-22, so moving now to a FF body I have decided to go mainly with primes. The reason being I love shooting with the EF 85 f/1.8 @f/2 – f/2.2 so much I would like that also on a wide angle and a standard focal length lens. So, about two weeks ago I sold both EF-S zooms (the 10-22 and the 17-55) and bought the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L II USM lens. I love this lens on a crop body and hope to love it even more on a FF one. It is sharper wide open that my 17-55 was @24mm @f/2.8. Heavy vignetting up to about f/2, though. My plan for the near future: a 5D Mk II body and probably an EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM lens. I’ll keep my EF 70-200 f/4 L IS USM zoom (very light and small, sharp @f/4, great IS) and I’ll probably wait for Mark II version of the EF 35 f/1.4 L USM until next spring, hoping that Canon will add the full rounded aperture blades and the SWC coatings to it (like it did with the Mk II version of a 24mm). My lens line-up now: 24mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8 and 70-200 for the 135mm and 200mm focal lengths. Will add in the future: 50mm f/1.2 and 35mm f/1.4. Best, Tibor”

11:56am, Aug 30th: martin on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“I never really got on with the Canon 50mm f/1.4 there was just something about the way it rendered an image that I didn't like. I wish I still had my Leica 50mm Summicron R and would use it with an adapter. That was a great lens. When the Canon 50 was stolen I didn't replace it. Your fisheye is getting some good use. I guess I might use it every fourth or fifth location shoot. I don't like the cliche 'fisheye look' but it's fun to hoist it on a pole over a full dance floor, or for a figure in the landscape portrait if the situation is right. First image on my latest blog post was shot with it. http://bit.ly/chfUJo Client loved it :) Martin”

1:48am, Aug 30th: damien on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Hi Andy, Well said, your thoughts are very welcome and refreshingly honest. I have to say, if I was still shooting weddings or events it would be zooms all the way. You are spot on about a sharp shot is a sharp shot too. I think my main advantage with primes is the ability to get sharp shots at f/2.8 rather than having to go to f/4 as I did with my zooms. Kind regards, Damien”

1:43am, Aug 30th: damien on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Hi Steve, I shoot my groups on tight lenses. I love the 100mm for groups :) I have to go way back but the shots are fabulous. For interior groups I suggest nothing wider than 24mm or you will be stretching the people on the edges. I'll be shooting my last wedding big group inside on my 21mm if it rains in Cambridge on Saturday. But I'll be really careful to leave the edges clear of people. Cheers, Damien.”

1:39am, Aug 30th: damien on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Hi Sean, I thought about 24mm and I opted for 35mm for now. I'll probably end up with the 50mm f/1.4 instead of the bulky 50mm f/1.2 if the f/1.4 is as good at f/2 as I keep reading about. I had the 15mm f/2.8 fisheye but gave it to a friend as I wasn't using it. I hate wasting a resource. I like your list. Cheers, Damien.”

1:35am, Aug 30th: damien on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Hi Leo, My 50mm f/1.2 is free from vignetting at f/2 and f/2.8 too plus it's very sharp indeed at those apertures. You will end up with the same lenses as me :) Cheers, Damien.”

1:33am, Aug 30th: damien on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Thanks Fizmoo, What is obvious here is we all have different needs and wants. I wanted to love the 135 but in the end settled with the 100. Cheers, Damien.”

1:31am, Aug 30th: damien on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Thanks Jon, I'll eventually find out what 50mm is right for me. If I wanted an 85mm I'd definitely get an f/1.8 too. A great lens at a fraction of the weight and bulk of the f/1.2 and as you say faster to focus too. But I love my 100mm and with that lens I have no need for an 85mm. Cheers, Damien.”

1:28am, Aug 30th: damien on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“Hi Thorsten, Sell the 135 and get the 100 :)) I did! It's hard to put a finger on exactly why we like primes. Perhaps its like a manual car over an auto? Seems like harder work but more satisfying at the same time. Cheers, Damien.”

1:25am, Aug 30th: damien on Carl Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 compared to Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L MK2

“Thanks Pratyush, You may be interested to read my latest post about zooms V primes. Cheers, Damien.”

1:22am, Aug 30th: damien on Fashion Fusion 2 ~ pictures and techniques

“Hi Plevyadophy, A useful indication of light output for some people is not so useful to others. In the film and TV industry a lamp is usually rated by it's wattage. I'm used to lighting scenes to a light level. I often shoot at 900 lux for instance which gives me ISO 800, 1/60th at f/4. When working with a white balance of 3200k, an Arri 300 can give me that level at 3m from lamp to subject on full flood. The Lupo can do the same with a full orange gel at 4m on full flood. I'd normally use the Lupo in a 5600k situation and it can give twice the light output without a CTO gel so expect to use it at 5m for 900 lux on full flood (50 degrees of even illumination). Obviously on full spot things get a lot brighter in the centre and the position of the flood/ spot dial is infinitely variable hence no fixed value of light output can be given. I have a demo Lupo 800 here at the studio if you want to give it a try. You need to see it in action to really asses it's characteristics. I hope this helps, Kindest regards, Damien.”

