Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Crikey, that’s a bit of a mouth full of blog title. Read on, the post is not as onerous as the title!
A fantastic, good fun and great looking wedding party, Kaikoura scenery and a Ford Thunderbird, now just how good can it get. Cars are a cool wedding accessory, especially when they have some attitude. Classic and red always works and I’m lucky to get more than my share of kick ass wedding cars at wedding days. This weekend was the usual weekend treat. The wedding party were great fun, there were a few of them though and I had to do a quick head count each time before setting into a group shoot! The great thing about a large wedding party is that there is always someone coming up with an inspirational crazy fun idea for us to photograph and the ideas kept on coming this weekend and we soon ran out of time.
Canon 7D review update.
My Canon 7D has had a good shake down now, shot many thousands of images, been used every day since I took delivery and displaced the 1 series Canons that I have in my arsenal. My faithful 1DsII has come back from the Canon hospital with a brand new shutter, I’ve used it for one job but it’s big and heavy, the AF isn’t as snappy as the 7D. There always seems to be dust on the sensor no matter how often I get it cleaned and although the files are always crisp and clean and colour accurate, for the work I do the 7D files are perfect and I’m going to have this damned thing worn out in no time at all.
With my style of photography I choose to shoot in manual mode all the time which means I cannot comment on the metering capabilities of the 7D.
I’ve shot several hundred portrait shots with studio light in jpeg and found the histogram to be accurate for good file results.
I’ve used the 7D for weddings since I got it and I’m loving it.
Why I like the 7D for wedding photography.
Mostly for the reasons I outlined in the first review, but to reiterate:
Ergonomics and handling, including the weight compared to a 1 series Canon.
Big, bright viewfinder.
Snappy AF, works great in low light and with a Speed light is brilliant.
Performance (shoot rate)
Canon 7D workflow
There still seems to be some hiccups with the 7D workflow.
The Canon supplied software is not really an option for a professional workflow, although it produces quite nice files it is too clunky and slow for high volume use.
My 7D workflow at the moment goes like this;
Photo Mechanic for ingestion, selection, file naming, IPTC and Ex if meta-data.
RAW Developer for processing of RAW files to JPG usable files.
Adobe LightRoom for fast cropping, applying effects and cataloguing files.
Photoshop for any major editing or effects.
I convert all files to jpg with an sRGB profile straight from the RAW file unless it is some super duper image that I want to do a heap of work to. It is pointless to clutter your system with huge tiff files with Adobe RGB files when 99% of the worlds printers do a perfect job of printing with an sRGB profile and a jpg file with a compression of around 10.
In conclusion
Isn’t it so cool to every day be able to use the most amazing, cutting edge technology that mankind has devised! When I look back 10 short years to using film cameras compared to the most incredible technology and image quality we now have available I have to think that everything is just so perfect and how can we ever complain about the shortcomings of the amazing equipment we have.
And now – what you’ve been waiting for, the good looking people!
Thanks Guys for sharing your day with me and for all the laughs and great times.
And the links you need -
Carrie’s amazing flowers
Juanita’s stylish Pottery and Accommodation
Donegal wedding venue
The man with the Thunderbird
If you need or want a Canon 7D
Need Kick Ass wedding photography – Oops you’re already there!
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Sunday, December 21st, 2008
Portraits at a stunning location
We all know how important family photos are, the years pass by and we wish we had made more.
You can be enjoying a family portrait on your wall soon, there has never been a better time to do it than now.
We’ve all got a favourite spot around Kaikoura, lets head there soon and make some fantastic photos of your family. It could be mucking around on the beach, at the wharf, in the garden or down the back paddock. We could even do a studio shoot if you prefer those popular edgy fashion style photos.
Together we make a load of cool photos during the 1 – 2 hour shoot. Afterward I carefully select the best photos and apply my creative touch, you may like high fashion colour or black & white, even a mix of both. The proofs can be put on your own password protected website gallery for selection of images or we can do it at your place or ours. Pick your favourite 40 photos and they are yours to do as you please. Choose Pack One or Two and you also get very reasonably priced stunning wall art of your family ready to hang and enjoy.
Portrait photography should be beautiful, stylish, timeless and fun but all about you.
Three Portrait Pack Options -
Pack One
Portrait shoot at the location of your choice.
Either a 16 X 24” print mounted in traditional matt and glass style (overall size approx 21 X 29”)
or a 20 X 30” print mounted in a no glass frame.
And your choice of 40 images from the shoot on CDROM.
Only $650 and a second framed print the same size can be purchased for just $300.
Pack Two
Portrait shoot at the location of your choice.
Either an 8 X 12” print mounted in traditional matt and glass style (overall size approx 13 X 17”)
or a 13 X 17” print mounted in a no glass frame.
And your choice of 40 images from the shoot on CDROM.
Only $500 and a second framed print the same size can be purchased for just $150.
Pack Three
Portrait shoot at the location of your choice.
Your choice of 40 images from the shoot on CDROM.
Only $350
Some conditions apply;
Use of image files includes unlimited reproduction for personal use. Images may not be sold or used for any commercial use without a license.
Images on CDROM are full resolution, colour correct, creative enhanced and ready to print.
The portrait shoot can be at any location in the Kaikoura township, travel will be charged for out of town locations.
A range of framing materials is available but premium styles may incur extra cost.
Glass less mounted prints are mounted on a high density ph neutral board with a protective laminate film coating for a modern no glare finish.
Because of the variability of print output, we cannot guarantee the quality of prints produced outside of our workflow.
Portrait booking form
cforms contact form by delicious:days
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Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
For wedding, people and commercial photography – Andrew Spencer Photography
Beautiful, creative and dramatic wedding photography, stylish portrait photography and high impact commercial images by an experienced and enthusiastic Kaikoura Photographer.
I can help you…
- enjoy stunning images of your Kaikoura wedding day
- have timeless, stylish portrait pictures
- make your business stand out from the crowd
- see Kaikoura’s unique scenery and wildlife with Kaikoura images
Kaikoura Wedding photography that’s creative, original and fun.
Kaikoura is very accessible and a great place for a wedding. I will make beautiful, creative and original images of your special day, and we’ll have fun doing it. wedding info>>
Portrait photography that you’ll enjoy every day, forever.
Spend an afternoon making beautiful, stylish, timeless images in one of the most stunning locations there is, you’ll enjoy the pictures forever. portrait info>>
Commercial images that add impact to your marketing and sales program.
Need to spruce up your business profile or selling something, images will help do the job better. commercial info>>
Images that capture the essence of Kaikoura.
Prints and images that give you an insight to the unique wildlife and scenery of Kaikoura. the shop>>
By an enthusiastic and experienced Kaikoura photographer.
Hi, I’m Andrew Spencer, freelance photographer in a little town called Kaikoura in New Zealand.
I’ve been into photography since I received a Diana camera for a christmas gift as a child. This toy plastic camera set off a lifelong passion for photography, I now spend all my time making pictures and Kaikoura’s scenery and nature are continual inspiration.
I am available for a range of photography work including commercial, event, people and I love to photograph weddings. Kaikoura has scenery that makes an amazing stage for wedding and portrait pictures.
Using high end Canon cameras and lenses, a colour managed workflow and with extensive photographic and image processing training and experience, We produce high resolution print or web ready, colour accurate images.
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