Linda K

Awesome captures

did they do any correction themselves to the prints before they printed? Opening a couple of the images in PS and using the eyedropper on the white areas in the Collie and Poodle shots, there are no areas that jump out as being out of what you would expect for white range, nor are the CMYK values too much out (most 11 / 10 / 11 or similar, not too much disparity there) so it is definitely at the printing end, not the file end where this colour cast is coming in. I would suggest definitely try somewhere else, as those type of cheap jobs at the places mentioned are more set up for mass production images and are probably like getting films done used to be, a lucky dip on how they are processed - somewhere like the link above you will get a better result.

congrats on that, and hope you are getting $$ compensation for them using your images too

would love to see it at a different time of day - generally for landscapes, the golden hours are best - dawn and twilgiht, and the half hours before and after the sun has risen ans et - lots of softer lighting, not as much differences with harsh shadows etc. Definitely go with the tripod, as then you can go out to about F16 or so, and not have to worry about hand shake, and if your camera has it, set it for timer release on the shutter - otherwise even with a tripod, just the action of pushing a button can make a slight shake, by there being a delay between you pushing the button, and it taking the picture, you avoid this. Move around too - I have done landscape classes, where our tutor had us exhaust all the opportunities for a spot (use different focal lengths on the camera, play with different apertures, but also change height - a lot of people will typically take shots just standing, and take it at their normal height - get down low, get up higher, lie down on the ground etc - you will be amazed ho different it can look just doing this, Also don;t be afraid to try a different spot - sometimes even just moving slightly left or right can make things look different.

Yes I did mean grey card not grey car, damn fat fingers!!!! when using the grey card (and getting one that has the bits which are black, white and grey on it, not just one that is grey), you can take a picture of that, then go to the CWB (or custom white balance), area on your camera menu, use that image as the one the camera asks you for to use as its white balance indicator, and then away you go - the only trick is to check the histogram first once you have taken the shot of your target to make sure the black peak is on the far left (no clipping), the grey is in the middle, and the white is on the far right (again no clipping on the histogram - if you need to, adjust the exposure dial to compensate and shoot again until the peaks on the histogram are as desired. When you then open up the images in RAW when processing, you can use the grey card one as the starting point to ensure the WB is correct. For just ordinary shooting though, most cameras will be pretty accurate with auto (or AWB), on them for about 90% of what you are doing, it is moreso for serious work that I pull out my card, if I am just taking "snapshots", for myself and not a client job, I will just use AWB.

on the D90, I would be very reluctant to be going that high with the ISO - as far as Nikons go, I think really only the D3, D3X, and D700 would be capable of still giving nice crisp images at that high an ISO, I know even with Canon, the high ISO capability like that was only reached with the 5D, my old 10D would struggle with noise on anything higher than ISO 400. The colour is from the WB colour temp from the lights, and can be fixed in RAW converter. If you are doing nighttime shooting inside, then just light bulbs are not going to cut it as far as lighting goes,you will need a flash for the D90, and in that case, your shutter speed and aperture are limited by the sync speed with your camera, and what you want to have as far as depth of field goes. Myself the only time I would do shots inside without a flash at night would be like a birthday party, where I had a tripod and was using the birthday cake candles to light the shots, otherwise would be using a flash most definitely.

was also going to say the yellow or blue is due to the white balance - yellow is generally tungsten lights, blue fluorescent. You can counter this by making sure that the WB is either custom set, using a grey car, or shooting in RAW, and convert in software program like Aperture, Lightroom or Bridge/Photoshop. I generally prefer the natural light, as it is kinder, and more natural looking, and does not create harsh shadows and bright washout effect that flash can, nvermind the pet-eye you get. If you do not already have one, a great investment is the 50mm (either 1.4 or 1.8), as this will allow you to go wide open to make maximum benefit from any available light. A good guide too with the lens is to make sure you do not let the shutter speed drop below 1 / the length of the lens eg if you are using a 70-200 lens, keep the shutter speed above 1/250 sec. Windows are a great source of light, try to avoid direct light when shooting, so that this way you have a softer light source lighting the subject. The main key is to look to see if you have catchlights appearing in the eyes, as these stop the eyes looking dead black pools of darkness, and add a nice lively feel to the dog. If they are not appearing the way you have the dog facing, try turning the subject around until they do

would go with photoshop elelemts, and watch the editing though - some people new to this sort of stuff learn about saturating colours, and go way overboard, and end up with neon type colours - a light hand is generally best at this sort of stuff - just look at what Ruth does with her shots - she has a great example on her blog of a before and after with photoshop

also, you can use reflectors to get good catchlights into the eyes, and it does not have to actually be a reflector - natural reflectors such as concrete, tan bark etc can work in your favour. Direct sunlight is generally not something I like to use, an area that has even shade is good, or wait till later in the day, as has already been suggested, and turn the subject till you know you have pleasing light (ie avoid the dark pits for eyes)