1:01am, Aug 30th: damien on Colourful studio portraits ~ Techniques and Pictures

“Hi Chris, It could do but the trick to chroma key is even lighting. I'd use more than one light to light a chromakey background for people pictures. Green is used because there is little green in skin ;) Other colours work too. All you need is a single colour to create a clipping path. Kind regards, Damien.”

12:59am, Aug 30th: damien on Fashion Fusion 2 ~ pictures and techniques

“Thanks Marc and Will. Marc, the energy is part of the process. If at the end of a shoot I'm not knackered I've not put in 100%. Cheers, Damien.”

12:56am, Aug 30th: damien on Fashion Fusion 2 ~ pictures and techniques

“Hi Chloe, Always gorgeous results with you in front of my lens. Cheers, Damien x”

12:55am, Aug 30th: damien on Fashion Fusion 2 ~ pictures and techniques

“Thanks Miklós, The Lupo 800 is perfect for environmental portraiture and interiors during daylight hours. Point it into a reflector to create a soft light or use it direct as a hard light. I hope this helps, Damien.”

12:53am, Aug 30th: Andy H on From Canon Zooms to Primes ~ A guide

“I don't own primes and to be honest I won't. Why? Because unless you have 3-4 camera bodies your forever changing lenses plus i think the prices are a joke for what is a lens that give less flexibility. I'll stick to my zooms for wedding, portrait and events work, more flexible and less lens changing :-) Every one seems to be jumping on the prime bandwagon these days I think it's trend alot of the "rock star" (read very famous) photographers are starting could be that there maybe sponsorship deals from the main manufacturers behind half of it ?(this is in no way aimed at you Damien BTW i find your site and articles interesting and educational :-) ) Another thing maybe every one here has more sophisticated clients than myself but to be honest if I cannot tell the difference I will not be worrying about my clients, a sharp image is a sharp image from a zoom or whatever else. Just my personal thoughts of course .”

12:52am, Aug 30th: damien on Fashion Fusion 2 ~ pictures and techniques

“Thanks Greg.”

12:52am, Aug 30th: damien on Vintage Cherish The Dress 2 ~ Pictures and Techniques

“Thanks Jenni, We had some fun and I love your pictures. Kindest regards, Damien.”

12:50am, Aug 30th: damien on Fashion Fusion 2 ~ pictures and techniques

“Thanks Benny, Chris and Graham, Graham, My latest post answers your question re zooms, in fact your question inspired the post. I've got just one last wedding to shoot on Saturday in Cambridge and I'll gladly be shooting primes while Julie covers the action on zooms. I'm glad you are still going strong. Feel free to pop by, ask some questions and buy me a pint - Haha. Kindest regards, damien.”

12:46am, Aug 30th: damien on Inspiration for my upcoming heART of portraiture shoot

“Thanks Benny, Chloe and I will pull something special out of the bag for this one. Kindest regards, Damien.”

12:45am, Aug 30th: damien on Speedlight Mastery Manchester ~ pictures on the edge

“Thanks Tara, I hope you are well. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Damien”

12:44am, Aug 30th: damien on 3

“Hi Diego, Set your lens to 24mm and zoom your flash to 105mm and give it a go. Cheers, Damien.”

12:43am, Aug 30th: damien on Studio lighting workshop pictures ~ Chloe Jasmine

“Thanks Tobiah, I appreciate your comments. Cheers, Damien.”

12:42am, Aug 30th: damien on Speedlight Mastery Manchester ~ pictures on the edge

“Gwyn, Your pictures shone too. I stole at least one of your ideas and I always do. You are a joy to shoot with. Chloe and I love your warmth and company. Welcome to top flight professional photography. Make it happen. Kind regards and professional respect, Damien.”

12:39am, Aug 30th: damien on Vintage Cherish The Dress 2 ~ Pictures and Techniques

“Hi Rufat, Thank you for your kind words. I'll be seeking out new locations for this workshop in the Spring. I hope you can join us then. Cheers, Damien.”

12:37am, Aug 30th: damien on Vintage Cherish The Dress 2 ~ Pictures and Techniques

“Thanks Chris and Derek, The lens may be special but Chloe, Jenny and the team created the perfect subjects. Kind regards, Damien.”