Digital gear, camera equipment, professional canon eos 5d 1ds mark III

Carmel California Photography

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our digital gear and canon equipment

Q: Do you shoot in digital or film?

A: We shoot 100% digital. Freed from the technical constrains of film, digital equipment has allowed our creativity to blossom.

Shooting digital allows us to capture subtle details and striking memories that we simply could not do with film. Digital also speeds up our post-production work exponentially; thus, allowing you to get your final product in-hand weeks faster than if we shot film. Additionally, the digital medium provides us the ability to generate online content that is both secure and easy to share with your family and friends.

 

Q: Will you be shooting in Black & White or Color?

A: Simply put, the answer is "both."

Unlike other photographers who become almost purists when it comes to the choice of black & white over color, we embrace the idea that both formats have a distinct and unique place in our toolbox when capturing your memories.

Historically, some events have been heavy in B&W while others heavy in color; it simply just depends on the moment. Of course, we have definitely found that, in general, "people shots" do in fact have a slight edge when shot in black & white; thus, we capture the moments in as many tasteful variations as possible. However, if you really want to nail us down in terms of the "average" event, we typically shoot 50% color and 50% black & white.

 

Q: Since you're shooting all digital, does this mean that a B&W image could also be provided in Color?

A: This single question is asked so many times I can't honestly count the number.  It's funny because clients tend to ask this question only after the event is all wrapped up and done when they are thumbing through the final set of images we've provided them.  What inevitably occurs is that we'll provide an image in Black & White and the client (or maybe a family member, who knows) ends up saying, "hey, that's a beautiful photo but I can't stand black & white; could you provide that photo in color as well?!"

Unfortunately, the answer isn't completely cut and dried since it really is contingent on exactly how we originally took the photo in the camera.  Oversimplifying things a bit, if we originally snapped the photo in our camera using settings for Black & White, then it is simply impossible for us to go back and add color to the image.  It was an artistic & technical choice to capture in that mode and the question pretty much ends at that.

On the other hand, as is the case with some of the other Black & White images we provide our clients, if we originally captured the photo in the camera using settings for Color, but we desaturated the image after the fact (this turns it B&W), then in this scenario it would be possible to extract a color image from the B&W one.  Keep in mind though, if we are instructed to go back and re-process the final product in such a fashion, we simply cannot do such for "free" otherwise we'd go out of business (our standard post-processing rate of $300/hr would apply...with 1-hour minimum).

 

Q: I'm terrified that your camera might malfunction in the middle of my event; will you have a backup?

A: Absolutely! 

Not only will there be two photographers at your event (depending on the particular package purchased of course), each photographer will of course have their own camera equipment, we will most definitely have a full backup camera setup available should something go wrong.  Rest assured, your memories will be captured and no equipment failure will stop that fact.

 

Q: Tell me more. What cameras do you actually use?

A: Many prospective clients are concerned about the quality of equipment used during an event, and rightfully so. Unlike our competition, we utilize only the highest quality photographic equipment from Canon.

For photography buffs, we have found the Canon 5D Mark II & standard 5D DSLR body to capture even the most subtle of details frequently lost with lower quality equipment. Some ask why we still prefer the 5D Mark II over some of the more expensive bodies that are out on the market. The answer is simple, when looking for a compact, agile body that provides the best image quality, the 5D simply remains the best overall camera body for shooting weddings.

We also find the EOS-1D Mark III and the EOS-1Ds Mark III to be tremendously potent tools in our arsenal. The irony is that even though these bodies are substantially more expensive than the 5D / 5D Mark II (to the tune of about $10,000), we still find the 5D a better overall choice given its image quality, size, and agility. We'll use the 1D typically in high-action fast-paced settings (e.g., bouquet toss, garter throw, etc.), while the 1Ds is typically pulled out for those ultra important slower paced portrait shots.  Even though the 1D series and the new 5D Mark II is weather sealed, for one reason or another when we shoot down at the beach we inevitably end up using, imagine this, the 5D for the vast majority of the time.

Finally, in terms of the backup bodies we employ, we've found the Canon 50D to be a good choice to keep in reserve should some freak stroke of bad luck put our primary bodies out of commission.  We also have a backup Canon 5D which is a mirror image of one of our main shooting bodies.

Q: OK, that explained about he camera bodies; how about lenses & optics?

A: As for the most critical link in the chain (and frequently the most overlooked item), we're excited to shoot exclusively with Canon's premiere line of lenses embodied primarily in the L-series.

For distance shots (e.g., at the Carmel Mission photographers are only permitted to shoot from mid-way in the Basilica...a long way from the alter if you've ever attended Mass or a wedding there), we find the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens to be a first-rate choice (it's actually one of only two zoom lenses we have in our bag).

Furthermore, one of our absolute favorite pieces of glass is the prime EF 200mm f/2L IS USM lens. This truly is one of the "big guns" as it makes images truly buttery and dreamy.  Given that it is one of our more expensive pieces of glass (one that cannot accept a protective filter), we typically use this lens only indoors or where protected from the elements (i.e., we never use this at the beach).  The image stabilization technology incorporated in this telephoto zoom allows us to capture long distance, low-light situations (especially shots like previously described as in the Carmel Mission where strobe/flashes are prohibited) with ease.

Our overall favorite lens, bar none, is the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. This medium telephoto lens has an amazingly large aperture (all the way down to f/1.2), with a rapid auto focus algorithm, which allows us to shoot without flash (and thus blending in relatively unobtrusively) and capture images in the natural light available. Furthermore, this lens provides an breathtakingly shallow depth of field which permits us to blur the background and keep one, shall we say, "focused" on the true subject of the bride & groom as opposed to the inevitable distracters ever present at every wedding or special event (e.g., Uncle Fred having one too many glasses of champaign, or the obnoxious power pole that happens to be just where you don't want it).

Similar to the 85mm, we really enjoy the 50mm f/1.2L IS since when it is used on a non-full frame camera body such as the 1D Mark III, it really ends up working just like the 85mm. 

Another versatile lens we use is the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM wide angle zoom lens. Although by no means nearly as fast or as sharp of optics, this lens is so versatile and artistic that we really end up surprising ourselves when we count how many images we take with it at a given event. 

 

Q: OK, I get the picture that you shoot digital. What I'm curious about is the format of the images that I'll receive; will they be JPEG, GIF, RAW, or something of that sort?

A: When we shoot your event, we'll almost certainly be shooting it in Canon's proprietary RAW format (which happens to go by the Windows extension of ".cr2"). However, we do not provide our digital images to you in this format. Through our painstakingly detailed and labor-intensive post-processing workflow, we will ultimately export all our images into the industry standard JPEG format.  All of the final images we provide you are sized at 3,600 x 2,400 pixels at 300 pixels per inch with an embedded color space of sRGB.

Given the complexity in this question, we suggest you read our FAQ section which deals with digital image content for more information. I'm confident you'll know everything you ever wanted to, and then some, about file formats after reading this.

 

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