Most event photography at this point puts the amateur at a big disadvantage. Whether it be sports, graduations, concerts, etc. The name of the game is location, location, location. Basically the contracted pro gets the good location and everyone else gets the crappy locations.
I have been on both sides - being the pro, there is an expectation and quite commonly a monetary arrangement with the event coordinators which puts the pro at a major advantage. A recent gymnastics event I shot allowed me to roam the floor during the events. I just couldn't get in the way of the judges. This allowed me to shoot with a 16-50 lens the entire time. The spectators had to stay in the stands (more or less) and could not get the angles that I could. Because of the lack of location, you probably also saw and experienced the battling for what few positions might be available as the 'loved one' came for the diploma - sort of a running of the bulls - so to speak. I never volunteer to take event type photos unless I am the working pro for the event. The likelihood for failure is quite high. The best approach here is to tell her to buy the shot from the pro and deal with the after shots as you did. -- Best regards, Bruce Sunday, June 13, 2010, 11:52:47 PM, you wrote: LC> Months ago, a friend sent me a note asking what I'd charge to photograph her graduation. LC> I'm really glad that I didn't ask for any money. Her graduation LC> was today, and while I got some good shots afterwards, I am not at LC> all happy of any of the ones that I got of her getting her scroll. LC> Since I knew that I'd be throwing a party last night, I arranged LC> to have a friend of hers get there early and reserve good spots. LC> As it turns out, I got there only a few minutes later, and got LC> what seemed to be an ideal spot. I was at the back of the aisle LC> on the lawn where I could set up my tripod. At full extension of LC> the bigma, a standing person was about the height of the frame in landscape mode. LC> The first problem was the canopy. The poles were guaranteed to LC> interfere with just about any shot. The lighting could have been LC> worse, they could have been under a tent in moonlight, rather than LC> sunlight, but the ratio of light on the people to light on the LC> hill in the background made things rather challenging. LC> Then there was the audience. Brandi graduated from Hay U LC> (CSUEB), and it gets pretty warm in Hayward this time of year. So LC> smart people in the audience brought umbrellas which served two LC> purposes, provide shade for themselves, and block the view of LC> anyone behind them. But I didn't mind the umbrellas nearly so much as the mylar balloons. LC> Fortunately, they had a couple groups go before Brandi, she was LC> getting a bachelor's and the graduate programs went first. I LC> realized that my spot was going to be well nigh useless. As a LC> matter of fact, I had handed my K-x and monopod to her friend LC> Justin to get video of her, and between the umbrellas, balloons LC> and everyone in the audience standing up to see over the umbrellas LC> and balloons, he wasn't even able to see her. LC> I had found a spot 90 degrees from my original spot. I had more LC> or less a straight on shot of the podiums, and the people walking, LC> except for the poles that is. So apart from the fact that I LC> couldn't really see the people in line very well, because of the LC> tent poles, and was having trouble focusing the bigma on people in LC> the shade when I was in the sun (thank Ghu for the katzeye), the LC> order that people got their degrees was totally random. LC> Fortunately, the person I thought was Brandi was indeed her, and I LC> did manage to get some photos that were recognizably her, on what LC> was recognizably the graduation stage, but that's about the best LC> that I can say about those shots. There was, also a professional LC> photographer, with a flash, up on the stage, so she'll probably LC> get at least one clear one of herself getting the scroll. LC> At least some of the post ceremony shots came out decent, so it LC> won't be a complete embarrassment. Lesson, learned, shooting a LC> graduation from the audience doesn't look like a situation that is overflowing with win. LC> -- LC> Larry Colen [email protected] sent from i4est -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
