Chad Simcox
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
They look much better with the proper skin tones. Man she’s got some amazing eyes. I think you could lighten up her eyes in the last shot and maybe vignette a bit more on the right side to knock down some of the bright/busy background.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramDusty, the 430 and 580 are exactly the type of strobes or flashes I was referring to. Strobes and flashes are synonymous.
I’d go with cheaper units than the Canon ones. Shop around and read reviews of ones you find. Like I said, I use Sunpak 383s, but they are no longer being produced. Maybe the Vivitar 285HV unit would be a good one to start out with.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramUsually it’s some mix of
Lucero
CCR
Ghostfinger
Descendents
Rancid
Glossary
WuTang
The Unseen
Gorilla Biscuits
Talib Kweli
Cant forget the IA podcasts…Usually the iPod goes on random until I come across something that catches my attention.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramIt sounds like natural light may be out of the question for you. But with a fast lens, don’t underestimate what you can do with just a little window light. Maybe use some duvetyne for a backdrop to help provide some contrast/separation under flat lighting conditions.
I’d consider picking up a small on camera style strobe. I use Sunpak 383s, but those are now discontinued. Maybe check on Vivitar 285 flashes, or see what you can find locally. You can use them off camera with a PC Sync chord (I assume your camera has that option) and fire them into an umbrella to soften the light. Foamcore is a great option for bouncing the light off of to soften it, and you can pick it up pretty cheap at craft stores. If the walls in your place are light, you can always bounce the light off the wall to soften it as well. Just be aware that any color on the wall will have some effect on the color of the light. If you plan on shooting or processing for black and white, this shouldn’t be a problem. For simplicity when shooting in tight spaces, I prefer to keep the flash on camera and bounce the light off a wall if possible.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramI have 2 minimalist packs I use. The first is a William Joseph sling pack style bag, much like the Satchel, but with a front chest compartment. I can’t remember the name of it right now, but you can find them on sierra trading post at good prices usually.
For surf fishing, I use my Camelbak M.U.L.E. without the bladder in it. I can roll up a hoodie or light jacket, a spool of mono for leader (remember I’m in the surf, not on a stream), a fly box, a small nalgene, a snack, and my phone, keys and wallet in a dry bag. It all fits tightly into the pack, but I don’t really need to carry anything else.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramIs there a link or any information about the proposed bill online? What bill is this and where can it be read?
My brother worked on fisheries studies in Utah last summer on his internship and I believe has been offered a job doing more studies this year. I know he would be interested in this bill.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramThanks for the compliment Neal,
My previous comments were about the first 2 wet fly photos, sorry if I wasn’t clear on that.
For the emerger shots in the water, have you thought about getting shots at or below the water surface level? A small aquarium may be a good investment to take these shots to the next level…http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramBased off the experience of others, I’d avoid LaCie drives. I do own one myself, but it’s an archival drive only, not for working off of. I know quite a few people who have had problems with them. I do use them as working drives at work and am not really a fan of how they run. Always needing to spin up, even if they are not in use, causing delays when I’m editing. It gets pretty frustrating, as I usually have 2 LaCies connected and both spin up at different times (usually when reviewing an edit with the director/producer).
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramNice photos.
There is a weird off balance tension going on in the photo that I find on the brink of making me feel uneasy when looking at it. Like I want to move the fly around so it doesn’t look off balance. I think the tension is due to the slight angle of the fly.
Also to convey the feeling of emergence, you way want more lead room in front of the fly. As it sits now, the fly is a little too far to the right for my liking.
I do like the darkness and separation in the first photo.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramI back up to multiple hard drives and sometimes do an extra DVD back up.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramFor learning some good, beginner techniques for off camera flash, go to http://www.strobist.com
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramI’m not a fan of HDR either, but there are exceptions. Mostly on landscapes when used to get more detail out of shadows or skies. Anything too surreal and saturated is just pretty colors and “cool” technique more than it is good photography. That’s not always the case, but I usually find people trying to jump on a technique rather than learning basic photography first.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramI can’t stand to shoot on a camera without one. I leave mine on my camera for the most part. I mostly shoot in studio so I’m not worried about schlepping around weight all day. I like the way the camera feels in hand with one. Since I’m shooting a lot of bands, it really helps when having to make a fast transition from landscape to portrait mode. Plus I broke my wrist a while back and still have problems with it, so it relieves pain on my wrist when shooting portrait. I only have 1 battery, so I don’t benefit from additional battery life.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagramwoah there is a guy with 4 eyes sitting behind the woman with the red scarf behind Obama
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramDo you see yourself using it much? How important is auto focus to you? Do you have the expendable income to buy it, or could the money be used elsewhere? It sounds like if you bought this camera, it would become your primary shooter due to it’s focus options.
Most importantly, I’d find out how many shots have been taken on the camera and see if it’s possibly close to the end of it’s shutter life. I’d also run it through tests to make sure everything is running properly on it and the files come out fine.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramFor the 70-200mm F2.8
The Tamron retails for around $619
The Canon retails for around $1190Prices from B&H.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramMidges (larva and dries) and mysis shrimp for The Blue below Dillon Res. Make sure you have some split shot to get the flies down when they’re not rising.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramI’ve been eyeballing the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 IF lately. I’ve read reviews and seen out of camera results that show that the lens is on par with Canon’s 70-200 2.8 L in terms of sharpness, contrast and color reproduction. However, I’ve repeatedly been told that the Autofocus does not compare to Canon’s and therefore is not recommended sports or action shots. But at a fraction of the price I’m considering getting it. I haven’t done tests on it yet, but I plan to take my camera into a shop soon to see how it performs.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramHere is my critical, honest feedback.
The first photo is a good personal memory, but I don’t think it’s useful for anything on a publishing level. The shot doesn’t tell the viewer anything. I have no idea what the photo is really about other than netting a fish. There seems to be no true focal point. We don’t really see the fish. The motion blur looks unintentional, it’s not apparent/prominent enough to suggest that you’re trying to show that action. Over all the image is very flat, both in contrast and in composition. The “focal point” is centered, that’s bad composition. I want to see something more dynamic than a hand coming from the side of the frame to the center. The muddy mess at the bottom of the frame looks like a smudge on the lens. I can’t really tell whats going on, and it doesn’t add anything to the photo.
I can’t see the second photo, it’s marked as “content protected by owner”.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramI’m not sure where you’re located, but if you’re in the US, I’d probably just hold on to that $800 for now. It sounds like you don’t absolutely need a new camera or lens.
Now, if your current lenses aren’t that sharp or you’re not happy with them, then I would upgrade glass first. I don’t know anything about Nikon lenses, but I’d be wary of an 18-200mm lens. It sounds like it would be great at first, but I don’t think a lens with that kind of range could be an illustrious performer. I’d research it, it may be a good lens and I just don’t know since I’m a canon guy.http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagram
