Odd conversation with photographer today...

[CJ1010]

I've been lurking here for a few months now and have learned so much from all of you! Just wanted to say "Thanks" before telling you about an interesting conversation I had today with a photographer at DD3's dance recital dress rehearsal.

At the beginning of the dress rehearsal, the class instructor introduced the photographer & said she'd be photographing the class, taking official pics next week & will be at the recital in a couple weeks. During class I notice she's using the on-camera flash (not external). She was using a Sony (don't know which one). On my canon XS the built-in flash has a max shutter speed of 1/200 and I know from previous classes that it's too slow to stop the action.

So, after class she asks if she can take a pic of DD3. Sure, no problem. This is our conversation:

me: what is your max shutter speed with the flash? my camera has a max shutter speed of 1/200 and I was wondering what yours is.

pro (looking confused): I don't know. I wasn't getting good pictures so I switched to sport mode but they still weren't turning out well.

me: oh.

Frankly, I didn't know what to say after that. And I decided not to ask any follow up questions regarding f-stop, ISO or what lens she was using. I left scratching my head, wondering how I, a complete newbie, knows that sport mode won't work well in those conditions. I'm sure the posed photos will be ok, but any dancing shots ...

Thought a few of you out there might find this conversation as funny and odd as I did!

And if you're wondering, I was taking pics with my canon XS, using a 35 f/2 - yes, I had to get a new lens for dance class after I had tried and failed with the kit lens.

 

[llrain]

It was nice of you to stop asking questions as to not embarass her.
In defense of this photographer though, The word Photographer itsself
can have many meanings these days and many levels. Perhaps she was juist a beginner or isnt even a hobbyist, maybe she was just asked by this person to shoot the show without knowledge of how good she was.

If she said she was a professional then throw all of what I just said out the window.

I've been lurking here for a few months now and have learned so much from all of you! Just wanted to say "Thanks" before telling you about an interesting conversation I had today with a photographer at DD3's dance recital dress rehearsal.

At the beginning of the dress rehearsal, the class instructor introduced the photographer & said she'd be photographing the class, taking official pics next week & will be at the recital in a couple weeks. During class I notice she's using the on-camera flash (not external). She was using a Sony (don't know which one). On my canon XS the built-in flash has a max shutter speed of 1/200 and I know from previous classes that it's too slow to stop the action.

So, after class she asks if she can take a pic of DD3. Sure, no problem. This is our conversation:

me: what is your max shutter speed with the flash? my camera has a max shutter speed of 1/200 and I was wondering what yours is.

pro (looking confused): I don't know. I wasn't getting good pictures so I switched to sport mode but they still weren't turning out well.

me: oh.

Frankly, I didn't know what to say after that. And I decided not to ask any follow up questions regarding f-stop, ISO or what lens she was using. I left scratching my head, wondering how I, a complete newbie, knows that sport mode won't work well in those conditions. I'm sure the posed photos will be ok, but any dancing shots ...

Thought a few of you out there might find this conversation as funny and odd as I did!

And if you're wondering, I was taking pics with my canon XS, using a 35 f/2 - yes, I had to get a new lens for dance class after I had tried and failed with the kit lens.

 

[JoeDif]

Most likely the photographer was a friend of a friend who just happens to have a DSLR. I'm hoping she wasn't passing herself off as a pro

 

[CJ1010]

Well, I just went & looked at the photo info in the recital packet. There's an official form for XX photography, with package info, phone number & website. Based on that, my impression is that she has a business as a pro photographer. But, as stated above, maybe she's just starting out.

 

[Gdad]

I have seen people shooting weddings with seemingly similar experience and not much in the way of proper equipment too- buyer beware I guess.

One side note on the camera setting- If you are using a flash then the slower shutter speed will just suck in some more ambient light- the (proper) strobe will freeze the action just fine.

 

[pjacobi]

With a flash, the action is stopped by the stroboscopic effect, not by the shutter speed. The flash emits light for a brief 1/1000 to 1/2000 second to stop the action.

