NinjaKour Event Shot

JustJazzie

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This is a mix of some shots from the gym yesterday of my 3+ star shots. I am not really looking for individual image critique, more of the set as a whole and what I can do to improve overall if I do this again.

Below is a link to the full set I am currently planning on delivering. If anyone's bored and wants to take a peek:
LifeKour Academy

Recap:
I underestimated the chaos, and how VERY LOW the light was in there.

Due to gear+timeframe limitations, speed light was stuck on camera with a 5x7 softbox attached.
shot with my 28-105 3.5-4.5 afd

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What I see is that your flash did not fire for every shot.

#4 is my pick of the bunch, even though I see the effect of the "pre flash". It doesn't hurt the overall image, though.

#3 needs some fill flash.

What was your flash setting?
 
What I see is that your flash did not fire for every shot.

#4 is my pick of the bunch, even though I see the effect of the "pre flash". It doesn't hurt the overall image, though.

#3 needs some fill flash.

What was your flash setting?

Yeah, thats how I felt. I have no idea why though. I just had it on TTL. Its seemed to work pretty decent in the past, but I haven't used this flash in a while. Once in a while I would try to bump exposure comp to make it flash higher, but then it would crazy over expose. Maybe its because its a cheep flash? Though I have heard really good things about the Neewer flashes.

TBH We had agreed on a (very small) hourly fee for me to shoot and edit these, but I am torn on weather or not to accept. On the one hand, I STILL put 8 hours of work into these images, and they still look better than any of the social media posts they have up currently, on the other hand- I am not terribly excited about them. So I am at an impasse on how I will choose to proceed.
 
...TBH We had agreed on a (very small) hourly fee for me to shoot and edit these, but I am torn on weather or not to accept. On the one hand, I STILL put 8 hours of work into these images, and they still look better than any of the social media posts they have up currently, on the other hand- I am not terribly excited about them. So I am at an impasse on how I will choose to proceed.
I think you provided a solid product for the client. Could they have been better? Of course; they can always be better, but as you said, these are better than anything they have now.

As far as the pay goes, what I would do is accept the payment, but say to the client, "There were a couple of things I wasn't completely happy with, and c couple of ideas I'd like to try. How about if I come back at some point in the future and shoot a few more? I'll share those with you at no cost." This gives you an out to do as much, or as little work as you feel necessary, it gives you free practice, and lets the client feel like they're getting a bonus, WITHOUT you coming off as an amateur.
 
@tirediron, I cant thank you enough! That is a wonderful way to handle the situation and exactly what I needed to hear.
 
And, if/when you do go back, do some reading on 'rear curtain sync' and other "slow" flash techniques. I think with a little trial & error you could get some pretty cool images here.
 
@tirediron I will do that for sure! I also need to focus more on getting to know where the good "light pockets" are. Unfortunately, it seems like the better lit areas don't coincide with the action areas. Ah well, shoot and learn I guess.
 
Below is a link to the full set I am currently planning on delivering. If anyone's bored and wants to take a peek:
LifeKour Academy
 
I think you did very well. There are some really cute shots in that group.

About the flash; I don't think you should make adjustments to the flash without using a flash meter, which takes too much time and adds complexity. If it is not performing i-TTL as you need, test it out in detail or try a different unit.

About the fee; Since you agreed to a payment, go ahead and accept it. You've earned it, and as you said, these photos are better than they had been getting. I wouldn't put much more time into it, though.

About the future; do they do this on a regular basis, and will they do it again fairly soon? If so, then you owe it to yourself to study up on it, perhaps practice more, and do better next time.

Meanwhile, toss out the "iffy" ones, and give your client your best work. Remember; your client probably does not know how to evaluate your photographs, and all they know is that they're better than before. Just keep getting better yourself. There are plenty of photographers out there who can't do this well but who are charging full price anyway.
 
One more thing: If this is working into a business for you, don't hold back on buying good equipment. Get the best, and deduct the gear from your income tax liability. If you don't currently have a tax advisor, get one, or learn tax law soon.

My first Speedlight cost quite a bit, and I'm not trying to claim the expense, so if you're building a business, get a better set of tools.

You might also begin training one of your boys to hold/aim a flash on a pole. Fire the flash with a RF transceiver pair. This will not be an easy task, depending on the maturity level and attention span of your son, but if it works out, you're golden. I have a fairly long aluminum pole and a flash spigot on the end. A small diffuser or parabolic umbrella won't add much to the weight. If your child cannot handle it, find some adult willing to learn how to do it.

Good luck!
 
@Designer I really appreciate all of your time and feedback! Upgrading my flash will definitely be on the list for the future. I've always done things where I have time to meter and set up proper lights- so its the first time the flash and time has been a real limitation to me. TBH, I have never been interested in shooting events, because I have never been great in high pressure situations- I suppose I accepted this gig as an opportunity for personal growth. (And since the stakes were low) I said I would also do their Christmas party in December. (Assumming they are happy with these) I am not sure how complicated this is going to get though, as I also applied for a position in their office- which is how this opportunity came up. When I was in applying, She mentioned social media being part of the job and then was like "Oh yea! Can we also hire you for these 2 events" "Sure. I can handle that"....
 
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Low light and action kids is tough. I looked thru your set and I think the parents will be very happy. You captured in the moment shots and smiles.
 
I said I would also do their Christmas party in December.
Some events call for a "photo booth" in addition to the walk-around. Think about it.
 
Out of this set, number four of the little girl in the yellow top and blue shorts is simply outstanding .What a great shot!

I looked at your full set over on pixieset.com, and it was much better than I had thought based upon what you said about it. I think you are grading yourself too hard. These don't look that bad, much better than many people would be able to get. What I like about shot number four above is that it looks like you were panning the camera as you tripped the shutter. The shutter speed was slow enough that you got a very slight bit of background blurring, which does a quite bit in terms of getting a little bit of motion blur, which conveys movement, and makes the shot look dynamic. On 6 or more of the shots you have absolutely great expression on the pixieset examples. Overall I think you did a pretty good job, much better than I had anticipated, but you are a pretty strict grader and hold yourself to a very high standard.

I think you can determine what it is that you need to improve upon based upon your own look at your raw take and based upon how happy you were with various aspects of the event I think you might experiment with shooting flash plus really high ISO , such as ISO 3200 plus Flash.
 
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