Canon 5DII lens 50 F1.4II 24-70 F2.8L 17-35 F2.8L 135 F2L 85 F1.8 and just acquired Nikon D700 50 F1.4G looking to add a 100 or 135, and wide angle to this kit

wouldn't be in the place where you can also buy flat packed swedish furniture would it?

and having bought a camera form there, they will put a lower value on there for customs, so you will not pay any duty on it. Personally, for the 1.4, I would say no to all of the things, never had any issues with mine but it is not that dear that I couldn't replace it if it went bung, but if it was a $2000 lens, I probably would

when you say you are interested in people and landscapes, I gather you mean from a business point of view - don't forget you will also then need to invest in some glass to go with the body, you don't want to spend a great amount on a body, then not to be able to afford good glass to go onto it. I shoot with a 5DII, an have invested about $6000 in lens for that, on top of the body (which was $3800) - and shoot portraits, both people and pets for a living. but if I was just doing it as a hobby, would not go that expensive on the body, would think more a 50D

at the moment as they are just settling into, any old stock of Pets at Home products that they will not carry is reduced to move it on

fantastic, hope you are getting something great from them for that, bet you are floating a few inches above the ground

thanks BB, just hope for good weather now, I can't wait

very hard not to laugh at that guy, he is awesome!!!!!! (pity his poor wife though, he nearly knocked her down doing his stuff)

would also say the paper rolls, they are pretty cheap, and as Helen has said, you can tear off the bits that get dirty or damaged as you go.

with these shows, can one come along and just watch (as a spectator?) - not sure what the protocol is, so don't want to do the wrong thing, esp if I have my camera with me - just that this is literally 5 minutes from me

would also be making sure they coordinate their clothing, and dress appropriately for a portrait - no glaring logos on shirts or tops, avoid stripes, and not in WHITE - it just looks boring. Suggesting they stick to the same colour families or harmonising colours - eg say everyone wears blue jeans, and then neutrals for shirts like blues, browns - also get them to avoid red, as it is such a prominent colour, if only one person is wearing that, your eye will be drawn to them. Also watch hands and legs, esp womans - if they are sitting down if they are pressing their legs hard into the chair, it makes the thigh look fatter, and noone wants that, just get them to lift up the leg and lightly rest them of the chair or seat. Watch double chins too- lifting the chin up slightly will help with this, and if you can get slightly above, so they are looking up at you (I take a small step ladder for this), then that can give a flattering look. A good idea for some casual shots - no ideas of the ages you have, but say a game of chasey, or a bubble machine. Another cool look (esp if there are kids involved, but you will need a tripod) - get the adults to stand still, and the kids to run around them, in a circle, use a slower shutter speed, so you get the blur of the the kids around the adults. In groupings, remember that a triangle looks pleasing to the eye, so do not line them up in a straight line like a police lineup, but group them in a pyramid type arangement. In a group that big, I would probably also be going as small as F8, so make sure you watch the shutter speed does not get too low. Good luck!!!!

a lot going on so it is way too busy, and for me, another big giveaway is the flash washout, with the little pinpricks of light in the eyes from the flash, that just makes it look snap- shotty. Sorry, not sure if that was what you wanted to hear. A great thing to do with kids is to shoot at their level - get down on the ground and shoot across at them, instead of looking down, and position the subject nearer to a window - natural light is so much better than flash, if you must flash, then either bounce it or use it off camera. A wider aperture as well will help concentrate things on the subject and not giving equal focus and therefore priority to those things around it

Canon and Nikon here (5DII & D700)

might that person who wanted to steal them have been you - I would too, they are so cute!!!

congrats, what an awesome achievement and much deserved. Would also love to see the shots you entered

OMFG