In fact, slow shutter speeds, such as 1/4, 1/8, or 1/15 second are often used with flash. This is known as dragging the shutter. The flash briefly illuminates the foreground, stopping the action, while the slow shutter speed allows longer exposure for more details in the background. This prevents the deer-in-headlight look against a black background.


-Paul

 

[Geoff_M]

She was using a Sony (don't know which one). On my canon XS the built-in flash has a max shutter speed of 1/200 and I know from previous classes that it's too slow to stop the action.

First a quick technical note. With flash photography, the flash sync speed isn't necessarily the determining factor in being able to stop motion. The ratio of ambient light brightness to the brightness of the flash can be a bigger factor. Even through your shutter may be open for 1/200 sec., the duration of a flash is often in the range of 1/5,000 sec. If the vast majority of the light hitting a subject during a photo is from the flash, you will be able to stop motion with shutter speeds that normally wouldn't be fast enough.

I used to shoot high school basketball with a Nikon F3 that had an awful(!) flash sync speed of 1/80 sec. But because my flash was a lot brighter than the gym lights, I was able to stop all but the quickest motion. And when there was motion visible, it was "ghosting" and not the normal blur.

But back to your original observation... Welcome to the age of Craigslist Pro-Photography! As equipment gets better and better, the professional bar gets lower and lower. You don't have to know how it works, "just press the dohicky!" If you know someone that's thinking about becoming a professional photographer, don't send them this very depressing link to a recent story in the NY Times about how true pros are a dying bred.

 

[CJ1010]

Ahhh...! That's why I love this board! Thanks to all who clarified using the flash to help with action shots. The learning curve is steep for me. But I'm enjoying the climb. And no, I don't ever plan on being a "pro" - I just love taking pictures & want to learn how to take great ones.

 

[Chikabowa]

While there are a lot of great photographers out there who aren't "technical" in their talk (in other words... they can't explain how they do what they do, but they still know how to do what they do), the red-flag here is use of the pop up flash.

I don't know a single professional, when doing commissioned work, who uses the pop up flash.

 

[DisneyFairytale]

I've been lurking here for a few months now and have learned so much from all of you! Just wanted to say "Thanks" before telling you about an interesting conversation I had today with a photographer at DD3's dance recital dress rehearsal.

At the beginning of the dress rehearsal, the class instructor introduced the photographer & said she'd be photographing the class, taking official pics next week & will be at the recital in a couple weeks. During class I notice she's using the on-camera flash (not external). She was using a Sony (don't know which one). On my canon XS the built-in flash has a max shutter speed of 1/200 and I know from previous classes that it's too slow to stop the action.

So, after class she asks if she can take a pic of DD3. Sure, no problem. This is our conversation:

me: what is your max shutter speed with the flash? my camera has a max shutter speed of 1/200 and I was wondering what yours is.

pro (looking confused): I don't know. I wasn't getting good pictures so I switched to sport mode but they still weren't turning out well.

me: oh.

Frankly, I didn't know what to say after that. And I decided not to ask any follow up questions regarding f-stop, ISO or what lens she was using. I left scratching my head, wondering how I, a complete newbie, knows that sport mode won't work well in those conditions. I'm sure the posed photos will be ok, but any dancing shots ...

Thought a few of you out there might find this conversation as funny and odd as I did!

And if you're wondering, I was taking pics with my canon XS, using a 35 f/2 - yes, I had to get a new lens for dance class after I had tried and failed with the kit lens.

I have to say I giggled at your post. It makes you wonder eh. This gal I met through a friend of mine became quite a big fan of my photography a few months ago(I 'm a pretty average photographer), but she loved my work. Needless to say, she appeared one day with a camera similar to mine and decided she start taking photos like mine. Needless to say, I could have done better photos with my baby samsung, point and shoot than what she took with her $1,100+ camera.

It tooks more than just buying the machine people! you need to learn how to use it and what it does!!

 

[photo_chick]

There are many, many people out there who have picked up a DSLR and consider themselves pros. I'd make sure you take your own pictures of the recital.