I had an idea for a shoot that I wanted to do, so with a little help from ebay (head piece and necklace) and a ceiling lamp fixture, I was ready to go. I enlisted the help of a model, Megan (aka Lysandra Midnight), who was more than eager to participate.   During my last wedding shoot, my 580ex II bit the bullet. I would have sent it in for repair but I did some super glue repair and figured that CPS wouldn’t work on it. That being said, I bought a new Canon 600EX-RT as a replacement and used it to light up the globe and my model. I then added two White-Lightnings with grids on either side of her head to add a bit of light on the head-scarf and shoulders.

In post-processing I changed the white balance to add a bit of warmth. I added a moon shot I did a while back and masked around the model to allow the moon & clouds to come through. This is pretty much a “work in progress” as I’m sure I’ll create a few variants of this particular shot.

This weekend I shot a photo session for a number of models from the Dy’Vers Colour Promotions group.

The session started in the Mt. Hope Cemetery then moved to Warner Castle’s sunken garden. These ladies were just a subset of the models available and I’ve selected only a few images to represent the session.

Enjoy.

To see more of these models               ==> CLICK HERE

Sometimes upgrading equipment is more than just hardware. Like a kid with a new toy I couldn’t wait for that battery to charge so I could investigate the workings of my new 5D Mk III. While waiting, I went through the manual to get a feel of the camera and to learn the differences between my old gear and this new 5D version.

First the menu is a bit different than the previous 5D models, with certain settings that I would prefer to be grouped together scattered across the tabs. From what I gathered, I believe there’s a way to build a custom menu that I’ll have to delve into.

OK so without waiting for the battery to fully charge, I slapped on my 24-105, inserted the partially charged battery, focused on a totally boring subject and pressed the shutter button; I really wasn’t ready for the sloppy sounding shutter. My 5D is crisp, sure and solid while the Mk III sounds like someone wearing flip-flops. I imaging I’ll learn to embrace and eventually love the new sound. Not.

Now that I took a few shots I quickly copied the raw files to my PC and what to my surprise, neither lightroom 3.6 or ARC 6.6 could read the files. This was like deja vu and brought me back to the day I tried to get the raw file from my 5D to open in Photoshop CS2. Needless to say I had to upgrade to CS5 but the good news was that the Adobe DNG converter allowed me to convert my 5D CR2 files to DNG so I didn’t have to hurry to upgrade; but I digress.

I went online and found Adobe’s ACR 6.7 and DNG Converter 6.7 release candidate (beta). After installing both I was able to open the Mk III raw file in Adobe Bridge w/ ACR 6.7(RC1) and now convert the same raw files to DNG for use with Lightroom 3.6.  Lightroom however doesn’t seem to be able to use the beta version of ACR 6.7 so all files need to be converted to DNG or upgrade to Lightroom 4.0. BTW,  Lightroom 4.0 beta will read the new files but since the beta expires at the end of this month, I’ll either have to purchase the upgrade or hope that Adobe will provide a compatible ACR version.

Another software compatibility issue was that the EOS Digital Solution Disk that comes with the Mk III does not work with Windows XP Pro-64-bit version. You might ask why I haven’t upgraded to Windows 7… cause if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I will however have to upgrade soon since Windows 8 is coming out and from all the reports I’ve heard from people who have development versions of it, it sucks. Remember Vista? you’ll look back on it with fondness.

Well I guess I’ll end this post and continue investigating my new camera. After a week or so, I’ll probably put my 5D up for sale. Gotta help pay for this new bad boy.

I had an idea a while ago to shoot something with a checkerboard pattern. After finding the right backdrop and body suit as well as a willing model, I was ready to go. I definitely like the results and have already come up with some additions and modifications to expand and fine tune the concept.

I’ve attached 3 photos to this article and hope that you find them interesting. I can’t wait to implement my other ideas during my next checkered photo session.

Hope you enjoy the photos  and as always, comments are welcome.

It’s happened once before but never in the middle of a wedding; the dreaded camera crash. I pressed the shutter, heard the familiar sound of the mirror slap and the sight of the viewfinder going dark; trouble is, the viewfinder stayed dark. Not being too alarmed I turned off the camera and removed the battery in an attempt to reset it. I turned the camera back on and nothing, the viewfinder stayed dark. Ok, now it’s time to worry.

I decided to remove the lens and to my horror, pieces of my mirror fell out. I quickly recovered my composure, grabbed my backup, which is always ready to go, but because it’s a crop factor camera I had to use my 17-40mm to accommodate the tight quarters I was shooting in. The rest of the New Year’s Eve wedding shoot continued without incident.

I had another wedding in two weeks so it was imperative that I get my camera repaired. Since I was a CPS (Canon Professional Services) Gold member, I filled out the repair form and called to arrange the repair. Canon provides free overnight shipping and insurance. The camera went out on Tuesday and on Thursday I got an email from Canon telling me they received the camera. Monday the FedEx truck showed up at my door with my repaired camera. Do you remember Christmas morning when you were a kid? I couldn’t wait to try out the camera. Trouble is, it was winter, the box was cold and the house was warm. I had to wait a couple of hours for the box and camera to acclimate before trying it out.

When I finally opened the box and checked out the repair ticket, I discovered they not only replaced the mirror, they also changed the focus screen, updated the firmware, and gave the system a good cleaning. The very next day I used it for a scheduled studio session.

Moral of the story? Always have a backup and if you own a Canon, join CPS. If you’re a Nikonian there’s NPS. Nuf said.