still images - can I do it?

Hello everybody.

A new client just told me that they most likely also want still images when I do a tour of their hotel.
But..... can I do it my self?
The only photography experience I have is doing panoramas shooting bracketed images with my fish eye. I have no idea what it takes to shoot "normal" still images.

Sure I can buy a canon 17-40mm for my lense, mount it on my tripod and shoot a couple of images. But I know nothing about the composition, and I have no idea how to handle the lightning.

What do you guys think? Should I say no, or should it be a possible for me to make an acceptable result? And if so.... how do I go about it?

Best regards
Morten

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Best regards

Morten Andersen
- a newbie trying to improve

Hello Wide-Eyes,

If you can shoot a home interior pano, you most certainly can shoot a still! You are already experienced in all the challenges that you will be faced with. Should you do a google search for "photographing home interiors" one of the first links is

Ken Rockwell

While I do not agree with his not shooting RAW and leaving the camera white balance in auto, you will find that you are already doing many of these techniques in your pano shooting.

The only photography experience that I had when my daughter was born last year was shooting panos as well. When we took her to the local portrait studio at the age of three months, I knew then I needed to start learning how to shoot in the studio.

I came home that very day and ordered my lighting I converted my bonus room into a studio

I knew absolutely nothing about portraiture photography. I spent a lot of time reading forums and learning. I know that I am no professional portraiture photographer but really enjoy the time in the studio with my daughter.

Example

Example

Example

Fisheye In The Studio Example

Bottom line is, YOU CAN DO IT!

Good luck to you Wide-Eyes,
p

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Hmm,  for the price of a new lens, you could buy a reasonably high mega pixel point and shoot as your second camera for still images.  We use a Canon A640.  That one fits in my shirt pocket and uses a SD compact flash.

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/s/
Dave
Forum Moderator for
EasyPano - Panoweaver
Pano2VR


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Pixel,

Nice job mate, good to see some of your studio work. Very nice

Your daughter is a cutie, as most girls are at that age.

Can't say I'm a fan of the Ken Rockwell site , there is a lot of mis-information mixed in with his own weird ideas. Still, it's not all rubbish! But Joe Average I feel will not know where the line is. Like anything, glean what you can from it and then look for "proof" of concept elsewhere "just to be sure".

Regards, Smooth

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Thanks Smooth,

I still have a "whole lot" to learn in the studio...whole different type of photography.  Thank goodness she gets her looks from mommy

I will have to agree with you about the Ken Rockwell site however, little one was waking up just as I started my post, so I had to be pretty quick about it.  He does have a good spot on google search with his meta tags, guess I will have to give him that.

Did not intend to high jack your thread Wide-eyes, just wanted to show how determination, practice and reading forums can help you achieve your goals.  Seriously, you know how to shoot panos and blend....a still image will be a walk in the park for you. 

Starting out, I would suggest taking along another lens or perhaps renting a lens on your next pano shoot.  Shoot the still just as you do your pano.  By this I mean leave the same camera settings, bracket exposure, etc.  Post process just as you would a pano...post the results for critique and your on your way.

Again best of luck to you,
p

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Hi Pixel

Congratulation. I am not the most qualified to evaluate protrait photographers, but your images are excellent. It's amazing what you have accomplished in just one year.
The quality is (with my eyes) excellent, but what I love even more is the composition. It's how you catch your daughter in just the right moment, and that gives your images the right edge that makes them better the so many others.

Thanks for the pep talk. Yes I Can Do It. Perhaps it won't be perfect the first time, but I'll quickly pick up on it.

Now I just have to convince the client that they really need stills as well :)

Best regards
Morten

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Best regards

Morten Andersen
- a newbie trying to improve

Thanks for the complements Wide-Eyes!

I was giving this thread a bit more thought this morning, as I was working on my latest pano job.

Open your latest pano job, do your post processing as you normally do...look at the image...are you happy with the results? Now on your next shoot simply switch out the fisheye lens with with a regular. You should now get the same exact results and you have stills to sell

Be sure to let us see the reults,
p

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Well........

Now a client have acutally ordered stills. 10 to be exact.

It is both exiting and frightening


But the shoot is not before ultimo may, so I've just ordered the lense, and now have to practice a bit.

Thanks for the encouragement :)

Regards
Morten

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Best regards

Morten Andersen
- a newbie trying to improve

Well........... Now everything is just crazy. One more client have just ordered stills as well. How great is that????

But it is in just 14 days. So if any of you can share links to web sites with photo-techniques and good galleries I can use as an inspiration I will be very greatfull.

Best regards
Morten

p.s. a campaign I have launched have finally started paying off. I now have 5 hotels to shoot in the next 1 1/2 month.

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Best regards

Morten Andersen
- a newbie trying to improve